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

Before Rhea could reply, a small, excited squeal broke through the quiet air.

"Uncle Adam!" Eli burst through the residential archway, his small boots pounding across the flagstones as he charged straight toward them.

The hard edge on Adam’s face melted instantly. He stepped past Rhea, dropping to one knee with his arms open wide to catch the boy halfway.

Eli slammed against Adam’s leather vest with enough force to knock the air from a lesser male, his tiny fingers tangling tight in the back of Adam’s dark hair.

Rhea swallowed down a hard lump in her throat as she watched them.

Adam wrapped his massive arms around her son, pulling the boy flush against his chest as if he were holding the most precious treasure in the mountains.

"I missed you so much, Uncle Adam!" Eli buried his face into Adam’s neck.

Adam let out a rumbling laugh that vibrated deep in his chest. "I missed you too, my boy."

For a fleeting second, the cold anger in Rhea’s chest softened. She stared at Adam as he held her son, her pulse slowing to a steady beat.

"If only he were our pup’s father," River purred softly in her mind.

Rhea nodded in agreement before her brain caught up with what her wolf had just said. Her eyes snapped wide, and a deep frown carved into her brow as she glared at the back of Adam’s head.

Adam scooped Eli up into his arms, rising to his full height as he walked back over to Rhea. As he adjusted the boy on one arm, his sharp amber eyes caught a fresh, purplish bruise bloom across the side of Eli’s neck. His eyebrows pulled tight into a scowl.

"What happened to his neck?" Adam’s tone dropped an octave, heavy with protective Alpha rage.

Rhea opened her mouth to answer, but Eli beat her to it.

"I defended Mama just like you taught me!" Eli beamed, his chest puffing out with pride. "I shifted my wolf and fought the enemies that came to hurt her! I wish you saw me fight, Uncle Adam!"

Adam’s gaze flicked to Rhea, whose expression had turned to solid ice.

"You should not have put those ideas in his head," Rhea said, her voice dropping.

Adam looked back down at the small boy in his arms, his harsh expression softening as he ran a hand over Eli’s hair. "Listen to me, champ. You are brave, and one day you will stand against big threats to protect your pack. But it is not time for you to fight yet."

Eli’s little brow furrowed in confusion. "So, if I don’t protect Mama, who will?"

Adam lifted his head, his dark amber eyes locking onto Rhea’s. A sudden electric charge hummed in the air between them. Rhea broke the contact instantly, turning her head away as her heart hammered a foolish, erratic rhythm against her ribs.

Adam let out a slow exhale and patted Eli’s back. "Listen, Eli, I want you to—"

"Will you protect Mama until I am big enough?" Eli asked, his small face completely earnest as he looked into Adam’s eyes.

Rhea’s pulse spiked violently in her ears. Before she could catch herself, her eyes darted back to Adam.

"Please, Uncle Adam," Eli pleaded, pressing his small palms together beneath his chin. "I am going to grow up very fast, I promise."

Adam kept his eyes glued to Rhea, a painful question burning in his amber gaze. His lips parted to speak, but Rhea turned her back on him, staring blankly at the stone fountain in the center of the yard.

Her heart was pounding against her ribs, but she refused to let her face show a single crack.

Inside her skull, River pressed a paw against her own temple, letting out an annoyed groan. "Stop being so bloody stubborn, Rhea."

Rhea ignored her wolf completely and focused on her son. "Eli, run back inside to your room. Mama will be there in a moment. Uncle Adam and I have adult matters to discuss."

Eli did not argue. Adam crouched down, setting the boy’s boots gently onto the gravel. But as Adam pulled his hands back, Eli reached out and grabbed the edge of his wrist.

Adam paused, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. Rhea turned back, her own brows pulling together at the sight.

"Do you promise to take care of us?" Eli asked, his voice ringing clear through the quiet yard.

Adam looked up at Rhea, then back down at the small boy holding his wrist. He let out a heavy breath. "I promise."

Satisfied, Eli turned and ran toward the keep corridor. But halfway across the flagstones, he stopped abruptly, looking toward the main archway.

Rhea stepped up beside Adam, her jaw tight. "You should not make promises you cannot keep," she challenged, her voice low.

Adam stood up, his towering shadow falling over her. "I keep every promise I make."

Rhea scoffed, shaking her head. "You are unbelievable."

"Rhea," Adam said, his voice dropping into a flat tone. "Behind you."

Rhea frowned and turned her shoulder. "What are you—"

The courtyard suddenly grew quiet.

One by one, the Bloodveil warriors stopped working. Bernard lowered the beam he was carrying. And every eye turned toward the archway.

The words caught in her throat. Walking across the courtyard in a stiff, silent group were the five sanctuary elders, the head guard, and three senior nurses. None of them carried their usual gentle smiles. Their faces were grim, set in hard lines as they closed the distance.

Eli ran back over, placing himself between Rhea and Adam, his eyes darting between the adults.

Rhea swallowed, the copper taste of anxiety rising in her mouth. "This is not good, is it?"

Beside her, Adam’s jaw flexed. "No."

Rhea straightened her shoulders, smoothing down the front of her tunic as the elders stopped five paces away. She forced a polite smile onto her face. "Is everything alright? Were any of the children harmed during the arrow volley?"

Silence met her question.

Not one of the elders smiled back. Their cold eyes remained locked on her face.

Finally, the eldest male stepped forward, clearing his throat with a rasping sound. "Ever since you arrived at our gates, this sanctuary has known no peace. It has been one attack after another. Our stone perimeter is shattered. Our iron gates lie in the dirt. Our guards are bleeding, and two of our scouts were buried yesterday."

"And the caliber of Alphas coming to our doors," another elder added, stepping up beside him with his arms folded into his robes.

"Get to the point," Adam cut in, his voice dropping like an anvil into the conversation. His amber eyes narrowed as he glared at the old men.

The elders shifted uncomfortably under the Bloodveil Alpha’s gaze, exchanging nervous glances. But the head elder turned his attention back to Rhea and her son, his expression unyielding.

"We have taken a vote," the old man declared, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "For the safety of the children and the survival of this sanctuary, you and your son must leave these lands at once."

Rhea’s blood ran cold, her heart slamming against her ribs like a trapped bird.

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