3

Alaric's pov

I arrived at Drogomor Palace because of the invitation; the princess of this kingdom was looking for her mate.

I couldn’t have cared less, as I despised this kingdom, but I really needed my mate, and I’d been searching for her for the past five years.

Upon discovering that the princess wasn't the one after all, I dismissed myself.

I decided to take a stroll around the palace—it had been ages since I last stepped into this palace. As I walked around, I had to admit, there were some pretty girls here, but none that actually interested me.

I briefly spoke with some of the other Alphas in attendance, at least the ones I was on good terms with. They were older and wiser and gave lots of great advice. They brought their unmated sons and daughters with them, hoping they would find their mates. I knew they were hoping I would be mated to one of their girls, but that was not happening—not if the Moon Goddess had anything to say about it.

I walked around some more and was eyed by several she-wolves. I smiled at them, but that was all I did. I could hear their disappointment, but I honestly didn’t care.

Suddenly, I spotted Alpha Diego, my longtime friend, talking to someone. I smiled as I began to walk closer to him but suddenly, I caught a mouthwatering scent. My wolf, Ragner, started to stir and prance in my mind.

I immediately followed the scent. It was so heavenly and inviting. I followed it as it made me gulp the saliva forming in my mouth. I was led across the courtyard, where the smell of my mate grew stronger and stronger. But something was strange. Her scent was off—it started to smell like blood.

I looked beyond and what I saw didn’t make me happy. It made me angry, and Ragner began to surface at the sight before our eyes. Our mate was being beaten by three grown men.

Just as a foot was about to make contact with my mate's face, Ragner let out a ferocious roar, stopping them dead in their tracks and shaking the entire palace.

“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY MATE!!!”

The three men turned around in shock. The whole building shook with my display of anger. I used my wolf speed to shove all three of them out of the way, completely knocking them over. I knew they were injured. I could sense it from the way they fell to their knees in pain, but I couldn’t care less. I only cared about my mate.

But something suddenly caught my attention. My mate was a boy? How could that be? I didn’t care. Boy or girl, as long as they were from the Moon Goddess, I would cherish them.

“GET ME A DOCTOR!” I instantly mind-linked my Beta, who was around the corner.

I wondered if he would be able to, assuming this sorry excuse for a palace even had one. I lifted my mate into my arms; he was almost unconscious. I made sure to be as gentle as possible, as I could feel that some of his bones were possibly broken.

Immediately, I could feel the anger of someone as they approached. Whoever it was, they weren’t going to make this easy for me!

As I held my mate in my arms, Derek’s voice thundered behind me, filled with anger and disbelief.

“What do you think you are doing?!”

I could feel the weight of his authority, but I wasn’t about to back down. Not when my mate’s life was on the line. Without flinching, I turned to face him, tightening my grip around the unconscious boy in my arms.

"King Derek, I believe your men assaulted my mate." My voice was cold, measured, but the fury simmered beneath my words.

Derek’s eyes widened and his expression shifted between confusion and outrage. “Your mate?” he spat with disbelief thick in his voice. “You must be mistaken. That’s no one’s mate! You think I’d allow this?” He gestured at the boy in my arms as if the idea was too absurd for him to grasp.

I could sense Derek’s anger, the conflict raging inside him. He wasn’t just angry about the assault—he was furious because of who my mate was. Or rather, what my mate was. A boy. But none of that mattered to me. The bond, the pull, the connection—I felt it as clear as day. This boy was mine.

I took a step forward, refusing to back down. “Mistaken or not, the Moon Goddess has chosen him for me. You will not stop me from protecting him.”

Derek’s face darkened, and I could see the turmoil in his eyes. He wasn’t just angry at me. He was fighting something inside himself, something he wasn’t ready to admit. “This is absurd,” he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.

The sound silenced everyone around us. Derek froze, his eyes widening as he looked at the boy in my arms. what was he thinking? I wondered, watching his reaction closely.

Derek's fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tightening. “This isn’t right,” he said, shaking his head, almost uncertain.

“What’s not right, Derek?” I challenged. “That the Moon Goddess would pair me with am omega you’ve deemed unworthy? Or is it because my mate is a boy?”

The words hung in the air between us, creating a heavy tension. Derek’s face twisted in anger, but there was something else—something deeper that he was struggling with.

Before he could respond, my mate let out a weak sound, his voice was barely audible. “I...I’m...” he tried to utter before he lost conciseness.

I turned away from Derek, ignoring the storm of emotions radiating from him.

“Please follow me to the clinic,” Dr. Jacobs whom my beta has called urged as he came running over and I didn’t hesitate. My focus was entirely on getting my mate the help he needed. Let Derek fight his own demons, I thought, I have mine to tend to.

I could still feel Derek’s gaze burning into my back as I carried my mate away, but I didn’t stop. He could try to stop me all he wanted, but he wouldn't, King or not, he has no say and nothing would come between me and my mate. Boy or not, he was mine.

As I walked, I felt Ragner stir inside me. 'He’s ours' my wolf growled. Nothing else matters.

And he was right. Nothing else mattered