Claimed By The Rival Alpha

Chapter 84: Chapter 84

Kael

By the time we reached the castle, the tension in the air had become almost unbearable.

The moment I dismounted, Beta Bastian hurried toward me. His expression told me everything before he even spoke.

"Still nothing," he said. "The informants we sent after the three vampires haven’t reported back."

I glanced toward the castle gates. "Stop waiting for them."

Beta Bastian frowned. "Alpha?"

"Forget the informants for now. I want every available warrior prepared for an emergency defense of the pack."

His eyes widened slightly. "You think they’re coming back?"

"I know they will."

There was no point pretending otherwise. The fourth vampire was dead and the three remaining vampires had no idea what had happened to him yet, but they were not fools.

Once they realized one of their own had disappeared, they would begin asking questions. Once they discovered that I had deceived them, they would understand exactly what had happened.

And when they returned, they would not come politely.

I turned toward Selena. "Take her inside."

Beta Bastian immediately nodded.

Selena looked at me, her eyes filled with questions. "Alpha Kael..."

"We’ll talk soon." I uttered. She hesitated, but eventually followed the guards.

Once she was gone, I turned back to Beta Bastian. "There is something you need to know. One of the four vampires is dead."

Beta Bastian stared at me. "You killed one?"

"No. Sera did."

His expression changed. "So the other three..."

"Will eventually discover that something is wrong." I added.

Beta Bastian rubbed the back of his neck while I asked, "How many warriors do we currently have at the main border?"

"Two hundred. Should I send another hundred?"

"No." I quickly went against it. He looked surprised as I added. "Two hundred is enough."

"Alpha, if the vampires bring reinforcements..."

"They’re unlikely to bring an army."

"How can you be certain?"

"Because they came here for one purpose. They came to retrieve Selena."

Beta Bastian remained silent.

"What we need to prepare for isn’t their numbers," I continued. "It’s their strength."

He nodded slowly. "Our warriors won’t stand much of a chance against them individually."

"Exactly."

"So what do we do?" He asked, staring intently at me.

I looked toward the eastern grounds. "The feral wolves."

Beta Bastian blinked. "The ferals?"

"You forgot we still have them?" I asked with creased brows.

He looked embarrassed. "For a moment."

"Gather them."

His expression became serious. "I’ll do it immediately."

"And Bastian?" He stopped. "Keep this quiet. I don’t want panic spreading through the pack."

"Yes, Alpha." He left while I stood there for another moment, staring toward the front.

War... The word felt heavier now. There was no longer any room for pretending that this could be settled peacefully.

We were at war with the vampires.

I found Selena in one of the quieter sections of the castle, pacing back and forth. She wasn’t in her chamber. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her, and the moment she saw me, she hurried toward me.

"Alpha Kael."

I caught her before she could speak. "You’re safe."

"I don’t care about me."

I frowned. "You should."

"The vampires are coming back."

"Yes."

"And if you fight them here, they’ll send more." Her voice trembled. "We can’t just kill them, Kael. What if more come from their realm? What if they bring an army?"

I gently placed my hands on her shoulders. "Selena." She looked at me. "We’ve reached the point we were trying to avoid."

Her lips parted as I added. "We’re officially at war with the vampires."

Her face fell as she spoke out. "This is because of me."

"No!"

"It is."

"No, Selena!"

She shook her head. "If I had never come here..."

"I would still be fighting them." I cut her off immediately.

She stared at me as I continued. "I knew this could happen the moment I allowed you into my pack. The moment I decided to protect you, I knew there would eventually be consequences."

Her eyes filled with tears. "You knew?"

"Yes." I brushed my thumb beneath her eye. "There is something else you need to know."

She waited.

"You aren’t the only one who hates the vampires." She frowned.

I remembered our conversation weeks ago, when I had told her that the oppression was simply the order of things.

"I lied to you." Her eyes widened. "I told you the tribute system was simply the way the realm worked. I told you every pack had to follow it because there was no other choice."

"You said that."

"I was lying." She stared at me. "I couldn’t tell you the truth then."

"What truth?"

"The revolution." Her breathing stopped as I added. "My revolution against the vampires began months before I ever met you."

Her mouth opened slightly. "The cottage and the equipment..."

"Yes."

"Sera..."

"Yes." I said as I watched realization spread across her face. "I gave Sera one responsibility. Gather everything we could find that was capable of killing vampires."

She looked stunned. "All those things in that cottage?"

"Weapons, materials, knowledge. Anything that could give us an advantage."

"But why did it take so long?"

"Because most of those things are rare." I paused. "And because Sera was doing most of it alone."

Selena looked toward the window. "So you were preparing all this time."

"I was."

"Then why didn’t you attack them?" Her question was quiet. "Why didn’t you simply refuse to send young she-wolves to them? You had resources. You had warriors. You could have protected your own pack."

I sighed. "It wasn’t that simple."

"Why?"

"Politics." Her brows knitted together. "Everything in this realm is tied to politics. Even the vampires’ demands."

I stepped closer. "There are pack leaders who benefit from the tribute system. There are councilmen who have made fortunes from agreements with the vampires. There are nobles who would rather sacrifice someone else’s daughter than risk losing their own privileges."

Her expression hardened. "So they support it."

"Some do."

"And the ones who don’t?"

"Are afraid." I looked away briefly. "To destroy the vampires, I first needed to understand the political structure protecting them. Killing one vampire would not have ended anything. It would have started something much worse."

Selena swallowed. "And now?"

"Now we’ve already killed one." She shivered and I pulled her into my arms.

She rested her head against my chest as she asked, "What do we do?"

"We improvise."

Her fingers curled into my clothing. "I don’t want you to die."

"I don’t intend to."

"But what if..."

"Trust me." I cut in.

She looked up. "Can you do that?" Her eyes searched mine.

"I’ll try." I smiled faintly.

"That’s enough." She rested her forehead against mine. "What happens to us after this?"

The question carried more weight than she realized. I cupped her face. "We remain together."

Her eyes glistened. "You mean that?"

"I do."

"What if your pack rejects me?"

"They won’t decide for me."

"What if the council does?"

"They won’t."

"And the realm?"

"I don’t care what the realm says."

Her lips trembled. "And the vampires?"

I leaned closer. "I don’t care what any vampire lord says either."

She stared at me. "You’ll still choose me?"

"Every time."

She closed her eyes. "You’ll be mine?"

I smiled. "And you’ll be mine."

She wrapped her arms around my neck then she kissed me. The moment our lips met, every thought about the coming battle disappeared.

I held her tightly, kissing her deeply as though I could somehow memorize the feeling of her against me. She tasted like warmth and something uniquely hers, something that had become so familiar to me that I could no longer imagine my life without it.

My hands moved around her waist while she pulled me closer.

For one selfish moment, I wanted to stay. I wanted to forget the vampires. Forget the council. Forget the war and forget everything.

But then Beta Bastian’s voice entered my mind. "Alpha."

I closed my eyes in frustration. "The ferals are gathered. They’re ready to be transported to the border."

I reluctantly pulled away.

Selena looked at me. "You have to go?"

"I do." Her eyes fell as I quickly added, "I’ll come back."

She nodded, then I kissed her forehead. "I promise."

I turned to leave. "Alpha Kael..." I stopped.

She looked at me with sudden concern. "Where is Isadora?"

My hands clenched. For a moment, I couldn’t answer as the memory of her screams returned to me.

I had handed Isadora to the vampires. I had watched them take her because I believed it was the only way to keep Selena alive.

Selena’s expression changed when she saw mine. "Kael?"

"I’ll bring her back. I promise you." These were the only words I could utter.

Before she could say anything else, I walked away. I couldn’t allow myself to hesitate.

I changed into battle gear and left the castle. Outside, the massive carriage waited.

Four horses stood harnessed to it, their breath visible in the cold air. The reinforced carriage carried the feral wolves inside, their growls occasionally vibrating through the wooden structure.

Beta Bastian stood nearby. I then turned to face him. "You’re staying here," I told him.

He frowned. "Alpha, I should come with you."

"No."

"But..."

"Keep the castle orderly. Protect the people. If anything happens while I’m gone, you take command."

Beta Bastian hesitated before bowing. "Yes, Alpha."

I mounted my horse while the warriors climbed onto theirs.

I looked once toward the castle, somewhere inside those walls was Selena.

The woman I had chosen. The woman I would protect. And somewhere beyond our borders were creatures that believed they could decide her fate.

They were about to learn otherwise.

I turned my horse toward the road while the carriage followed behind us, carrying the feral wolves toward the place where the first real battle would begin.

I rode with my company of guards and feral wolves towards the pack border.

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