The arena remained deathly silent.
Lauretta knelt on the cold stone, wrist still held up by the guard.
No glowing Kneel Mark.
Nothing.
Her breath came in short, shaky pants.
Hundreds of eyes pressed down on her, but she could only feel one pair — the sharp grey ones locked onto her face from the platform.
Recognition burned between them.
Those eyes.
She had seen them before.
Last night.
In the shadowed corridor of the palace, for one terrifying split second while she ran.
She never knew who he was then.
Now she did.
Malachi Blackfur.
He said nothing at first.
His expression stayed controlled, but the fury in his gaze was unmistakable.
He simply watched her, unmoving.
Two guards rushed forward.
Rough hands seized her arms and yanked her upright.
One pressed a cold knife to her neck.
The blade bit just enough to draw a thin line of blood.
Lauretta froze, heart slamming against her ribs.
“Unshifted runt,” the guard snarled.
“No mark?
The King will have your head.” Her eyes darted toward Lennox.
He stood a few paces back, face pale but carefully composed.
He didn’t step forward.
He didn’t speak.
He looked away,stepping back,already distancing himself.
The betrayal cut deeper than the knife.
“Please,” she whispered.
“Have mercy—” “Silence.” The guard pressed harder.
Warm blood trickled down her neck.
From the platform, Malachi raised one hand.
“Stop.” His voice cut through the arena like a blade.
The guards froze instantly.
The knife remained at her throat but no longer pressed deeper.
Sweat slid down her temples.
The entire crowd seemed to hold its breath.
Malachi rose and he stopped in front of her, those grey eyes locked onto hers again.
“She will not be executed today,” he announced, voice carrying to every corner of the arena.
“This one… I claim as my wife.” A collective gasp swept through the crowd.
Lennox’s head snapped up in pure shock.
Lauretta stared at Malachi, stunned.
The words echoed in her mind, impossible and terrifying.
Wife.
To the man who had seen her face in the dark last night.
To the conqueror who now held her life in his hands.
And from the way he looked at her, she knew one thing with absolute certainty— He remembered everything.
“His wife?!” “That weak, unmarked girl?” Whispers exploded across the arena, swelling into a roaring wave of disbelief.
Some wolves looked horrified.
Others stared at her with pity, disgust, or calculating interest.
Lauretta’s head spun.
The knife left her throat, but the guards’ bruising grip on her arms kept her upright.
She forced herself to meet Malachi Blackfur’s gaze.
“You can’t be serious,” she rasped.” You can’t claim me without my consent like a trophy.
” Malachi’s powerful frame radiated raw dominance.
Those sharp grey eyes locked onto her with cold fury and possessive hunger.
“Watch me little thief,” he said, voice low enough that only those closest could hear.
Before she could respond, Lennox shoved through the crowd, elbowing wolves aside with a mask of desperate concern.
“Lauretta!
Baby, are you hurt?” His voice carried across the arena, dripping with fake devotion.
“I’m here.
I’ll fix this”.
Lauretta stared at him in pure disgust.
Lennox dropped to one knee before Malachi, head bowed.
“My lord, please.
Lauretta is… delicate.
She is not the type of girl you would want to claim, she cannot be useful in anyway for you, she’s an unshifted runt let me take her off your hands permanently, I promise,i will marry her myself.” He reached for her hand.
She yanked it away as if burned.
“Don’t touch me.” Lennox’s pleasant mask flickered with irritation before he forced another pleading smile.
“See?
She’s unwell, my lord.
I know how to handle her.” That was the final straw.
Malachi moved with terrifying speed.
His hand shot out and locked around Lennox’s throat.
With one arm he lifted him clear off the ground.
A deep, territorial growl rumbled from his chest, silencing the entire arena.
Lennox’s eyes bulged, legs kicking uselessly.
“You dare try to take what is mine?” Malachi snarled, voice low and lethal.
Touch her again and I’ll rip your spine out in front of every wolf here.” He hurled Lennox to the stone floor like refuse.
The man scrambled backward, coughing and gasping, face purple with suffocation and humiliation.
Malachi turned back to Lauretta.
The fury in his expression softened into something intensely possessive as he stepped close.
His large hand caught her chin, tilting her face up.
His scent a distinct sandalwood enveloped her.
For a split second the world narrowed to just the two of them.
“You belong to me now,” he declared, loud enough for the entire arena to hear.
“No coward will ever touch you again.” Lauretta trembled with rage,she met his eyes with every ounce of defiance she had left.
“I kneel to no Alpha,” she whispered fiercely.
“And I will never be yours.” Malachi’s lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile.
“You will.
Tomorrow, before the entire territory, you will become my wife.” His grip tightened slightly on her chin.
“Defy me, and your mother will watch every consequence.” He released her and stepped back.
“Guards.
Take her to the guest chambers.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Alternate_Eden Hello darling readers author here, I hope you’re enjoying the story.