Chapter 5 Chapter 5

Kael's POV

What was I thinking… claiming an omega?

Just when I thought it was over, that my wolf would finally let me have peace, it snapped angrily in my head.

“You didn’t mark mate!”

Mark her? That was never going to happen. Marking her meant tying her to my life forever, and I would never take that kind of risk.

What kind of nonsense was this? Even after claiming her, I wasn’t satisfied. I still wanted her.

My wolf thrashed inside me, demanding we claim her again and the thought terrified me.

I wasn’t a man who lost control easily, but the pull she had over me was overwhelming.

If I surrendered to it completely, I wouldn’t just lose control, I would lose myself.

The elders better have a proper explanation for this nonsense, or I wouldn’t hesitate to kill them all.

I stormed into the meeting chambers. The elders, sensing my rage, rose immediately and intoned in unison,

“Long live the Alpha!”

“Keep your useless greetings to yourself,” I snapped, my voice ice-cold. “How dare you make such a reckless decision without considering the consequences? Of all the healers in this pack… you chose an omega to heal me?”

One of the elders bowed low, his voice trembling.

“Alpha, please forgive us. We were desperate. We didn’t want you to die. She was the only one capable… the only surviving healer of her bloodline. Remember the Nightshade Pack?”

I paused, the pieces clicking into place.

So this was… Nemesis.

Punishment for my sins. 

I had wiped out her pack because they refused to merge, and now… the Moon Goddess was using her to punish me.

“Don’t worry, Alpha,” another elder spoke quickly, a smug smile playing on his lips. “We have it under control. We know the laws, we understand the consequences… the girl is dead.”

I bit my lip, wondering how I had managed to fill my council with clowns.

“Then it must be her ghost I saw leaving my room,” I muttered, deadly calm.

The room erupted into chaos.

“She’s alive?!”

“That’s impossible!”

“After the ritual, she collapsed… we checked! She had stopped breathing!”

“Enough!” I barked.

Silence fell like a hammer.

“Fix the mess you started,” I said, my voice cold, carrying death in every syllable.

I took a slow step forward, and the elders instinctively recoiled.

“If a single word of this leaves these walls,” I continued, my eyes blazing, “I will strip every one of you of your titles. You will rot in the deepest cells of my dungeons… if you are lucky.”

I paused, letting the weight of my words sink in.

“And if I decide you are not?” I added softly. “Your heads will decorate the gates by sunrise.”

Fear finally broke through their composure.

When the silence settled, I spoke again. The words shocked even me.

“I want to get married.”

The chamber erupted once more.

“Married? Alpha! The pack laws demand three years of mourning…”

I cut them off with a snarl.

“You mean the woman you sacrificed as a peace offering because of your cowardice?” I snapped.

“You arranged that marriage. I never loved her. She is dead and buried. And now, I will marry my first love.”

Their faces drained of color.

“Selene,” I finished coldly.

“Alpha, please…” one of them began.

“Fix the date,” I ordered. “The ceremony will take place in seven days. I want no mistakes.”

“Seven days?!” an elder gasped. “That’s impossible! The marriage council alone takes two months…”

“I am the Alpha,” I growled. “And I make the damn rules.”

In truth, this wasn’t about Selene.

It was an escape. Somehow, I believed that if I marked and mated another woman, the bond trying to tether me to that omega would be broken.

I couldn’t even bring myself to admit the truth to them. The truth was too shameful.

An Alpha brought to his knees by an omega? Never.

The elders continued arguing behind me, their voices rising and overlapping, but I was already done with them. Disgust curled in my gut as I turned away..

I took a step toward the doors.

“You betrayed our mate.”

My wolf’s snarl ripped through my mind.

I clenched my jaw, furious. "I'm not in the mood for your nonsense, Black,” I snapped inwardly. “Enough!”

“You hurt mate,” my wolf roared. “You claimed her and cast her aside!”

I ignored him and kept walking.

Then the pain hit.

Fire exploded through my veins, searing hot, like molten lava tearing through my blood. My breath punched out of my lungs, and my steps faltered.

“What…” I choked.

“Alpha?” someone shouted.

I hit the floor hard.

Agony wracked my body as my muscles seized, convulsing uncontrollably.

“What’s happening to the Alpha?!”

“He’s falling… help him!”

“His eyes… gods, his eyes…! They’re rolling backwards!”

Voices cut through the haze, sharp with panic.

“Bring the omega!” an elder barked. “She’s the only one who can heal the Alpha!”

Boots thundered across the chamber.

A warrior skidded to a halt, breathless.

“She’s gone.”

“Gone?” another elder whispered, dread creeping into his voice. “What do you mean gone?”

“She’s nowhere in the pack house,” the warrior said, panic lacing his words. “No guards saw her leave.”

The last thing I heard before darkness consumed me was my wolf’s roar inside my head:

“Mate is in danger. Save mate.”