: Release her

"ENOUGH!" A powerful voice thundered suddenly, instilling fear in the crowd.

The entire shifters fell into a deathly silence the moment Alpha King Henry stepped out from the mansion.

Aurora raised her head weakly and her gaze connected with intense golden eyes, the same eyes she had seen the night she was almost attacked by that lycan.

She couldn't be mistaken. Although she hadn't seen his face that night, but his eyes... she knew she couldn't be wrong.

Bishop spoke of an important guest earlier. Could it be that this man with the hypnotic eyes was the Alpha King?

She watched him walk towards her. The crowd moved back, fear and respect visible in their eyes. Even Bishop stepped aside, his head bowed slightly.

Henry stopped before the guards holding Aurora, his gaze dark and terrifying.

"Release her." His voice sounded calm, too calm, but everyone knew it was the calm before the storm.

The guards promptly let go of Aurora, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Alpha Henry," Bishop ventured out, his head still bowed with respect. "I apologize if this scene has caused some disturbance to you. I assure you, this girl will be dealt with..."

"You rejected her, did you not?" Henry brutally cut him short. His gaze was still pinned on Aurora who had began to shiver on the ground.

When Bishop didn't give him a reply quickly enough, he turned and glared at him.

"Did you not?"

"Yes, Alpha. I did reject her." Bishop answered quickly. "But it was in a moment of anger. I surely didn't mean to..."

Besides him, Amelia looked on in shock and annoyance. She didn't understand why Bishop would say something like that.

"Save your breath." Henry turned away again. "You've made it clear to these people, that the woman you plan to marry is the one beside you." He didn't even spare a single glance at Amelia as he spoke.

"Yes Alpha." Bishop nodded.

"Very well." Henry made up his mind. "From this moment, the girl is no longer a member of your pack. She will return with me to Ashidore."

"But Alpha..." Bishop tried to protest, but Henry had already walked away, leaving everyone staring after him.

Suddenly annoyed at the turn of events, Bishop ordered his beta and gamma to take Aurora away and prepare her to leave with Alpha King Henry.

The other shifters who had hoped for Aurora to be punished severely, left in disappointment. They couldn't fathom why the Alpha King would spare a worthless omega like Aurora.

Amelia was beyond livid. Though she loved Bishop, but her eyes had been set on Alpha King Henry for a while. The only reason why she never acted on her obsession for him was because of the secrets shrouding him.

Henry never spared anyone, and certainly not an omega. Why did he suddenly show an interest in Aurora? It disturbed her greatly and she complained to Bishop.

"I don't understand why he wants to take her with him." She snarled angrily. "The bitch clearly disrespected you. She should be punished here, and not spared. Talk to the Alpha, he needs to understand that we have our ways of doing things here..."

"Shut up Amelia!" Bishop snapped at her. "How dare you speak about the Alpha King in that manner?"

"But..."

"It seems you don't really know who Alpha Henry is." Bishop shut her up again. "He's the Supreme Alpha, Alpha King of all Alphas. I am merely a pawn beneath him. I serve him, and so do the other shifters. Whatever his orders are, we follow it without complaint. So I would advise you to watch your mouth and watch the way you speak about him!"

He pushed her out of his way and hurried after Alpha Henry.

While all these were happening, Aurora couldn't hear a word of what was being said. There was a loud persistent ringing in her ears, and her head felt like it was splitting in two.

When she managed to crack open her eyelids, her vision was blurry. Black spots danced before her eyes and she slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

...

When Aurora opened her eyes again, she was no longer sprawled on the ground in front of Bishop's mansion. She was in a strange moving vehicle.

She tried to sit up but her entire body exploded with pain. Groaning softly, she lay back down and shut her eyes.

Suddenly a deep voice broke the silence.

"Hang in there," the voice said. "We will arrive soon."

Aurora tried to open her eyes, to see the owner of the voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, and she tried to recall where she had heard the voice before.

But her head was spinning again and the persistent ringing was back. A dull ache throbbed behind her eyelids and soon, she slipped into unconsciousness.

Henry watched as she passed out again. He knew there was nothing he could do to ease her pain. She would just have to hang in there, like he told her, until they arrived at Ashidore, the Lycan Kingdom.

He leaned back against the luxurious leather seats and let out a deep sigh. They were inside a fancy carriage, pulled by six large vicious wolves. The distance between Ashidore and Silver Dawn pack was three days ride and Henry wanted to return as quickly as possible.

As the carriage sped on, his mind went back to the moment he first saw Aurora.

It was that night when he had been hunting. Her scent had slammed into him like the sweetest of nectar, and the urge to have her had been so strong.

But when he realized that she was Bishop's mate, he killed whatever urge he had. He never messed with another man's mate. Women didn't appeal to him, unless he wanted to bed them. He discarded them the moment his pleasure ended.

So why did Aurora appeal to him? During breakfast the previous day, why had he been so furious when Bishop made it clear that he didn't want her? And why had he stepped in to save her when Bishop banished her?

He hated feeling this way. He hated the flutter he felt in his heart whenever he started at her. Her hair, like the finest of golden silk, made his fingers itch to touch them. Her bewitching emerald eyes enthralled him. Her scent threatened to make him go insane.

Why was he feeling this way, after more than a hundred years of being without a mate?

There was only one way to stop those strange feelings. He needed to distance himself from Aurora. He had done her a great deed by saving her from Bishop's banishment.

Now he had to push her away again. The moment they get to Ashidore, he would send her away to another part of the kingdom, where he would never cross paths with her again.

He couldn't make the mistake of falling for her, especially when she was an omega. The secrets he harbored couldn't be revealed.

He was doomed to be alone for eternity, and he planned to keep it that way.

But when his gaze fell on Aurora again, the flutter in his heart returned.

And he hated himself for it.

: Don't touch her

The carriage arrived at Ashidore two days later, on a cool afternoon.

The guards stationed outside the large golden gates noticed the fancy carriage being pulled by six vicious wolves, and they knew immediately that the Alpha King was back.

One gave an order and the majestic gates were pulled open. The wolves pulled the carriage through the gates and as quickly as it had been opened, the gates were shut tight again.

Ashidore, the Lycan Kingdom, was magnificent and grand. A large castle stood in the middle of the kingdom, shimmering like jewels in the late afternoon sun.

All around the castle were smaller houses and cottages, where the people of Ashidore lived. Right before the castle was a large water fountain, with water sprouting out of the statue of a howling wolf.

The kingdom was bustling with activities and as the carriage drove past, some of the shifters bowed respectfully.

The wolves slowed to a stop, bringing the carriage to stop in front of the castle.

Henry turned and looked at the young woman beside him. She was still unconscious, even after travelling for three days straight. She must be in so much pain, he thought.

The carriage door opened suddenly and Henry finally tore his gaze away from Aurora.

"Welcome back, Alpha." The butler, David, bowed deeply. However, he froze when he saw the unconscious woman inside the carriage.

His eyes widened and he looked sharply towards Henry. It was rare to see a woman with the Alpha, but an unconscious one? Was she dead?

"Alpha..." He stuttered timidly. "Is she...?"

"She's still alive." Henry replied curtly. Without another word, he got down from the carriage and turned towards the opened doors of the castle.

But as David moved to carry Aurora out of the carriage, Henry froze. He turned around, watching David place his arms around her.

A scowl settled on his face, creasing his brows. He didn't want David's hands on her. He didn't want anyone else touching her.

"Don't touch her." He growled out.

David snatched his hands away and took two quick steps backwards. He bowed his head and apologized.

"Forgive me, Alpha. I merely wanted to bring the lady in."

Ignoring David, Henry reached into the carriage and pulled Aurora into his arms. Her head rested perfectly on his shoulder and his arms cradled her close. Her body was so right against his, so warm and alluring.

Cursing himself inwardly for having such thoughts, he turned and walked through the doors, leaving David staring after him in wonderment.

Two maids rushed towards Henry as he began to ascend the grand flight of stairs.

"Welcome back, Alpha." They curtsied, head bowed respectfully.

"Prepare the largest room in the North wing." Henry ordered, walking past them without a glance. "And get me the healer. Immediately."

The maids rushed off to carry out his orders while Henry continued towards his room. He knew he said he would send Aurora away, but he couldn't leave her that way. Her wounds needed to be treated first.

Arriving at his room, he kicked the door open and strode towards the large king size bed. Moving carefully, he lowered Aurora on the bed and stood back staring at her.

She looked like hell. Her lips were chapped and pale. Her entire left eye was bruised and the blood around it had turned purple. Her chest rose and fell weakly as she breathed.

Henry stared at her for so long, lost in thoughts, until the door to his room creaked open. He didn't need to turn to know who it was.

It was Tyler, his beta and best friend.

Tyler walked up to where Henry stood and his brown eyes widened when he saw Aurora.

"Goddess above," He said out loud. "Where did you find this poor creature?"

Henry sighed, but made no attempt to answer Tyler. He had a lot on his mind.

When Hendy remained silent, Tyler looked towards him with a frown.

"Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Yes." Henry replied quietly.

"Did something happen at the Silver Dawn Pack?" Tyler asked next.

Henry nodded and clasped his hands behind his back. His eyes never left Aurora's bruised face.

"What happened?" Tyler prodded.

Irritated with the endless questions, Henry turned and frowned at Tyler.

"When did you become so talkative?" He asked.

"I am merely shocked, just as everyone else is." Tyler replied with a shrug. "I haven't seen you hold a woman that close in the last fifty years."

Henry rolled his eyes and finally turned away from the bed. He walked over to the mini bar in the corner of the large room and poured himself a shot of whiskey.

"Well, the least you can do is tell me who she is." Tyler continued.

"I will." Henry downed the drink in one large gulp and poured another. "Just not now. Later."

Before Tyler could respond, a young man rushed into Henry's room.

"I came as quickly as I could Alpha." The man said, bowing respectfully.

"Were you being chased?" Tyler asked, arching a brow. "Why did you barge in like that?"

"Forgive me, beta Tyler." The man apologized. "Forgive me Alpha. The maids told me a woman was dying, and I rushed here as fast as I could."

"That's alright, Kaleb." Henry waved his apology aside. Then he pointed his chin to the bed where Aurora lay. "She was badly hurt. Tend to her, and do whatever you can to make sure she heals quickly."

"Yes, Alpha." Kaleb bowed. He waited for Henry and Tyler to leave the room before moving towards the unconscious woman.

He had a lot of questions about the woman and how she got hurt, but he knew he wouldn't get answers until later. A part of him suspected that it was the Alpha that hurt her, and he wondered why he seemed so worried moments ago.

First he brought out some wool and dabbed liquid on it, before carefully wiping off the dried blood on Aurora's face and lips.

Then he began to tend to her wounds.

...

"Admit it, you care for this woman." Tyler said as he tried to keep up with Henry's long strides.

"Don't be ridiculous." Henry scoffed. "I merely want her to be taken care of. I plan on sending her away."

"Why?" Tyler questioned.

Suddenly, Henry stopped and faced him. "Do not forget, Tyler, that I am your Alpha. You shouldn't question my decisions."

"And you shouldn't forget too, that I am not just your beta." Tyler replied. "I am your best friend, Henry. Your most trusted warrior. I deserve to know why you suddenly brought an unconscious woman back with you."

Henry stared at him for a while, his face devoid of emotion. Then he let out a deep sigh.

"Fine, I'll tell you everything." He said. "But you must promise to keep your mouth shut. No one else must know of her presence here."

"Of course." Tyler grinned. "Is she your new mistress? You aren't the one that hurt her, right?"

Before Henry could respond, David rushed down the stairs and hurried towards him.

"What is it?" Henry demanded, his thoughts going to Aurora instantly.

"You have to hurry Alpha." David said urgently. "She's having a panic attack."

Henry instantly marched up the stairs and hurried into his room.