CLAIMED BY THE IRRESISTIBLE ALPHA

CHAPTER 4 : THE ALPHAS REACTION

The ceremony was supposed to be finished, but nobody budged. Tension hung in the air, thick and electric, almost like the start of a storm. Wolves huddled in small groups, whispering under flickering torches. Not a single laugh or shout of celebration, which always followed these ceremonies, echoed from the crowd.

The mood was heavy. Off. Aria felt it crawling over her skin, and every pair of eyes in the clearing kept sliding toward her. Curiosity flickered in some looks, suspicion in others. And then there were the ones full of something downright dangerous: hunger.

She stood at the edge, chest tight, her heartbeat uneven. Her wolf—still strangely awake—buzzed beneath her skin, a tangled pulse of awareness. Everything seemed crisper. Loud. Alive. The torches crackled louder. Earth and pine filled her lungs. Even faraway heartbeats thudded faintly at the edge of her hearing.

Her wolf stirred, restless.

Too many predators.

“I noticed,” Aria muttered, low enough that nobody else would hear.

Wolves around her acted like they could go back to normal, but their eyes kept settling on her. The visiting Alphas, in particular, were watching her like she was a puzzle piece that didn’t fit. Six of them, all powerful, all from neighboring packs. Each one staring, their faces nothing close to welcoming—mostly confusion, and something a little darker, like they’d just read a rulebook and found a new chapter that made no sense.

She shifted her weight. Why were they staring at her like that?

The silver-haired Alpha—Darius, of Northern Claw—stepped forward. His movements smooth, purposeful. His reputation had always traveled ahead of him: ruthless, clever, dangerously ambitious. Those pale blue eyes studied her with an intensity that made her skin prickle.

Not just him, though. Alpha Rurik lumbered forward—broad-shouldered, scarred. Cassian joined, sharp-eyed and wiry, famous for his hunting skills. Now three Alphas stood just a few yards away, locked onto Aria.

She swallowed.

This felt bad.

Across the clearing, Alpha Kael noticed. His wolf snapped. Too close. Kael’s golden eyes narrowed, watching them circle her like carnivores.

Something about the whole thing screamed wrong.

Then Darius inhaled, slow and deep. His head tipped back, nostrils flaring. His face slipped from curiosity into outright shock.

“That scent…” he muttered, voice low but tight.

Rurik frowned. “What is it?”

Darius didn’t answer right away. He breathed in again, pupils expanding, fear leaking into his face.

“That’s impossible.”

Aria’s pulse leapt. What did he smell? Why did he sound like that?

The Alphas began sniffing. Nothing happened at first. But then Rurik stiffened—eyes wide, posture tense.

“You smell it, too,” he said.

Cassian inhaled, and his whole body went rigid.

“That… can’t be real.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Wolves exchanged nervous glances.

“What’s happening?”

“What’s wrong with her?”

Heat flushed up Aria’s neck. Her wolf twitched inside her mind.

They sense something.

“What?” she whispered.

But her wolf didn’t get a chance to reply—Rurik staggered. His hand pressed to his chest as his muscles swelled. Fingers curled, claws bursting. Bones formed beneath his skin. Gasps broke out around them.

“Is he shifting?”

“That shouldn't be possible!”

Wolves couldn’t shift like that. Not in public. Not without intent.

Yet Rurik shook, fighting for control. Amber flashed in his eyes. The growl he loosed felt wild.

Aria stepped back, fear pumping through her veins.

His eyes locked onto hers, wolf surging behind them.

Mate. Power. Dominance.

Whatever he’d smelled was triggering him, and he barely managed to stay human.

“Control yourself!” Cassian barked.

His command cut right through the chaos. Rurik squeezed his eyes closed, his chest heaving. For a second, it looked like he was about to change into his wolf right there. But painfully, the shifting slowed. Claws retracted, eyes faded back to normal. His breath stayed ragged.

“What was that?” someone whispered.

“No Alpha just loses control.”

Rurik stared at Aria like she was radioactive.

“That scent…” he rasped.

Darius’s face shifted, darker, calculation shining through.

“Interesting,” he said, almost too softly to hear.

Aria’s heart thumped harder. She hated the way they looked at her now—like she’d become some kind of artifact. Valuable, maybe. Dangerous, for sure.

Her wolf growled, low and wary.

They don’t understand it. They’re scared.

“What are they scared of?” she whispered.

Cassian stepped closer, a bit too close. He studied her and leaned in, breathing her in. Immediate reaction: his eyes widened, fear flickering across his face.

“Impossible,” he almost choked out.

Aria braced herself. “What is?”

Cassian didn’t answer. He turned to the others. “You smell it too.”

They all nodded, even those on the periphery. Ancient recognition flashed in their eyes, but none of them understood it.

Kael had seen enough. His patience snapped. Power rolled off him, Alpha aura surging like thunder. Wolves bowed instinctively. The Alphas stiffened. Kael strode down from the platform, face hard, eyes burning.

“Step away from her.”

The command wasn’t loud, but it carried enough weight to freeze the clearing.

Darius turned, slow and calm, a faint smile on his lips.

“You rejected her,” he said.

Kael’s jaw went tight. “That’s none of your business.”

Darius looked at Aria again, smile darting wider.

“Maybe it should be.”

Tension thickened between Kael and Darius—every wolf felt it. This standoff was boiling over.

And then Rurik stepped forward, eyes pinned to Aria, disbelief plain.

He took another breath and whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear: “That scent… shouldn’t exist.”

The words echoed, chilling everyone. Elder wolves stiffened. Someone even dropped his staff. Silence followed, suffocating.

Ancient legends always warned about impossible scents—scents nobody was supposed to have, tied to forbidden bloodlines, forgotten power.

If the Alphas recognized it, Aria’s life just got a lot more complicated.

Kael’s wolf roared in his head. They know too much.

He glanced at Aria. For the first time, she saw raw fear in his eyes. Because if the Alphas figured out what she was—

They wouldn’t leave without her.

And Kael would have to go to war.

She felt the atmosphere shift, even without knowing why.

Her wolf whispered in her mind: The hunt has begun.

Aria’s breath caught. “What hunt?”

But honestly, she didn’t need the answer. The way the Alphas watched her now—pure predator. No curiosity left.

And deep in the dark woods, more wolves were moving. Tracking. Waiting. Getting ready.

Because that impossible scent was awake.

And soon, every Alpha on the continent would be coming for it.