Chapter 14 – The Alpha Challenge
1261 Words
Lucien’s POV
THE COUNCIL chamber smelled of ash and iron. Old blood had seeped into the stone centuries ago, and no matter how many times they scrubbed or rebuilt, the walls carried it still. A reminder. Power was never passed with ceremony alone—it was always bought with blood.
And today, mine was being called for.
I stood at the center of the circular chamber, beneath the carved emblem of the Moon Goddess, while the High Council elders watched from their thrones. Around me, whispers coiled like smoke, carrying names, judgments, wagers. They spoke of me as if I were already half a ghost.
At the far end of the chamber, the doors groaned open.
The rival Alpha stepped in.
Alpha Kael. Taller than most, broad-shouldered, eyes gleaming with that hungry, feral light of a wolf who believed the world already belonged to him. His pack had been growing restless for years, circling mine like vultures. And now, with whispers of weakness, of my Luna, of an heir not yet born—they had pounced.
We’d grown up together in rival territories, though I’d carved my name through blood and steel while Kael had inherited his power. He’d always despised that I’d risen higher than him. And now, with Celina by my side and whispers of an heir, he saw the perfect weapon to drive the blade home.
“I, Alpha Kael Drevane of the Black Summit Pack, invoke the Rite of Challenge.” His voice thundered, echoing off stone. “For dominance. For title. For bloodline.”
A ripple tore through the Council chamber. Every elder shifted forward, eager for a spectacle.
I kept my stance still, contained, though my wolf bristled beneath my skin.
Kael’s gaze slid deliberately to Celina—standing just beyond the circle, guarded by Rhys. My mate’s eyes widened as the words settled over her, and I felt the jolt in my chest like claws sinking into bone. She wasn’t supposed to be here. She shouldn’t see this. But Council decree demanded that the Luna—bonded or not—bear witness.
Kael smirked. “If I win, not only do I take his title, I claim his heir. By right of conquest.”
The chamber roared with voices, some approving, some scandalized.
I didn’t move. Didn’t blink.
But inside me, something dark and dangerous snapped.
He dared.
He dared to set his eyes on what was mine—on Celina, on the life we had created, even if by accident, even if by fate’s twisted hand. My blood surged hot, my wolf clawing to the surface, demanding I rip his throat out here and now.
The High Elder raised a gnarled hand, silencing the uproar. “Lucien Thorne, heir of Thornecrest. Do you accept the challenge?”
Tradition. Always tradition. If I refused, I forfeited. Everything. My pack. My title. And yes—my unborn son.
My fists tightened at my sides.
I turned my head, just enough to catch Celina’s eyes.
She looked stricken, pale, her lips parting like she wanted to scream. Rhys’s hand clamped on her arm, holding her back from running to me, but I could feel her heart through the bond—wild, terrified, breaking.
The council waited.
I breathed once. And then I spoke.
“I accept.”
The chamber erupted in approval, the sound a brutal drum against my ribs.
Kael grinned, sharp as knives. “Then may the Goddess decide who deserves the throne.”
LATER, when the chamber emptied, I found myself in the quiet of the adjoining hall. My wolf was restless, pacing inside me, already anticipating the fight. Already hungry for Kael’s blood.
But I wasn’t alone.
“Lucien.”
Her voice was small, breaking, and it did something to me no blade could cut me open from the inside.
Celina slipped past Rhys, ignoring his warning growl. She came straight to me, fury and fear warring in her eyes.
“You can’t do this,” she whispered, her hands shaking as she reached for me, then stopped halfway, as if she was afraid I might disappear if she touched. “You’ll die. You’ll—”
I caught her wrist and pulled her hand to my chest, pressing it over the heartbeat that thundered there.
“Listen to me,” I said, low and steady, even as my wolf howled beneath my skin. “I’ve survived wars that wiped out entire packs. I’ve carried this title since I was barely older than a boy. No one—no rival, no council, no bloodthirsty vulture—has ever bested me.”
Her throat worked, tears threatening. “This is different. This isn’t just about you anymore. If you die, they’ll take—”
Her free hand pressed instinctively to her belly.
My chest tightened.
The image hit me with brutal clarity: Kael’s hands on her, Kael raising my son as his own, warping him into something monstrous. No. Not while I still drew breath.
I cupped her face, forcing her to meet my eyes.
“For you, I’ll survive.” My voice was a vow, iron and fire. I shifted my palm downward, resting it gently against the curve of her belly. “For him—I’ll win.”
Her tears spilled then, and she shook her head against my hand. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
I bent down, pressing my forehead to hers, letting her feel the steadiness of me, the unbreakable will that coiled through every bone in my body.
“This isn’t a promise, Celina,” I whispered. “This is a law. Written in blood. Mine, not his.”
Her lips parted, and for a heartbeat, I wanted to kiss her—to seal it, to take one thing for myself before the world tried to strip it all away. But I didn’t. Not yet.
Instead, I pulled back, my thumb brushing a tear from her cheek.
“You have to trust me.”
Her breath caught. “That’s the problem, Lucien. I do.”
The weight of those words sank into me heavier than any blade.
Rhys cleared his throat behind her, voice tight with tension. “She needs rest. And so do you, Alpha.”
I forced myself to let her go, my wolf snarling in protest, every fiber of me unwilling to step away. But I did. Because if I stayed another second, I’d tear the hall apart just to keep her near.
I turned, walking into the shadows of the chamber beyond, where destiny waited with claws bared.
Behind me, I could still hear her whisper, soft but shattering.
“Come back to me.”
THE NIGHT before the challenge, I stood on the balcony of my chambers, overlooking the darkened forest that stretched endlessly beyond Thornecrest walls.
And for the first time in years, fear gnawed at me. Not fear of dying—I had lived with death too long to care. But fear of leaving her. Fear of what would happen if I failed, if I was forced to break the only vow that had ever truly mattered.
My wolf prowled beneath my skin, restless, ready.
Tomorrow, blood would spill.
Tomorrow, Kael would learn why they called me the Alpha who never fell.
But tonight, all I could think about was her eyes, her tears, and the truth I couldn’t run from anymore.
I wasn’t just fighting for my title.
I was fighting for her.
For him.
For us.
And the Moon Goddess help anyone who stood in my way.
- Writer
