Chapter 3 THE ALPHA’S FURY

The word, ripped from Kael's throat, was a detonation. It wasn't a question or a plea; it was a pure, commanding statement, an irrevocable claim.

​The Mate bond.

​It hit me like a physical force - a dizzying rush of sensation, an overwhelming chemical certainty that this dangerous, arrogant, impossible boy was suddenly the only stable point in the universe.

My fear was momentarily eclipsed by the primal confusion of an answering surge of recognition.

​But before I could even process the emotional tsunami, the situation exploded.

​"Kael!" Marcus Thorne’s voice - the Alpha’s voice - thundered down the narrow corridor.

​Marcus had witnessed the entire scene. His face, normally a cold mask of authority, was contorted with absolute rage. He stepped out of the closet, slamming the door shut. He wasn't a man; he was a storm, radiating a cold, terrifying power that made the hair on my arms stand straight up.

​Kael instantly released me, pushing me back against the wall, stepping slightly in front of me as if to shield me from the oncoming fury. The action was protective, instinctive, and completely futile.

​"What is the meaning of this spectacle?" Marcus demanded, his voice dropping from a roar to a dangerous, barely contained snarl. "I told you to control yourself! You swore you would uphold the secrecy!"

​Kael stood rigid, breathing hard, his amber eyes still blazing with the Mate recognition. "I was trying to, Father! She was listening, she heard everything. I - I had to stop her."

​"By claiming her? In the middle of the school, Kael? Are you so weak that a simple human scent breaks your control?" Marcus took a threatening step forward. "This girl is a threat. A distraction! You have compromised the Pack for a whim!"

​"She is not a whim," Kael countered, his tone now challenging. "She is my Mate. The bond is real. You felt it the moment we met."

​Marcus flinched slightly, but his glare hardened. "The bond is a weakness if it ties the future Alpha to a human girl who has no concept of loyalty, power, or our laws! Your future is with a Luna strong enough to lead the Pack, not a frightened child who will crack under the first sign of pressure!"

​His words felt like a physical slap. Marcus looked at me with open, savage contempt. "You, girl. You heard the truth. You know our secret."

​I couldn't speak. I could only stare at the tall, terrifying man who was suddenly my greatest threat.

​Marcus pointed a commanding finger at me. "You will go home now. You will speak of this to no one - not your mother, not your new friend, no one. This is non-negotiable. If a single whisper of this reaches the outside world, Kael will lose his right to succession, and you, Willow Hayes, will suffer the consequences."

​The veiled threat felt heavy and lethal.

​Kael spun toward me, his possessiveness resurfacing. "You can't threaten her, Father!"

​"I can do whatever is necessary to protect the Stormfang line!" Marcus's voice was chillingly calm. He then shifted his focus back to Kael. "You are confined to the manor. Training starts now. You will run until the human scent is burned from your system. Go!"

​The command was absolute. Kael hesitated, looking at me with a desperate, conflicted expression. He wanted to argue, to claim me, but the sheer force of the Alpha’s command was too much.

​With a final, tortured look, Kael turned and retreated down the corridor, his pace swift and angry.

​Marcus watched him go, then turned his icy gaze back to me. "Your mother believes you are going to be a good girl, Willow. Prove her right. Go home, and pray that silence is enough to save your life."

​I didn't wait for him to dismiss me again. I fled the corridor, grabbed my history book from the empty classroom, and stumbled toward the exit. The only thought in my mind was to escape the scent, the power, and the unbelievable reality that I was now tangled in the fate of a powerful, dangerous Pack. I needed to find Liora, but her advice now felt useless. This wasn't a social war; it was a fight for survival. I was a human Mate in a werewolf war.