Alpha King

Aitana woke up in an unfamiliar room. She looked around — everything was decorated in a masculine style, all blacks and whites. She glanced down at herself. She was wearing a two-piece satin pajama set, which was strange because she didn't own anything like it, much less in black. She began recalling the previous night — all those men who had tried to attack her. She'd been so afraid. She looked at her hands. The heat in her body was still there, but it was mild and bearable. The door to the room opened, and in walked the handsome blue-eyed man.

Mate.

She remembered the word her she-wolf had spoken the night before, the moment their eyes had met.

"How are you feeling?" the man asked, approaching her. Aitana flinched and pulled the sheets up over her body, embarrassed by the pajamas that showed so much skin.

"Where am I?" she asked nervously.

"In my room," he replied. He noticed the look full of questions in her eyes. "You're safe here. Your heat awakened during last night's gala. Your scent seems to be addictive to any wolf, even those who already have mates. This is the only safe place for you." He continued approaching and sat down beside her. Aitana watched him nervously as the heat in her body began to rise. "It seems the medicine is wearing off. Your scent is getting stronger," he said, caressing her face. Aitana felt a tingling sensation spread through her entire body at his touch. "I waited so many years for you... You're so beautiful," he whispered, and the sound of his voice alone made Aitana's body shiver.

"Please, don't," Aitana said, frightened. These sensations were all new to her. She didn't understand what this man was doing to her, but she felt a certain fear.

"Is this the first time you've experienced your heat?" he asked. She nodded. Normally, a she-wolf's heat awakened when she came of age, and if she hadn't found her fated mate yet, it was controlled with medication. But that hadn't happened with Aitana, and although it had been unusual, she'd felt relieved not to have to go through it or depend on medication.

"Why did it awaken last night?" she whispered fearfully. The man smiled at the question, and that smile left Aitana hypnotized.

"Your she-wolf must have told you. We're fated mates," he said, taking her right hand. "Your name is Aitana?" She nodded nervously.

"You're the Alpha King..." she whispered, and he nodded.

"You can call me Byron," he told her, kissing her hand. Aitana trembled at the kiss.

"No, you're the King — Your Majesty," she said nervously. Byron laughed at her reaction. Before he could say anything else, there was a knock at the door.

Byron went to open it and found his Beta standing there.

"I'm sorry, but we have a meeting with the Alphas and Betas," the man said with a slight smile, noticing the annoyance in his King's eyes.

"I'll be right there," Byron said reluctantly. He closed the door and walked to the table where a water pitcher sat. He poured a glass, then brought it to Aitana. He picked up a bottle of pills from the nightstand, shook out two, and handed them to her.

"What are these?" she asked nervously, eyeing the pills.

"They'll help control your heat. You need to take them. As long as you're not marked, you'll keep releasing that scent that's addictive to so many. I don't mind exerting my authority over the male wolves, but it's painful for them," he explained. Aitana nodded at his explanation and took the pills without hesitation.

"Can I see my parents?" she asked nervously. Byron nodded.

"You're Beta Marcus's daughter, correct?" She nodded.

"Good. Right now they're expecting me for the meeting. I'll have your mother brought here to keep you company." He took the glass of water.

"And Sam too... She's my best friend and my brother's mate," Aitana whispered timidly. Byron nodded.

"Then I'll see you later." He leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to her cheek, close to her lips. Aitana froze at the gesture. Her cheeks flushed bright red, and her body burned for a few moments.

Byron left the room reluctantly. He didn't want to be away from Aitana now that he'd found her. He'd dreamed of having her by his side for so long, and now all he wanted was to be with her. He recalled the previous night — when he'd entered the great hall and caught that sweet scent. He couldn't believe he'd found her at that very moment. He'd seen how everyone was being affected by the aroma. It hadn't taken him long to spot her. She was pulling away from the crowd of wolves that wanted to possess her, though he noticed some of them were trying to resist and even protect her — her family, he deduced. When he saw the redhead reach her, about to touch her, he didn't hesitate to exert his authority over everyone present to bring them under control. He would not allow anyone to touch his long-awaited mate. He walked toward her, parting the crowd as he went. When he reached the redhead, he pressed his power down harder on the man, forcing him aside so he could finally stand before that beautiful woman releasing that intoxicating scent. He'd wanted so badly to take her right then, but when he touched her and felt her trembling, when he saw the fear on her face, he felt such tenderness that he wanted to protect her — even from himself.

"Everyone's present. How is Luna?" his loyal friend asked. Byron looked at him and nodded. Emilio had been one of the few unaffected by Aitana's scent — perhaps because he also had lycanthrope ancestry and had already found his fated mate.

"Have her mother and her friend brought to her. And I want a security detail on her — but no men. I don't want them affected by her scent," Byron said with concern. He knew the medication would control her heat, but it wouldn't be one hundred percent reliable.

"Of course. I'll have Irina handle it," Emilio said with a slight smile. "Now please go back to being the tough King we all know."

"Shut your mouth, Emilio," Byron muttered as he straightened his jacket. He waited for Emilio, his Beta, to open the door to the chamber where he would meet with the pack leaders of the Greyson Kingdom.

"Oh, my baby girl, I was so worried about you," Andrea said as she entered the room. She saw her daughter still in pajamas but sitting up on the bed.

"I'm fine, Mom," Aitana said as her mother wrapped her in a hug.

"You gave us such a scare. Last night everything was spiraling out of control until the King exerted his authority over all the males. It was incredible watching every single one of them submit to that man," Sam said excitedly. "Girl, I'm so happy for you! Your mate is the King — that makes you our Queen Luna!" Sam rushed over, beaming. Aitana fell silent, considering those words. She hadn't thought about it, but it was true. Her mate was the lycanthrope King of the Greyson Kingdom. That made her Queen Luna. She looked at her mother in surprise. Andrea smiled warmly.

"Will I have to stay here?" Aitana asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"Yes, sweetheart. But don't worry — you don't need to be afraid of your destiny," Andrea said, seeing her daughter start to tremble. She understood. Her daughter had never imagined being separated from her family.

"But I don't want to. I don't want to be away from all of you," Aitana said, her eyes glistening with tears.

"So are you thinking of rejecting him?" Sam asked. The question sent a chill down Aitana's spine. The mere thought of rejecting Byron terrified her even more than the prospect of leaving her family behind.

"Come on, don't think about that right now. You need to take a bath and eat something. Afterward, we'll go see your dad and Alain — they were worried about you," Andrea said, helping her daughter to her feet.

The meeting with the Alphas and Betas concluded after two long hours. To Byron, it had felt like an eternity. He wanted to get to his precious Luna already. He looked at the leaders of the Blue Moon pack.

"Elias, Marcus," he said. The two men stopped while the rest filed out. "I'd like to speak with you regarding Aitana." He looked at Marcus — that man was his fated mate's father.

"Of course," Elias said.

"I'm grateful to you for last night. You protected my little one," Marcus said sincerely.

"There's no need to thank me. As you know, I've spent many years searching for my mate. Last night was decisive — if I hadn't found her, I would have had to choose a mate and perform a blood pact. Fortunately, it didn't come to that," Byron said with a faint smile.

"We're happy for you, Your Majesty — and for Aitana as well. She's very loved by everyone in the Blue Moon pack. In fact, my Luna and I had hoped she would become the future Luna and mate of our son Damian," Alpha Elias said. Those words unsettled Byron slightly.

"Your Majesty, I know my precious daughter won't be able to return with us to the Blue Moon pack, and that worries me. She's not accustomed to being away from her family. The only family member she was ever separated from was her older brother, for eight years, and it was incredibly hard for her to adjust to his absence," Marcus explained. He feared how his daughter would react when they returned to the pack and she had to stay behind.

"I understand. I can see my beautiful Queen was raised in a very close family and pack. But you have nothing to worry about — you're welcome to visit her whenever you wish. However, I'm afraid she won't be able to return to the pack, and you must understand the reason why," Byron spoke gravely. Marcus nodded. He understood perfectly what Byron meant.

"Please, take care of my daughter," Marcus said, bowing. Byron acknowledged the request with a nod, though it was hardly necessary — Aitana was now everything to him.