Chapter seven: The Alpha king

Aria Blackwood...

The next morning, the pack grounds were chaos. Carriages rolled in one after another, wheels crunching over gravel, each one bearing the crest of a different pack. Horses snorted, warriors dismounted, and everywhere I looked, new faces filled the air with tension.

The Annual Hunt wasn’t just a blood sport

—it was tradition, a cruel one.

And tradition meant guests. Packs from across the region came to watch, to compete, to form alliances, to participate in chasing and killing women or taking them as prizes I wished Damien would end this so called tradition.

“Aria, get moving!” Mrs. Callahan, the pack's steward, barked at me. She shoved a folded stack of linens into my arms so hard I nearly staggered.

“The guest wing is not going to prepare itself. And for the Goddess’s sake, don’t let anyone see you limping.”

I bit back a wince, clutching the fabrics tighter against the dull ache in my side. I still hadn’t fully healed, but no one cared. If anything, they enjoyed piling more work on me, Aria this, Aria that, everywhere I go , Aria.

“On it,” I muttered, and hurried off toward the main hall.

Inside, the air buzzed with voices, laughter, and the heavy scent of foreign wolves. Our pack’s warriors strutted about, chest-puffed, eager to impress the visitors. Some of the younger girls from the training squad giggled in corners, adjusting their hair, desperate to catch the eyes of high-ranking males.

I didn’t blame them. That’s what they were raised for. Unlike me.

“Aria!” A familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts. Cassie", one of the few girls I trusted, rushed over carrying a tray of goblets.

Her blond hair was pinned back, her cheeks flushed from exertion. “Help me with this? The Beta of the Silverfangs already complained once that his wine wasn’t cold enough.”

I balanced the linens against my hip and grabbed a few goblets. “Spoiled much?”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “You have no idea. The moment they arrived, it’s been nothing but ‘this isn’t to my standard’ and ‘where’s my personal chambermaid?’ As if we don’t all bleed the same.” she said making her voice high pitched I chuckled

We moved through the crowd together, placing drinks into waiting hands. Some accepted with polite nods, others with arrogant smirks. One older Beta from the Bloodfang pack let his fingers brush against mine deliberately as he took the goblet, his eyes lingering on me.

I snatched my hand back, forcing my face to be blank.

Just keep moving, Aria.

---

By the time the midday sun streamed through the high windows, the great hall was brimming with guests. Music filled the air, and the scent of roasted meat wafted from the kitchens.

I was just about to slip back into the shadows when a hand clamped around my wrist.

“Well, well, look who it is.”

My stomach dropped. It was Jason, one of our own warriors, notorious for his cruel tongue. He leaned close, his breath was thick with ale.

“Didn’t think you’d still be standing after yesterday. Heard the rogue tore you up pretty bad.”

I jerked my arm, but his grip tightened. “Let go.”

He chuckled darkly. “Come on, don’t be like that. You always walk around like you’re better than the rest of us. Maybe if you loosened up—”

His hand slid down my arm, his fingers brushing where they had no right to. My heart raced with panic, anger sparking in my chest.

“Jason, stop!” I hissed, shoving against him. “I said let go!”

And then

The air shifted.

A shadow fell over us, heavy and suffocating. Jason’s hand froze on me as though turned to stone.

Slowly, I turned—and my breath caught in my throat.

A man stood at the entrance of the hall, flanked by four towering figures.

The Alpha King.

I had heard stories, whispers passed like forbidden secrets. The King of all werewolves, ruler of the united packs, a man said to carry the strength of the Goddess herself. But no story prepared me for the reality, he wasn't even supposed to be here , he hasn't attended a single hunt since I was born.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in dark, regal armor that seemed to drink in the light. His presence rolled through the hall like a storm, commanding silence without a single word.

His eyes—gods, his eyes—were a shade of piercing gold that seemed to strip the soul bare.

he was ripped and looked like perfection, Damien didn't even stand a chance, he was very handsome and had a predator glint in his eyes , his eyes shifted it was rumoured his wolf and his man shared one body, unlike us that have to speak to our wolf and change, his wolf was a part of him and sometimes made decisions for him.

he was powerful and ruthless,

he beheaded a man with just a single bite to the throat.

Every wolf in the room lowered their gaze, their necks bowed instinctively. Every wolf but Jason, whose grip slackened under the crushing weight of the King’s aura.

The Alpha King’s gaze fell on us. On Jason’s hand gripping my arm.

“Release her.”

The words were quiet, but they carried like thunder, resonating in my bones.

Jason’s face drained of color. His hand dropped instantly, and he stumbled back, bowing his head so fast it was almost comical. “M-my King, I—I didn’t—”

The Alpha King didn’t even look at him again. His attention was solely on me.

My breath caught under the weight of it. His eyes scanned me slowly, lingering on the bandage peeking from beneath my blouse, the faint tremor in my hand. Not judgmental. Not dismissive. But sharp, calculating.

“You’re hurt.”

It wasn’t a question.

Heat flared in my cheeks.

“It’s nothing, my King. Just a scratch.”

His brow arched, as though he saw straight through the lie. But he didn’t press. Instead, he inclined his head, the faintest ghost of acknowledgment. Then, with a wave of his hand, he moved deeper into the hall, his crew following.

And what a crew they were.

To his right strode a Beta with golden hair and a scar running from his brow to his cheek, his aura fierce and untamed. To his left, a dark-haired advisor with sharp eyes, the kind of man who missed nothing. Behind them came two massive warriors, silent as shadows, their armor etched with the crest of the royal pack.

The room seemed to breathe again only once they passed.

I exhaled shakily, clutching my shawl tight around me.

Jason slunk away into the crowd, his earlier arrogance shattered.

But my world felt shifted.

Because when the Alpha King looked at me… for the first time in my life, I hadn’t felt invisible.

_____

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Whispers followed the King wherever he went. His crew spoke little, but their watchful eyes made everyone tread carefully.

And me? I tried to fade back into the background, to hide the heat that still lingered from that moment. But every so often, I caught him watching. Just for a second, just long enough to make my pulse stumble.

That night, as I lay awake in my chamber, one thought burned in my mind:

The Hunt had always been about survival. But with the Alpha King here… it felt like everything was about to change.

I hoped it was for the better cause I definitely don't want a male like Jason catching me tomorrow and forcing me to be tied to him for life

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