Chapter 72 CHAPTER 72

Chapter 72 CHAPTER 72
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I watched in horror as the crowd around us grew louder, their yells and curses directed at Alina. Everything seemed to slow down, the noise becoming a dull roar in my ears as I tried to process what had just happened. Alina... a witch?

I had wished and prayed that this was not true. That my mate was not a damn witch. J had not known what my reaction was going to be to that, but now I did. My feelings for her did not change. In fact, I felt the. More stronger than before because all I wanted to do was go down there and save her from all of this.

I heard them chanting the word 'witch', and I couldn't help but think of how the word itself felt foreign, impossible to connect with the woman I loved. She had passed the trials, but it wasn't enough for them. They still wanted blood.

I felt dizzy, my mind spinning. No matter what had been revealed, Alina was still the same person she'd always been. I wasn't going to let them tear her apart because of something she didn't even

understand herself. She didn't know she was one too or if she did, she never told me about her suspicions.

I needed to get to her before someone hurt her. The guards are barely able to reach the people from reaching her to kill her. Through the chaos, I forced myself to focus. Alina was crying, her body trembling as she tried to make sense of the accusations and the violence erupting around her. I had to get her out of here. Now.

I pushed through the crowd, the guards instinctively moving the angry mob aside to clear a path for me. My heart was pounding as I reached Alina, my arms pulling her close, shielding her from the jeering crowd. "We're leaving," I muttered to her, my voice firm, though I felt my own fear clawing at me. I couldn't let her see it.

I was about to turn and take her inside the palace when Elder Agnes' voice cut through the commotion. "You can't bring her in there,

Alpha," she said, her tone cold and sharp. "It's forbidden for a witch to enter the palace."

I spun around to face her, my eyes narrowing in anger. "What did you say?"

"If she crosses the threshold, it's an abomination," Elder Agnes continued, her voice rising over the crowd. "The palace will be tainted, and we'll have no choice but to demolish it."

I felt the heat of my anger building, my fists clenching at my sides. “ I'd like to bloody see you try," I growled. There was no way I was going to let them destroy her, not after everything we'd been through.

But Agnes wasn't finished. Her eyes were cold as ice, and her voice took on a more dangerous tone. "You might have the title, Kai, but the royal family is a minority. The common people are the majority. If you bring a witch into that palace, you'll lose everything. The respect of the pack, their fear, their loyalty—it will all be gone."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I knew she was right. The people already feared witches, and after what they'd just seen, they were more than ready to turn against us. We have all been told to

hate witches since from the start. We were always told that they eeew vicious creatures, and we had to believe that.

Even though I never really hated them like everyone else, I didn't exactly still like them. There are helpful if you know how to co exist with them. I looked at Alina and a shroud of darkness overwhelmed me. If I forced Alina into the palace, they would revolt. Everything I'd fought for our pack, my position as alpha-it would all come crashing down.

But none of that mattered. Not if it meant leaving Alina to suffer at their hands. "I don't care," I snapped, my voice low and dangerous. “

I'm not going to let her suffer because of their fear."

Just as I turned to lead Alina inside, something hard slammed into the back of her head. She gasped, her body going limp in my arms as she started to bleed. My heart stopped as I looked down at her, watching in horror as the blood trickled from the wound.

I glanced back at the crowd, my eyes scanning for the person who had thrown the rock, but it was impossible to tell who had done it. The mob had gathered in front of the palace door, blocking our path, their faces twisted in anger and hatred. They weren't going to let me take her inside. They were going to kill her if I tried. I have never felt this hopeless.

Desperation clawed at me as I looked around, my mind racing for a solution. I couldn't fight them all off, not with Alina in my arms, bleeding and unconscious. I closed my eyes, my heart thudding in my chest as I reached out through the chaos, calling on the only person who might be able to save us.

Fairy Mother, I thought, my voice trembling in my head. Please, help us. I need you.

There was a moment of stillness, and then, like a breath of wind, I felt her presence. The fairy mother materialized before the crowd, her silver hair shimmering as she spoke. “Enough!"

Her voice echoed across the courtyard, and everyone stopped, their eyes wide with awe and fear. Even Elder Agnes stepped back, her face pale as the fairy mother commanded the attention of the entire pack.

"I will exonerate Alina," the fairy mother announced, her voice firm and unyielding. "She is not like the others witches. It wouldn't be fair if she is treated like a witch especially because she is more werewolf than witch, and she is also your Luna. You will respect her, or you will face my wrath."

The crowd murmured in discontent, their anger bubbling beneath the surface, but they dared not defy her. They knew what the fairy mother's anger could bring, and they were not willing to risk it.

One by one, the pack members began to retreat, their heads bowed in submission. The tension in the air slowly began to dissipate, though the unease lingered.

Before I could say a word, the fairy mother turned to me, her silver eyes locking with mine. "Take her inside. She needs to heal."

And just like that, she was gone.

I didn't waste another second. I gathered Alina into my arms, careful of her wound, and pushed through the doors of the palace. The guards stepped aside, too afraid to stop me after the fairy mother's declaration. Inside, the palace was eerily quiet, the weight of the day's events pressing down on me.

I placed Alina on the couch in one of the smaller sitting rooms, brushing her hair away from her face. She was still unconscious, her breathing shallow. The sight of her like this-so fragile and

vulnerable-made my heart ache in a way I hadn't expected.

"Someone get the doctor," I barked to one of the servants, my voice hoarse. They scrambled to obey, leaving me alone with Alina.

I knelt beside her, my hand trembling as I stroked her cheek. She looked so peaceful despite the chaos that had just unfolded. But I knew that peace wouldn't last. We were far from safe, and I wasn't sure what our next move would be.

But one thing was certain-I wasn't going to lose her. Not now. Not

ever.

"Please, Alina," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Wake up. I need you."

As the doctor arrived, I stood back, my heart heavy with fear. This

was only the beginning.