Chapter 26 Get your fucking hands off my woman!

Chapter 26 Get your fucking hands off my woman!
Kael’s POV
"You know I don't see you that way... And I know you'll never see me that way either." Her words sounded a little too harsh.
What makes you so sure of that?
The question formed quietly in my head as I watched her. She still stood close, the towel in her hand, carefully dabbing the last bit of blood from my lip like it actually mattered.
Like I mattered.
“Right?” she said, lifting her eyes to meet mine.
Her voice was light, but something in her expression searched for confirmation.
My throat tightened.
“Yes… yes… absolutely…” I confirmed, swallowing hard.
She nodded, satisfied, and continued cleaning the corner of my mouth gently. Her fingers were steady and soft.
My heart pounded louder than it should.
I could feel the heat from her being this close. The faint scent of her perfume. The way her brow slightly furrowed in concentration.
This was dangerous.
I reached up quickly and held her wrist.
“I’ll continue from here,” I said, standing up before she could respond.
I turned and moved toward the window, putting space between us. I needed air. Distance. Anything to calm the chaos in my chest.
The night outside stretched dark and quiet.
Then the movement caught my eye.
I frowned.
Near the back entrance of the event hall, Rick stood with two men dressed in dark cloaks. They were partially hidden in the shadows, but I could still make out their figures.
Around them were soldiers. Heavily armed soldiers.
Not one or two, but a whole lot of them.
My body stiffened.
“Your majesty…” I called quietly, beckoning her over.
She walked up beside me and looked over my shoulder.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then one of the cloaked men lifted his hand slightly.
Just enough for the tattoo on his wrist to show.
Alpha Lani's breath caught.
“Gomez…” she muttered under her breath.
Her tone changed instantly.
She didn’t waste a second. She turned and rushed toward the door.
I followed.
She entered another room quickly, one that overlooked the front entrance. We moved to the window together.
Her eyes scanned below, and then I watched her expression turn dark immediately.
“Our guards…” she whispered. There were none left.
From what I was seeing, no other Alpha's soldiers were there either. Only those unfamiliar soldiers.
With the same dark uniforms, they even held their weapons the same way, with the same silent formation.
“Shit,” she breathed.
She turned to me. “We’ve been trapped.”
My stomach dropped.
“Alert any of the soldiers you can reach,” she ordered immediately. “Call for backup from the pack.”
“I’m going down to warn the others.”
She didn’t wait for my reply. She moved toward the door at once.
Suddenly, the lights went out, and darkness filled the whole place.
The music stopped abruptly. A wave of murmurs rose from the main hall.
I pulled out my phone from my pocket, only to find out that there was no signal either.
I turned on airplane mode and turned it back off, yet nothing.
“Great…” I muttered.
“Just great.”
I switched on my phone's flashlight as I hurried out, moving fast through the hallway toward the main hall.
I could hear the confused voices echoing, and also the sound of chairs scraping the floor.
Then suddenly I heard a loud voice that seemed like it was addressing the crowd. I couldn't quite get what he was saying, but all I knew was that it caused the people to let out gasps, screams, growls, everything that one could do in a situation like this.
Immediately, I got down, and I froze.
At the center of the hall stood Gomez. He held a silver blade, and it rested against Alpha Lani's neck.
My heart slammed hard against my ribs.
“I told you to stay away from here, didn’t I?” Gomez said calmly.
Alpha Lani stood still, her expression controlled, but I could see the tension in her shoulders.
“No one moves!” he barked.
The room fell silent.
Soldiers stepped forward, appearing from behind pillars, from the doors, from every direction. Each one was positioned behind an Alpha with weapons drawn.
“Hand over all your weapons to the soldier close to you,” Gomez ordered.
No one moved at first.
Then slowly, reluctantly, Alphas began placing their weapons down. The soldiers collected them quickly.
I clenched my fists.
Rick stood among the crowd, acting like one of the captives.
That snake.
My eyes narrowed as another cloaked man stepped forward.
“Did you really think that anything you do will change how tonight will end for everyone?” he said, stepping closer to where Gomez and Alpha Lani were.
He pulled down his hood, allowing everyone to get a good view of his tattooed face.
Gasps erupted from every corner of the room.
The Vampire King.
A cold smile formed on his pale face.
The Alphas growled instantly. A few tried to shift, I tried too, but I felt something pulling at my veins, restricting me from shifting.
Everyone began to exchange confused glances.
"What's going on?"
"I can't shift..."
Confusion spread across the place.
Someone cursed.
“You monster, what did you do?” an Alpha shouted from the far side of the hall.
The Vampire King, King Vikings, spread his arms slightly.
“You feel it, don’t you?” he said calmly. “The suppression. Wolfsbane mist… very effective indoors.”
Rage burned across every face.
Azrael stepped forward slightly. “What do you want from us?” he demanded.
King Vikings smiled and said. “Everything.”
"What?" Someone shouted.
"You must be sick!"
"Vikings, you have no business being here..."
"Everyone, shut the fuck up, before I make you!" Gomez threatened, driving the knife further into Alpha Lani's neck.
I could see a little blood from where his knife had pierced. My blood ran wild.
How dare he?
“These lands once belonged to us,” he continued. “But you Alphas took everything. Now we’re going to end that here.”
His gaze swept across the room.
“And your pack members…” he added softly, “they’ll make good slaves.”
My hands curled into fists.
Alpha Lani remained still, the blade still at her throat.
Then the Vikings turned toward her.
“And you…” He said, his eyes lingering. “I could spare you. If you agree to be my special fling.”
Azrael roared. “You wouldn’t dare!” His eyes blazed red. “Now get your fucking hands off my woman!”