The Witch and Her Four Dangerous Alphas

Kael's POV

The courtyard behind the Alpha residence was alive with activity. Gardeners moved with swift precision, trimming the hedges into perfect lines. Servants carried long tables draped in white cloth, their arms straining under silver trays and flower arrangements as they prepared for the upcoming parties.

Every inch of the estate gleamed under the afternoon sun. The polished marble shone so brightly it was hard to look at, and the scent of rosemary and freshly cut grass lingered in the air. It was perfect.

But no matter how flawless everything looked on the outside, it did nothing to calm the storm building under my skin.

I stood near the center fountain with my beta at my side, pretending to pay attention to the arch being raised near the pool. My tunic clung to my back, damp with sweat...not just from the summer heat, but from the morning drill and after that I straight came here to organize everything.

My duty was simple: oversee the courtyard. Keep everything in order.

And yet my eyes kept drifting… to the far edge of the stone path.

She was there.

Hunched low, knees against the hard stone, scrubbing the walkway like a nameless servant. Without any voice or presence, anyone could overlook her presence but not him, not after what he had faced because of her and her god damn father.

She has just a small rag in her hands and her trembling fingers that moved as if her life depended on it. Her body was too thin, the outline of her spine visible even through the threadbare cloth she wore. Her arms shook from the effort, her shoulders sunburnt and raw, and the red brand seared into her flesh made bile rise in my throat.

Selene.

My jaw clenched so tightly I thought I might crack a tooth.

My fists curled at my sides as memories tore through me—bloody, violent, and sharp.

The night my world shattered came flooding back. The hall of her home had been so cold. My mother's body lay twisted on the marble floor, crimson spreading beneath her like spilled wine.

That was the last time I saw her as anything but a memory.

Until now.

Now she was kneeling in dirt. Stripped of her pride, her title, and everything she had once been. There was no silk on her skin, no crown in her hair. Only bruises, wounds, and the broken silence of someone who had been crushed too many times to resist anymore.

And still… it wasn't enough.

"Alpha Kael," my beta said quietly, not noticing the chaos in my chest. "We'll need to clear the south edge by tonight. The musicians—"

I didn't hear the rest. My feet had already begun to move.

I walked away from him without answering, my boots grinding against gravel. My shadow stretched long in the light as I crossed the courtyard, step by step, straight toward her.

She didn't lift her head. Her fingers kept scrubbing, as if she hadn't noticed me at all.

That silence, her pathetic obedience...infuriated me.

"Stop," I said coldly.

She froze. Her hand halted mid-motion. Slowly, she looked up.

Her face… Gods. It was pale, bruised, and hollow. Her lips were dry, and her silver eyes—those same eyes from that night—looked up at me without fear, but not with pride either. There was something buried in them. A faint flicker. Not defiance… exactly. But something stubborn that hadn't been broken yet.

I hated that flicker more than anything.

"You're stinking up the entire courtyard," I said with venom, trying to make her flinch.

She didn't respond. Just stared at me with that strange, unreadable look.

And I didn't understand why I was still standing there.

No...I did. A part of me did.

I wanted her to hurt. I wanted to see her crumble further, to feel the way I'd felt all those years ago. My mother had died at her hands. And here she was...still breathing. Still occupying the same air as me.

"Get up."

Her legs trembled as she tried to stand, but she failed. Her knees buckled.

Without thinking, I reached down and grabbed her arm...right over the mark.

She gasped softly, her skin searing hot beneath my hand. She didn't fight. Her body was too weak, too fragile. It felt like I could snap her with a single squeeze. And yet I didn't let go. I pulled her forward, dragging her past the neatly set tables and wide-eyed servants who quickly stepped aside.

I didn't care who watched.

She started to realize where I was taking her, and I saw it in her eyes—panic. Her whisper came out hoarse and cracked. "No—"

But I didn't stop.

We reached the edge of the pool, and I threw her in.

The splash echoed through the courtyard as her body hit the water. For a moment, she vanished beneath the surface, her limbs flailing in silence.

Then she came up, gasping, coughing hard, struggling to reach the edge. but when she come out from the water, my breath hitched as I hazed on her.

Her cloath, soaked completely through, clung to her body like a second skin. The fabric turned transparent, revealing every curve of her chest, the soft swell of her breasts, her nipples hardened from the cold. Water streamed down her collarbone, dripping over her stomach, slipping between her thighs. Her hair clung to her cheeks and her lips parted slightly as she panted, breathless.

And I froze.

My body reacted before my mind could stop it. Heat shot down my spine, thick and violent. My cock stirred, pressing against the inside of my trousers, and I hated it. I hated how my gaze followed every droplet that slid over her bare skin. I hated the way I noticed the curve of her waist, the way her wet cloth dipped between her breasts.

There was a tiny mole beneath her left collarbone, something I hadn't seen before, and for a terrifying second… I imagined touching it. Kissing it. My mouth on her skin, tasting her, biting down until she cried out.

The thought was so intense, so vivid, I staggered backward.

What the hell was wrong with me?

My fists shook at my sides. I couldn't stop staring. My mind had turned into something else entirely—some wild, disgusting fantasy I never asked for. My wolf inside me wasn't growling in anger. It was pacing with excitement.

Like a beast in heat.

And I hated it.

I hated her. I hated her body. I hated the way she looked at me, soaked and humiliated, and still managed to pull that same goddamn fire into her eyes.