The Alpha King

Selena.

I woke up early the next morning feeling better than I had felt in a long time.For a moment, I was disoriented. The room was quiet, wrapped in a calm that felt unfamiliar. For reasons I could not explain, I felt safe.

Then I turned my head and saw him.

The stranger from last night. He was still asleep beside me.

His chest rose and fell slowly, steady, as though he had no burden whatsoever on his shoulders.

In sleep, his face looked softer. The hard edges I had seen last night were gone, replaced by something almost gentle. Peaceful.

I found myself staring at him longer than I intended to. The faint lines on his face, the way his lashes rested against his skin, the strength in his arms even while relaxed.

He looked so beautiful.

Memories from last night came rushing back, and I could feel my cheeks heat up by the mere thought of it.

My body still remembered him. His voice. His hands. The way he had looked at me, like he actually saw me. Like I mattered. My chest tightened as I remembered how close we had been, how real it had all felt in that moment. I had never felt so alive.

I shifted slightly, careful not to wake him. A part of me wanted to lean in and kiss him. Just once. Something quiet. Something I could carry with me when everything returned to being painful and complicated.

But I stopped myself.

This was a mistake. A beautiful one, yes, but still a mistake.

It had been a one night stand. Nothing more. Nothing that could change my reality.

And my reality was waiting for me back at the packhouse.

Christopher.

The thought of him twisted my stomach into knots. He would already be awake. Already asking questions. And if he did not find me, he would not hesitate to take his anger out on the people I loved most.

My family.

I pushed the blanket aside and slipped out of bed slowly. The floor was cold beneath my feet, and the dull ache between my legs felt like a reminder of what I would miss if I left. Still, I knew I had to go.

I gathered my clothes quietly, wincing when the fabric rustled louder than I expected.

He did not stir.

Good.

I dressed quickly, my hands shaking as I zipped my dress. Before leaving, I looked back at him one last time. He lay there completely unaware of the storm waiting for me beyond those walls.

For a brief second, I wondered what would happen if I stayed. But staying would mean abandoning my family. And even if that were not the case, I did not need anyone to tell me that he was older and far out of my league.

He had probably done this with so many girls to think too much of it.

I grabbed my shoes and slipped out without another glance.

The drive back to the packhouse felt longer than it actually was. The road stretched endlessly ahead of me, and no matter how fast I drove, my thoughts remained behind in that room.

I could still feel him.

That was the part I hated the most. How easily he had gotten under my skin. How quickly my heart had begun to imagine things it had no right to imagine.

What if things were different? The thought hurt more than it comforted me.

Wishes are not horses. They do not carry you away from your struggles. They only remind you of what you will never have.

By the time I reached the gates of the packhouse, my chest felt tight and heavy. The familiar stone walls came into view, closing in on me like a cage. I parked the car and stepped out, already bracing myself.

I barely made it inside before a maid hurried toward me, her face pale and tense.

“Ma'am,” she said breathlessly. “Alpha Christopher has been asking for you. He is angry.”

Of course he was.

I nodded once and continued inside without another word. My feet felt unwilling as I walked down the hallway. Every step felt like I was walking toward punishment.

I found him in the sitting room.

Christopher stood near the window with his back to me. The moment I stepped inside, his body went rigid. Then he turned slowly.

His eyes darkened the instant they landed on me.

“Where were you?” he asked.

I lifted my chin. “That is none of your business.”

A cold smile tugged at his lips as he took slow, steady steps toward me. I could feel his eyes roaming every part of my body like a sales representative taking stock.

“You smell different,” he said as he leaned closer to me, as if trying to figure out who I had been with.

My heart skipped. I should have known he would notice. But if he thought he could make me apologize for what I did, he clearly underestimated me.

“I was told you were looking for me,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

“Barely twenty four hours after I rejected you, and you have already thrown yourself at some pathetic excuse for a man?” he continued, pretending not to have heard what I said.

“So long as it is not you, I am fine,” I shot back.

His expression hardened. “I always knew you were a whore pretending to be decent. Look at you, walking in here drenched in another man’s scent. What do you think the elders would say if they found out?”

“Honestly, I do not care,” I said. “You are no longer my mate, and you have no right to dictate how I live my life.”

The room fell silent.

For a moment, I thought he might strike me. His jaw tightened, his eyes burning into mine. He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel his anger radiating off him.

“Do not forget yourself, Omega,” he said coldly. “You may think you are free, but you are not. You still belong to me. Your family still lives under my roof. Everything they have exists because I allow it. Just one call from me, and you will all be in the woods begging for scraps as rogues.”

I swallowed hard but did not look away.

“If you ever think of disrespecting me again,” he continued, his voice low and deliberate, “I will destroy everything you hold dear. Slowly.”

My hands clenched at my sides. How I wanted to punch him, make him hurt the same way I was hurting.

“What do you want from me?” I asked instead.

His lips curved into a smile that held no warmth.

“My uncle will be attending the coronation ceremony,” he said.

The Alpha King.

Just hearing the title made my stomach twist.

Everyone knew the stories. His cruelty. His power. The way he discarded people when they ceased to entertain him. No one ever walked away from his attention untouched.

“You will stand by my side,” Christopher continued. “You will smile. You will behave like the devoted omega mate everyone expects of you. We must look united.”

I stared at him, my chest aching.

“And if I refuse?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

His eyes flickered with mischief.

“You will not,” he said simply.

Silence stretched between us.

I nodded slowly. “Fine.”

He studied me for a moment, as though trying to read my thoughts. Then he stepped back, satisfied.

“Do not embarrass me,” he added before turning away.

I left the room on unsteady legs.

As I walked down the corridor, my mind felt numb. Everything inside me hurt, but I forced myself to keep moving. I could not afford to break down now.

Voices drifted toward me as I neared the kitchen.

Two girls stood near the doorway, whispering. They had not noticed me.

“I heard the Alpha King has never been married,” one said.

“Oh, he was married once,” the other replied. “I heard his mate died mysteriously. Since then, he has not shown interest in marrying any other woman.”

“Who would blame him? I guess he is just confused about who to pick, considering the number of women that flock around him,” the first girl giggled.

“Who would not want a piece of a man who feeds on power and control? If he as much as looks my way, I will be naked on his bed with my two legs up, begging him to ruin me completely,” the other girl added, and they both laughed.

I stepped back quietly before they noticed me.

My hands trembled.

Nothing they said was new to me. But hearing it spoken aloud felt like my thoughts had been dragged into the open.

Fear. Power. Control.

That was the kind of man the Alpha King was.

And he was the only one Christopher feared.

If I were ever going to escape the cage Christopher had built around me, it would not be through defiance or running away. It would be through someone far more dangerous than he was.

Someone who could break him without lifting a hand.

My stomach twisted as the truth settled deep in my chest.

To survive this, I would have to seduce the Alpha King.

My ex-mate’s uncle.