Claimed By The Rival Alpha

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Selena

My entire body screamed yes but the moment the word nearly left my mouth, panic snapped through me and I pushed hard against Kael’s chest but he barely moved.

His grip tightened slightly around my wrists while his dark eyes stayed fixed on mine.

"Answer me," he murmured.

The low sound of his voice sent another dangerous wave of heat through me.

"I—"No. I swallowed quickly and turned my face away.

Kael leaned closer instead."Do you want me to claim you, Selena?"

The question sounded heavier this time. It was more intimate, more dangerous and I refused to answer.

My heart hammered wildly while the mate bond pulsed between us like living fire. Every instinct inside me wanted to surrender to it completely.

But another part of me remained terrified. Not of him but of how much I wanted him already.

His gaze slowly dropped downward then suddenly narrowed."What happened to your hand?"

I blinked, realizing my injured palm still rested trapped between his larger hands. During all the chaos and tension, I had forgotten about the cut completely.

"It’s nothing."

His expression hardened instantly."It’s bleeding."

"I’m fine."

Instead of releasing me, Kael immediately pulled my hand closer to inspect it properly.

The possessiveness in his expression caught me completely off guard."Who did this?"

I stared at him. "It was an accident."

"How?"

"I cut myself while working."

His jaw tightened sharply."You shouldn’t be handling kitchen blades carelessly."

I almost laughed."You were the one who threw me into servant work."

"And now you’re injured." The irritation in his voice sounded strangely personal.

Before I could respond, Kael released my wrists and walked toward one of the cabinets inside the office. He returned moments later carrying cloth and medicine.

"You don’t have to do that," I muttered.

"Sit." The command left little room for argument.

Reluctantly, I sat on the edge of his desk while he knelt slightly in front of me to clean the cut.

The closeness made my pulse race all over again. His fingers wrapped carefully around my hand while he cleaned the blood away with surprising gentleness.

"You’re awfully protective for someone pretending not to care," I murmured quietly.

His eyes flicked toward me briefly."I protect what belongs in my territory."

The words should not have affected me the way they did but they did.

The mate bond intensified painfully with every touch between us. Warmth spread through my chest while my wolf practically purred beneath my skin.

Kael clearly felt it too as I saw the tension in his shoulders, the restraint in every movement yet somehow, he still ignored it.

"How are you doing that?" I whispered.

"Doing what?"

"Pretending this bond means nothing."

His fingers paused briefly against my skin then continued wrapping the bandage. "It means something," he admitted quietly.

"Then why don’t you want me?" The question slipped out more vulnerable than I intended it to be.

Kael finally looked directly at me, his expression remained unreadable. "I don’t need distractions."

"Distractions from what?"

He stood immediately afterward, avoiding the question entirely, making frustration rise inside me again. "You keep saying things halfway."

"And you ask too many questions."

I crossed my arms stubbornly. "You’re my mate. I deserve answers."

His eyes darkened slightly at the word mate. For one dangerous moment, I thought he might kiss me.

Instead, he stepped back."You should return to work."

The dismissal hurt more than it should have. I slowly climbed off the desk. Then, just as I reached the door, Kael’s voice stopped me. "One more thing."

I turned back. "No one can know about the mate bond."

My chest tightened instantly. "What?"

"Not the servants. No one." The coldness in his tone shattered something quietly inside me.

"You’re ashamed of me?"

His jaw flexed slightly. "This has nothing to do with shame."

"Then what does it have to do with?"

"Just go." I stared at him but he offered nothing else. There’s no comfort, and no explanation.

My wolf ached painfully as I left his office. He would not claim me but he would not reject me either and somehow, that felt even worse.

When I finally returned to the kitchen, Marqee immediately hurried toward me.

"I covered your duties," she whispered quickly before the headmistress noticed us talking.

Relief washed through me instantly."Thank you."

"You owe me."

I smiled faintly for the first time that day.

The rest of the work passed painfully slowly afterward until evening finally arrived.

By the time Marqee and I returned to our shared chamber, exhaustion dragged heavily through my entire body.

And there, sitting on her bed quietly, was Sally crying. The moment she noticed us entering, she immediately wiped her tears and turned away.

"I’m fine," she muttered before either of us spoke.

Marqee exchanged a look with me but said nothing.

I slowly approached anyway."What happened?"

"Nothing."Her voice sounded rough.

"You were crying."

"I said I’m fine." The sharpness in her tone made me step back slightly.

Then suddenly Sally stood and walked out of the room entirely. The silence she left behind felt heavy.

Marqee sighed softly. "Her sister was taken."

I froze."What?"

"This year’s royalties."

The words made my stomach twist instantly.

"She was among the women sent east."

Anger surged through me immediately and I sat slowly on my bed. "How old was she?"

"Nineteen." Marqee looked down quietly. "Sally hasn’t been herself."

Neither of us spoke for a moment then eventually I whispered, "What do you think happens to them?"

Marqee’s face paled slightly."I don’t know."

But I did or at least, I knew the stories. The horrifying tales every werewolf child grew up hearing about vampires.

Monsters without mercy. Creatures who toyed with life because they themselves no longer possessed it.

I imagined terrified girls dragged into dark castles far from home. Alone, powerless and possibly dead already.

Hatred burned hot inside my chest towards the vampires, towards every Alpha who allowed it and towards my father most of all.

"How can they keep letting this happen?" I muttered angrily.

Marqee looked toward me carefully. "Because everyone fears the vampires."

"That doesn’t make it right."

"No," she admitted quietly. "It doesn’t."

The rest of the day blurred together afterward as it was just cleaning, scrubbing and carrying endless buckets.

My arms felt ready to fall off by sunset. At one point, while dragging wet clothes across one of the castle hallways, I genuinely thought I might collapse.

Marqee laughed softly beside me."Where exactly were you raised?"

I nearly answered honestly before catching myself."A quiet place."

"That explains a lot."

I glared weakly at her."I think my bones are dying."

"That’s because you scrub like an elderly woman."

Before I could respond, one of the headmistress’ enforcers stormed toward us.

"What is this?" he barked loudly. "You call this cleaning?"

I straightened immediately as the tall servant snatched the cloth from my hands aggressively.

"Look there!" he snapped, pointing dramatically toward a barely visible streak near the wall. "Completely filthy!"

"It’s hardly noticeable," I muttered tiredly.

Wrong answer because his face twisted instantly."Excuse me?"

"I said—"

"You servants grow lazier every season," he interrupted loudly enough for nearby workers to hear. "Worthless little—"

Anger flared instantly inside me. No one had ever spoken to me this way before. My wolf stirred aggressively beneath my skin as I stepped forward slightly. "You don’t get to yell at me like—"

"Like what?" he sneered.

I was seconds away from exploding when another voice cut through the hallway sharply. "She cleaned the entire corridor herself."

It was Sally.

The enforcer turned toward her immediately. "And who asked you to speak?"

"You’re making too much noise," Sally replied coldly. "If the hallway bothers you so much, clean it yourself."

The servant looked genuinely stunned then uncomfortable. Finally, after muttering curses under his breath, he stormed away.

Silence followed briefly then I looked toward Sally in surprise. "Thank you."

She shrugged carelessly."He annoyed me by making too much noise. I didn’t do it for you." With that, she walked away.

Still—She defended me and somehow, that mattered.

Night eventually settled over Blackbourne. I expected everyone to sleep immediately after work ended.

Instead, Marqee suddenly pulled out a plain white dress."Get changed."

I blinked. "Why?"

"There’s a memorial tonight."

"For what?"

Her expression softened sadly."The Lost Sisters’ Lament."

Something about the name alone made my chest tighten.

Marqee handed me the dress."It’s for the women sent to the vampires." freēwēbnovel.com

I changed quietly afterward.

When we finally reached the pack square, hundreds of wolves already gathered around a massive bonfire.

Every single person wore white. There were Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters. The atmosphere felt painfully heavy. No laughter existed here tonight, only grief.

Soft music eventually began while voices slowly joined together in a mournful dirge.

The sound echoed through the square hauntingly beneath moonlight as several women openly cried.

One older man collapsed to his knees while clutching a piece of cloth against his chest.

Then someone began praying softly to the Moon Goddess. "Protect our daughters wherever they are..."

My throat tightened painfully. Standing there among grieving families, something inside me changed completely.

The sadness remained, the anger remained but beneath both emotions— Conviction began growing.

I stared into the fire while the mournful song continued around me and deep inside myself, I made a promise.

I was going to put an end to vampire oppression.