Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The Two Alphas
For a moment after Lucian appeared, nobody moved.
The forest clearing had suddenly become too quiet. The wolves from Kael’s pack stood still, their bodies tense, their attention fixed on the group that had just stepped out from the trees. On the other side, the warriors from the Silver Ridge Pack stood in a tight formation behind their Alpha.
And right in the middle of them all stood me.
My heart began beating so hard that I could feel the pressure in my chest. I had not expected to see Lucian again so soon, and the moment our eyes met, the memory of the rejection from earlier that night came rushing back.
Lucian took another step forward.
The torchlight from the rival pack’s settlement behind us illuminated his face just enough for me to see his expression clearly.
It was not the same calm, confident look he had worn during the ceremony.
His eyes were colder now.
For a second I wondered if he had come looking for me.
Then I remembered the way he had rejected me in front of everyone.
The thought faded quickly.
Lucian had not come for me.
He had come because I was standing in rival territory.
And an Alpha’s pride could not allow that.
His gaze shifted from me to Kael.
"You are standing on dangerous ground, Draven," Lucian said.
His voice carried easily through the clearing.
The wolves around us grew even more alert.
Kael stood beside me without moving. His posture remained calm, but I could feel the tension in the air around him.
"I could say the same thing about you," Kael replied.
His voice was steady, controlled, but there was something beneath it that made the wolves on both sides uneasy.
Lucian’s eyes moved back to me.
"Bring her here."
My stomach tightened.
The command sounded less like a request and more like an order.
Kael did not move.
Neither did I.
Lucian’s expression darkened slightly.
"She belongs to my pack."
Kael finally spoke.
"She crossed into my territory alone. Nobody here touched her."
Lucian looked unimpressed.
"I did not ask for an explanation."
The tension between the two Alphas began building quickly.
Behind Lucian, several of the Silver Ridge warriors shifted slightly, their bodies preparing for a possible fight. On our side, Ronan and the other wolves had also become more alert.
The entire clearing felt like a stretched wire ready to snap.
Lucian took another step closer.
His eyes returned to me.
"Come here."
My heart twisted painfully.
For a moment I remembered the years I had spent believing I would one day stand beside him as Luna. I remembered the way the entire pack had looked at me during the ceremony.
Then I remembered his voice when he rejected me.
The humiliation returned just as strongly as before.
"I am not coming," I said quietly.
Lucian’s gaze sharpened.
"You do not get to make that decision."
Kael shifted slightly beside me.
His presence felt solid and unmoving.
Lucian noticed it.
His eyes moved slowly from me to Kael.
Something in his expression changed.
"You seem very comfortable standing next to my former mate."
The words were spoken casually, but there was a sharp edge behind them.
Kael did not react.
Lucian looked back at me again.
Then, in front of both packs, he spoke loudly.
"She is no longer part of Silver Ridge."
A few murmurs spread through the wolves behind him.
Lucian continued without hesitation.
"I rejected her tonight. She is worthless to my pack now."
The words hit me harder than I expected.
Even though I already knew it was true, hearing him say it again in front of everyone made the humiliation feel fresh.
Lucian gestured toward me with careless indifference.
"If you want her, you can keep her."
My hands tightened at my sides.
Every instinct inside me told me to react, to defend myself, but the words stayed trapped in my throat.
Kael’s silence beside me felt different now.
Before, he had been calm.
Now there was tension in the way he stood.
Lucian began walking forward again.
His eyes remained on me.
"You may be useless," he said coldly, "but you still belong to my territory."
Before I could react, his hand shot out and grabbed my arm.
My body stiffened instantly.
His grip was firm as he pulled me toward him.
"You are coming back with me."
The moment his hand tightened around my arm, something happened beside me.
Kael moved.
It happened so fast that I barely saw it.
One second Lucian was pulling me forward.
The next second Kael’s hand had caught Lucian’s wrist.
The grip was strong enough that Lucian’s hand immediately loosened.
Lucian’s eyes flashed with surprise as Kael forced him to release me.
I stumbled back a step, my heart racing wildly as I looked between them.
The clearing erupted with tension.
Several wolves shifted into partial wolf forms, ready to attack if necessary.
Kael stepped slightly in front of me.
He did not raise his voice.
But the calmness in it made the moment even more dangerous.
"Do not touch her again."
Lucian slowly pulled his hand back.
For a moment the two Alphas stood face to face, only a short distance apart.
Both of them were tall and powerful, and the air between them felt heavy with unspoken challenge.
Lucian studied Kael carefully.
"You are defending her."
Kael did not answer.
Lucian’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Interesting."
His gaze moved briefly to me and then back to Kael again.
"She means nothing to me."
Kael’s voice remained steady.
"Then take your wolves and leave."
Lucian let out a quiet laugh.
"You do not give orders to me."
The tension around us grew even stronger.
The wolves on both sides were watching every movement closely.
It felt like a fight could break out at any moment.
My heart was beating so fast that it was hard to think clearly.
Lucian suddenly took a step to the side, studying the space between Kael and me more carefully.
His eyes lingered on Kael for a few seconds longer than before.
Then he looked back at me.
Something about his expression changed.
The anger in his face faded slightly, replaced by something more thoughtful.
He seemed to be examining the situation more closely.
His eyes moved between us again.
Then he spoke slowly.
"You are standing very close to her for someone who claims she wandered into your territory."
Kael did not respond.
Lucian’s gaze sharpened.
He took another step closer, studying us both more carefully now.
"You reacted very quickly when I touched her."
Kael’s jaw tightened slightly.
Lucian noticed.
His eyes narrowed further.
The silence in the clearing stretched uncomfortably.
Then Lucian spoke again.
"That reaction did not look like simple territory protection."
My stomach dropped.
The way he was looking at us made my pulse start racing again.
Lucian’s gaze moved between us one more time.
Then his eyes slowly widened with realization.
He stared at Kael.
Then at me.
And then back at Kael again.
The clearing had become completely silent.
Even the wolves had stopped shifting.
Lucian spoke again, but this time his voice carried a different tone.
Slow.
Suspicious.
"What exactly happened out here tonight?"
Neither of us answered.
Lucian’s eyes darkened.
Then he said the words that made my heart stop.
"Wait."
His gaze locked onto Kael.
"What did you do to her?"
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