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

"You will respect me!" Rhea snapped through clenched teeth, her throat vibrating as River’s deep wolf-growl bled straight into her voice, exposing her bared, sharp fangs.

The twin brothers did not even flinch. "Quiet your wolf, Luna," they purred in unison, their identical faces dripping with cool arrogance.

Inside her skull, River let out a deafening roar. "Let me take control! I will rip their arrogant tongues out and show them who we are!"

Rhea fought to keep her body from shifting, her chest heaving as River clawed at the surface. "I know how your pack operates, and I want no part of it," she spat, her fangs glistening.

"We only came to offer the one thing an unattached female needs most in this valley," the twins said, stepping closer in perfect, unnatural rhythm. "Protection. And a pack to call your own."

"And you broke down the sanctuary gates just to deliver that offer? Especially knowing that this place is filled with children," Rhea scoffed, her silver eyes narrowing. "So much for your noble protection."

"We could not afford to let you reject us before we spoke," the twins said, their overlapping voices sending a chill straight down Rhea’s spine. Yet, she held her ground, refusing to bow her head.

"Leave peacefully. I do not need your help," Rhea said, turning her shoulder toward them.

"You know better than to walk away from an army," the first twin said, his tone dropping its pleasant veil. "And you certainly know better than to insult the strongest Alphas in the east."

Rhea stopped in her tracks, spinning back around to glare at them. She opened her mouth to snap a fierce reply, but the second twin cut her off smoothly.

"We will not take no for an answer," he said calmly.

"You of all people should know the rules of this valley," the first twin added, his amber eyes unblinking. "If you insist on rejecting us, we will turn around and walk away. But you know exactly what follows."

"Choose carefully, Luna," the second twin warned softly.

Rhea’s brows pulled together, her jaw tight. "And what happens if I insist on my answer?"

"The moment we cross those gates, you will have your answer," the twins said.

Rhea glanced toward the archway. The heavy iron doors lay shattered in the dirt, opening the sanctuary straight into the dark, silent forest.

The twin Alphas kept their amber eyes locked onto her face, their smiles lingering like venom. "So, what do you say?"

Rhea stared at them, the cold wind whipping her hair across her cheeks. "No," she said, her voice quiet, but hard as iron.

"Is that your final answer?" they asked.

Rhea held their gaze and nodded once. "Yes."

"It is decided, then," the twins said.

They flipped their heavy tiger-skin cloaks over their shoulders, turned on their heels in absolute unison, and began to march away.

Behind them, their massive army of black-armored warriors fell into lockstep, their heavy boots thundering across the stone yard as they followed their Alphas out.

Rhea frowned, watching their retreating backs. Her silver eyes darted toward the tree line, then back to the marching soldiers. A strange dread settled over her chest.

"Something is wrong," she whispered to herself. Then, louder, her voice calm but commanding, "Guards up!"

The sanctuary guards instantly raised their iron shields, shifting their weight as they locked their eyes on the open gates.

The twin Alphas reached the threshold of the sanctuary. They stopped, turned their heads slightly, and looked back at Rhea over their shoulders.

"We warned you," they called out, their voices echoing off the stone walls. "Now, it begins."

Before Rhea could make sense of their words, River suddenly whirled inside her mind, her fur standing on end as she let out a wild, panicked snarl. The wolf’s eyes snapped toward the dense shadow of the pine forest.

"Someone is out there," River growled, her tone frantic.

Rhea’s brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Someone— No! Rhea, run!" River barked, thrashing violently against the walls of her mind. "Run now!"

Rhea froze. Her boots wanted to move, but her eyes darted to the sanctuary guards standing beside her, then to the open courtyard where the children’s keep lay exposed.

"What is it, River?" she demanded.

"Run! Now!" River screamed in her head.

Suddenly, a sharp, whistling hiss filled the cold air.

Rhea whipped her head up, her eyes widening in pure horror. The sky above the courtyard was darkened by a sudden, deadly rain of arrows falling from the clouds. Panic shattered the yard.

"Shields up!" Rhea roared at the top of her lungs.

Without a second thought, the guards slammed their heavy shields together, forming a tight, defensive wall in front and an overlapping iron umbrella over their heads. Rhea ducked into the center of the formation just as the deadly hail struck.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The sharp steel arrowheads slammed into the thick iron shields with terrifying force, vibrating through the guards’ arms and kicking up splinters of wood from the dirt floor.

"Hold fast!" the head guard yelled, his teeth bared as he strained against the heavy impact.

"We stay together! Do not break the line!" Rhea commanded, her voice ringing firm over the chaos, even as River clawed wildly at her consciousness, begging to be let loose to fight.

Then, as abruptly as it had started, the whistling stopped. Silence fell over the courtyard.

"The twin butchers are at work!" a young guard whimpered beneath the shields, his voice shaking violently as he gasped for air. "You should have just accepted their proposal and left us in peace, Luna!"

Rhea glanced at the terrified man, but kept her tongue quiet.

The head guard carefully parted two shields and reached out, pulling a black-feathered arrow that was lodged deep in the wood. He had barely tucked his shield back when a stray arrow whizzed past, biting into the dirt inches from his boot. He gasped, his chest heaving as sweat poured down his dirt-streaked face.

He lifted the arrow to inspect the metal shaft for a pack crest. Suddenly, his eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat.

He turned his head slowly to Rhea. "It’s Ironfang," he whispered in disbelief.

Rhea’s jaw dropped. "That is impossible," she said, shaking her head as her pulse spiked.

"Look at the steel, Luna," the head guard insisted, extending the arrow toward her trembling hands.

Rhea’s fingers locked around the smooth shaft. Etched into the silver metal just below the black fletching was the mark of a snarling wolf’s jaw. "It’s really him."

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