Alba's pov

Chapter 5  

Albas POV

The silence after Alpha Marshall spoke felt really heavy. It was even heavier than the rain that had ruined my anniversary dinner a few hours ago.

An important member of his pack. His special guest.

I stared at him thinking I must have misheard. No one talks to an Alpha King like that without getting in trouble. No one offers shelter to a wolfless omega like me like I’m something valuable.

"Have you lost your mind, Alpha Marshall?" Dante’s voice cracked through the silence. He sounded shocked and angry. "She is my mate. My Luna. You can't just..."

"Was," Marshall corrected. He sounded really calm, like Dante’s anger didn't bother him. "She rejected you herself in front of witnesses. Has your memory already failed you, Alpha Dante?"

The crowd started murmuring louder. I heard some of the Alphas who had supported Dante earlier shifting their feet. They didn't seem sure of themselves anymore.

"This changes nothing," Dante snapped. His jaw was shaking. "She has nowhere else to go. She knows nothing but this pack."

"Then it seems fortunate I've offered her somewhere else to go." Marshall’s gaze didn't leave mine. There was something in his eyes that I couldn't read. It made the mark on my neck throb in a way that had nothing to do with Dante.

I didn't know this man. I had heard of him like every wolf in every pack has heard of him. He's the Alpha King, ruthless. His own wolf is said to be cursed.

"Why?" The word came out before I could stop it.

Marshall’s eyebrow went up. "Why what, Luna Alba?"

"Don't call me that. I'm no one’s Luna anymore." I straightened my spine, trying not to let my voice shake. "Why would the Alpha King care about an omega he’s never met before tonight?"

"Maybe I don't like watching an Alpha threaten a woman who has already said no." He said it simply, like it meant nothing to him. Like the whole pack wasn't standing there listening to him stand up to Dante.

Dante’s face turned red. "You overstep, Alpha Marshall. This is my pack. My territory. My business with my mate is not yours to interfere with."

"And yet I have interfered," Marshall said. "And there's very little you can do about it, is there?"

I watched Dante’s jaw work. He knew, like I did, that the Alpha of Alphas doesn't make declarations that he expects to be challenged.

I still had hope. "Alpha Marshall," I said carefully, "I appreciate the offer. I don't want to be anyone’s burden."

"Burden?" He studied me for a moment. "I don't recall using that word."

"A guest," I repeated. "I know what that sounds like."

"Then you misunderstand me." Something shifted in his expression. "I don't offer my name as a kindness, Alba. I offer it because Alpha Dante has shown what kind of man he is tonight. I don't have much patience for men like him."

Veronica, who had been quiet beside Dante, finally spoke up. "This is absurd. You would take in his discarded mate simply to spite him?"

"I'd advise you to remain silent," Marshall said, without looking at her. "Given that you're the reason half of what was just exposed tonight became necessary."

She paled and said nothing else.

Dante took a step toward me. For a moment I thought he was going to grab my wrist. Marshall moved first. He didn't block Dante. He got close enough that Dante stopped.

"Don't," Marshall said. That one word carried a lot of weight.

Dante’s hands curled into fists. "She'll come back. Once she realizes what she’s lost, once she understands that no Alpha King’s charity lasts forever, she'll come crawling to me."

"We'll see," Marshall said, unbothered. He turned his attention back to me. "You don't have to decide anything tonight. You can't stay here. Not after this."

I knew that. I understood it when Dante called the guards to arrest me. I understood it when he threatened to silence me.

Trusting a stranger, even one who just defended me, felt like jumping off a cliff.

"Why does it matter to you?" I asked again. I needed an answer.

Marshall’s lips curved slightly. Not quite a smile. "Maybe that's a conversation better suited for somewhere other than your former mate’s hallway."

I glanced back at Dante one last time. He was still seething. Veronica’s hand was on his arm. He didn't seem to notice.

I had nothing left here. No allies, no savings, no home.

"Fine," I said, the word leaving me before I could change my mind. "I'll come with you."

Marshall’s gaze lingered on me. Something flickered behind his eyes. "Good," he said simply. He extended his hand toward the door.

I didn't know yet that walking through it would mean stepping into a world more dangerous than the one I was leaving behind.