Betrayed by My Alpha, Bound to the King

Warmth…

That was the first thing Ayesha sensed. Genuine warmth. Not cold air or muddy dirt, but thick blankets and something soft beneath her. 'A bed?' Her eyes snapped open.

"Lyra!"

She sat up suddenly, pain stabbing through her ribs and back. Her vision was slightly blurred. She grasped the edge of the mattress, struggling to breathe.

"She's safe and you're safe."

The voice was calm and confident.

She turned, and at the foot of the bed, a tall, broad-shouldered man with damp, silver-streaked charcoal hair stood. A fresh shirt clung to his torso as if sewn to his muscles. His grey eyes fixed on her without blinking.

Ayesha believed Ronan already had perfect features, but it turns out someone else surpasses him.

This man had a strong, symmetrical, and chiseled face with a well-defined jaw and a prominent chin. His features struck a good balance between masculine and rugged qualities. And she appeared to be too enamoured with him to articulate why.

'This... this can't be,' she murmured with wide eyes, as she stared at his perfectly sculpted face.

She also couldn't ignore how appealing his scent was, but she quickly dismissed the strange feeling rising within her. 

Her mind was muddled with worry for Lyra. She had blacked out and now had no clue where her niece was. She barely recalled what the man had said earlier. Safe? Is Lyra truly safe?

"Lyra," she rasped again, chest still heaving.

"She's now sleeping in the next chamber. Fed. Warm. Not hurt," he said firmly.

Ayesha slumped back against the pillows, chest tight with relief. Her hands trembled as she rubbed her face, but she blinked fast to hold back tears.

"Thank you," she whispered.

It was then she noticed her right hand. There was no bandage. No blood. And her index finger, the one Luciana had cut off, was there.

Intact.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. 'My finger…' she thought, blinking rapidly to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. 'They chopped it off… How is it back?'

The man nodded once. "You were almost gone when I got to you."

His comment snapped her out of her trance. She swallowed hard. How her finger had returned shouldn't matter right now. Pushing the thought aside, she shifted and moved to get out of bed.

"I need to see Lyra," she muttered, her voice trembling as she tried to stand.

But suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Alpha," a voice called. "We've swept the eastern ridge. No signs of pursuit, but we'll double back before dusk."

'Alpha?'

Ayesha looked between the door and the man before her.

The man turned to the door. "Tell Gav and Nira to scout the northern pass. If they find even one scent trail, they don't wait. Kill on sight."

"Yes, Alpha."

The footsteps retreated. Ayesha stared. Everything clicked in her head. "You're an Alpha?" she asked with a creased forehead.

He nodded and casually said, "Call me Alaric." The name triggered a memory in her. "Alaric?"

Her face drained of all colour. "Alaric Thorne?" she breathed, her lips trembling. 'The Alpha King?!'

His name was a curse and a blow to her chest. The fury within her ignited. Her vision clouded red. "You killed my brother."

The words were a growl, and before she even registered her movement, she lunged.

Alaric didn't step back. He didn't even blink. In one fluid motion, he caught her by the wrist, twisted, and slammed her back onto the bed beneath them. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs, her arms pinned above her head by just one of his hands.

She struggled fiercely.

"Let me go!"

But he didn't. He pressed down with effortless strength, his large frame hovering above her. His face was just an inch from hers, so close she could feel his breath. 

"Didn't you recognise it?" he murmured, voice rough. His breath was warm against her skin. "The mate pull?"

Ayesha froze, her body betraying her with a shiver. 'The mate pull?'

Yes… she felt it. But it was nothing… nothing compared to the image of Levi's body broken on the ground, bloodied and lifeless.

Her throat tightened. "Even if I did," she hissed, "all I see is the man who killed my brother."

Alaric's jaw clenched, his eyes glowing faintly. Then, he leaned closer, his nose skimming her neck. He inhaled slowly, deeply. Her whole body stiffened.

"You smell like fury," he said darkly, his voice so soft it barely reached her. "And grief. But underneath everything… you smell like mine."

Her heart pounded against her ribs. Alaric's free hand steadied beside her head, and his voice grew quieter as he kept eye contact.

"If I were you," he said, with a voice that was sharp yet smooth, "I wouldn't attack me again." "I'm the only one who can keep you and Lyra safe from your own pack."

Ayesha's breath caught in her throat. She wanted to push him away, to deny everything he said. But deep down, she knew he had a point.

He was the Alpha King feared by all, a name that made entire packs tremble. Ruthless, powerful, and merciless. He was someone no one dared to cross.

Alaric's gaze remained steady. He gradually released her wrists but did not withdraw. Not yet. "You don't have to trust me," he said. "But right now, I'm all you've got."

Ayesha was lying beneath him, her heartbeat loud in her ears. Her chest was heaving with rapid, shallow breaths as Alaric's weight gradually shifted away from her. He moved just enough to create some space, but not so much as to forget who was in control.

Her fists tightened around the sheets as she averted her gaze, anger burning in her chest. "One day..." she murmured, almost inaudibly. "I'll kill you."

Alaric raised his eyebrows, not out of fear but in amusement.

She snapped her head around, glaring at him with eyes that sparkled with barely contained fury. "You don't deserve to live peacefully after letting my brother die." His face remained expressionless. He didn't apologize. 

"Then you'd better live long enough to try," he challenged calmly. "But until then, your niece needs you, and I'm not your enemy today." 

Ayesha gradually pushed herself upright, her back against the headboard. She took a slow, painful breath, filling her lungs before letting it out. 

Her voice was low but steady, asking, "Then tell me… what is it you want?"