Alpha's Ruin: He Betrayed Me, I'll Make Him Kneel

Rhea took a slow step forward, meeting his gaze head-on. The scent of his sour, calculating sweat filled her nose.

"Let me make it crystal clear, in case you did not understand my words earlier," she said, her voice dripping with ice. "I do not need you, and I do not want your protection. Gather your wolves and leave this sanctuary right now."

Her tone was calm, but the silver fire in her eyes was unmistakable.

Alpha Draven looked at her and smiled, but the warmth did not reach his dark eyes. "You can reject me today." He took a heavy step closer, his boots crunching on the gravel. "Tomorrow." He took another step, his shadow falling over her. "Next week." Another step. "Next year."

Then he stopped right in front of her, his hot breath fanning her face as he looked directly into her eyes. "But eventually, Luna," he whispered, his smile growing wide and cruel, "you will discover that surviving this valley without an Alpha is an absolute impossibility."

He snapped his fingers to his men, his eyes still locked onto hers, his teeth glinting in the firelight. "Reject one Alpha, and you offend one kingdom. Reject every Alpha? And you become prey."

With that, he whirled around and began to march toward the entrance.

Rhea watched their heavy silhouettes retreat through the smoke. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but her posture remained straight and stern.

"We will never be prey to any male!" River snarled in her mind, her fur bristling with primal rage. "Let them come. We will be waiting for them."

Rhea watched with narrowed eyes as the last of the Serpent-Spine warriors cleared the perimeter. "Let it be known throughout the territories," she murmured firmly to the empty yard. "No Alpha will ever claim me again."

River remained completely silent inside her head, as if the wolf did not fully agree with her words.

The two Alphas stopped briefly at the edge of the property, exchanging dark glances before they finally vanished into the black trees.

A second later, the heavy iron sanctuary gates slammed shut with a deafening clang.

Rhea stood in the quiet courtyard, her frantic heartbeat finally slowing down. She exhaled a long, shaky breath and turned around to head inside, only to freeze in her tracks.

"You should not have disrespected them in that manner, Luna," Bernard said, stepping out from the shadows near the stone wall. His large hand rested heavily on the hilt of the weapon at his waist.

Rhea’s brows pulled together in a tight frown. "I thought you left."

Bernard shook his head, his yellow eyes tracking the perimeter. "I am a Beta, remember? I follow my Alpha’s orders to the letter." Before Rhea could snap a reply, he cut her off, his voice dropping into a grave tone. "Draven was not bluffing out there."

Her frown deepened. "What are you talking about?"

Bernard looked past the stone walls, staring toward the dark, misty valley below. "You cannot keep rejecting every help for much longer. Three more messengers crossed the western border."

Rhea’s pulse spiked again, a cold dread pooling in her stomach. Even River let out a low, uneasy snarl in her subconscious. "They are coming for me, aren’t they?"

Bernard offered a grim nod. "Yes."

Before Rhea could react, a scout approached them. "Beta, two more packs were seen near the river," he said.

Rhea froze, her heart hammering.

"And that is not all," the scout said. He handed a rolled parchment to Bernard. "The Eastfang Alpha has left his territory."

"Are you certain he is heading this way?" Rhea asked, looking at Bernard with a frown.

Bernard nodded. "Every dominant male in the territory will smell the blood from last night’s attack. They see you as an unprotected prize. That is why you should have handled those two with more diplomacy."

"Maybe you are right." Rhea exhaled sharply, the weight of the valley pressing down on her shoulders. She turned on her heel and began marching directly toward the residential wing. "I am leaving tomorrow," she declared, her tone absolute.

"You are leaving?" Bernard asked, his boots hurried as he fell into step beside her. His voice was laced with pure disbelief. "It is suicide out there in the open woods. You heard what those Alphas promised."

Rhea squared her shoulders, her chin lifting as she pushed through the heavy wooden entrance doors. "That is the exact reason why I must leave. If I stay here with Eli, those greedy wolves will keep bringing their armies to these gates. For now, I have only received arrogant marriage proposals. Who knows how long it will be before an arrow is shot into this yard?"

She stopped in the middle of the corridor and looked up at the giant Beta. "If that war ever comes, I will not have these innocent sanctuary children caught in the crossfire. This is the only way to keep them safe."

Bernard frowned, his yellow eyes assessing her logic. "And what about the boy?"

Rhea’s jaw hardened into an iron line. "I will never be separated from my child again," she said firmly, her voice trembling with raw emotion. "He is coming with me. Besides, if I leave him here, they will eventually bypass the guards, harm him, or use his life to force me into submission. The only safe place for Eli is right beside me."

Bernard stood silent for a long moment, then slowly nodded his head, recognizing the truth in her words.

Without another word, Rhea turned and walked away from him, her feet moving quickly toward her son’s room. Beneath her bold, unyielding facade, her heart was hammering with a terrifying fear of what the world outside held.

River growled softly, a comforting vibration in her chest. "We will get through this, Rhea. We will do whatever it takes to protect our pup. But we will never submit. Not to just anyone."

Rhea did not say a single word. She just kept walking, her mind already tracking the dangerous trails ahead.

—

The next morning, the sun was high, casting a pale warmth over the stone courtyard. The sanctuary buzzed with a much happier energy.

Some of the older children ran in tight circles, training with wooden blades, while a few of the younger ones huddled by the well, softly singing ancient pack songs to soothe their restless wolves.

Rhea stood in the shadow of the oak overhang, her arms crossed tight over her chest. Her eyes never left Eli. He was standing with a small group of boys near the armory, trying his best to mimic their combat stances, his small chest puffed out with determination.

Suddenly, a sharp, deafening blast shattered the peace.

The sanctuary’s warning horn bellowed from the watchtower, its long, mournful wail cutting straight through the crisp mountain air.

Rhea’s head snapped toward the sound, her whole body locking into a rigid line. Inside her mind, River surged to her feet with a ferocious snarl, bristling as she slammed against the front of Rhea’s consciousness.

"Something is wrong," Rhea murmured aloud, her heart instantly hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs.

The sweet scent of the children’s singing was swallowed by the sudden, suffocating stench of panic.

"They are here," River growled, a low vibration of pure bloodlust rattling through Rhea’s teeth. "The Alphas are coming."

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