The stone and the Alpha

Alex King’s POV

The night air was crisp and cold, the kind that cut right to the bone. I stood on the ridge overlooking the valley, my eyes fixed on the Devine Moon Stone we’d been searching for over a decade. For so long, it had been just a legend, a distant dream. But tonight, the air was thick with power, the kind that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Something was different. Something had shifted.

A sudden movement caught my eye.

I narrowed my gaze, watching as a figure stumbled into the clearing, small and fragile-looking against the stone’s towering presence. I looked behind her and saw three rogue beasts, I sped through the air and finished them in a jiffy. My heart stopped for a moment as I saw her—an unknown girl. Her eyes glowed with an otherworldly light, the faint yellow gleam illuminating her tear-streaked face. I didn’t know her, but there was something... something familiar about her. Like a memory just out of reach.

“What the hell is she doing here?” I growled under my breath. My pack warriors, who had been silently watching, tensed at my voice.

“She doesn’t belong here,” one of them said, his hand already moving to his sword.

“No,” I snapped, my voice sharp. “She’s mine.”

I felt the pull of the Moon Stone’s energy and something else: rogue beasts; I sniffled the air again and realized I wasn't mistaken. its ancient power thrumming in the air. But it wasn’t just the stone. This girl—there was something about her, something dangerous and compelling. My instincts screamed to take control of the situation, to keep her close. Whoever she was, she wasn’t here by accident.

I stalked toward her, my boots crunching on the frost-covered ground. She didn’t see me at first, her attention locked on the stone, her hands trembling as they hovered just above its surface.

“Step away,” I ordered my voice hard.

She flinched at the sound of my voice, her eyes snapping toward me, wide with fear. Her lips trembled, but she didn’t move. Defiance flickered in her gaze, and something about it made my wolf stir restlessly inside me.

“I said, step away!” I barked, my patience slipping.

This time she moved, staggering back from the stone, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. “I-I didn’t mean to... I was just... Please...”

The pleading in her voice should have satisfied me, but it didn’t. I wanted more. I wanted answers.

“Who are you?” I demanded, stepping closer, towering over her. “What are you doing here?”

She shook her head, her eyes darting around the clearing as if looking for an escape. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I... I woke up, and I was here. I don’t know how.”

“Liar,” I growled, grabbing her by the arm. “No one just *wakes up* next to the Divine Moon Stone. You expect me to believe you just stumbled across it?”

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t cry. Not yet. “Please, as you can see, they wanted to harm me; I think you wanted me dead,” she whispered again. “I don’t know what’s happening.”

I narrowed my gaze, studying her face. There was something familiar in the curve of her jaw, the set of her eyes. And that glow... That yellow glow in her eyes. My heart raced as I searched my memory. She reminded me of someone—someone from long ago.

“Take her back to the Silver Moon pack,” I ordered, my grip tightening on her arm as I shoved her toward my warriors. “I want her locked up. Now.”

“No!” she cried, panic flooding her voice as two of my men grabbed her by the shoulders. “Please, let me go! I haven’t done anything! I swear!”

But her cries fell on deaf ears. My warriors dragged her toward our camp, and I followed close behind, my mind racing. Who was she? And why did she look so damn familiar?

---

Back at the pack house, I watched from my chair as they brought her to me. She was trembling now, her eyes wide and filled with terror. She looked so small, so vulnerable. But there was a fire in her, too; I could see it burning just beneath the surface. A fire I intended to extinguish.

“Do you know where you are?” I asked, leaning back in my chair, my tone deceptively calm.

She shook her head, her lips parted as she struggled to find words.

“You’re at the Silver Moon pack,” I said, watching her carefully for a reaction. “And you’re in my territory now. Which means you do as I say.”

“I don’t want any trouble,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “I just want to leave.”

I chuckled, the sound cold and humorless. “You’re not going anywhere. Not until I decide what to do with you.”

Tears finally spilled over her cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away, lifting her chin in a show of defiance. “You can’t keep me here,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper, but there was steel in her words. “I’ll find a way to escape.”

I smiled at that. A slow, dangerous smile. “We’ll see about that.”

I stood up and crossed the room, circling her like a predator stalking its prey. “You need to learn your place. And I think I know just the way to teach you.”

Her eyes followed me warily as I stopped in front of her. “From now on, you work for me. As my maid.”

Her face paled. “What?”

“You’ll serve me, do whatever I ask. And if you disobey…” I leaned down, my voice dropping to a whisper. “I’ll make sure you regret it.”

“I... I won’t...” she stammered, but her words died on her lips as I grabbed her wrist, my grip like iron.

“You’ll do exactly as I say,” I said, my eyes locking onto hers, daring her to defy me again.

---

The next few days were brutal. I kept her under my watch constantly, ordering her to clean, to serve, to work until she could barely stand. But she didn’t break. No matter how hard I pushed, no matter how much I tried to crush her spirit, she kept going. And it drove me mad.

Late one night, after everyone else had gone to bed, I found her in the kitchen, scrubbing the floors with shaking hands. She looked exhausted, her face pale and drawn, her clothes soaked with sweat. But still, she worked.

“You’re not finished yet,” I said, leaning against the doorway.

She didn’t look up, didn’t acknowledge my presence. She just kept scrubbing.

“I told you to clean the entire house,” I said, my voice sharp. “And I want it spotless.”

“I’m doing the best I can,” she muttered, her voice barely audible.

I strode over to her and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to her feet. “Your best isn’t good enough,” I snarled, my face inches from hers. “I expect perfection.”

Her eyes met mine, defiant even in her exhaustion. “You can break my body, but you’ll never break me,” she whispered, her voice filled with quiet strength.

Rage surged through me, hot and uncontrollable. How could she still be defiant? After everything I’d done to her, how could she still have that fire in her eyes?

“Fine,” I growled, releasing her with a shove. “If you’re so strong, let’s see how you handle the dungeon.”

Her eyes widened in fear, but she didn’t back down. “What... what do you mean?”

“The dungeon,” I repeated, a cruel smile spreading across my face. “No guards. No help. Just you and the filth down there. Clean it. And if you survive the night, maybe I’ll reconsider your punishment.”

Her face paled, but she didn’t say a word. She just nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line as she steeled herself for what was to come.