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?"