Chapter Four: Face-Slap At The Gates

Kaelen turned back to me, his cold mask firmly back in place, though his eyes still burned with a dark, dangerous heat. He grabbed my wrist, pulling me up off the icy floor.

"Stay behind me and keep your mouth shut," he ordered, his voice low and firm.

"I can fight my own battles," I muttered, yanking my wrist free from his grip. "Marcus thinks I'm a helpless Omega. Let him keep thinking that until I rip his throat out."

A faint smirk crossed Kaelen’s lips for a split second. "Suit yourself, rogue."

We walked out of the dark fortress and up onto the high stone wall above the main courtyard. Below us, Marcus stood near the heavy iron gates, flanked by twenty of his top fighters. He looked clean, well-fed, and arrogant in his black leather jacket and heavy fur cloak.

When Marcus looked up and saw me standing right beside the King, his jaw clenched so hard I could hear his teeth click from fifty feet away.

"King Kaelen!" Marcus yelled, his loud voice echoing off the frozen walls. "Thank you for holding my criminal! Hand her over right now. She murdered my father, our Alpha, and stole pack property."

I gripped the icy stone railing until my knuckles turned white. The sheer nerve of this monster lying through his teeth made my blood boil in my veins.

Kaelen leaned over the railing, looking completely bored by the whole thing. "She claims she didn't do it, Marcus. She claims you killed the old Alpha yourself to steal his seat."

Marcus scoffed, placing a heavy hand on his chest like he was deeply offended. "She’s a lying rogue, Your Highness! An Omega with no honor. Are you really going to take the word of a stray over an established Alpha?"

"I don't care about her word," Kaelen said smoothly, his voice calm and icy. "I care about Lycan law. And according to the ancient laws of the Northern Realm, she is under my jurisdiction now."

Marcus laughed out loud, a harsh, ugly sound. "Jurisdiction? She belongs to the Bloodmoon Pack! You have no right to protect a traitor!"

I stepped forward to the very edge of the wall, looking down at my evil stepbrother.

"You're wrong, Marcus," I called out, my voice ringing clear across the snowy courtyard. I pulled my shirt collar down, exposing the right side of my neck to everyone below.

The dark black crest of King Kaelen was fresh and sharp against my pale skin.

Marcus froze mid-breath. The fake smile died right on his face, his skin turning as pale as the snow under his boots. The twenty men behind him started whispering frantically, their eyes wide with fear.

"She is my Pawn," Kaelen growled, stepping up right beside me and placing a heavy, possessive hand on my shoulder. His massive Alpha power flared out, rolling across the courtyard like a heavy wave. Marcus’s men instantly bowed their heads, their knees trembling as they submitted to a superior Alpha's pressure.

"A Pawn?!" Marcus yelled, his face rapidly turning red with pure rage. "You marked a stray?"

"I marked a woman under my protection," Kaelen corrected him, his eyes glowing a bright, lethal blue. "Touch her, and you touch the North. Challenge her right to asylum, and you challenge me to a duel right now, Marcus. Do you want to step into my arena today?"

Marcus took a quick step back, his boots slipping slightly on the slick ice. He was strong for a pack Alpha, but Kaelen was a Lycan King. Fighting Kaelen in a duel meant guaranteed death.

Marcus glared up at me, his hazel eyes filled with pure hatred. "This isn't over, Valeria," he spat through gritted teeth. "Enjoy your little game. Let's see how long the King keeps a parasite like you around."

He turned on his heel and barked at his terrified men to fall back.

As Marcus marched away in total disgrace, a strange, warm satisfaction washed over me. For the first time in my entire life, I had made that monster back down. It was a small victory, but it felt amazing.

I looked over at Kaelen, ready to thank him, but his cold gaze was locked onto the glowing gold mark still burning beneath my shirt.

"Now," Kaelen whispered, his voice sending a sharp chill down my spine. "We need to talk about what that second mark really means."