******
Seraphine woke to silence.
Not the usual chaos of the servants' quarters no shuffling feet, no whispered gossip, no bells summoning omegas to their morning duties.
Just... silence.
Her eyes snapped open.
The ceiling above her was unfamiliar. Dark wood beams. A chandelier made of black iron and crystal. Shadows dancing from a fireplace she didn't remember lighting.
This wasn't her bed.
Panic shot through her chest.
She bolted upright, gasping, her hands clutching soft sheets too soft, too expensive. The bed was massive, draped in dark furs and silk. The room around her was easily three times the size of the servants' quarters she'd shared with six other omegas.
Where?
Then it all came crashing back.
The hallway.
The scattered papers.
The Alpha King.
"You belong to me."
Her hand flew to her throat, fingers trembling as they searched for... what? A mark? A bruise?
Nothing.
Her skin was smooth. Untouched.
But the memory of his grip was burned into her mind.
She threw the blankets off and stumbled out of bed, her bare feet hitting cold stone. She was still wearing the same plain servant's dress from yesterday wrinkled now, stained at the hem.
The room was beautiful in a dark, suffocating way. Heavy curtains blocked most of the light. A wardrobe stood in the corner. A vanity with a cracked mirror. A door locked, she already knew leading to a bathing room.
And another door.
The exit.
She moved toward it instinctively, her heart pounding.
Her hand reached for the handle
The door opened before she touched it.
She gasped and stumbled backward.
A she-wolf stepped inside, tall and elegant, dressed in fitted black clothing that marked her as someone important. Her blonde hair was pulled into a sleek bun. Her eyes were cold amber, sharp as knives.
She looked Seraphine up and down with open disdain.
"You're awake," the she-wolf said flatly. "Good. I was told to prepare you."
Seraphine's throat tightened. "P-prepare me?"
The she-wolf's lip curled slightly. "The Alpha King expects you at breakfast in one hour."
Her stomach dropped.
"I... I don't understand. I'm just a servant"
"You were a servant." The she-wolf's voice was clipped, sharp. "Now you're whatever he says you are."
She crossed the room and threw open the wardrobe.
Inside were dresses new ones, in shades of cream, gray, and deep blue. Simple, but finer than anything Seraphine had ever owned.
The she-wolf pulled one out and tossed it onto the bed.
"Wear this. Wash your face. Fix your hair." Her tone was mechanical, emotionless. "Don't embarrass him."
Seraphine stared at the dress, her mind spinning. "Who... who are you?"
The she-wolf turned, her amber eyes cold. "My name is Astrid. I serve the Alpha King directly. And you..." She stepped closer, her voice dropping to something venomous. "You are a mistake he'll tire of soon enough."
Seraphine's breath caught.
Astrid leaned in, her smile cruel. "Don't fool yourself into thinking you're special. He's kept others before. They all thought they mattered." She straightened, smoothing her perfect hair. "They were all wrong."
Before Seraphine could respond, Astrid turned on her heel and walked to the door.
"One hour," she said without looking back. "Don't be late. He doesn't tolerate disobedience."
The door shut with a heavy click.
Seraphine stood frozen, her hands trembling.
Others.
There had been others.
And they were gone now.
Breakfast with the Alpha King
Fifty-nine minutes later, Seraphine stood outside a pair of tall black doors, flanked by two stone-faced guards.
She'd washed. Changed into the soft gray dress that fit her far too well. Braided her hair with shaking fingers.
But no amount of preparation could calm the storm raging inside her chest.
The guards said nothing. Didn't even look at her.
Then, without warning, the doors swung open.
The scent hit her first.
Kael.
Dark pine. Smoke. Something wild and untamed that made her wolf whimper and curl into submission.
The room beyond was vast a private dining hall lit by a roaring fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the pack grounds. A long table stretched across the center, but only one end was set.
Two places.
And at the head of the table sat Kael Dreadmore.
He was dressed in black, his shirt open at the collar, his dark hair slightly tousled as if he'd run his hand through it. His silver eyes lifted from the paper he was reading some kind of report and locked onto her.
The air left her lungs.
His aura wasn't crushing her.
Not yet.
But it was there humming beneath the surface like a caged beast.
"Come in," he said, his voice smooth and commanding. "Close the door."
She hesitated.
His eyes narrowed.
"Seraphine."
Her body moved before her mind caught up. She stepped inside, and the doors shut behind her with a heavy thud.
She stood there, frozen, hands clasped in front of her.
Kael set the paper down slowly, leaning back in his chair. He studied her the way a predator studied wounded prey calculating, patient, curious.
"Sit."
She glanced at the second chair.
It was right next to him.
Not across the table.
Next to him.
Her heart hammered. She forced her legs to move, crossing the room on unsteady feet. She lowered herself into the chair, spine rigid, hands folded tightly in her lap.
Kael didn't move. Didn't speak.
He just... watched.
Seconds stretched into unbearable silence.
Then he reached for a silver platter in the center of the table eggs, bread, fruit, meat and began placing food onto her plate.
She stared.
"I....I can serve myself"
"I didn't ask."
His tone was calm. Final.
He added more food. Then slid the plate in front of her.
"Eat."
She looked down at the plate, her stomach twisting into knots.
"I'm not hungry."
Silence.
Then Kael leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. His presence closed in around her like a vice.
"You will eat," he said quietly, dangerously. "Because you didn't eat yesterday. Or the day before. I can smell the weakness in your blood."
Her breath hitched.
He tilted his head, studying her with those unnerving silver eyes.
"When you collapse from hunger in my wing," he continued, voice soft as silk, "I will force-feed you myself. And you won't enjoy it."
Her hands trembled in her lap.
Slowly, shakily, she picked up the fork.
His eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
She took a small bite. Then another.
He watched every single movement.
After a long moment, he leaned back again, picking up his own fork.
"Good girl."
The words sent a strange shiver down her spine half fear, half something she didn't want to name.
They ate in silence for a while.
Then Kael spoke.
"Tell me about your parents."
She froze, fork halfway to her mouth.
"I..." Her voice cracked. "I don't remember much."
"Lie."
Her head snapped up.
Kael's gaze was sharp, unyielding.
"You paused before answering. Your heartbeat spiked. You're hiding something."
Panic clawed at her chest. "I'm not I just"
"Where were you born?"
"I don't know."
"Another lie."
"I don't remember"
"Who were your parents?"
"They died when I was young"
"How?"
"I don't know"
His hand slammed onto the table.
Not violently.
But the sound cracked through the room like thunder.
Seraphine flinched, her fork clattering onto her plate.
Kael rose from his chair slowly, his height towering over her. His aura pulsedjust once and her body went rigid.
He stepped closer.
Then closer.
Until he was standing right beside her chair, looking down at her with eyes that glowed faintly silver.
"You are a terrible liar, Seraphine."
His hand reached out, gripping the back of her chair. Caging her in.
"And I will know the truth."
She couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.
His other hand came up, fingers brushing her jaw feather-light, testing.
"You resisted my aura," he murmured, his voice dropping into something dark and velvety. "Twice. No omega has ever done that."
He tilted her face up, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"So either you're something more than you claim..."
His thumb traced her lower lip.
"...or you're hiding what you really are."
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
"I'm nothing," she whispered desperately. "I swear..I'm ..just"
"Nothing," he interrupted, "does not make my wolf restless."
His eyes burned into hers.
"Nothing does not smell like moonlight and secrets."
He leaned down, his lips close to her ear.
"And nothing," he breathed, "does not make me want to keep them."
Her entire body trembled.
Kael straightened, releasing her chin.
But his hand lingered on the back of her chair.
"You will stay in my wing," he said, his tone shifting back to cold command. "You will not leave without my permission. You will not speak to other males unless I allow it. And you will tell me everything I want to know."
He leaned down again, his voice a low growl.
"Do you understand?"
She nodded frantically.
"Say it."
"I... I understand."
"Good."
He stepped back, adjusting his shirt calmly, as if he hadn't just stolen all the air from the room.
"Finish your breakfast," he said, returning to his seat. "You have a long day ahead of you."
Seraphine stared at her plate, her hands shaking so badly she could barely hold the fork.
Kael resumed eating as if nothing had happened.
But his eyes never left her.
Not once.
------
After breakfast, Kael stood and gestured for her to follow.
She did because what choice did she have?
He led her through the halls of his private wing, past guards who straightened at his approach, past locked doors and shadowed corners.
Finally, he stopped in front of a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the pack grounds.
"This is your reality now," he said, hands clasped behind his back. "You belong to me. That means you are under my protection."
He turned to face her.
"It also means you follow my rules."
She swallowed hard.
"Rule one," he said, his voice calm and absolute. "You do not leave this wing without my permission."
Her stomach sank.
"Rule two: You do not speak to other males. If one approaches you, you report it to me immediately."
"Rule three: You tell me everything you see, hear, or suspect. I don't care how small it seems."
He stepped closer.
"And rule four..."
His hand came up, gripping her chin gently but firmly.
"You do not lie to me again."
His eyes glowed.
"Because next time, there will be consequences."
She couldn't breathe.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"Yes, what?"
Her throat tightened. "Yes... Alpha King."
His lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"Good."
He released her and stepped back.
"You're dismissed. Astrid will show you the rest of the wing."
She turned to leave
"Seraphine."
She froze.
Kael's voice was soft, almost thoughtful.
"You asked me yesterday if you were a prisoner."
She didn't turn around.
"You're not," he said quietly.
Her heart lifted just for a second.
Then his next words crushed it.
"You're mine."
His tone darkened.
"There's a difference."
The door opened behind her.
Astrid stood waiting, expression unreadable.
Seraphine walked out on trembling legs.
But she could still feel his eyes on her back.
Burning.
Possessing.
The cage had closed.
And the Alpha King held the only key.