Chapter 4 The Alpha Everyone Feared

KATNISS

Every child in the werewolf world grew up hearing stories about Hassan Blackthorn.

They called him the Shadow King, a cold, ruthless warlord disguised in a billionaire’s tailored suit. He was a brilliant military strategist who had never lost a single border conflict, a man whose dark gray eyes could bring an enemy Alpha to his knees without uttering a single word. He trusted no one, cared nothing for the petty squabbles of the Alpha Council, and ruled the massive Blackthorn territory with absolute, unyielding logic. He was a monster, but he was an efficient one.

And right now, that monster was standing inside my father’s private study, radiating a wave of raw, paralyzing power that made the air freeze in my lungs.

"Alpha Blackthorn," my father gasped, his own dominant aura instantly crushed under the sheer weight of Hassan’s presence. Cedric quickly stepped around his desk, his posture stiffening with defensive instincts. "Your presence was not expected until the Council summit tomorrow. What the hell are you doing in the Ashbourne territory?"

Hassan didn't answer immediately. He took a slow, deliberate step into the room, his sharp jawline set, his dark eyes sweeping over Orion, then my father, before finally locking onto me. The intensity of his gaze was staggering.

"Your outer checkpoint guards are lax, Alpha Cedric," Hassan said, his deep, baritone voice rumbling through the room like a distant thunderclap. "If I were Damien Ravenscar, your throat would already be torn out before your dinner banquet tonight."

"Is that a threat, Blackthorn?" Cedric growled, clenched fists trembling at his sides.

"It’s an observation," Hassan replied smoothly, adjusting the cuff of his black suit jacket with a chilling detachment. "I don't waste time with threats. I am here because your legal advisor sent an urgent, encoded inquiry regarding border security three days ago. I happen to be passing through."

Orion cleared his throat nervously, stepping back. "I—yes, Alpha. I did request an assessment, but—"

"Leave us," I interrupted, my voice cutting through the thick layer of tension like a diamond fracturing glass.

My father spun around to glare at me. "Katniss, stay silent! This is a matter of state—"

"I said, leave us," I repeated, standing tall and meeting my father’s furious gaze with absolute defiance. I looked over at Orion. "You too, Orion. Elara is outside. Make sure the Ravenscar scouts don't get a whiff of who is standing in this room."

Hassan tilted his head slightly, a flicker of dark curiosity crossing his unreadable face as he observed my resistance. "A future Luna commanding her Alpha? Fascinating. But I don't have time for family drama."

"It's not drama, Alpha Blackthorn. It's business," I said, stepping completely past my father to face the man everyone feared. "Father, out. Please. Before I make a scene that will ruin this pack forever."

Cedric stared at me, his face a mask of shocked disbelief, but the sheer, ruthless authority vibrating in my silver-gray eyes forced him to snap. He knew me; he knew I had completely changed within the span of an hour. With a bitter, warning growl directed at Hassan, my father turned and marched out of the study, dragging a sweating Orion along with him.

The heavy oak doors clicked shut. The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating, and charged with a dangerous, electric energy.

"You have exactly two minutes, Lady Katniss," Hassan said, stepping closer. The scent of dark cedarwood and ozone washed over me, raw and intoxicating. "Before I walk out that door and leave your pack to whatever fate Damien Ravenscar has cooked up for you."

"I need an alliance," I said bluntly, refusing to flinch as his massive, muscular frame shadowed over me. "An immediate, total military alliance between the Ashbourne and Blackthorn packs."

Hassan let out a short, humorless sound that was a border-line mockery of a laugh. "An alliance? You are literally scheduled to marry the Ravenscar Alpha in less than seventy-two hours. Your wedding invitations are probably sitting on my desk at home."

"I am calling it off," I snapped, the emotional keywords of my past trauma bleeding into my words. "Damien is a treacherous snake. The marriage is a front for a hostile takeover. If I go through with it, he will swallow my pack and slaughter my family. I am breaking the contract tonight."

Hassan’s dark gray eyes narrowed, tracking the frantic but steady beat of the pulse in my throat. He was assessing me, looking for any sign of deception. "And when you break it, Ravenscar will declare war to reclaim his bruised ego. You want me to play the shield. You want the Blackthorn enforcers to bleed for a mistake your father made a year ago."

"I want a strategic partnership," I corrected fiercely. "We have the most advanced silver-weaving tech in the eastern sector. You have the numbers and the raw military might. Together, we can isolate Ravenscar completely."

"No," Hassan said flatly, turning on his heel toward the door.

My heart dropped into a hollow pit of despair. "No? Just like that? You haven't even heard my terms!"

"I don't need to hear them," Hassan replied, stopping but not turning back to face me. "I don't make alliances based on a jilted bride’s sudden panic. The Blackthorn pack stays neutral in Council politics. I have zero reason to help you, Katniss. Your survival is not my problem."

"He will come after your borders next, Hassan!" I yelled, using his first name, my voice laced with a desperate, burning urgency. "He’s calculating. He’s already aligned with the Dreadmoor pack in secret. If he takes our territory, you’ll be surrounded on three fucking sides!"

Hassan paused, his broad shoulders tensing slightly under the black fabric of his suit. He slowly turned his head, looking at me over his shoulder with a chillingly detached expression. "A bold claim. But still not enough to make me bleed for you. I can defend my borders against any army. Why should I risk a multi-front war for an alliance that offers me nothing but political headaches?"

I clenched my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms, drawing blood. The phantom memory of Selene’s blade piercing my chest, of Damien watching me die with that hollow, terrifying smile, flashed behind my eyes. I couldn't lose. I couldn't let history repeat itself. If a standard alliance wasn't enough to sway a man driven completely by cold logic, then I had to raise the stakes to a level he couldn't ignore.

I needed to bind him to me in a way the Alpha Council could never legally challenge.

"An alliance isn't enough," I breathed, taking a slow, steadying breath as I stepped directly into his path, forcing him to look at me fully.

Hassan raised a thick eyebrow, his gaze dropping to my bloody palms, then rising back to my glowing silver eyes. "Then we have nothing left to discuss."

"We do," I said, my voice dropping into a deadly, unyielding register that vibrated with absolute certainty.

The slow-burn fire of revenge ignited in my soul, obliterating every ounce of fear I had left. I reached out, my fingers wrapping around the crisp lapel of his tailored black suit, pulling him just a fraction of an inch closer.

Instead of letting him leave, I looked straight into the eyes of the monster.

"Then marry me."