Chapter Two – The Alpha Who Felt Nothing

Kael's POV

The sun hadn’t fully risen when I stepped onto the training field, sword in hand. Damon, my Beta and oldest friend, was already there, stretching his arms as he watched me approach with that amused look he always wore in the mornings.

“You’re early today,” he said, his lips twitching into a grin.

“I’m always early,” I replied, rolling my shoulders to loosen the tight knots that had formed overnight. I hadn’t slept. I rarely did these days.

He chuckled and picked up his sword from the rack. “Right. You just look meaner when you wake up angry.”

“Shut up and fight,” I said, raising my blade and taking my stance.

He didn’t hesitate. Our swords clashed, the sound ringing across the silent field. Damon pushed back with force, his muscles straining against mine. “Careful, Alpha,” he grunted. “Don’t kill me before breakfast.”

I didn’t bother to answer him. My focus stayed sharp, movements clean and precise. Strike, block, parry, counter. This was the only place I felt in control, where my thoughts went quiet and the rage inside me stilled for a brief moment.

“You’re distracted,” Damon said, blocking my next blow with ease and pushing me back a step.

“Am I?” I asked, slamming my foot forward and twisting my blade until it pressed against his throat. The metal bit into his skin, and he raised his hands in surrender, breathless laughter spilling from his lips.

“Not that distracted,” he panted.

I stepped back, lowering my sword. Damon rubbed his neck where the blade had left a faint mark, his eyes studying me with a knowing sadness.

“You didn’t sleep at all, did you?” he asked quietly.

“No.”

“Nightmares again?”

I stayed silent, sheathing my sword with a sharp click and turning away from him. He knew better than to push further. We both knew what haunted me at night, though neither of us ever spoke of it.

He walked over to the weapon rack and set his sword down before glancing back at me. “Political meetings start in an hour. The elders are already restless about the rogue attacks along the southern border.”

“They can complain all they want,” I said, pulling on my coat as I prepared to leave the training grounds. “We’ll handle it.”

He hesitated before speaking again, his tone dropping slightly. “The breeder arrives today.”

I froze mid-step. My jaw tightened, and I clenched my fists by my sides until the leather of my gloves creaked under the pressure.

“What about her?” I asked, my voice low and flat.

“Do you… want to see her first before she’s moved to the confinement wing?”

I turned to glare at him, my eyes narrowing. “Why would I need to see her?”

He shifted under my gaze, clearing his throat. “Because… she’s your assigned breeder. It’s protocol.”

“Protocol,” I scoffed, shaking my head as disgust twisted in my chest. “She’s a transaction, Damon. Nothing more.”

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired face. “I know. But still… maybe it would settle things with the elders if you showed at least some interest.”

I clenched my jaw, feeling irritation flare in my chest. “Fine,” I muttered. “Bring her to the holding chambers. I’ll meet her there.”

The halls were silent as I walked through them, the heavy stone walls lined with flickering torches that cast shadows along my path. Warriors bowed their heads in respect as I passed, and servants pressed themselves flat against the walls to avoid drawing my attention. The scent of fear clung to them like smoke. It followed me wherever I went, and though I knew it kept order, it always left a bitter taste in my mouth.

My father had taught me that fear was power. Fear kept people obedient, silent, loyal. It kept them alive. Along with many other lessons, it was one I’d never been allowed to forget.

When I reached the chamber doors, Damon was already there waiting, flanked by two guards. His expression was tense, brows drawn together in a way that told me something was wrong.

“What is it now?” I asked, my voice sharp as I adjusted the cuffs of my black coat.

He shifted uncomfortably. “Nothing, Alpha. She’s inside.”

I raised an eyebrow at him, noticing the way his eyes darted to the closed door before flicking back to me. “You’re acting strange, Damon.”

He cleared his throat again, rubbing his palm down his thigh. “She’s… calm.”

“Calm?” I repeated.

He nodded, looking troubled. “Most breeders come in screaming or sobbing, sometimes fighting so hard the guards have to drag them here bloody and half-conscious. But her… she didn’t make a sound the entire trip.”

“Good,” I said flatly, ignoring the unease creeping into Damon’s voice. “Less trouble for us.”

I pushed open the heavy wooden doors and stepped inside the chamber.

She stood in the centre of the room, her wrists shackled in front of her with thick silver cuffs, ankles chained together with a short length of iron so she couldn’t take more than a step at a time. Her long chestnut hair hung in messy curls over her shoulders, strands falling into her pale face. She wore a plain grey dress, the hem torn and dirtied from travel. Smudges of dirt marked her cheekbones, but even then, I couldn’t deny she was… striking.

Her silver-gray eyes lifted to meet mine, and for a brief second, I paused.

She was beautiful.

Small and fragile-looking, like she would break if I touched her. But something flickered behind those eyes – something stubborn, something quietly fierce. It caught me off guard.

But that was all I felt.

Just observation. An acknowledgement of her appearance.

No spark. No sudden surge in my chest. No wolf clawing forward to claim her. Only silence.

I stepped closer, letting my gaze sweep over her from head to toe. She didn’t flinch back, though I could see her hands trembling at her sides. Damon had been right. She was calm. Too calm.

“What is your name?” I asked, my voice echoing through the quiet room.

“Elara Vale,” she replied softly, her voice rough and tired from travel or crying – I couldn’t tell which.

“Elara Vale,” I repeated, tasting the syllables on my tongue. The name felt familiar, but I couldn’t place it. “Do you know why you’re here?”

“Yes.”

Her answer was immediate, flat, and empty.

I narrowed my eyes, studying her carefully. “And do you accept your role?”

She didn’t speak for a moment. Her eyes dropped to the stone floor, and when she finally replied, her voice was quiet. “Does it matter if I accept it or not?”

For a moment, the room felt colder. Her words rang with such quiet resignation that it almost tugged at something deep inside me – something I didn’t recognise, something I refused to acknowledge.

“It doesn’t,” I said after a pause. “You’re here to serve a purpose. Once that purpose is fulfilled, you’ll be released.”

Her eyes flickered up to meet mine again, and for just a heartbeat, pain passed across her face before she lowered her gaze and hid it away.

I turned to Damon, who shifted uncomfortably behind me. “Confine her to the east wing. Make sure she’s cleaned and fed. She begins her duties tomorrow.”

“Yes, Alpha,” he said quietly, bowing his head.

I looked at her one last time, expecting to feel… anything. But there was nothing. No bond, no warmth, no flicker of instinct or possessive need. Just silence and emptiness.

Turning away, I walked out of the chamber, Damon falling into step behind me. We walked through the halls in silence until we reached the stairwell leading up to my chambers. Before I climbed them, Damon spoke again.

“Kael…”

“What is it now?” I asked, tired of his hesitations.

He hesitated before finally asking, “Do you really feel nothing for her?”

I turned my head slightly to glance at him, meeting his troubled gaze with my coldest stare.

“No,” I said, my voice calm and emotionless. “She’s just another transaction.”

Without another word, I climbed the stairs, leaving him standing there with questions he would never dare ask aloud. Because the truth was simple.

I couldn’t feel anything. Not even for the girl with silver-gray eyes who now waited chained in my halls, fated to bear me an heir I would never love.