Chapter 15 Disrespect
King deacons POV
The heat of the mating bond was still screaming in my veins, but the air outside the chambers was thick with the scent of treachery. I stood in the hallway, my chest bare and pulsing with the mark I had just carved into Aurora’s soul.
"What is it, Calus?" I roared, the sound vibrating through the stone walls. "Why is there a war happening outside of my palace? Where are the guards? How could such a thing happen on my mating night?"
Calus bowed his head, his face pale under the flickering torchlight. "I am sorry, Alpha. We tried to control it, but we couldn't. The Alpha from the Western District, Alpha Leonard of the Moonstone pack, has arrived with the Luna's father. They demanded immediate access to the palace, and when the guards refused, a fight broke out. It has turned into a riot at the gates."
I felt a vein throb in my temple. I reached out, and Calus quickly draped my royal garment over my shoulders, helping me into it.
"This is the highest form of disrespect," I spat, my voice a low, lethal promise. "I own those people. I own every inch of land in Prussia. Who gave them the right to trespass and walk right into my kingdom like common thieves? Lead the way, Calus."
"But Alpha King," Calus whispered, his voice trembling as he followed my rapid strides. "Please, do not ruin things with your answer. This should be settled with peace, or a full-scale war will ignite. We cannot afford that now."
"It is none of my concern," I growled, my wolf snapping at the surface of my skin. "He who dares ruin the King's mating night shall pay for it in blood."
I moved with the speed of a predator, my shadows trailing behind me as I appeared before the palace gates. The gatekeeper saw the gold fire in my eyes and shrieked in terror.
"Open the gate! The King is here!"
the massive iron doors groaned open. Outside, the chaos was a blur of silver and fur. I saw one of my royal guards locked in a life-or-death struggle with a rogue. They didn't even stop when I stepped into the light.
I held out my hand. Without a word, Calus placed my heavy ceremonial sword into my palm. I unshielded the blade, the cold steel singing in the night air. With a single, fluid motion born of pure anger, I sliced through both the guard and the rogue. They fell instantly, their blood staining the snow.
"Urrghh!"
A sharp, broken scream came from behind me. I spun around, my sword dripping red. Aurora stood there, her eyes wide with a terror that seemed to go back centuries. She was covered with a rope, her red hair the only thing covering her chest, her hands clamped over her mouth as she stumbled back.
The sight of her like that, vulnerable and witnessing my darkness tugged at a part of me I had buried. I turned to Calus, my Alpha voice booming. "What is she doing outside? Take her in and lock her inside! Ensure she does not come out until I say so!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
I watched as Calus grabbed her, dragging her back toward the safety of the stone walls. Through the bond, I felt her heart shatter. It wasn't just fear of the blood I had shed; it was something deeper, a trauma I couldn't yet name. I am the Hollow King; I am not supposed to feel her pain, yet it burned in my chest like a brand.
I pushed the feeling away and faced the crowd. A man stepped forward from the shadows of the Moonstone warriors.
"All hail the Alpha King," he mocked, his voice dripping with false reverence. "So the rumors were true. You really are as ruthless as they say."
I narrowed my eyes. I am the King of all, but I did not recognize this wolf.
"This is the new Alpha of the Eastern Wing—Alpha Thorne," Leonard said, stepping up beside the stranger. "He has just returned from the human world. He noticed his lands were being corrupted by refuse from your palace, King Deacon."
"A new Alpha? And I wasn't informed?, I choose the Alpha's" I stepped closer, my presence forcing the air out of their lungs. "And you had the nerve to show up at my palace like this? How dare you?"
Just then, a man appeared at the front, dropping to his knees. He had the same look of filth and shame that Aurora once carried. He smelled of rot. It was Lieu, Aurora’s father.
"I am so sorry, King Deacon... I... I..." he stammered.
Leonard cut him off, his voice arrogant. "We are not just here for the refuse. We are here to take what belongs to us. Alpha Thorne has offered eighty gold bars and land in the human world just for the stripper. We came to take her back."
"How dare you!" I roared. My body shifted, my fangs elongating as I lunged toward Leonard’s throat.
"Your Highness! Please!" The surrounding wolves dropped to their knees, begging for mercy. "Do not start a war!"
"We made a deal," I hissed, my face inches from Leonard’s. "It was signed in blood and it cannot be taken back. The girl you call a stripper is my mate."
"No," Thorne interjected, standing his ground. "We cannot have a stripper as our Queen. Many men have had her, so we came to take her back for someone who has a better use for her."
"Alpha Leonard, you dare defy me?" I felt the power of the Hollow King radiating from my skin. "I am the King of Kings. I am the King of all Alphas. I can strike your badge from your chest and leave you a rogue. You dare defy me?"
Leonard bent down, his pack following suit in a wave of submission. "My apologies, my King. I am just a business-minded wolf. You have the right to kill me for my insolence."
"Calus!" I called out, my eyes never leaving Leonard. "Is this the reason you called me off my mating night? For this petty greed?"
"What? Mating night?" Lieu gasped, the crowd behind him murmuring in shock.
"I am afraid you cannot take my Luna from this palace," I announced, loud enough for the trees to hear. "It is too late. The bond is sealed. Unless you wish to start a war you cannot win."
Leonard turned a cold gaze toward the other wolves. "Do not worry, Alpha Thorne. After seven days, when the bond is tested, you can come to the pack house for her if she fails."
Thorne smiled, a dark, oily look. "So the rumors of the seven-day limit are true. Forgive me for trespassing, Your Highness. I had so much fun tonight." He signaled his men. "Everyone, retreat! We will come back for her in a few days. But for now, we leave."
"STOP," I commanded. The word echoed like a thunderclap.
"Do you think you can just walk into my palace and leave as you like? Calus!"
"Sire?"
"Capture five men from each pack. This is their punishment for disrespecting the King."
"What?" they screamed, the air filling with pleas for mercy.
"This command?" Thorne sneered, holding his ground. "No wonder nobody agreed to bond with you permanently. I don't know how a monster like you became King, when you don't even know the difference between a righteous Luna and a sex slave whose father sold her for power."
I moved faster than thought. I drew my blade and sliced a thin, jagged mark across Thorne’s chest. He stared at me, still smiling. "I can heal, King. I am not human."
"Not from my cut."
I watched as the smile died on his face. The wound didn't close; instead, it began to smoke, the pain finally hitting his eyes. He clutched his chest, stumbling back into Leonard and Lieu.
"Ask more about me before you speak again, you fake wolf, do not worry you won't die" I said, my voice cold as the grave. "Take them. And close the gate.".