Alpha King Kane part 16

PRESENTLY…

ROSALIE

Servants and the King’s family whisper that we've mated, and that's why our scents have united. Of course, they are wrong, because I've never so much as touched hands with the Alpha King.

But that doesn't stop them from whispering feverishly that I'll bear his heir and betas and alphas will rise in fury, rejecting the king’s offspring who came from an omega mother.

These werewolves who pray to the moon goddess in their rituals and howl at the moon have little care for her wishes. I’ve been bonded to the king, and still, they find me unworthy.

Either way, I don’t resent them for their judgement, because I agree. I am not worthy.

A queen must be graceful. And as I walk down these halls, seeking Lyssara to hunt her dignity as she did my sister’s, I am anything but.

I am fully aware of the ripple I am about to cause and the damage to omegas who must remain united. And yet I keep marching on because I refuse to allow my sister to become a victim.

I ask servants about Lyssara’s whereabouts and am pointed to a private dining room for royal wolves; the extended family of Kane and Lyssara who reside here.

I push the doors open, and all clattering of silverware and chatting ceases.

I stumble into a strange sight; wolves eating with utensils. My family used to eat with their hands while living in the wild, as we often traded our utensils when we were running short on materials.

Many of the werewolves here are shirtless behind the table. The room is opulent—the table carved from the finest oak and a chandelier hanging off the ceiling; its warm lights twinkling in their wide eyes.

Lyssara, who sits at the end of the table, rises from her seat. Her nostrils flare as she catches a whiff of my unmistakable scent. I’m surprised she’s still in the North. I overheard servants gossiping that she had packed her bags and was hellbent on leaving. But she’s here; sitting at the head of the table like a queen. I do not scorn her for it; she is more of a queen than I ever will. But queens do not adopt a kind heart just because they carry a noble title. Lyssara is evil.

“What…is the meaning of this, omega?”

She says my title in a demonizing tone, as if she does not bear it as I do. As if being raised by beta parents makes her better than me. Perhaps. Perhaps they taught her all about diplomacy, etiquette, law and philosophy. I am no educated lady, but I’m no fool. I refuse to be.

I lower my hands at my side, feeling a wind blow through the nearby window and waft my scent deeper into the room.

I let it ruminate. Let it sink in for a few moments and torment them—her.

Meanwhile, as my knees tremble beneath my skirt, I picture my sister kneeling and sobbing as she licked the bottom of this woman’s shoe. Submitting to her. Dehumanizing herself.

I find fury and strength in the image.

We’ve been bullied by betas and alphas all our lives, but the harshest blow came from one of our own: an omega.

My eyes sting; a war at my waterline. But I do not shed any tears.

“I am here…to share with you what Kane denied you: his seed, which you so desperately coveted to secure your position. I took pity and decided to at least let you smell it before your departure from the North.”

She roars, slamming her hands on the table and toppling her seat over. The breakfast plate she had been dining on spills on her beautiful silk dress. I can see her nipples stark against the fabric, hardened by the rage beneath her breast.

She is beautiful. Even her clothes are finer than the servant dress I wear. I can see why Kane once chose her as a future Luna.

But I no longer bless their union because a woman with a small heart like herself has no place in a throne.

“You think you’ll get away with insulting me?” She rages as the eyes of royal wolves flicker to her. Betas who question her worthiness as an omega are watching her be questioned by one of her own: an omega. This is a blow after she worked so hard for their approval.

“Yes,” I answer. “Just as you did last night when you visited Eryn.”

“Who the fuck is Eryn?” She growls, her wolf flashing behind her eyes, seeking submission.

She doesn’t even know the name of the woman whose spirit she withered. The woman she she broke, trampling her dignity beneath her heel.

“Why don’t you ask your shoe?” I grit, refusing to bow to the superior wolf.

The werewolves sitting at the table rise, not wanting to be caught in the crosshairs of our war.

She trembles as she sweats, “Kane…will toss you back into the ditch you crawled out of for insulting me.”

I shake my head slowly, flexing and fisting my hands while trying to keep my body from betraying me. I won’t run. I won’t tremble. Although the werewolves can likely scent the sweat at the nape of my neck and hear my racing heart, I will not breathe life into my fear.

“The King won’t care to preserve your dignity, Lyssara. Just as he didn’t care to stop me when I warned him of my intentions with you this morning. He welcomed me to crush you.”

I’m throwing Kane under a carriage to hurt her. I know this is a betrayal of his trust. I know that I am wrong for it; but I swore to him I would make amends by paying a price. And I will keep the promise.

That’s the last straw. The deposed Luna snaps; the face she had been trying to conceal from these people surfacing as she dives for me, launching off the dining table and sending plates flying.

I jerk backward, but she doesn’t get far as betas cling onto her and pin her down.

I’m surprised by their intervention. I stood up to her and deserved the bloodshed that was coming.

Why do they help me now?

“Go!” One man shouts at me, his brow furrowed and his chest smeared with scrambled eggs as he pins Lyssara down. “We saved you to keep Kane from cutting our throats, but you’ve done enough! This is out of line!!”

I turn around and leave with my throat clogged and a woman raging like a demon behind me.

I’ve avenged my sister, but at a cost…

If the aristocracy didn’t approve of me before, then now that I’ve proven myself to be reckless, they’ll curse my name. Because they saw me stand up to a woman who is higher than me on the food chain, and they’ll assume I will rebel against them, too. There is no taming me.

I head for the only man who stands a chance at taming me. Kane. He allowed the theatrics of today, but at a cost. And I am indebted to the man…whatever that means.

I’ve no idea what Kane has in store for me. But for wasting his seed, stirring trouble in his dining room and distracting his servants by inspiring rumors...I must pay.

I cannot imagine what punishment he has in store for me. The only man who has ever punished me is my father, but King Kane doesn’t seem like the type to be satisfied with ordering me to do dishes and calling it even.

The man has darker tastes. I can tell just by looking at him.

And I’m headed to his den, about to discover exactly how dark he can be.

READ PART 17 >