Chapter 18

The sun had barely crested the jagged horizon when the King's envoy began to depart Shadowfang territory. Sleek black SUVs lined the outer courtyard, their engines humming quietly in the cold morning air.

Rowan stood tall among his high-ranking officials, his posture composed but his eyes glinting with satisfaction. He bowed low as Alaric and Elias approached.

"Safe travels, Your Majesty," Rowan said smoothly, masking his inner glee. The moment Alaric was gone, he could finally act.

King Alaric, flanked by beta Elias, gave a short nod. His gaze lingered on the distant treeline, unreadable. Then he stepped into the vehicle and the convoy rolled out, a dust trail rising in their wake.

As soon as the last vehicle vanished down the long, winding road, Rowan's expression shifted. The pleasant mask dropped, replaced by something much darker. He turned sharply.

"Bring the girl to the training yard," he ordered. His voice was laced with venom. "It's time she learns her place."

Jade was dragged to the yard by two warriors, her wrists bound. Her shirt clung to her skin from Mopping water splashed on her when she was being captured, and her heart pounded with dread. Around her, warriors gathered like spectators, whispering cruel things she couldn't bear to hear. Some smirked, others looked away, uncomfortable.

Rowan stood at the center, a long whip in hand — leather laced with metal spikes. The cruel glint in his eye made Jade's blood run cold. This was no ordinary punishment. This was meant to break her.

"Strip her," Rowan barked.

Jade's breath caught in her throat. The warriors hesitated.

"Do it!" he roared.

Hands roughly tore her garments away, leaving her exposed and shaking. Rowan raised the whip, the spikes catching the early light like tiny blades.

High above, a single hawk cried out.

Then —

A growl, bone-deep and monstrous, exploded through the yard. The sound froze the blood in every living creature present.

From the treeline beyond the walls, a massive figure emerged.

Alaric.

He landed with a thunderous crack, the earth shaking beneath the weight of his beast.

Towering and black-furred, his golden eyes were molten with fury.

The aura that surged from him was unlike anything they had ever felt. Oppressive. Suffocating. Ancient. It crushed every soul within several kilometers. Knees buckled. Warriors dropped. Even Rowan staggered, breath caught in his throat.

The whip fell from his fingers.

Alaric advanced with deadly grace, each pawstep leaving a crater in the dirt. His lips curled back, fangs bared in a feral snarl.

He stopped just inches from Rowan.

A violent roar ripped from his chest — then his paw came down.

CRACK!

Rowan flew backward, his body crashing against the stone wall. Before he could rise, Alaric was upon him. Another strike, this time with claws. Blood sprayed across the yard as Rowan howled in pain.

He would have died — right there — if Elias hadn't arrived.

"My King!"

Alaric's beast turned sharply, chest heaving, saliva and blood dripping from his maw.

"Alaric, stop!" Elias shouted, stepping forward, his palms raised. "If you kill him here, now — it'll start a war!"

Alaric's breathing was ragged, the wolf's rage nearly uncontrollable. But Elias's words registered. Barely.

"He stripped her," Alaric growled, each word a battle between man and beast. "He was going to whip her like a dog. She's my mate."

Elias swallowed hard. "I know. I know. And he will pay. But not like this."

Behind them, Jade still knelt on the ground, trembling, bruised, bare, and humiliated — but alive. Alaric's gaze shifted to her, and the fury gave way to something else.

Pain.

With one final snarl at Rowan's broken body, Alaric shifted back. His human form emerged from the smoke-like blur of transformation, clothes tattered from the shift, muscles taut with anger.

He walked straight to Jade, ignoring every eye.

Taking off his coat, he knelt and draped it gently around her.

She flinched — until she met his gaze.

And for the first time in a long, long while, she felt safe.

He helped her to her feet, shielding her body with his own as he turned to Elias.

"No one lays a hand on her again. Ever," Alaric said.

Then his eyes locked on Rowan's unconscious form.

"And he… will face justice in the King's Court."

Not even Elias dared to argue.

****

Earlier on

The vehicles hummed softly as they began their slow roll down Shadowfang's main road. Inside the lead SUV, Beta Elias sat beside King Alaric, his posture composed but tense.

They'd just left the farewell gathering—Alpha Rowan had been overly cordial, but his eagerness for their departure hadn't gone unnoticed. Elias didn't trust that kind of smile.

Alaric was silent, staring out the window, brows slightly furrowed. His wolf was restless.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Elias finally asked.

Alaric didn't answer. He didn't need to.

Behind them, the rest of the envoy followed in a tight, practiced formation. Officially, they were en route to a summit that could change the balance between rival packs. Unofficially, Elias knew their King's heart and instincts were torn.

Then came the call.

A buzz on Elias's encrypted communicator.

The voice on the other end was low but frantic — one of the King's guards left behind to secretly watch over Jade.

"Sir… Alpha Rowan's taken her. Training yard. He's… he's planning something public. It's not right. She's bound. Stripped. He—he has a whip—"

Elias's blood ran cold. "What?"

Alaric's head snapped toward him.

The envoy car screeched to a stop.

Elias barely had time to explain. "He's punishing her. Publicly. Spiked whip. He stripped her—"

Alaric was out of the vehicle before he finished speaking.

"No—Alaric, wait—!"

But it was already too late.

In one breath, the King had shifted. Fur tore through skin. His beast burst forth with terrifying speed and power, black as night and monstrous in size. Without another sound, Alaric bolted across the clearing, leaving the envoy behind in stunned silence.

Dust kicked up in his wake.

Elias clutched the communicator. "Track his path. We'll follow the second we turn this convoy around."

The envoy began to reverse course — but they were too far behind.

They hadn't even left Shadowfang territory, which meant Alaric was still well within reach — and so was Jade.

Elias cursed softly.

He knew how important this summit was. But he also knew what it meant to be a mate. And more importantly — what it meant to threaten one.

Alaric wasn't just a wolf.

He was the King.

And anyone who dared lay hands on his mate…

…was about to be reminded why that title mattered.

******