Alaric’s POV

[Mature Content]

I was welcoming our guests for the renewal treaty celebration when something kept tugging on my heart. Something was wrong, my wolf Narcisse was giving me a hard time, growling and snarling at me. There are times he acts sick, he hates me and I rejected our mate, but I can’t accept her as my mate, especially my Luna. She killed my uncle.

‘In self-defense!’ Narcisse growls.

‘No one believes her,’ I retort. My uncle was a bastard, but he was still my family. She could have dealt with the situation better than killing him in cold blood.

‘She was fucking thirteen years old! She had no control over her wolf, Alaric, I can tell that her wolf is strong,’ he says the last part proudly. Indeed, my uncle had Alpha blood and was one of the strongest wolves, but she still bested him.

Alyssa Harris is not only the most beautiful girl in the pack, but even behind her dirty clothes, she can make any man bow to his knees. She is strong as well. She has endured so many hardships since she was a little girl.

‘She can make a fine Luna,’ Breathes Narcisse.

‘Yes, not ours, we shall make Eunice our Luna as my parents want. Her parents are strong and have been our allies for years,’

Eunice is an entitled brat and a crying baby, but I have to be with her to strengthen my pack and she’s a good fuck, but mostly when I fuck her or any other wolf, I picture Alyssa under me, her baby blue eyes, her long hair, and round breast. Her plump lips and beautiful face are enough to make me cum like a teenager for the first time.

Damn, she’s the epitome of beauty, just thinking about her makes my dick itch and hard in my jeans. I excuse myself and go to my office. I call an Omega who is more than happy, she gets on her knees and takes my long, hard cock in her mouth, and begins to move. I let out growls of pleasure and held the back of her neck, guiding her harder and faster, deep throating me.

“More, Alyssa,” I moan, and the slutty Omega bobbed her head faster and I groaned as I released in her mouth. She swallows my cum and gets to her feet, smiling and looking satisfied.

“Oh my Alpha, you are amazing, as usual,” she purrs. I go to my desk and sit on my chair, leaning and relaxing when I suddenly feel a sharp pain in my chest. I groan and growl, and the Omega comes to me worried, but I bear my sharp canines at her and she staggers, falling on her side in fear.

“Get out,” I growl as the pain only intensifies.

‘WHAT IS GOING ON?’ I ask Narcisse. He’s also in so much pain.

‘Our mate has accepted our rejection,’

‘NO!’ I roar.

Unknown’s POV

I didn’t want to come to this poor excuse of a pack but it was my duty as a Lycan King to attend, so I did. The Dawnrise pack isn’t the strongest or wealthiest but they are doing well for themselves and have survived this far because of their alliances. However, the Alpha and Luna are not the most intelligent of the pack, but oh well, at least they are leading to the best of their abilities.

Once the celebration begins, they announce that they will pass down the Alpha title to their son, Alaric. He’s a strong wolf and might even be more capable of leading than his parents.

Alaric walks on stage with a she-wolf by his side, she has a huge smile plastered on her face and I assume, she’s his Luna. The outgoing Alpha briefly gives a speech, he acknowledges my presence and people applaud. Alaric is then called on stage and says his vows.

“I, Alaric Deon, will lead this pack, fair and to the best of my abilities,” He continues, and together they join their hands and the transfer of power is complete. We applaud him and the crowd cheers for their new Alpha. Everyone is dancing and clapping.

“Can we go already?” Asks my Beta, Danford. He also didn’t want to come.

“Not yet, we are leaving tomorrow. For now, just go and entertain yourself,” I shrugged, getting a glass of champagne from one of the servers. Danford scowls like a child but it immediately goes away when he sees five girls batting their lashes and giggling at us. He grins and looks at me.

“I think we should stick around, you know, as we can’t leave these pretty ladies in dire need of our company,” He says, winking at the ladies who blush profusely. But I only turned away. Danford is the biggest player in the world, despite being twenty-four like me, he also hasn’t found his mate and has made it his life’s goal to whore around until he finds her, but I on the other hand, I do have women to gratify my sexual desires but only two or three and there are no feelings attached whatsoever, I can only get attached to my mate and Luna, the woman who I will love and the mother of my heirs. I leave my Beta with his whores and interact with other prominent Alphas. They ask about the Lycan pack and all, but I’m beginning to get bored and my Lycan is getting agitated by every minute that passes.

‘Mate,’ Saga growls in my head, immediately getting on four paws.

‘Where?’ I could have sensed her the minute I saw her or smelt her. I frantically look around the party, but I can’t seem to find her. I rushed out of the party to go see the Alphas. I need to know if all members of the pack are here.

I go straight to the Alpha’s office but don’t enter, as I hear moans of pleasure coming from there, so I go to the former Alpha. They are laughing and chatting with some other Alphas. I march over to them.

“Has everyone in the pack attended the ceremony?” I all but growled at them. They take a step back and he wraps his arm around his mate. Everyone present shrinks at my Alpha aura, but I don’t care, I need to find my mate now.

“Ye-yes… they are,” he stutters, not meeting my eyes.

“I don’t think so, my Lycan senses his counterpart but I can’t find her, only the remnant of her scent.”

Luna hides in her husband’s chest at my anger and it’s her who answers.

“Yes my King, all the unmated females are here,” She cries, frustrated. I growl and the whole party goes silent. I take a calming breath but my blood boils when I feel someone trying to force themselves on my mate. My eyes darken. Saga takes over and when he speaks, his domineering tone makes them all bow.

“I’M GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOU BASTARDS IF I DON’T FIND HER IN FIVE MINUTES!” I roar.

“My King, there are some females in the dungeon, they caused trouble, maybe she might be one of them,” Cries a female.

I growled as I rushed to the dungeon. The guards there make way for me and as I run, her intoxicating scent is getting stronger and undeniably sweet. I follow it and her scream of panic is getting stronger. My blood is boiling. When I reach the cell where she is, I tear the grill bars and step in. The guards all freeze, looking at me with terror. My eyes go to the floor where a frail girl is lying, tears straining down her beautiful face and her claws are out, she looks on the verge of passing out and there is blood all over the floor. A man is on top of her without a shirt and I see red. My Lycan wants the blood of the male that is straddling my soulmate and was clearly about to rape her.

“Mate,” as those words leave my mouth, the guards are shaking in fear. They recognize who I am and are gaping and looking between us. Saga wastes no time attacking, and within two minutes, they are lying lifeless on the ground.

I get on my knees, removing the hair that was covering her face and she lazily looks at me, her beautiful blue eyes look lifeless. When I carry her, she weighs nothing. She looks extremely underweight and pale.

“What did they do to you?” I mutter, kissing her forehead, she slowly raises her hand to touch my clean chin and drops it again before darkness envelopes her. Someone needs to pay for this.

Leondre’s POV

I took my mate to the pack house hospital. I lay her on the bed and the doctors asked me to leave the room, but I didn’t do it. I’m not leaving her ever. My Beta comes to my side, putting a hand on my shoulder. I’m sure the people who were there informed him about the situation

“Is that the Luna?” he asks, looking at the girl on the bed. The doctors who are attending to her look very wary of me because my Alpha aura is going crazy but I can’t help it, they were torturing her.

“My Ki-king, I think you should… um, leave, you won’t want to see this,” A tall nurse speaks in a stutter.

“She’s right and already, the doctors can’t do their job well, bro, your aura is imposing,” Dan says. I shake my head, I want to see, I want to know what they did to her.

“No,”

The doctors turn her on her belly and tear her already torn shirt. My Beta gasps. I repress a growl and clutch my fist. Her back is red and bloody. They have been hitting her, some cuts are so deep and unable to heal themselves. I move closer to her instinctively. No one should be treated like that, no matter the crime of their sins. I see some dark scars as well and my Lycan howls in anguish.

“No doubt she is being abused a lot, some scars are really old,” Mumbles the doctor as he begins to clean her, even in her sleeping state, she flinches as the medicine touches her back and I hold her hand.

“Sorry baby, they’ll pay for this,” I promise her silently. The Alpha family will bear ten times what they did to her. I let go of her hand and left the room. My Beta is calling my name but I don’t answer him, I just need to be alone right now.

I reach the woods in no time and shift into my fierce Lycan. With one loud howl, we take off into the forest to run. We have been running for a few hours now, the images of how I found my mate haunting my memories, questions bombarding my mind, what if I wasn’t there? What if I was a minute late? What would have happened? Would she have seen the day again? I run harder and push forward.

After hours of running, I thought my anger would have subsided, but it didn’t. I go back to the pack house. It is quiet and everyone is still sleeping, so I go to their minibar, drinking my favorite whiskey.

Feeling fatigued, it takes over my body, I go to the room that they prepared for me to rest but I mind linking my Beta to tell him to stay with my mate. Once I hit the bed, I again think of my beautiful mate, I don’t even know her name yet. I want to know everything about her but mostly want to know why she was in that terrible place I found her in, the dungeons only hold the most dangerous wolves, but can she be? She looks so frail and perfect like she wouldn’t even hurt a fly.

‘I can’t sense her wolf,’ Saga says. I did notice that. The tingles were there when our skin made contact but they were not as strong. We will find out what happened.

Alaric’s POV

My chest was burning for hours and my breath came out in short pants. The fucking bitch accepted my rejection.

How can she? Why would she?

I thought she will wait a while longer to give me time to reconsider and take her back. I thought she will beg me to take back my rejection, but no she accepted it. I growled at the thought of that. Anger coarse through me but I couldn’t leave my office because I was in too much pain, my wolf was whimpering and howling in sadness. I was feeling so many emotions but I couldn’t pinpoint which one, but I knew one thing, I needed to see her. I have to see Alyssa. I refuse to let her go. I can’t lose my mate because I’m afraid of what others will say.

After I calmed down, and the painful sensations began to disappear, I mind linked the head guard to get her out of the dungeon but no one answered. I couldn’t even feel their wolves! What the fuck was happening to my men?

I marched towards the dungeons in anger and once I’m there, the guards at the entrance are in deep conversation. I growled alerting them of my presence and they stood straight, saluting me.

I went straight to the cell where my mate was kept but the silver bars were ripped from their hinges. I snarled when I saw two men carrying the bodies of dead men. They looked like they were ripped apart by a beast.

“What happened?”

“The Lycan King was here, he- he took the girl,”

I grabbed him by the collar and growled in his face.

“What do you mean took her?”

“Some guards were – um, sir…” He was stuttering and I was getting frustrated. What did the guards do to my mate?

“If you don’t stop your stuttering, I’ll snap your fucking neck, speak clearly,”

I threw him against the wall, and he grunted painfully.

“The men assaulted her and the King killed him, sir,” he said with difficulty. My anger rose and I clenched my teeth, growling furiously.

“Where is she?”

“I… I don’t know, sir,” He trembled. I left the cells after mind linking with some guards. They informed me that she had been taken to the hospital. I rushed there and saw that she was peacefully lying on the bed, her eyes closed and the sight of her like that made me shudder. She looked underweight and pale, her hair is disheveled and her features were soft as ever. I caressed her soft cheek and I felt faint tingles under my fingers.

I bent down and kissed her forehead but stopped when I sensed someone’s presence behind me and turned around to face the intruder.

“What happened to her?”

The doctor snickers and glares at me. I almost growl at her insolence but took deep gulps of air to calm myself. I don’t feel like killing anyone today, especially Doctor Baross. She was a sweet and gentle woman.

Leondre’s POV

I woke up at 10 am, showered, and got ready for the day and I went to Alaric’s office. I didn’t wait to hear a come-in before I enter. I find him sitting in his chair, the former Alpha and Luna are on the couch along with two other men. They all get to their feet at my arrival and bow.

We exchange pleasantries and I take a chair in front of the new Alpha.

“I found my mate in your pack,” I inform him, from the looks on their faces, it seems they already knew.

Alaric knit his eyebrows in interest while the other people in the room cheer forcibly as if they were wary.

“I found her in the dungeon, being molested by your guards,” I say, repulsed. Alaric’s face shows anger and fury as I continue to tell them. A growl rips from his chest and he hits his desk, breaking it in half.

“I’ll kill them,” he declares.

“Already did,” I grin sarcastically.

“What happened? Why was she locked up?” I asked, looking into his eyes and he fidgets uncomfortably. I believe it has something to do with him. He swallows thickly.

“Which one?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, you’re already starting to irritate me.”

He looks offended but doesn’t say a word. He inhales and puts his arms on the broken table, looking at me.

“Alyssa,” he starts, and I repeat her name silently. Alyssa. It’s a beautiful name for a lovely girl. A smile makes its way to my lips.

‘It suits her,’ adds Saga.

“There is a mistake. Alyssa is not yours, she’s my mate,”

I growl and get to my feet. In a flash, I’m in front of him, holding him by his neck. I lift him off the ground and squeeze his neck. His face starts to turn purple but I don’t release him. How dare you claim my mate, the former Alpha, and Luna, are pleading, but I turn a deaf ear.

“Alyssa is my mate and I’ll kill anyone who tries to touch her,” My words are slow and calm, I throw the little Alpha to the ground and he gulps for air greedily. His parents are going to help him up but he growls and pushes away, stupid prick.

“With all due respect, my King, she was mine first.”

“If the Moon Goddess gave her another, it can only mean you rejected her, especially considering the condition I found her in. Alpha Alaric, do you lock your mate in dungeon?” I know for sure that if the goddess blessed me with her, the moron must have rejected her.

“I was wrong, I’ll take back my rejection!” He challenges. I see red but I refrain from wasting any energy on him.

“You won’t!” His father growled. I raise my eyebrows and find them staring at each other challengingly.

“That woman won’t be a Luna, she’s a murderer!”

“Father, enough. Alyssa is my mate and everyone will accept her. I’ve made my decision,” Alaric declares.

I don’t wait to find out what is going on before leaving the room. I go straight to the hospital to see my mate. I find Dan in the hallway, and I give him a tiny smile.

“How is she?”

“She’s better, they have applied some ointment to her wounds, but I haven’t been there to see her yet,”

“Is she awake?”

He nods and points at me to walk in. I eye him, suddenly feeling nervous. What if she rejects me or compares me to that asshole who rejected her? I hesitantly push the door open and enter the room.

There is a female doctor performing tests and asking her questions. She nods her head.

“Looks better,” The doctor sounds cheerful. The doctor notices me and bows.

“My King! I’m happy to say your mate is healing well. Quite impressive actually,” She muses.

I nod and she explains a few things before leaving the room.

I’m left alone with my mate.

Alyssa’s POV

I slowly lift my gaze as the most enticing scent of vanilla and honey fills my nostrils, my breath gets caught in my chest and I forget how to breathe, the man walking in front of me is tall and intimidating, he’s the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. He has thick jet-black hair, blazing dark blue eyes, a prominent face with high cheekbones, and a muscular body that looks like a greek god. As soon as he entered the room, he dominated it immediately and a wince escapes my lips. He smiles ever so gently once he nears me and my heart skips.

My wolf is trying to say something frantic but I can’t hear her clearly, I’m still in awe of him.

“Hello, Love,” His voice is deep and huskily sexy. I just watch him like an idiot, no words are leaving my mouth.

“Alyssa,” He whispers my name, his eyes looking at me with love. My name sounds so good on his tongue, and a shiver runs down my spine. He cups my face and tingles run down my body, I gulp.

‘Mate,’ I hear my wolf chant, not fucking again. I shake my head, burying my head between my legs. I can tell that this man is an Alpha by his strong domineering aura, will he reject me? Oh my god, no, no. I feel tears well in my eyes and a sob escapes me. I feel hands stroking my hair and I take deep breaths to calm myself. My hunky mate grabs my chin gently so that I am facing him, and when he speaks, a warm sensation goes down my body.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Mate,”

“Are you going to reject me?” I ask calmly, bracing myself. He knits his eyebrows in confusion.

“Why would I do that? You’re my Luna, my Queen,” His eyes twinkle and I allow a small smile on my lips after I register what he said.

“What- What is your n-name?” I stutter my words.

“Leondre Lavista,” I nod and test it on my tongue, it suits him, it makes my wolf purr. I can tell he wants to ask something but is hesitant. There is an awkward silence between us before he speaks again.

“Alyssa,” Damn, he did it again, has my name always sounded so good?

“Hmm,”

“What happened? Why were you in that terrible place?” His expression is darkening, and I feel uncomfortable when he exudes a powerful aura. Seeing my discomfort, he takes a deep breath and opens his eyes.

“My mate- um- my mate locked me up-“

“I’m your mate!” He interjects with a growl and I flinch, backing away from him but there is nowhere to go. He starts taking deep breaths again, I instinctively reach for his hand and slowly rub circles on it, and he sends me a small smile that warms my heart.

“Tell me, everything, please,”

I begin to tell him everything that happened and to say, Leondre was upset will be an understatement, while I tell him, some old scars reopen and I cry again, he holds me tightly and tells me that it will be alright, that I have him now and for some weird reason, I do believe him. My wolf is content in his arms and by a sheer miracle, my wounds don’t hurt. The door to the room opens and another tall man with a build like Leon enters the room, he smiles.

“Luna! I’m glad to see you’re alright!” I look at Leon, waiting for him to tell me who he is because I’ve never seen him before.

“This is Dan, my Beta and friend,” He says quickly, I smile and to Dan, he says, “This is Alyssa, my mate, and the new Lycan Queen,”

I almost choke on my saliva, did he say, Lycan?

‘Yes,’

How did I not feel it sooner, his imposing aura? Lycans are the most powerful among the supernatural, they are gorgeous creatures and dominating. They rule over all shifters and Leondre Lavista is the King! What? I’m freaking out right now, how is that possible, I’m no leader let alone Queen of a Lycan Kingdom!

“Hold up, did you just say friend? I’m your best friend, motherfucker!” Sneers Dan was offended that the King only called him a friend and not a best friend. Leon just chuckles and puts a hand on my neck.

“Are you okay, love?” He asks worriedly, I clear my throat and nod. So many things are running through my head right now! What if the Lycan community doesn’t accept me? They are magnificent creatures so I hear, they are wealthy, undeniably upper class, and will he ask me to leave with him?

“Yes, did you just say King?”

He nods affirmatively, “And you’re my Queen,”

“So, when are we leaving?” Asks Dan before I can even think to process everything.

“As soon as the doctors permit Alyssa to travel, and I still have some business here,” Answers the King while the men discuss what to do in the Dawnrise pack, my stomach growls loudly but I ignore it, embarrassed. It growls again and this time I close my eyes, my cheeks are red and I hear the Lycan King’s deep chuckle.

“Hungry?”

I bite my lips, not sure if I’m allowed any food.

“Dan, get us some food and bring my laptop, I need to work on the moonshine project before Marcus starts pestering me,”

The Lycan Beta bows and exit the room, my mate turns to me and sighs, he smiles and I almost melt.

He’s too HOT.

Minutes later, someone comes in with so much food on a tray, there is fried chicken, salad, chips, and fruit. My stomach embarrassingly growls again as my mate takes the tray from an omega, I don’t ignore how she seductively bats her eyelashes at him but Leon didn’t even spare her a look.

“Enjoy,” He places the food on a small table in front of me.

My mate watches me eat with a smile, and I take small bites of my food if I eat too fast as my stomach is urging me. I don’t remember the last time I ate this much and once I’m safe, my mate puts the tray aside and smiles at me again. I swoon this time.

‘Dramatic much.’

I wrap my arms around his waist, and we stay like that until the door opens and a possessive growl resonates.

“Get away from my mate,”