4.

 Beta Alaric’s boots clicked against the polished stone, each step heavier than the last. His throat burned, not from drink this time, but from the weight of the mistake that had nearly cost him his head.

He stopped in front of the giant blackwood doors, carved with wolves devouring serpents, the Alpha’s crest burning in silver at the center. His palms sweated as he raised his hand and knocked once.

Silence.

Then the deep rumble of a voice that could crush bones without raising in volume.

“Enter.”

Alaric swallowed hard. He dropped to his knees before the door even opened, as if his body knew better than his mind. When the massive door creaked inward, he crawled the rest of the way, bowing low until his forehead nearly touched the floor.

Inside, Alpha King Ronan stood like a dark monument, broad shoulders encased in black leather and silk. 

His special stylist, a nervous little man with trembling fingers, was adjusting the golden clasps of Ronan’s ceremonial jacket. The Alpha’s eyes were unreadable, cold as a storm over frozen seas.

Ronan’s gaze snapped to Alaric. Sharp. Direct. Lethal.

“Why are you on your knees?” His voice was flat, dangerous in its calmness.

Alaric’s chest heaved. “My king… because what I have done deserves death.”

The stylist froze, his hands stiff in mid-air. Ronan raised one long finger. Without a word, the man dropped the fabric and scurried away, the door shutting softly behind him.

Now it was just them.

The Alpha king stepped closer, his shadow stretching across Alaric’s bowed form. “Did you bow to another Alpha?”

“No, my king,” Alaric rasped, eyes squeezed shut, ready for claws across his throat. “But my negligence...my stupidity...”

Ronan crouched, his voice dropping low, brushing like smoke against Alaric’s ears. “Interesting. Because last night was far from negligence.” His lips curled faintly, predator amusement breaking the mask. “The girl you brought to my chambers… she was good.”

Alaric’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “My...”

Ronan’s gaze sharpened.

Alaric swallowed his words.

The Alpha’s lips tilted in something almost dangerous. “Unlike the others… this one had fire. She surprised me. Spiced things up. You will pay her double.”

Alaric blinked, confusion mixing with relief. Double? He hadn’t brought anyone. He hadn’t dared. He’d drunk himself into oblivion like a fool. Whoever had entered Ronan’s chamber had slipped past every layer of command. That should’ve meant death...for her and for him.

But instead, the king wanted to pay her. Double.

Alaric bowed lower, voice steadying as he forced himself to play along. “Yes, my king. I will… ensure she is compensated.”

Ronan’s eyes lingered, cold and calculating. Then he stood, turning back toward the tall windows where sunlight spilled across his broad frame.

“The meeting yesterday was useless,” Ronan muttered, adjusting his cuffs himself now. “These Alphas bark, but none bite. I want my chambers prepared for departure. Tonight.”

“Yes, my king.”

Ronan’s voice softened to a growl, more to himself than to Alaric. “Her face…” He frowned, rubbing his temple. “Blurred. As though the moon itself refused me clarity. But the birthmark on her waist…” His jaw clenched, a muscle twitching. “That I remember. That mark made her unforgettable.”

Alaric’s head dropped lower, but his mind was racing. Who the fuck had managed to crawl into Ronan’s bed unnoticed? Which reckless she-wolf had risked her life like that?

And why was the Alpha remembering her?

His wolf murmured darkly in the back of his mind. Something was wrong. Something very, very wrong.

“Why,” Ronan’s voice snapped, sharp as claws, “do you look as if you’ve seen a ghost?”

Alaric flinched, bowing deeper. “Forgive me, my king. I only… worry about your safety.”

Ronan’s gaze lingered on him, a silent test, then he turned away. “Arrange it. And do not fail.”

Alaric’s forehead hit the floor. “Yes, Alpha King.”

......

Scarlett sat curled in a shadowed room, her body trembling under bruises that painted her skin like shattered glass. Her lips were split, her ribs ached, and her eyes burned with unshed tears. She had learned the hard way that crying only gave them more satisfaction.

Her mother’s hand had been the harshest, dragging her by the hair, hissing that she was a disgrace, a stain on the family’s honor. Liora’s smirk had been worse...the victorious twist of lips that whispered, See? You’ll never matter.

The door creaked, and Scarlett stiffened, expecting another slap, another cruel order.

But instead, an Omega girl burst in, skirts swishing, her face flushed with excitement. “Scarlett!” she whispered, eyes bright. “Scarlett...you won’t believe this!”

Scarlett turned her face away, her voice a cracked whisper. “If you’re here to pity me, don’t. I don’t need it.”

The Omega knelt beside her, reaching but stopping short when she saw the raw bruises. Her lips trembled with anger. “I would never pity you. I… I admire you. You take all this and still walk with your head high. But...listen...” She shoved a parchment into Scarlett’s hands.

Scarlett blinked at it, her swollen eyes scanning the seal, the name that burned across the top.

Blackwood University.

Her heart jolted, pounding so hard she thought her ribs might crack. Her lips parted, whispering the words like a prayer. “I… I got in?”

The Omega nodded fiercely, her own eyes wet. “You’re in. Scarlett...you’re finally in. You can leave this place. You can get your wolf, your grades, your freedom. You don’t have to stay their prisoner forever.”

Scarlett clutched the letter to her chest, laughter bubbling through her cracked lips for the first time in weeks. Bitter, broken, but real.

Her future wasn’t a cage. It was here, sealed in wax and ink.

For once, the darkness cracked, and light seeped in.

Meanwhile, Alaric stormed down another hall, his mind spinning. He barked orders to the guards, demanding every shred of information. “The woman who left the Alpha’s chamber last night...find her. Every guard at every post. I want names. Descriptions. Someone saw her.”

The guards exchanged nervous glances. One, bolder than the rest, cleared his throat. “With respect, Beta… no one saw a woman enter. Or leave. The room was locked.”

Alaric’s eyes narrowed to slits. His wolf growled in the back of his mind. That’s impossible.

But then again, so was a blurred face that an Alpha king couldn’t remember.

Something told him this wasn’t a mistake. It was a storm waiting to tear the kingdom apart.