4: The King's Command

Alpha Kyo’s POV

There was something wrong with this pack.

I felt it the moment I crossed their borders—the air was too thick, the wolves too silent. The kind of silence that hides blood under the floorboards. And Alpha Kael… he wore his smile like a mask, but I’ve ruled too long not to recognize when a man is hiding filth beneath charm.

After the formal greetings and the fake laughter, I told Kael I wanted to rest. He showed me to a guest room in the east wing, then disappeared to tend to “urgent affairs.” Of course. Alphas like him always have something urgent — usually their ego.

But I couldn’t sit still.

So I went for a walk.

The moon was half-lit above the forest’s edge. The walls of the Blackmoon estate towered behind me. I passed soldiers greeting me. And I kept walking. Past the barracks. Past the supply yards.

Then I heard it.

A cry.

No — a scream.

Raw. Choked. Terrified.

Then—a slap.

I stopped.

Another hit.

A girl’s voice, broken and breathless: “Please… stop…”

I was already moving before her voice finished.

I followed the sound through a half-open gate and around the back of the training barn.

And that’s when I saw her.

She was on her knees, curled in a ball against the cold stone wall. Her arms were raised to shield her face. A guard — twice her size — stood over her, his hand raised again.

“I said, speak! Why did you say bad things to that guard?!”

The girl coughed, blood dripping from her lip. “I didn’t — please — I just told him karma is real—”

The guard backhanded her again.

“You think crying will save you?”

He raised his boot.

I stepped into the light.

“Touch her again,” I said, my voice low and steady, “and I’ll break your spine myself.”

The guard froze mid-kick. His eyes widened like he’d seen a ghost. “A-Alpha Kyo—”

“I won’t repeat myself.”

He dropped his boot, stammering, “Sh-she’s a criminal. She killed—”

“I don't care what she did,” I said.

He took a step back.

I moved forward.

And that’s when I got a full look at her face.

Bloodied. Bruised. Eyes half-closed from swelling.

But she is beautiful… I think I like her, she is the type I want.

I crouched in front of her. She tried to flinch away.

I caught her chin gently. “Look at me.”

Slowly, she lifted her face.

And everything in my chest stilled.

She was more than a broken girl.

She was fury barely contained.

Tears hung at the edge of her lashes, but her jaw was clenched like a soldier.

“What’s your name?” I asked softly.

“Nyx,” she whispered.

And it echoed in my bones.

I stood and faced the guard.

“Fetch your Alpha,” I said, cold as death. “Tell him the girl now belongs to me.”

“No one will ever touch you without your permission again,” I said sharply. “Not while I live.”

She stared at me as if she wanted to believe me — but fear smothered that hope before it could take root.

I helped her to her feet. Her legs trembled, buckling beneath her, so I lifted her effortlessly into my arms. She gasped, but I ignored it, striding toward the guest room I’d been given.

Then I saw Alpha Kael.

“She is my personal maid now, not a slave,” I stated coldly.

“She’s a murderer,” he growled.

“I don’t care.”

“Forgive me, my king, but she is my mate!” he snarled.

“And you treated her like trash.”

“She killed my brother!” he shouted.

I went deadly still. “Have you lost your mind? Are you shouting at me?”

His rage faltered. “I—I apologize, my king.”

“Then get lost.”

*******

Nyx’s POV

I sat in a warm, velvet-lined chair inside a room too beautiful for someone like me. I hadn’t said a word since he carried me into this room.

He didn’t speak either—just gave me space, gave me food, and watched me from the other side of the room.

He is handsome with blue eyes.

“How long were they doing this to you?” his voice finally broke the silence.

I didn’t answer.

Because I didn’t know what to say.

Time meant nothing in the dungeon.

“Nyx,” he said my name like it mattered, like it wasn’t stained.

I swallowed. “Since I killed his brother.”

He was quiet for a moment.

“Why did you kill him?”

I turned slowly. “He tried to rape me.”

His jaw tensed.

I waited for doubt. Disbelief. Another slap.

But none came.

Instead, he nodded once.

“That’s all I needed to hear.”

Tears burned in my eyes.

“I didn’t want to kill him. I didn’t know how it happens — it never happened before.”

He stood now, closer.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"I'm 18."

"I see. You defended yourself. Don't worry, you're safe now."

I was surprised. He believed me.

“You believed me. Why do you believe?”

He chuckled. “Do you think an ordinary wolf can be a Wolf King? So don’t worry. If I see someone who lies, I know. So stand, go and get a bath, seems you stink,” he said with a joking voice.

“I will be right back,” and he left.

As I stood up to bathe, the door opened and Kael came.

“Don’t think because the king takes you that doesn’t mean you are free. As soon as he leaves, you will face the consequences. Your first work is to clean all the rooms,” he barked and left.

Mtswww. I hissed and entered the bathroom. I quickly bathed. When I came out, I didn’t have clothes to wear, so I went to a bag in the room. It was all male clothes. It must be his.

I didn’t have an option, so I just took one of his shirts and wore it. When I closed the bag, I saw a picture and picked it up. It was him and a lady, and then a small boy in the picture. That means he is married with even a kid.

But I hadn’t heard of him being married before.

I just put it back in the bag and went out cleaning the rooms. As I was on my way to the room where Kael took me to—the one where it happened—I changed my mind. I didn’t want to clean that room.

But I was about to turn, then I heard a moan/groan of a lady, and the voice seemed familiar.

So I decided to check.

I opened the room.

And I saw them having sex.