Mate!

Alpha Magnus' POV

The grand council hall was completely silent. Dozens of Alphas and elders from across the territories sat in the rows of stone seats before me, but nobody dared to breathe too loudly. I sat on my heavy, dark throne, my fingers lightly tapping against the carved armrest.

I looked down at them all but they avoided my gaze.

I knew what they saw when they looked at me. I was nearly seven feet tall, my frame built from centuries of war and pure muscle. Heavy dark tattoos spilled out from beneath my leather tunic, winding down my thick forearms and covering the backs of my hands. My voice, whenever I chose to use it, was a deep baritone rumble that could shake the dust from the ceiling.

They feared me. They feared me because I was the Alpha King, and they feared me because of the rumors. Nobody in this room had ever seen my wolf form. Yet, they all knew I could break them without even trying.

My Beta, Kaelen, leaned down toward my ear, his voice a low whisper.

"My King, one Alpha is missing."

I didn't move my head. I simply let my eyes scan the rows until I found the empty seat belonging to the Crescent Moon pack.

"Is anyone representing Alpha Jake here?" I called out. My deep voice echoed off the high stone walls, making several elders jump in their seats.

A man in the third row slowly stood up. He looked like he was walking toward a firing squad. His hands were tucked tightly behind his back, and his shoulders were tense.

"Yes, your Majesty," the man said, bowing his head deeply. "I am Homer, one of the elders of the Crescent Moon pack. I am representing Alpha Jake today."

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. The movement made the Alphas sitting closest to my throne lean back instinctively.

"And where is your Alpha, Homer?" I asked, my tone dangerously calm. "This council meeting was called months ago. Missing it is a direct insult to the throne."

Homer swallowed hard. I could see the sweat glistening on his forehead from across the room.

"I... I do not know, your Majesty," Homer stammered, his voice shaking. "We were supposed to travel here together. He told my daughter he would meet me at the border, but he never showed up. I had to come ahead so our pack wouldn't be absent."

I narrowed my eyes. "An Alpha who cannot keep his schedule is an Alpha who cannot handle his responsibilities."

Before Homer could apologize, the heavy oak doors at the back of the hall suddenly burst open.

The loud bang echoed through the tense silence. A young wolf, dressed in the uniform of a messenger servant, rushed into the room. He was panting heavily, his face pale and covered in dirt.

Kaelen immediately stepped forward, his face twisting into a harsh scowl. He let out a warning growl that vibrated through the floorboards.

"Why are you interrupting an important meeting such as this?" Kaelen barked at the servant. "Have you lost your mind?"

The servant threw himself onto his knees, trembling violently as he looked up toward my throne.

"Forgive me, Alpha King! Forgive me, lords!" the servant gasped, clutching his chest. "I have urgent news from the Crescent Moon territory. Alpha Jake won't be able to make it to the council today."

I frowned, the skin around my tattoos tightening. "What rubbish is this? He sends a servant to make his excuses?"

"No, your Majesty!" the servant cried out, shaking his head in fear. "Alpha Jake was attacked!"

The entire room erupted into a lot of gasps and hurried whispers. Alphas looked at each other in shock, leaning across the aisles to murmur in disbelief. An Alpha being attacked in his own territory was rare. It was an act of war.

"Silence," I rumbled.

The room instantly went dead quiet again.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Who attacked him? Did a rival pack breach your borders?"

"No, your Majesty," the servant swallowed hard, looking terrified to give the answer. "It wasn't an outside pack. It was a warrior of our own pack who attacked him."

I stood up.

The entire council gasped as one. My massive frame cast a long, dark shadow across the front stage. The sheer aura of my command rolled off me in waves, making even the strongest Alphas in the front row lower their heads in submission.

"A pack warrior took down their own Alpha?" I asked, my voice dangerously low. "In his own home?"

"Yes, sire," the servant whispered. "He is currently with the healers, fighting for his life."

I gripped the hilt of the dagger at my belt. "Well, I want to see who dared to attack a fellow Alpha who is supposed to be here in this meeting. That person is going to pay dearly for disrupting the peace of my kingdom."

I turned my sharp gaze down to the third row, locking my eyes onto Homer. The old elder looked completely frozen, his face devoid of color.

"Homer," I commanded.

"Y-yes, your Majesty?"

"Why don't you lead me to your pack?" I said, stepping down from the dais. "I will handle this rebellion myself."

Homer nodded quickly, his voice barely audible. "Right away, Alpha King."

***

The drive to the Crescent Moon territory was long and silent. My convoy of black armored SUVs tore through the mountain roads, kicking up dust. I sat in the back of the lead vehicle, watching the trees blur past. Kaelen sat beside me, while Homer sat up front with the driver, staring blankly out the window.

When we finally arrived, the pack grounds were in a state of chaos. Members were huddled in groups, whispering anxiously. My arrival only heightened their panic. Nobody expected the Alpha King to show up in their territory on a random Tuesday.

We didn't stop at the main mansion. I ordered the driver to go straight to the pack dungeons, where the attacker was being held.

The SUVs pulled up to a bleak, grey stone building built into the side of a hill. Standing outside the heavy iron doors was a thin, wiry man.

"That is Beta Paul," Homer murmured from the front seat.

As I stepped out of the vehicle, my boots heavy against the gravel, Beta Paul immediately dropped to one knee. He bowed his head so low it almost touched the dirt.

"Alpha King Magnus," Paul said, his voice smooth but tense. "We are honored by your presence, though we were absolutely not expecting the general Alpha to be here today."

I walked up to him, stopping just inches away. I looked down at the top of his head.

"Rise, Beta," I ordered.

Paul stood up, wiping his hands on his trousers. He looked incredibly nervous under my gaze.

"I hear you have a dangerous rebel locked up in there," I said, gesturing to the heavy iron doors behind him. "I want to see who this great warrior is who had taken down an Alpha. It is not an easy feat to take down one of us so whoever did so must have great power to rival that of an alpha.”

Paul blinked, his eyes darting quickly over my shoulder to look at Homer, who was standing just behind me. A strange look of hesitation crossed the Beta's face.

"Of course, your Majesty," Paul said smoothly. Then, he looked directly at Homer. "Homer, you should wait outside."

Homer frowned, stepping forward. "No. I want to go in. I want to see who dared to lay hands on our Alpha. I am an elder of this pack, Paul."

Paul’s expression hardened slightly. "Homer, trust me. You sure don't want to go inside here right now. Just stay by the vehicles."

I watched the exchange with a critical eye. Something felt off. The tension between the Beta and the elder was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Let him come," I rumbled, cutting off Paul's objections. "He is an elder, and someone attacked his Alpha. He has every right to know who did it. Move aside, Beta."

Paul swallowed hard, his jaw working as he looked up at me. "Very well, your Majesty."

He turned to the two guards standing by the entrance. "Open the doors."

The guards shoved the heavy iron doors open. A blast of cold, damp air rushed out from the darkness, smelling of mildew, old stone, and iron.

I stepped inside first, my large shoulders almost brushing against the narrow stone doorway. Kaelen followed right behind me, with Paul and Homer at the rear.

Our footsteps echoed loudly in the cave-like hallway. We walked past rows of cold, empty cells. The stone walls were dripping with moisture, and the only light came from flickering torches mounted on the walls. It was a miserable place, meant to break a wolf’s spirit.

We walked deeper into the dark level, moving toward the very last cell at the end of the corridor.

As we approached, I could see a figure lying curled up on the hard stone floor. The prisoner was small, wrapped in an oversized, dirty coat, shivering violently against the cold.

Homer stepped up beside me, squinting through the iron bars into the dim light.

"Is that..." Homer started, his voice suddenly hitching in his throat. “Calista?”

But before he could even finish his sentence, a sudden, violent jolt struck my chest.

It felt like a lightning bolt had pierced my heart. 

My lungs completely locked up, and a wave of pure, overwhelming heat flooded my entire body. 

Every instinct in my body screamed to life, tearing at my consciousness with a feeling I hadn't felt in hundreds of years. The air in the dungeon suddenly smelled completely different, flooded with the intoxicating scent of sweet rain and wild lilies coming straight from the cell.

It was like all my senses were sharper.

Beside me, Paul gasped and stumbled backward. Homer froze entirely, his eyes widening in sheer terror.

Inside the cell, the shivering figure on the floor stiffened. Slowly and painfully, she pushed herself up from the cold stone as she turned to me. I could see her cheek was badly bruised, and her lips were cut, but her features were striking.

She looked like a warrior who had been wronged.

As she looked up and locked her eyes onto mine, my vision grew sharper as I felt my eyes glow.

A collective gasp echoed in the hallway as the prisoner's eyes suddenly flared to life, glowing with the exact same brilliant, deep blue mine was glowing with.

She stared at me through the bars, her breath shaking, as the ancient, unbreakable magic of the universe locked us together.

A deep sound rumbled out of my chest before I could even process what was happening. 

I felt something awakening within me. Something I had never felt before taking over my entire being as it pushed forward.

"Mate," a voice growled within me.