CHAPTER 4: BETWEEN TWO ALPHAS

SORAYA’S POV

The tension in the room was enough to suffocate anyone.

The place was suddenly engulfed in heat as a bead of sweat trickled down my temple — or was it just me?

Ragnar stood among his men, proud and cold as always. His jaw was so tight I thought he might shatter his own teeth.

Whenever his eyes jumped between the masked man and me, his anger only grew. It made me wonder if Ragnar hated the fact that another man had claimed me, or if he simply hated this man.

My husband’s eyes locked onto me like a predator; those cold eyes were filled with so much fury and determination. It frightened me.

I had always been used to seeing Ragnar void of emotion, but this was far beyond anything I had ever seen.

“Soraya is my wife, and she is coming with me,” Ragnar declared, his voice low and filled with menace. A threat laced every word, sending a shiver down my spine. “Now.”

My gaze shifted to Khai. I wanted to plead with him not to let me leave with Ragnar, but the look on his face made it clear that there was no need for my pleas.

He didn’t even flinch. He remained perfectly calm and collected, his hands loose at his sides, as though none of this bothered him in the slightest.

His calmness was even more terrifying than Ragnar’s rage.

“I bought her,” Khai said, each word precise and cutting. “She’s mine now.”

I am stricken by offense at the way he uses the word “bought” but I remained silent. At this point I could not tell if this man was trying to save me or claim me.

The room fell dead silent. It was at that moment I realized everyone was watching us.

The entire auction had been placed on pause. The auctioneer, the girls, even the patrons all stared at us, holding their breaths.

They too could feel this suffocating, silent rivalry. I couldn’t shake off the fact that these two knew each other.

And it was only a matter of time before Ragnar’s next words confirmed my suspicion.

An irritated smirk lifted my husband’s lips as he spoke with disdain.

“That is my wife. You cannot claim what has already been claimed,” Ragnar stated, and the way he said it made my blood boil.

Without thinking, I stepped between the two men.

“I am not yours, and I never will be.”

Ragnar’s eyes displayed annoyance, but he tried to mask it with a smile.

“Sweetheart, I know you’re saying that because you’re mad at me. Why don’t we just go back home and talk?”

“I am not going anywhere with you,” I stated firmly, the heat of his gaze threatening to make my knees quiver.

But my determination came from knowing that if I backed down, my child would never get to know me. Instead, they would only know him — and that terrified me most.

Ragnar looked around the room, his jaw clenched as though he was doing his best to control his growing anger.

“What do you mean you are not coming home with me? You are my wife. You belong with me!”

“Not anymore.” Squaring my shoulders, I stood my ground, gathering the courage and strength to push the words out of my mouth. “I, Soraya Caelora, reject you, Alpha Ragnar Varkas, as my mate. This union is over, and I want nothing to do with you.”

The room falls into a deafening silence.

The look in his eyes was one of the scariest I had ever seen. I had not just rejected one of the most powerful alphas in the world — I had embarrassed him in front of his subjects.

Suddenly, a hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me back.

A deep voice filled my ears, and a shiver ran down my spine as the man whispered.

“As much as I fancy you, little wolf, I have no interest in taking another man’s property.”

Oh, hell no. You are not backing down now.

My eyes hardened as I turned to him.

Certainty and determination laced my words as I said, “You are not taking me if I am giving myself to you. I have rejected him. I belong only to you.”

A smirk lifted the corner of his lips slightly. His face drew dangerously close to mine, his minty breath fanning my face. I watch as he takes the mask off his face, and it is at that moment the world comes to a stop.

Now I knew why Ragnar was filled with such rage.

The man standing before me was no wolf. He was no ordinary alpha either. The being standing before me, tall, proud and dangerous has been an enemy of our pack for over the past decade.

Alpha King Khai.

One of the most ruthless and deadliest alphas to ever live.

He grins wickedly at me and whispers, “If that is true, then prove it.”

Prove it…

By doing this I will not just be rejecting Ragnar, I will be declaring war against my own pack. I will be viewed as a traitor… but then again, is it worth the life that is growing within me?

I tossed a glance at a steaming Ragnar. He couldn’t hear Khai’s and my conversation, but something told me he knew exactly what we were discussing.

His furious eyes held a single warning: whatever I was about to do, I shouldn’t dare.

My rejection alone had bruised his ego enough.

I, on the other hand, intended to shatter it.

Grabbing Khai’s face, I did the unthinkable — something that was sure to bring war between the two men.

I kissed him.

A series of gasps filled the room, but little by little, they began to fade away.

At first, I kissed Khai to prove a point. But as his warm, sweet lips moved against mine, I got lost.

The kiss was meant to be swift, daring, and meaningless — at least to Khai and me — but it turned into something passionate.

The way he took charge of the kiss without a moment of hesitation, and the way my body responded to him immediately, left me breathless.

He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me even closer as he deepened our kiss.

His hands trailed down to my ass, squeezing it harshly in front of everyone. A part of me wanted to pull away — and I tried — but his grip was so firm.

I didn’t even know when my body began to give in. There was something so different, so fiery about the way our lips danced with one another.

It awakened something in me, a part of me I didn’t even know existed.

All night, my body had been going through a series of turmoil, but this kiss calmed me in ways I never knew possible.

My wolf purred with delight as I melted into him — it was almost like I became a part of him. The kiss was so good, I even let out a moan.

Somewhere in the background, I heard a growl — no doubt Ragnar’s.

The kiss shifted as Khai smirked into it. I managed to peel my eyelids open just enough to find his eyes focused on someone behind me.

And just like that, he pulled away, leaving me in a daze.

Khai raised a perfectly carved eyebrow at Ragnar and said, “Seems Soraya has made her choice.”

He turned to the silent, buff man with a scar — along with the other men dressed in similar suits — and said, “You can escort this bastard out. He has no business here.”

The men did as Khai instructed, but before they could even lay a hand on Ragnar, he caught one and snapped the poor man’s bones.

The man roared in pain just as Ragnar growled.

“I will leave on my own. But make no mistake, Khai — this means war. And I hope you’re ready for it.”

Then his eyes fell on me. He closed the distance between us in a fraction of a second, bringing his lips dangerously close to mine.

I knew for certain that his words would never leave my mind. They would be the first thing I heard every morning when I woke up, and the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.

They would haunt my dreams every day — until the day our paths cross again. Or better yet, until he is dead.

“No matter where or how fast you run, you will never escape me. I will come for what is mine. And I will take it,” he seethed before finally pulling away.

I watched him walk away as Khai took his place at my side — then smacked my ass. A yelp escaped my lips, my eyes widening as he spoke, loud enough for Ragnar to hear:

“I am going to have so much fun fucking you tonight.”

I couldn’t tell if he meant it — or if he was simply saying it to get under Ragnar’s skin.

It was at that moment I realized I had just entered an entirely different kind of hell.