The scent of gold, velvet, and something intensely intoxicating—like pine needles after a heavy storm—was the first thing that drifted into my consciousness.

Slowly, the heavy fog in my mind began to lift. I opened my eyes, blinking against the warm, amber glow of a massive crystal chandelier hanging from a vaulted ceiling. I wasn't in the damp, freezing dirt of the Timberwolf Den anymore. I wasn't suffocating.

I tried to sit up, but a sharp, agonizing burst of pain ripped through my torso, forcing a ragged groan from my throat. I sank back into the mattress, panting heavily. The bed beneath me was enormous, draped in silk sheets that felt like liquid gold against my skin. Carefully, I peeled back the edge of the blanket and looked down. My breath hitched.

Bandages wrapped tightly around my arms, chest, and stomach, but through the white gauze, the jagged, angry lines of deep claw marks were still visible. The memory hit me like a physical blow. The kitchen. My parents' mocking laughter. The truth of my adoption. Aliyah’s smug smirk. And Alpha Kane—the man I had spent a grueling, sleepless month nursing back to health—wrapping his massive hand around my neck, squeezing the life out of me, and ordering his guards to bury me alive.

A sob escaped my lips, hot and bitter. The sheer injustice of it all burned in my chest. I had given everything to that family, to that pack, and they had discarded me like worthless trash, leaving me to rot in the most lethal territory in the region. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, tracking through the dried blood on my cheeks.

The heavy oak doors of the room swung open. My muscles locked in instant panic, and I frantically tried to scramble backward against the headboard, ignoring the tearing pain in my wounds.

A man stepped into the room.

My heart stopped. It was him. The savior from the Timberwolf Den. The stranger who had cut through Alpha Kane’s guards in a blur of terrifying, effortless violence.

He didn't just walk into the room; he commanded it. His presence was suffocatingly powerful, heavy with a dark, ancient Alpha aura that made the very air vibrate. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a sharp, devastatingly handsome jawline. His dark eyes locked onto mine—cold, intense, and calculating.

"You're awake," he said. His voice was a deep, rumbling baritone that sent a strange shiver down my spine.

"Who... who are you?" I whispered, my voice raw and cracking. "Where am I?

He stopped at the edge of the bed, crossing his arms as he looked down at me. A faint, humorless smirk touched his lips. "It's funny that you don't know who I am. You really don't recognize the most powerful Alpha alive? The one who rules over hundreds of packs? I am Alpha Maximus."

He stepped closer, his shadow completely enveloping me. His gaze dropped to the thick bandages covering my body, his expression hardening. "Tell me. What happened to you? Why did those guards do that to you? Who dared to leave you to die in the Timberwolf Den?"

Hearing him mention the guards and the executioners sent a jolt of panic through my chest. If I told him the truth, if I told him I belonged to the Silver Blood Pack, he would look into them. He might send me back, or use me as a political pawn, or worse, my adoptive family would find out I survived and finish the job. Images of Kane, Aliyah, and my adoptive parents flashed through my mind, fueling a sudden, white-hot wave of hatred. I didn't want to go back. I refused to let them find me. I wanted that life completely erased.

I forced my expression into one of blank, terrified confusion, letting fresh tears pool in my eyes. "I... I don't know what happened. I don't know who did this to me."

His eyebrows knitted together, his dark eyes narrowing as he stepped closer, leaning over the bed. The sheer weight of his gaze was paralyzing. "Are you playing games with me, little wolf? Do you really have amnesia?"

"I don't know," I lied, my heart hammering against my ribs, hoping he couldn't hear the frantic rhythm. "I don't remember anything. I don't know who I am. I don't remember what happened to me. Everything is just blank."

He stared at me for a long, agonizing moment, searching my face for any sign of deception. Finally, he straightened up, exhaling a sharp breath. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore. What matters the most is that you are my mate. I found you. You belong to me."

My jaw dropped. Mate? The supreme ruler of hundreds of packs was my true mate?

"Do you remember your name?" he demanded dominantly, his voice leaving no room for argument.

"No," I whispered honestly, eager to drop the identity that had brought me nothing but pain.

"Lila," he declared, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "Your name is Lila now."

I swallowed hard, nodding slowly. Accepting the name felt like shedding a skin. Vida, the ungrateful stray and glorified servant of the Silver Blood Pack, was dead. She had died in the dirt of the Timberwolf Den. "Okay. Lila... Thank you for saving me."

"I had to," he replied smoothly, a possessive glint in his eyes. "You are my mate. And from now on, no one dares to hurt or touch you."

Before I could process the gravity of his words, the door clicked open again. A man dressed in long, pale robes stepped into the room, carrying a tray of medical supplies. He was an older wolf, his face etched with permanent lines of arrogance. The moment his eyes landed on me, his expression twisted into blatant disgust. He looked at me as if I were a plague rat defiling his clean sanctuary.

He set the tray down roughly and began checking my pulse, his grip unnecessarily tight and cold. He turned his back to me, addressing the Alpha with an annoyed, dismissive sigh.

"Alpha Maximus," the healer said, his voice dripping with condescension. "Why did you bring this creature inside the Apex? I highly doubt her intentions. She looks like nothing but a filthy opportunist who dragged herself into our territory to catch your attention."

"Watch your tongue, Kenneth," Maximus warned, his voice dropping into a dangerously low register.

But the healer, blinded by his own arrogance, didn't stop. He scoffed, pointing a finger at me. "An Alpha like you—the most powerful being alive—cannot possibly be matched with a homeless, broken woman. Look at her. She is trash. Be careful, Alpha. She is likely a spy or a parasite trying to leach off your crown."

A spark of the rage that had consumed me in the kitchen flared back to life. I wasn't going to sit here and be insulted again.

"I am not a parasite!" I snapped, my voice shaking with anger. "I didn't ask to be brought here!"

"Silence, stray!" Kenneth barked, turning to glare at me. "You do not speak in the presence of—"

He never finished the sentence.

In a fraction of a second, the air in the room shattered. Maximus moved with a terrifying, supernatural speed that the human eye could barely register. There was a sickening crunch, followed by a horrific, wet tearing sound.

Blood sprayed across the golden silk sheets.

I gasped, my eyes widening in sheer, unadulterated horror. Kenneth’s headless body stumbled forward a single step before collapsing heavily onto the floor, blood pooling rapidly into the plush rug.

Alpha Maximus stood over the corpse, entirely unbothered. In his large, powerful hand, he held Kenneth’s severed head by the hair, blood dripping steadily from the ragged neck. The cold, ruthless dominance radiating from him was absolute.

He didn't look at the body. Instead, he turned his dark, intense gaze directly to me. He raised the severed head slightly, holding it like a grim trophy, his voice echoing through the room with a lethal, terrifying promise.

"This is the price of disrespecting my mate."

"Anyone who dares to touch or insult you will face their death," he said, looking dead into my eyes.

I sat frozen, my breath trapped in my throat. My heart was racing so hard I could hear it pounding in my ears. I should have been screaming.  I should have been terrified of the monster standing in front of me.

But as I looked at the blood on his hands, and then into his fiercely  eyes, a strange, dark thrill bloomed deep within my chest. For the first time in my entire life, someone had stood up for me.  He had spilled blood just to protect my dignity.

The sharp smell of fresh blood instantly filled the large bedroom. It cut right through the comforting scent of pine needles and velvet.

My body started to shake. I was terrified. He had just chopped off a man's head in a split second. The most powerful Alpha alive was standing at the foot of my bed, casually holding a severed head by the hair.

"I..." The words got stuck in my throat. I looked from the pool of blood soaking the golden sheets up to his face.

Maximus stood there, completely calm. He didn't look guilty or sorry at all. Ending a life seemed as easy to him as breathing.

A heavy wave of fear crashed over me. I pulled the blanket tight against my chest and scrambled back against the headboard. My breath came in short, panicky gasps. I felt scared. Truly, deeply scared. He wasn't just a savior. He was a cold-blooded killer.

Maximus noticed my terror. His dark eyes narrowed slightly, but his stiff posture softened a bit. He took a heavy step toward me.

"Do not look away from me, Lila," he told me dominantly. His voice was a low, deep rumble that vibrated through the mattress. "Look at me."

I forced my tearful eyes up to meet his.

"You have no reason to fear me," he said with absolute authority. "I told you, you are my mate. I will protect you at all cost. No one will ever harm you or insult you again."

I looked at the blood dripping from his fingers, then at the headless body on the floor.

"Is that... is that how ruthless you are, Alpha?" I whispered, my voice shaking. "You killed him just for speaking out of turn."

A dark, confident smile touched his lips. He raised the severed head slightly.

"All for mate, I can kill," he said without a single doubt. "I would tear down kingdoms to keep you safe. To the world, I am a monster. To you, I am yours."

He stepped backward toward the large oak doors, carrying the healer's head like an everyday object. He didn't care about the trail of red drops staining the clean floorboards.

Before opening the door, he looked back over his broad shoulder. "You better rest and don't worry. I will call the maid to clean my mess."

With that, he stepped out and shut the heavy door.

The room became completely quiet. I collapsed back against the pillows, my hands flying to my chest. My heart beat fast. It hammered against my ribs. He was very ruthless like a monster. A monster who was protecting me, even if he would kill to do it. The thought was terrifying, yet a small part of me felt strangely safe for the first time in my life.

A few minutes later, the door opened again.

Three maids stepped into the room. Their faces were completely pale. They froze the moment they saw the blood on the floor.

Without a word, the maids bowed before me. They kept their heads low, too afraid to look me in the eye.

Two of them quickly wrapped a heavy white cloth around the dead body of the healer. They lifted the heavy torso together and worked fast to get out the body. I watched in shocked silence as they carried the corpse away. The head was carried by Alpha Maximus earlier when he went outside, making the sight of the headless body even more gruesome.

The third maid stayed behind. She got down on her knees and started scrubbing the blood out of the rug with a wet rag. Her hands shook violently. She kept glancing nervously at the door, then up at me. She could not hold back her curiosity.

She leaned in close and whispered, "What happened? Why Alpha did this to the healer?"

She stared at the blood on my bed with wide, terrified eyes. "Did you provoke him to do it? Kenneth was the head healer. No one has ever dared to touch him. What did you do to make the Alpha this brutal?"

I just stared back at her, unable to speak a single word.

"I didn't know anything," I whispered, my voice still trembling. "Besides, the healer was the one who insulted me. Then Alpha got mad and attacked him. I never expected that he would protect me like that. He is ruthless."

The maid scrubbing the floor stopped her hands. The room went dead silent for a second. Then, a sharp, ugly sound broke the quiet.

The maid laughed.

It wasn't a soft laugh. It was a cruel, mocking sneer. She tossed her bloody rag into the bucket and stood up, looking down at me with pure hatred in her eyes. The fear she had shown just moments ago turned into bitter anger.

"You are an opportunist," she hissed, her voice dripping with disgust. "You are taking advantage of being an Alpha's mate. You killed the healer who saved your life! Kenneth was the one who kept you alive when the Alpha brought you here half-dead. And you repaid him by letting him get slaughtered!"

My breath hitched. "That's not true! I didn't ask for—"

"Save it," the maid snapped, crossing her arms. "You know exactly what you are doing. You crawled out of the woods, played the victim, and used your mate bond like a weapon. Because of you, our pack just lost its best healer. You think you're safe just because the Alpha fancies you right now? You're nothing but a parasite."

Suddenly, the heavy oak door clicked.

The air in the room instantly turned freezing cold. A thick, suffocating pressure dropped over us, making it hard to breathe. The maid’s face drained of what little color it had left. She stiffened, her jaw dropping open in sheer terror.

The door swung wide open, and Alpha Maximus appeared.

He stood in the doorway, his massive frame completely blocking the light from the hallway. His red eyes were fixed entirely on the shaking maid. His face was a mask of cold, lethal rage.

"What did you say?" Maximus asked.

The room became very still. The air felt heavy, making it hard to breathe.

The maid stopped smiling. Her face turned white and her legs shook.

"I asked you a question," Alpha Maximus said. His voice was low and deep. It seemed to shake the whole room. He took a step forward, his eyes filled with anger.

The maid fell to her knees and backed away until she hit the wall. She was crying and pointed at me, trying to save herself.

"Alpha Maximus!" she cried. "I was only helping you. Look at her! She is just a low rank wolf. She does not deserve to carry your heir! She does not belong here and she is not strong enough for you!"

I held my breath. Her mean words hurt my feelings. I looked down, wondering if he would agree with her.

But Maximus became even angrier. He let out a loud, scary growl. For a second, he looked at me with softer eyes, but then he turned back to the maid.

"How dare you," he whispered. "How dare you treat my mate this way in my house."

In a blur of motion, Maximus attacked her. He moved so quickly it was hard to see. He cut off the maid's head, and bright red blood sprayed across the floor.

Another maid who had seen everything was on the floor, shaking and crying. "Please, Alpha! Have mercy!" she begged. "I did nothing wrong! She has nothing to do with me!"

Maximus stood in the center of the room. He didn't look at the woman on the floor. Instead, he looked straight at me. He walked closer, and my heart beat very fast. He stopped at the edge of the bed.

"Tell me," he said. "Did this one treat you badly too?"

I looked at the crying woman. I knew if I said yes, something bad would happen to her. My stomach felt sick from the tension.

"No," I lied, my voice shaking. "She was kind. Please let her go."

Maximus watched me for a long time. Finally, the anger in his eyes started to fade.

"As you wish," he said. He looked at the maid on the floor. "Leave before I kill you!"

The maid scrambled up and ran out of the room as fast as she could.

Now we were alone. I felt so nervous and my heart almost bumped out of my chest. My throat felt completely dry as I looked at the maid's head surrounded by blood. Tears fell down my face. "Why did you kill her?" I whispered.

Maximus stepped closer. "Anyone who dared to bully and mock you faces their death," he said firmly. He pointed to the door. "Your dinner is ready."

He held out his hand to guide me out of the room. As we began walking down the long hallway toward the kitchen, my body was still trembling from the shock.

Along the way, we passed several pack members. As soon as they saw Alpha Maximus and me walking together, they immediately dropped their heads and bowed deeply before us, showing total respect to their Alpha and his mate.

We finally reached the large kitchen. The room was bright, but the air felt heavy and cold the moment Alpha Maximus stepped inside. Several pack members were already gathered there, whispering to each other. When they saw us, the room went completely silent.

Maximus stood tall, his presence filling the space. He looked around at everyone with sharp, angry eyes.

"Listen to me carefully," Maximus announced, his deep voice echoing off the walls. "No one in this pack will ever dare to harm or mock my mate again. If any of you disrespect her, you will face death. This is your only warning."

The pack members stared at the floor, too terrified to speak. But then, an old man stepped forward from the back of the crowd. His face was wrinkled, and his hands shook, but he looked right at the Alpha.

"Why are you doing this, Alpha?" the old man asked, his voice cracking with age. "Why are you protecting this outsider over your own pack members? You just killed our head healer and a loyal maid for her!"

Maximus did not flinch. He gripped my hand tighter, pulling me closer to his side.

"She is my mate," Maximus answered firmly, looking down at everyone. "We are one. To insult her is to insult me."

The old man shook his head, his expression full of disbelief and disappointment. "You are not like this, Alpha Maximus," he argued, taking another step forward. "How could a low-rank wolf make you crazy like this? She is ruining you!"

The kitchen grew so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath, terrified of what the Alpha would do next.

Maximus’s face turned completely cold. He did not yell. Instead, he stared at the old man and began to count in a low, deadly whisper.

"One."

The old man stiffened, realizing the danger he was in.

"Two."

I pulled on Maximus's arm, my heart beating fast, praying the old man would just shut his mouth before it was too late.

The old man did not stop. He took another breath to speak, completely ignoring the tension in the room.

"Three."

In a sudden, decisive movement, the figure lunged forward. The confrontation was over in an instant, leaving the old man silenced forever.

The room erupted in gasps of terror. Several onlookers recoiled, their faces pale as they backed away, trembling. A heavy, suffocating silence followed the sudden burst of movement.

The figure stood over the fallen man, looking down with a chillingly calm expression. There was no sign of remorse as he glanced at the scene.

"Poor old man," he said softly, his voice devoid of any true sympathy.

He then turned his sharp gaze back to the terrified crowd, his presence commanding absolute stillness. "Does anyone else have something to say?"