Claimed By The Rival Alpha

Selena

Alpha Kael had asked me to stay in my chamber until Beta Bastian or one of the guards came to summon me.

I hadn’t argued with him. Well... not much.

I had wanted to be present during the meeting. If my father was going to sit across from Alpha Kael and Councilman Cedric discussing my fate, I believed I had every right to hear every word.

But Alpha Kael had gently refused.

"It’ll be better if you stay away until your presence is absolutely necessary," he’d told me. "Trust me."

And I did. I trusted him with everything I had but that didn’t stop the waiting from feeling unbearable.

I sat near the window of the chamber, staring at nothing below without truly seeing anything. My thoughts were a tangled mess. Every possible outcome played through my mind, each one worse than the last.

Would Father demand I be returned to Nightbane? Would Councilman Cedric agree? Would Alpha Kael be forced to let me go?

The questions refused to leave me alone.

"Selena."

I didn’t react as my fingers remained tightly intertwined on my lap.

"Selena." The voice sounded closer this time but still, I heard nothing.

Only when someone gently touched my shoulder did I jolt. I blinked several times before turning. "Sally?"

She frowned at me. "I’ve been calling your name."

"I’m sorry."

"You looked like you weren’t even here."

"I guess I wasn’t." I said with a small shrug of my shoulders.

She sighed before taking the empty seat beside me. For several moments, she simply studied my face.

"I’ve never seen the castle like this," she admitted quietly. I looked at her as she added, "Everyone’s whispering."

She glanced toward the closed door. "The servants, the guards and even the cooks."

She lowered her voice further. "Ever since the ball, it’s felt as though a storm settled over Blackbourne."

I managed a weak smile. "It does feel different."

Sally nodded. "There... there’s something I wanted to ask you."

I immediately grew cautious. "What is it?"

She hesitated. "What exactly happened with Alpha William?"

My heartbeat quickened.

"And..." she continued carefully, "...that strange girl you asked me to protect."

I looked away.

How was I supposed to answer that? Every truthful answer risked exposing who I really was.

If I admitted Alpha William was my father... If I admitted the girl had been chosen to die because I had escaped the cruel fate bestowed upon me by my own father... Everything would unravel.

"I..." I began slowly while Sally waited patiently.

"When Alpha William announced he wanted to send that girl to the vampires..."

I swallowed. "...I couldn’t just stand there."

She nodded. "I know."

"So I reacted before I even thought about it and I know anyone with a heart would have. I suppose Alpha Kael felt the same."

I forced myself to sound calm. "Because he chose to protect her too."

Sally frowned. "That’s the part I don’t understand."

"What do you mean?" She folded her arms. "How does one Alpha interfere in another Alpha’s royal affairs?"

I remained silent.

"If the tribute truly belongs to Nightbane..." she continued, "...wouldn’t challenging Alpha William have consequences?"

She searched my face.

"Doesn’t Alpha Kael know what happens if the vampires are refused?"

Of course he knew. Better than most but I couldn’t tell her that.

Instead, I reached over and gently squeezed her hand. "Leave that to the pack leaders."

She looked uncertain as I added, "They’ll handle whatever follows."

After a moment, she nodded. "I suppose you’re right."

Then her expression suddenly brightened. "Actually, I came because of something important."

I leaned forward slightly.

"Our members made progress during the ball."

I blinked. "They did?"

She grinned. "They did."

Despite everything weighing on me, hope flickered inside my chest. "Tell me about everything that happened."

"We managed to convince several nobles."

I stared at her. "Several?"

She nodded proudly. "More than we expected."

A smile finally appeared on my face. "That’s incredible! I’m so happy it’s getting better."

She shifted excitedly in her chair. "Just like we planned, each interested noble was quietly directed toward different guest chambers to test whether they were serious about joining our cause."

I couldn’t help smiling. It had been my suggestion but still, they helped me bring every bit of it to existence.

Anyone could claim to support a revolution. Only those willing to take risks would actually follow instructions.

"But..." Sally sighed. "We couldn’t go any further."

My smile faded. "Why?"

"The guards." She rolled her eyes. "Everything became chaotic after Alpha William’s announcement and whatever thing that happened afterwards... So they started clearing the halls and everyone was ordered back into the ballroom."

She shook her head. "It completely ruined our perfectly planned plans."

I remembered the confusion... I remembered everything perfectly well. So I understand why nothing had gone according to plan.

"I wanted to tell you everything last night," Sally said. "But you could barely stand."

I lowered my head. "I’m sorry."

"Don’t apologize." She said,

"I should’ve checked on everyone sooner." I added.

"You had your own problems."

"Still..." I exhaled softly. "We’ll gather them again."

Her eyebrows rose. "Where?"

I hesitated, then she answered her own question. "The only place we’ve considered outside the castle is the old shrine."

I nodded slowly. "But we still haven’t secured it."

Silence settled between us then Sally snapped her fingers, "What if we keep writing letters to the nobles?"

She became more animated. "We keep building relationships with them to earn their trust more and eventually..." She smiled. "...they’ll donate enough coins for us to rent the shrine or perhaps even buy a proper meeting place."

I immediately shook my head. "No."

She blinked. "No?"

"It won’t work." I uttered firmly.

"Why not?"

I smiled faintly. "Because I know nobles."

She laughed. "So do I."

"Not like I do." The words slipped out before I could stop them. Thankfully, she didn’t notice.

"Nobles don’t part with their money easily," I continued. "They question everything. They became wealthy by protecting every coin they own."

She listened carefully.

"If strangers only communicate through letters and suddenly ask for money..." I shook my head. "They’ll disappear because they’ll assume it’s a scam."

Sally slowly nodded. "I hadn’t thought about that."

"We need somewhere ordinary... Somewhere nobody pays attention."

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully, "What are you thinking?" She asked

"Maybe Taverns." I said as she tilted her head while I added. "Inns."

Understanding immediately spread across her face. "Of course."

I smiled. "People come and go constantly. No one questions strangers meeting and no one would assume a gathering at a tavern means revolution."

Sally slapped her forehead dramatically. "Why didn’t I think of that years ago?"

I laughed. "You’ve been focused on secrecy."

"And you were focused on practicality." She pointed a finger at me. "That’s why you’re the clever one."

"I didn’t say that."

"You didn’t have to."

We both laughed quietly.bFor the first time since everything had happened, I felt my chest grow lighter.

As Sally stood to leave, something suddenly crossed my mind. "Wait."

She turned. "Hm?"

"I thought you were planning to sell your... stuff... during the ball."

Her cheeks turned pink. "Oh."

"What happened?" I couldn’t help but ask.

She shrugged. "I changed my mind."

"Why?"

"I kept thinking about the revolution." She smiled sheepishly. "It didn’t feel right chasing coins while everyone else was risking themselves... So I stayed."

I smiled warmly. "Thank you for staying behind."

She waved dismissively. "We’re all working toward the same future."

Then she walked toward the door. "I’ll start looking into taverns."

"Good. We’ll speak again soon." She nodded before disappearing into the hallway.

The room suddenly became quiet again.bI hadn’t even taken two breaths before another knock sounded.

The door opened and one of Alpha Kael’s guards stood outside. "Selena."

My heart immediately skipped. "The Alpha requests your presence."

I stood so quickly as the chair scraped against the floor. "Now?"

"Yes. In the courtroom." He said and a strange feeling settled in my stomach.

This was it. Whatever decision awaited me... It is beginning now.

I followed the guard through the castle corridors in silence as the halls felt emptier than usual.

Most servants had disappeared. The few we passed focused on getting their work done.

Finally, we stopped before the large courtroom doors. The guard pushed them open and I stepped inside.

The room was unnaturally quiet. Every window had been shut. Heavy curtains blocked the sunlight and the great wooden doors closed behind me with a heavy thud.

I instinctively looked around and only three people were inside.

Councilman Cedric sat at the center of the long table. Alpha Kael was at one side, his expression calm though I could see the tension hidden beneath it.

And opposite him... My father. Alpha William.

His eyes met mine for only a second before returning to Councilman Cedric.

There were no guards. No servants. No witnesses. Just the four of us.

Councilman Cedric folded his hands together and looked directly at me.

His expression was impossible to read then he spoke.

"Lady Selena... did you truly leave your father’s pack of your own accord?"