Chapter 15 Chapter 15
Leonidas' POV
The moment Kael’s scent faded from the air–
Sable collapsed.
Her body went completely limp in my arms, like she has being waiting for him to leave before her body gives up.
For a split second, my mind refused to process what had just happened. One moment she had been standing there, trembling but fierce, her silver eyes blazing as she commanded one of the most dangerous Alphas I had ever encountered.
The next—
She crumpled. Just like before she woke up.
"Sable!"
I caught her before she hit the stone courtyard. Her head fell against my chest, her dark hair spilling over my arm like ink. Her breathing was shallow, uneven, like someone who had just run for miles.
My wolf snarled inside me, panic ripping through him.
'Something’s wrong'.
"I know", I muttered under my breath.
The courtyard had gone completely silent.
Every wolf was staring at us.
Some looked stunned.
Some looked terrified.
Others... They were kneeling.
My eyes snapped up.
At least half the pack had lowered themselves instinctively, their heads bowed toward the girl in my arms.
Toward Sable.
'The Omega Queen'.
The title echoed in my mind like thunder. I didn’t want to believe it.
But I had felt it too.
The power in her voice.
The command that had even forced Kael’s wolves to hesitate. I tightened my hold on her slightly.
"Sable", I said again, softer this time.
No response.
Her skin felt warm.
Too warm.
A faint flicker of silver light pulsed beneath the surface of her skin like lightning trapped under a glass. My stomach twisted.
"What the hell...."
A voice spoke from behind me.
"Her body can’t handle the power".
I turned sharply.
The stranger.
He was leaning casually against one of the stone pillars as if the entire scene didn’t concern him at all while wearing a dark coat, with a sharp eyes.
And that same unsettling calm.
"You knew this would happen", I growled.
He shrugged slightly.
"I suspected".
My wolf pushed forward, claws itching to tear the smug expression off his face.
"What did you do to her?"
"I didn’t do anything", he replied calmly. "But she just awakened a power that hasn’t existed in centuries. Did you really expect her body to handle that gracefully?"
My jaw clenched.
That wasn’t the point.
Sable’s breathing grew more uneven in my arms. Another pulse of silver light flickered under her skin.
Several wolves nearby shifted uneasily.
One of the elders stepped forward slowly.
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Alpha..."
I looked up.
Her eyes were fixed on Sable.
"That girl..."
She hesitated.
"...she’s the Omega Queen".
A murmur rippled through the courtyard. Some wolves looked awed. Others looked terrified. My wolf bristled at their reactions.
"She’s under my protection", I said coldly.
The words came out sharper than I intended.
But the meaning was clear.
Anyone who thought of touching her would answer to me.
The elder nodded quickly, lowering her head.
"Of course, Alpha".
But the unease didn’t disappear. Because everyone had heard Kael.
And everyone knew what his words meant.
'War'.
My wolf growled low in my chest.
'Let him come'.
I looked back down at Sable.
Her brow was furrowed slightly like she was fighting something in her sleep. Another flash of silver light flickered beneath her skin.
The stranger pushed himself off the pillar and walked closer.
"Careful", he said casually.
I bared my teeth.
"Don’t come any closer".
He stopped a few feet away, raising his hands slightly in mock surrender.
"Relax, Alpha. If I wanted to hurt her, I would’ve done it already".
That didn’t make me trust him any more.
He studied Sable for a moment, then sighed softly.
"Yeah.. that’s about what I expected".
"What does that mean?"
"It means her awakening triggered more than just power".
I didn’t like the sound of that.
"What are you talking about?"
Before he could answer—
Every wolf in the courtyard suddenly froze.
Then slowly.....
They lifted their heads toward the sky. My wolf stiffened. I felt it too.
A strange pull in the air.
Something ancient.
Something powerful.
And then—
A howl shattered the silence.
It came from deep in the forest beyond the territory.
Long. Loud. Primal.
Another howl answered it.
Then another.
And another.
The sound echoed across the mountains like a rising storm.
My chest tightened.
Those weren’t normal pack howls.
Those were Alpha calls.
The stranger exhaled slowly.
"Well", he said.
"That didn’t take long.”
I shot him a sharp look.
"What did you do?"
"I didn’t do anything".
He gestured toward Sable.
"She did".
Another howl echoed through the distance.
My wolves shifted uneasily around the courtyard.
Fear spread across several faces.
"Alpha...." one of them whispered.
I already knew what they were thinking.
The same thing I was.
The world had just heard her awaken. Every Alpha within miles would feel it.
Some would come out of curiosity.
Others would come out of ambition.
And some...
They would come to claim her.
My grip tightened around Sable.
Over my dead body.
The stranger studied me carefully.
"You realize what this means, right?"
"Yes".
He tilted his head slightly.
"Do you?"
I glared at him.
"Speak".
His expression darkened slightly.
"Kael wasn’t lying".
My wolf growled.
"That’s obvious".
"He’s not the only Alpha who’s been searching for her".
A cold weight settled in my stomach.
"What do you mean?"
He met my gaze evenly.
"For centuries, the strongest Alphas have hunted the legend of the Omega Queen".
Another distant howl echoed through the mountains.
"And now", he continued quietly, "they know exactly where she is".
The courtyard had gone silent again.
Everyone had heard him.
My wolf pushed forward inside me, rage burning in his chest.
'Let them come'.
I looked down at Sable again.
Her breathing had steadied slightly
But the silver light still flickered faintly beneath her skin.
She looked peaceful.
Completely unaware of the storm she had just unleashed.
A faint movement caught my attention.
Her fingers tightened weakly against my shirt.
"Sable?" I said softly.
Her lips moved slightly.
A whisper escaped them.
So quiet I almost didn’t hear it.
"....don’t...."
My heart skipped.
"Don’t what?"
Her brow furrowed again.
"....coming..."
My wolf stiffened.
"Who’s coming?" I asked gently.
But she didn’t answer.
Her grip loosened again as she slipped deeper into unconsciousness.
Another howl echoed across the mountains. Closer this time. My head snapped toward the forest and the stranger followed my gaze.
His voice dropped to a quiet murmur.
"See?"
My wolf snarled.
"They’re already on their way".
I looked down at the girl in my arms again.
'My mate'.
'The Omega Queen'.
The girl who had unknowingly just called half the wolf world to my doorstep.
And for the first time since this nightmare began–
I realized something terrifying.
Protecting her...
Might start a war none of us were ready for.