The Witch and Her Four Dangerous Alphas

I didn't care.

Let them scream. Let them stare.

I stood there, fists clenched, chest rising and falling with every breath as the silence cracked like ice around me.

The head maid shrieked, her voice trembling with rage. "Hold her down! Hold her—"

But no one moved. No one dared.

Because like I'd said—bullies only prey on the weak. They puff up their chests when you bow your head. But the moment you stand, really stand, they falter. Cowards in uniforms. Cowards in aprons. Not one of them had the courage to face someone who was powerful than them.

I stepped forward slowly, my shadow falling over the head maid as she scrambled back in the dirt like a rat.

"You wanted to break me?" I said, voice low and steady, though it trembled at the edges. "Then you should've done it right the first time."

Her eyes darted left and right, looking for support.

"You think this will save you?" she spat. "They'll kill you for this!"

"Then let them," I whispered, a bitter smile curling on my lips. "At least I'll die fighting. Not crawling."

Tears burned behind my eyes, but they didn't fall.

I turned in the dead silence of the room, surrounded by stares.

Let them sentence me.

Let them strip what little I had left.

Until the young omega maid, the one who sent me to Lucian's room, shrieked like a banshee and charged at me.

"You monster!"

I ducked her wild swing and shoved her away. She came again.

This time, I didn't dodge.

I struck.

My palm connected with her cheek—loud—and her body spun from the force, crashing into the edge of the courtyard table.

She slumped to the ground, whimpering.

The courtyard was still echoing with shocked silence when the head maid finally stood again, shaking with fury and humiliation.

"You will pay for this," she spat, her chest rising and falling with rage. "You think this little outburst will save you? You think you're still Alpha-blooded?" She laughed—a high, ugly sound that scratched at my ears.

"You're nothing but a branded dog. A slave beneath us. Stop acting like you're above it all!"

"You're just like your mother," she spat, her voice hoarse but full of venom. "A filthy little bitch in heat, trying to play the victim while spreading her legs for power."

I stilled.

Her words struck like knives—sharp and deliberate.

She saw the shift in me, and that made her bolder and more vile.

"You think your mother was some noble lady?" she sneered. "Everyone knew what she was. A pretty face your father kept warm in his bed. Probably didn't even know which man planted a bastard inside her. You're no Alpha—just a glorified mutt born from a woman who probably opened her legs to half the pack!"

A few gasps echoed in the courtyard.

Someone even whispered, "She's gone too far…"

But the head maid didn't care. She smiled through her broken lip.

"I bet she moaned for anyone who looked her way. Bet she begged to be claimed like a dog in heat. And now look at you—just like her. Wearing rags, licking boots, hoping someone important will stick his cock in you and pretend you're worth something."

Something inside me shattered.

It wasn't rage anymore. It was something colder.

She had insulted me.

She had degraded me.

But she dared—she dared—to speak of my mother like that?

No.

No one talks about her.

My legs moved before my mind could catch up. My feet slammed into the ground as I lunged toward her, grabbing the front of her dress and dragging her up with one hand like she weighed nothing.

"You don't get to say her name!" I screamed, spit flying, my voice shaking with wrath. "You don't get to speak about her with that filthy mouth!"

She slapped me, trying to fight back.

I didn't even feel it.

I slammed her back against the pillar so hard the stone cracked behind her.

"You think you're powerful?" I hissed, eyes wild. "You think wearing this title gives you the right to shame the only person who ever loved me?"

She clawed at my arm, but I didn't let go.

"Say another word," I dared her. "I swear—say another fucking word about my mother."

She did.

Because of course she did.

"Maybe she spread so wide, even the wolves in heat got a taste—"

I lost it.

My fist connected with her face—again. And again. And again.

I slammed her down to the ground, mounted her, and punched until her lip split wider. Until her eyes started to swell. Until blood gushed from her nose and stained the stones red.

I didn't care who was watching.

I didn't care if I was dragged off or executed for it.

This wasn't about pride anymore.

It was about the only thing that mattered to me.

My mother was gone.

And all I had left of her was memory.

And this woman…

This thing dared to spit on it.

She tried to cover her face. I grabbed her arms and shoved them aside.

"No hiding now," I snarled. "You wanted attention? You wanted to humiliate me? Then let them all see you now."

I struck again.

Blood splashed onto my sleeve. Onto my cheek.

Her body went limp, but I didn't stop.

It wasn't enough.

It would never be enough.

Not for what she said.

Not for what she tried to take from me.

I didn't stop until her head lolled to the side and her breathing grew faint.

Hands pulled at me, trying to drag me off her.

"Selene! Enough!"

Someone's voice rang in my ear, but I didn't even hear who it was.

Because my vision was blurred, my hands dripping red.

I was panting, shaking, trembling.

But I wasn't broken.

Not this time.

She had insulted the one thing I couldn't forgive.

And now, finally, she knew exactly who she was dealing with.

Let them all watch.

Let them all whisper.

But from this day forward, no one—no one—would dare say her name with filth again.