Chapter 4 She Belongs To Me

Jesse 

“Your Majesty,” Dariel said quickly, his voice tight, and forced. “I’m only punishing my daughter for her outrageous actions…”

I didn’t let him finish.

I ignored him completely and took another step forward, then another, the circle parted instinctively, fear rippling through the crowd, but I barely registered it.

All I could see was her.

She was bound on her knees. Her shoulders were trembling, small, restrained tremors she was clearly trying to suppress. Even in humiliation, she was standing proud in the only way she could. 

Something inside my chest snapped.

My wolf surged violently, rage flooding my veins so fast it almost made me dizzy. It wanted blood. It wanted throats torn open. Every single one of them. The elders. The guards. Dariel most of all.

I clenched my fists at my sides, forcing myself to keep walking instead of shifting and slaughtering the entire courtyard.

As I got closer, her familiar sweet scent slammed into my chest like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs for half a second. 

It infuriated me that they dared to treat the woman who had made me sleep so peacefully for the first time in years, the only woman that my wolf had craved, and wanted badly. 

Alpha Dariel moved suddenly, stepping into my path before I could reach her.

I stopped.

Slowly, I lifted my eyes to him.

“Your Majesty,” he said, spreading his arms slightly, as if that alone could block me. “You cannot interfere in this matter.” His voice steadied as he spoke, confidence creeping in where fear had been a moment ago. “These are the ancient ways of the Claws Pack. Internal discipline. You must allow me to do what is right.”

I said nothing, and he took that as permission to continue.

“Even as King,” Dariel went on, his chin lifting, “you have to respect the traditions of a pack. This punishment was decided by our elders. You cannot stop it.”

For a heartbeat, the courtyard was silent.

Then I laughed coldly.

The sound made Dariel stiffen.

“Step aside right now,” I said calmly.

But he didn’t move.

“My daughter has shamed this pack,” he insisted, his voice hardening. “If I do not punish her, what message does that send? Order must be maintained. Laws must be upheld.”

My wolf snarled violently at the word shamed.

I took one step closer to him, close enough that he had to tilt his head back to meet my gaze. The air between us felt heavy, suffocating.

“You’re mistaken about something,” I said quietly. “Very mistaken.”

Dariel frowned. “Your Majesty—”

“I am not asking permission,” I cut in, my voice still controlled, still level. “And you are not in a position to lecture me about law.”

I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice so only he could hear. “The only reason you are still standing in front of me in one piece,” I said, “is because I am exercising restraint.”

His throat bobbed. 

“You look so ridiculous to me right now,” I said coldly. “Defending abuse with tradition. Stop hiding cruelty behind old laws because you lack the spine to face what you are doing.”

His eyes flashed. “Your Majesty—”

“Move,” I said sharply. “Now. Before I forget that we are supposed to be allies.”

The threat was not hidden. It didn’t need to be.

Before he could respond, someone rushed forward from the side. A hand grabbed my arm.

I stiffened instantly.

“Babe,” Adeline said breathlessly, clinging to me like she had every right to touch me. “Please listen to me. My father is only doing what’s necessary. It’s for the honor of our family.”

I turned my head slowly.

She continued quickly, her voice urgent. “Mia committed a grievous sin. This bitch slept with a random stranger while she was still promised to her fiancé. That kind of shame cannot be ignored. She’s a disgrace,she has no shame at all. The pack cannot let such a thing go unpunished.”

Each word scraped against something dark inside me.

My vision tunneled, the sound of the courtyard fading until all I could hear was the roar of my wolf, screaming inside my skull. 

“Nonsense!” I roared.

The word tore out of me, loud and feral, echoing violently across the courtyard. The sheer force of my voice slammed into her.

Adeline gasped and stumbled back, fear flashing across her face as she lost her grip on my arm.

Heavy silence followed.

I took a step forward, my gaze still locked on her, my voice dropping into a warning.

“Do not ever touch me again.”

I ignored everyone. The elders. Dariel. The murmurs rippling through the crowd. None of it mattered.

I walked straight toward her. She was still on her knees, her back straight despite the way her shoulders trembled. The ropes around her wrists were pulled so tight her hands had gone pale.

My chest tightened, and I drew my claws, and cut through the ropes in one clean motion. Then another. The fibers fell away uselessly.

My eyes locked on her wrists.

Bruised. Red. Angry marks marring skin that should never have been touched like this.

As my fingers brushed her skin, a spark shot straight up my arm. It was filled with electricity. Violent and undeniable. 

There was no doubt left.

This was her.

The one I had been waiting for. The one my wolf had been clawing toward all these years. The answer to my curse. I shrugged off my heavy royal jacket without thinking and draped it over her bare shoulders, blocking her from the eyes, still watching, and judging. The fabric swallowed her frame, hiding the marks, and the humiliation.

Mine.

She swayed slightly as she stood, and I carried her in my arms.. 

I whispered in her ears, my voice low as the words were meant only for her.

“Hold me tight,” I said quietly. “Don’t let go.”