Chapter 8 The Ashes of War

The parchment burned between Kael's fingers, crumbling to ash as he let it fall to the bloodstained ground.

The message was clear.

Lucas wasn't just playing games anymore—he was making his move.

Aria couldn't breathe. The weight of it all pressed against her chest, each heartbeat hammering in her ears. The true Alpha King is coming.

She tore her gaze away from the smoldering ruins of the village, her stomach churning. "Lucas thinks he can challenge you for the throne?"

Kael's onyx eyes flicked to her, burning with barely contained fury. "No," he said coldly. "Lucas knows he can't win in a direct fight. That's why he's trying to weaken my hold on the kingdom first."

Aria swallowed hard. The destruction around them, the bodies of the fallen, the wolves who had once called this place home—this was only the beginning.

Garrick approached, his jaw tight as he surveyed the wreckage. "We've found twenty survivors. Mostly women and children. They're scared, but they're willing to talk."

Kael nodded. "Get them to safety. Take them back to the palace and have them housed in the lower wings. They'll be protected there."

Garrick hesitated. "And the dead?"

Kael's face was unreadable. "We bury them."

Aria's chest tightened. He wasn't showing emotion, but she could feel the storm raging beneath his surface. The scent of blood clung to the air, thick and suffocating.

She forced herself to step forward. "I want to help."

Kael's gaze snapped to hers. "This isn't your fight."

She held her ground. "It is now."

His eyes narrowed. "You don't belong here, Aria. This isn't a court game. This is war."

She lifted her chin, ignoring the tremor in her hands. "I don't need to belong to know that these people need help. I can do something."

For a moment, Kael just stared at her. Then, to her shock, he exhaled slowly and nodded.

"Fine," he said. "But you stay close to me. No wandering off."

Aria nodded, even as a small ember of determination flared inside her.

This might not have been her war before, but it was now.

The next hours passed in a haze of blood and grief.

The dead were carried to the edge of the village, their bodies wrapped in cloth before being laid in the earth. The remaining warriors dug graves in solemn silence, their movements heavy with exhaustion and sorrow.

Aria worked beside them, her hands raw from hauling the makeshift stretchers. Her wolf was restless, whispering at the edge of her mind.

This is wrong. This is unnatural.

She agreed.

This attack hadn't been a battle—it had been a slaughter.

She could see it in the way the houses had burned, in the deliberate precision of the carnage. Whoever had done this hadn't wanted to conquer.

They had wanted to send a message.

By nightfall, the last of the fallen had been laid to rest. The survivors gathered near the remnants of the Alpha's house, their faces etched with grief and fear.

Kael stood before them, his expression as cold and unyielding as ever. "I swear to you," he said, his voice carrying across the ruins. "This will not go unanswered."

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd, but Aria could see the lingering uncertainty in their eyes.

They were afraid.

Kael had to give them something more. Before she could stop herself, she stepped forward. "We won't just protect you," she said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "We'll make sure this never happens again."

Kael's head turned slightly, his dark gaze flickering over her in surprise.

One of the elders, a frail-looking woman with streaks of silver in her dark hair, stepped forward. "And who are you to make such promises?"

Aria hesitated. She could have said she was just a servant. An Omega. Someone who had no place making grand declarations of protection.

But she wasn't just that anymore, was she?

She lifted her chin. "I'm the King's mate."

Gasps rippled through the survivors, whispers passing like wind through the gathered wolves.

The elder studied her carefully, then turned to Kael. "Is this true?"

Kael's jaw tightened. For a brief moment, Aria thought he might deny it. But then he said, "Yes."

The elder nodded slowly. "Then we will trust you."

Relief flooded Aria's chest, though she wasn't sure why. Kael's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he turned to Garrick. "Prepare the survivors for transport. We leave at first light."

That night, Aria sat near the remnants of a fire, her body aching with exhaustion. The warmth barely reached her, the chill of the night settling deep in her bones.

She hadn't meant to speak up today. But something inside her had burned too hot, too bright to stay silent. She wasn't sure if it was the bond or something else entirely.

Footsteps crunched against the dirt behind her. She knew who it was before he spoke.

"You shouldn't have done that."

Aria turned to find Kael standing there, his onyx eyes gleaming in the firelight.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because now they expect something from you," he said simply. "And expectations can be dangerous."

Aria's hands curled into fists. "They needed hope."

Kael exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Hope is a fragile thing, Aria. And if you fail them—"

"I won't," she interrupted, heat rising in her voice. "I may not be strong like you. I may not be a warrior. But I won't let them down."

Something flickered in his gaze—something unreadable.

He stepped closer, his presence wrapping around her like an unseen force. "You don't understand what you're stepping into."

"Then teach me," she said, her voice quieter now, but no less determined. "You're the King. I'm your mate. If we're bound together, then make me something more than just a weakness you resent."

Kael went still.

The fire crackled between them, the only sound in the heavy silence.

Then, finally, he spoke. "Very well."

She blinked. "What?"

"If you truly want to stand beside me," Kael said, his voice like steel, "then you will train. Not just to fight, but to rule."

Her breath caught. Rule?

Kael's onyx eyes burned into hers. "This isn't just about survival anymore, Aria. If Lucas wants my throne, he'll come for you first. And I won't have my mate be anyone's pawn."

The word mate sent a shiver through her, but she pushed it aside. She had wanted this. She had wanted to matter. Now, she had no choice but to prove she did.

Kael stepped back, his gaze dark and resolute.

"Your lessons start tomorrow," he said.

Then he turned and walked away, leaving Aria alone with the weight of what she had just agreed to.

Because tomorrow, she wouldn't just be fighting for survival.

She would be training to become Queen.