KATE
“You’re my mate, aren’t you?” Alpha Nath’s deep and resonant voice sent a chill down my spine. I choked on my spit as he spit those words, feeling the mate bond stronger and more alive than ever. The undeniable pull behind me wasn’t just magnetic—it was terrifying. “What is your name?” “K—Kate.” I murmured. I couldn’t turn around. My heart hammered like a rogue drumline. My whole body was in full ecstasy in response to his vibrating tone, but at the same time, I wanted to run. Instead, I croaked, “A-Alpha Nath, I'm...I’m sorry… I didn’t do it. I swear, I didn’t do it. I’m innocent.” The words spilled out without context. What was I even saying? The guilt wasn’t for poisoning anyone but for existing in a place I clearly didn’t belong. “I can feel it,” he said, moving closer. His presence was overwhelming as he moved closer to me. When I finally turned to face him, my eyes met his piercing purple ones. They bore into me like they could extract every secret I’d ever hidden. “I don’t know what you’re saying, Alpha Nath,” I stammered, my voice trembling. “I’m sure there’s a mistake.” “There’s no mistake.” His tone was low and steady. “You’re mine.” The declaration he just made sent a shiver through me. I was deeply happy, but my rational mind rebelled. This was madness. This was doom. And then he moved closer. Each step he took, I backed away until my back hit the tiled wall of the palace hall. His hand reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face. The touch was gentle, yet it held an intensity that made my skin tingle. “I could sense you the moment I stepped back into the pack,” he murmured. “The day you thought you were so clever, hiding while eavesdropping on my father and me? I could smell you then.” I swallowed hard; thousands of words stuck in my throat. His gaze swept over me, sizing me up. “But you’re weak. And you don’t have a wolf. I can feel that too.” Weak? Maybe. But surviving this nightmare had taken more strength from me than he could imagine. Alpha Nath's gaze pierced mine. "You know you are mine, isn’t it?" With a hard gulp, I nodded. I had been brought to my mate as a murderer. It was nearly impossible to take the irony. "Good," he said. "You must obey me, so don't try to do otherwise.” He knew that I was his mate, but I'm not sure if he was aware of the fact that I reportedly attempted to kill his father because the guards brought three of us that were jailed before him before he then told the other two to wait outside while he attended to me. Before I could respond, he leaned in. His lips met mine, and for a moment, everything else disappeared. It wasn’t just soft or sweet. I felt goosebumps spring out all over my body because the kiss was raw and it ignited a spark within me. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING, NATH?” The booming voice shattered the moment like glass hitting stone. I could recognize Alpha Shawn’s arrival, which felt like an avalanche, sweeping everything in its path. I slipped from Nath’s grasp, trying to catch my breath in panic. “Alpha, this is my mate,” Alpha Nath said firmly. “What nonsense are you spouting now, Nath?” Alpha Shawn barked. “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head on the bathroom floor?” Well, by the time you get mated to Ame—“ "Enough, father,” Alpha Nath interrupted. “The last time I remembered, I haven’t really agreed to that yet. I held my breath while bowing my head while listening intently. “What do you mean you haven’t agreed? It must be done; she is of royalty, and you know what that means. “Amer isn’t my mate, Father.” Alpha Nath’s tone was resolute. “She never was.” “SHE IS YOUR BETROTHED!” Alpha Shawn snapped. “And that is final!” “Father, I can feel it. She’s mine.” Alpha Shawn’s laugh was humorless. “You’ve been betrothed to Amer, and you’re getting married to her. She is your Luna. Not—” His gaze turned to me, and his expression twisted in disgust. “—this one.” His eyes narrowed as he recognized me. “Is this not the *bastard* that poisoned my tea? What is she doing here?” “What?” Nath spun to face his father, confusion etching lines into his face. “You heard me.” Alpha Shawn’s voice was cold, filled with disdain. “This wretch poisoned my tea and killed Reid, my doorstep guard. She was supposed to rot in jail until she is ready to confess to her crimes and fish out her accomplices; what is she doing out here?” My stomach twisted as Nath growled, “What!? Reid? my childhood friend?” I hadn’t meant for any of this to happen, but explaining that now was as futile as shouting into a storm. Nath’s face darkened. “What are you talking about, Father? This can’t be true.” Alpha Shawn’s gaze remained on me. “Ask her yourself.” Nath turned, his eyes searching mine for answers. “Is it true?” His voice was tight, raw with emotion. “Someone is dead because of you?” “No! I—” My words stumbled over each other. “I didn’t… I mean, I didn’t know! I wasn’t trying to—” “Enough,” he snapped, silencing me. “Who is the omega caretaker? He faced Slav, “Omega Gwen sir.” “Guards! Get Omega Gwen for me. Now!” It was quite easy for him to tell I'm an Omega because of the uniform I'm wearing, and Gwen was the leader of all the Omegas, and each task we performed was based on her instructions. His face twisted with a mixture of rage and hurt as one guard went out to call on Omega Gwen. Moments later, Omega Gwen walked into the hall, her eyes darting nervously between Nath and Alpha Shawn. “You called for me, Alpha?” Nath’s voice was sharp as a blade. “Who prepared the herbs for my father?” Omega Gwen hesitated, wringing her hands. “I… I did, Alpha.” “And why did *you* poison it and send it through her?” He gestured to me. Gwen’s face went pale. “Alpha, I… I truly made the herb, but she insisted she wanted to help.” I felt the floor drop beneath me. I was struck where I stood and did what I didn’t want to do before. “No! That’s not true, Alpha!” My voice broke. “Lexi gave me the herbs! She was sick that day, and I thought of helping her!” “Lexi?” Nath’s eyes narrowed. “Bring her here.” Lexi was quickly brought into the palace, her face covered in horror. "Lexi," Nath hissed. "Did you give her the poisoned herbs?" Lexi’s gaze darted between me and Nath, her fingers fidgeting nervously. Alpha Nath screamed, "I'm going to kill everyone alive if no one tells me who tried this abomination!" I almost didn't know where to place Alpha Nath's personality; this was the man who had just hacked off two people's heads right in front of me and had kissed me moments later, and now he was threatening to kill all of us. Lexi swiftly spoke out, stammering in a nervous voice, "Yes—yes, I saw her telling Omega Gwen that she wants to deliver the herb herself." My eyes opened with surprise, Lexi! She avoided my gaze and gulped hard. “Liar!” I shouted. “You told me—” “Enough!” Alpha Nath roared at me, his voice full of hurt and rage. You—wanted to kill my father? Now you ended up killing Reid, my best friend in the course.” His words hit me like a punch to the gut. “No, I didn’t! Please, you have to believe me!” Alpha Shawn lowered his voice in accusation, dripping with venom. “I told you she was a nonentity. Not someone to trust. Certainly not someone you should even think of calling a mate!” Nath’s jaw clenched. He moved closer to me and grabbed my neck, choking me with his hand wrapping around my throat. “How could you? You are a murderer! And you will pay for this!” My eyes faded as his grip became tighter. He instantly released me, and I collapsed on the floor. What he said next shattered my heart as if I wasn’t expecting it. “I, Alpha Nath, reject you, Kate.” The weight of his words crushed me. I whimpered in agony, the mate bond fracturing with an audible crack in my soul. I could barely breathe, let alone respond. Nath turned to his father, his voice cold and detached. “Send for Amer. The mating ceremony will proceed.” And with that, he stormed out. Before I could process what had just happened, Alpha Shawn’s voice rang out. “Slav!” “Burn her alive!KATE"Move, traitor!" A rough shove sent me staggering forward making my bare feet scratch against the hard and cold stone floor as they dragged me out of the dark cell of the stinking dungeon. Every time I took a step, the metal of the chains that bound tightly to my wrists made a clinking sound and the tightness made them cut into my flesh as I was being walked towards the Pack hall where my fate would be decided.I was marched out by two grinning and merciless guards into the open. The strong, dazzling sunlight made me squint as I attempted to adjust to the brightness after spending the night in that cold, damp hole. My pulse was racing in my chest, each beat reminding me that there was no way out of this hot mess I’ve found myself.The pack hall was packed with werewolves of various ages and ranks, from newborn pups to feeble elders, and everyone in between. As they watched me come closer, their faces contorted into looks of hatred and disgust. They kept chanting words that cut
KATELexi was my best friend- No! my only friend, actually. She was a fellow omega in the pack, and like me, she’d lived through unimaginable horrors most couldn’t even imagine.I still remember the day she told me about losing her parents. They were slaughtered before her eyes during a pack war when she was just a child.“I was only six when it happened. I remember the screams, the blood, and the way their eyes widened in terror before they… they were slaughtered by a warrior. The war spared no one, not even my parents.”"I'm so sorry, Lexi. No child should ever have to go through that." I tried to console her.She paused and took a deep breath, “It's been years Kate, but the pain remains, and it’s a pain I wouldn't wish on anyone.” Tears stream down her cheeks.Of course, that kind of pain never leaves you. She’d been alone in the world, until she met me, and we’d bonded over our shared loss, our shared misery, over the truth that we were both nothing more than omegas… no, worse tha
KATE5 DAYS AGOThe courtyard buzzed with the faint hum of conversations and distant laughter, but all of it drowned under the hammering of my heart.A sweet lavender scent wafted toward me, delicate yet overwhelming, curling around my senses like a siren's call. It was intoxicating and unmistakably sweet.As if under the influence of an invisible power, the scent pulled at something deep within me, and before I knew it, I was following it out of the Omega Hostel in swift and quiet steps.And then, I saw him. It was Alpha Nath. Alpha Shawn’s only son and heir.His massive shoulders carried the weight of an unspoken authority as he stood tall and stern. His short, dark hair curved gently at the borders of his forehead, revealing a sharp jawline that appeared to have been carved by the moon goddess herself.His amber eyes, which were evidently capable of commanding armies or—my heart apparently shone faintly in the receding sunlight like pools of molten fire.Between us was a thin, n
KATE"Kate, are you listening to yourself?" Lexi's voice cut through the storm in my mind; she kept giving me that confused look and even though I didn't fully understand myself, I was certain of what I had been telling her repeatedly for about twenty minutes.“Lexi, I’m sure of what I’m saying” I muttered, though my voice lacked conviction.“You’re not making sense!” Lexi shot back, crossing her arms. “Alpha Nath? Your mate? Come on, Kate. Don’t be ridiculous.”I stiffened. “I’m not being ridiculous.” My voice wavered, but I stood my ground. “I know what I felt, Lexi. It was... strong. Like a tether pulling me to him.”She rolled her eyes, her expression a mix of disbelief and irritation. “Strong?”“You know what? You seem to have been under too much stress lately. Maybe you mistook an anxiety attack for some mystical mate bond.” “No,” I snapped, my frustration becoming evident.I shook my head, “No, I haven’t felt this way before.” “This isn’t stress. This isn’t just in my head, L
KATE“You’re my mate, aren’t you?” Alpha Nath’s deep and resonant voice sent a chill down my spine.I choked on my spit as he spit those words, feeling the mate bond stronger and more alive than ever. The undeniable pull behind me wasn’t just magnetic—it was terrifying.“What is your name?”“K—Kate.” I murmured.I couldn’t turn around. My heart hammered like a rogue drumline.My whole body was in full ecstasy in response to his vibrating tone, but at the same time, I wanted to run.Instead, I croaked, “A-Alpha Nath, I'm...I’m sorry… I didn’t do it. I swear, I didn’t do it. I’m innocent.”The words spilled out without context. What was I even saying? The guilt wasn’t for poisoning anyone but for existing in a place I clearly didn’t belong.“I can feel it,” he said, moving closer. His presence was overwhelming as he moved closer to me.When I finally turned to face him, my eyes met his piercing purple ones. They bore into me like they could extract every secret I’d ever hidden.“I don’t
KATE"Kate, are you listening to yourself?" Lexi's voice cut through the storm in my mind; she kept giving me that confused look and even though I didn't fully understand myself, I was certain of what I had been telling her repeatedly for about twenty minutes.“Lexi, I’m sure of what I’m saying” I muttered, though my voice lacked conviction.“You’re not making sense!” Lexi shot back, crossing her arms. “Alpha Nath? Your mate? Come on, Kate. Don’t be ridiculous.”I stiffened. “I’m not being ridiculous.” My voice wavered, but I stood my ground. “I know what I felt, Lexi. It was... strong. Like a tether pulling me to him.”She rolled her eyes, her expression a mix of disbelief and irritation. “Strong?”“You know what? You seem to have been under too much stress lately. Maybe you mistook an anxiety attack for some mystical mate bond.” “No,” I snapped, my frustration becoming evident.I shook my head, “No, I haven’t felt this way before.” “This isn’t stress. This isn’t just in my head, L
KATE5 DAYS AGOThe courtyard buzzed with the faint hum of conversations and distant laughter, but all of it drowned under the hammering of my heart.A sweet lavender scent wafted toward me, delicate yet overwhelming, curling around my senses like a siren's call. It was intoxicating and unmistakably sweet.As if under the influence of an invisible power, the scent pulled at something deep within me, and before I knew it, I was following it out of the Omega Hostel in swift and quiet steps.And then, I saw him. It was Alpha Nath. Alpha Shawn’s only son and heir.His massive shoulders carried the weight of an unspoken authority as he stood tall and stern. His short, dark hair curved gently at the borders of his forehead, revealing a sharp jawline that appeared to have been carved by the moon goddess herself.His amber eyes, which were evidently capable of commanding armies or—my heart apparently shone faintly in the receding sunlight like pools of molten fire.Between us was a thin, n
KATELexi was my best friend- No! my only friend, actually. She was a fellow omega in the pack, and like me, she’d lived through unimaginable horrors most couldn’t even imagine.I still remember the day she told me about losing her parents. They were slaughtered before her eyes during a pack war when she was just a child.“I was only six when it happened. I remember the screams, the blood, and the way their eyes widened in terror before they… they were slaughtered by a warrior. The war spared no one, not even my parents.”"I'm so sorry, Lexi. No child should ever have to go through that." I tried to console her.She paused and took a deep breath, “It's been years Kate, but the pain remains, and it’s a pain I wouldn't wish on anyone.” Tears stream down her cheeks.Of course, that kind of pain never leaves you. She’d been alone in the world, until she met me, and we’d bonded over our shared loss, our shared misery, over the truth that we were both nothing more than omegas… no, worse tha
KATE"Move, traitor!" A rough shove sent me staggering forward making my bare feet scratch against the hard and cold stone floor as they dragged me out of the dark cell of the stinking dungeon. Every time I took a step, the metal of the chains that bound tightly to my wrists made a clinking sound and the tightness made them cut into my flesh as I was being walked towards the Pack hall where my fate would be decided.I was marched out by two grinning and merciless guards into the open. The strong, dazzling sunlight made me squint as I attempted to adjust to the brightness after spending the night in that cold, damp hole. My pulse was racing in my chest, each beat reminding me that there was no way out of this hot mess I’ve found myself.The pack hall was packed with werewolves of various ages and ranks, from newborn pups to feeble elders, and everyone in between. As they watched me come closer, their faces contorted into looks of hatred and disgust. They kept chanting words that cut