The First Night

Valerie POV.

The feral dominance radiating from my new mate, Alpha Kravos, was a physical weight pressing down on me, crushing the breath from my lungs. When his dangerous, emerald eyes caught me glancing toward Jace, the raw threat hanging in the air became incredibly palpable. His warning still echoed in my ears, freezing the blood in my veins. I understood his reaction perfectly well. I was his Luna now, as he kept reminding me. Looking at another man with even a shred of lingering longing was a direct, undeniable slap to his face. The possessive fury radiating from him was utterly terrifying, a stark reminder that I had just tethered my life to the legendary Alpha of Death.

"I understand, Alpha," I bowed my head to him, frantically trying to figure out how to navigate this entirely new, overwhelming existence.

"Alpha Kravos," a voice suddenly interrupted the suffocating tension. A man stepped up, leaning in to whisper directly into Kravos’s ear. He was slightly shorter than the Lycan King, his bright red hair highlighting his pale face and a scattering of freckles. He looked significantly friendlier than his intimidating Alpha, but there was a sharp edge to his posture.

"Valerie, excuse me for just a moment," Kravos whispered in a low, rumbling voice. He stepped a few feet away from me to engage in a heated, hushed conversation with the red-haired guard.

The moment Kravos's broad back was turned, the brief reprieve was violently shattered. It took Tinsley a whole two seconds to seize the opportunity. She swooped in like a vulture, her face twisted into an ugly, contemptuous sneer that completely destroyed the beautiful facade she usually maintained.

"I can’t believe you would be such a backstabbing cunt," she hissed venomously, stepping uncomfortably close to my personal space. She was a master manipulator, effortlessly offering fake smiles and gracious nods to the passing pack members who offered me their congratulations, all while driving a verbal knife into my gut.

"I did nothing wrong," I insisted, my voice trembling slightly. I desperately searched for a little inner strength, especially when I caught Kravos glancing back in my direction, a flicker of dark curiosity in his eyes.

Tinsley didn't care. She violently shattered the last fragile illusion I had about her relationship with Jace. "If I had known this Lycan King wasn’t some ugly, disfigured monster, I would never have slept around so much," she muttered to herself, letting out an irritated, bitter groan.

I furrowed my brows, completely thrown off balance by her sheer audacity. "I thought you said you were only sleeping with Jace?" I asked, my voice unavoidably breaking at the bitter mention of his name.

Tinsley rolled her dark eyes and let out a sardonic, cruel laugh that echoed sharply off the stone walls of the hallway. "That doesn’t fucking matter. What matters is, you stole what was mine the second you found out he was attractive and powerful."

"He chose me," I told her, my shock morphing into a dull, throbbing ache.

Her head fell back as she laughed louder, a piercing sound that grated against my eardrums. "No one would willingly choose you. Are you really that idiotic, Valerie? You are a weak, simpering, sorry excuse for a werewolf. You belong groveling in the dirt! You have only successfully shifted... what? Twice in three years?"

She aggressively crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for my answer as a hot, agonizing flush of embarrassment stained my cheeks. She was right. My wolf was practically non-existent. Kravos wouldn’t have accepted me if he truly understood how broken my wolf was.

"Why would you even want Jace now?" I asked, my chest tightening. "You are pregnant with Jace’s pup. Is he not good enough for you now?"

"Of course he isn't!" Tinsley spat, her temper flaring completely out of control. She threw her hands up in dramatic exasperation. "I never wanted Jace! I just knew exactly how deeply you wanted him, so I figured, why not fuck him? It was more than enough knowing I was thoroughly destroying your precious little heart, treating it like a disposable toy just to inflict pain on you. But now you think you can just bypass me and choose someone more powerful? No. This is about you, Valerie, always needing a harsh reminder of exactly where you belong. In the dirt, right at my feet!"

With a vicious, feral snarl, she lunged forward. Before I could even raise my hands to defend myself, she violently tangled her fist into my hair. She yanked my head back with a brutal force, intending to assert her physical dominance over me. A sharp gasp tore from my lips, my hands instantly flying up to clutch her wrist, desperately trying to keep her from tearing my scalp open.

Suddenly, the air completely left Tinsley's lungs in a choked, desperate gasp. The violent pulling on my hair abruptly stopped.

Kravos materialized directly behind her like a literal shadow of death. His massive, unforgiving hand wrapped tightly around her throat, his thick fingers digging into her pale flesh. He cut off her air supply instantly, lifting her completely off the ground so she was dangling on the very tips of her toes. Tinsley's eyes bulged with sheer terror, her hands frantically clawing at his immovable, stone-like forearm.

At the exact same moment, his red-haired lycan guard, Vance, stepped in with brutal, terrifying efficiency. He didn't utter a single word. He just swung his leg in a swift, calculated arc, delivering a bone-crushing kick to the back of Tinsley's legs. The sickening, wet crack of her kneecaps shattering echoed loudly in the emptying hallway.

Tinsley collapsed the instant Kravos loosened his upward pull, hitting the stone floor with a piercing shriek of absolute agony. But Kravos maintained his lethal grip on her throat, squatting down beside her broken form. His eyes were entirely consumed by a murderous, pitch-black void.

"Ask for forgiveness," Kravos commanded, his voice a low, terrifying growl that violently vibrated against the stone walls.

"For what?" she shrieked hysterically, her tear-filled eyes darting wildly around the hallway, desperately searching for anyone to save her. But the corridor was empty; everyone had already migrated to the dining area for the celebratory feast.

"For daring to assault my Luna," Kravos’s massive chest rumbled. He tightened his grip just a fraction, cutting off her hysterical cries. "I was incredibly patient. I afforded you more slanderous words than you deserved simply because of the treaty that was just established between our packs. But now... you have crossed a line that ends in immediate execution."

The sheer brutality of the scene completely paralyzed me. Tinsley sobbed, her bloody fingers reaching out, her sharp nails desperately embedding into the skin of my ankles. "I was just joking with her," Tinsley stuttered, choking on her own saliva and blood. "Tell them, Val... I call her names all the time. It’s just our little game!"

I looked at my new mate, my heart dropping straight into my stomach. He wanted to kill her. Right here. Right now. But then the horrifying reality crashed into my brain. Tinsley was pregnant. The thought of Jace's unborn child dying brutally on this cold stone floor forced me out of my paralyzed state.

"No," I squeaked, my voice shaking uncontrollably. Horrified, I lunged forward and firmly grasped Kravos's thick, muscular arm. His muscles were rock-hard under my touch. "Please, stop. You can't kill her."

He paused, a dark frown marring his ruggedly handsome face.

"She is pregnant," I frantically revealed, my eyes pleading with his. "She is pregnant with Jace's pup."

Kravos’s jaw visibly ticked in absolute disgust. He stared down at Tinsley's pathetic, sobbing form for a heavy, agonizing second. Then, he finally complied. He sharply released her battered throat, standing up to his full, towering height. He casually wiped his large hand on his dark slacks as if he had just touched actual garbage.

"Get her pathetic ass out of my sight," Kravos ordered the red-haired guard, his voice dripping with lethal authority. "Banish her and Jace from the celebratory feast immediately. Keep them as far away from here as possible."

I heard Tinsley’s pathetic, agonizing whimpers fade down the corridor as Vance effortlessly dragged her broken body away. Kravos slowly turned his intense, emerald gaze back to me. His expression was completely unreadable, but his tone was absolute, leaving zero room for any argument.

"I will allow you a few moments to feel sorry for your loss, Valerie," he stated coldly, his eyes piercing straight through my soul. "This will be the one and absolute only time I allow you to mourn the loss of your former mate. If you feel the desperate need to cry over Jace, you will do it right now, or you will forever do it where I will never have to hear of it. Do you understand me?"

I swallowed the heavy, bitter lump in my throat, vigorously nodding my head. "Yes."

His gaze held mine, the sheer intensity of his stare making my insides turn to liquid heat. He didn't offer any comfort, just a stark, uncompromising reality.

Later, the grand dining hall was a chaotic sea of raucous noise and blinding colors. The celebratory feast was in full swing. Drunken, rowdy wolves were cheering, dancing wildly, and gorging themselves on the lavish spread of roasted meats and rich wines. I sat stiffly on the raised dais next to Kravos, the heavy wooden chair feeling more like a throne of thorns. The stark contrast between the brutal violence in the hallway and this boisterous celebration was giving me a severe case of emotional whiplash.

Suddenly, Kravos stood up, his massive frame instantly commanding the attention of the entire room. He raised a hand, and the music abruptly ceased.

"I would like to thank you all for coming to celebrate this union and our new treaty," he announced, his deep voice carrying effortlessly over the massive crowd. "But my new Luna and I are eager to make our early departure to my chambers. Please, continue to party to your heart’s content."

The room erupted into absolute madness. The drunken, rowdy crowd of wolves immediately began howling and slamming their heavy tankards against the long wooden tables.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" the crowd immediately began chanting, their voices slurring but their demand crystal clear.

My cheeks burned with a fierce, humiliated red heat. Kravos slowly turned to face me. He reached out, his large hands sliding smoothly around my waist. He leaned down and offered a stiff, chaste peck on the lips, just a brief brush of skin to appease the demanding audience. It was incredibly brief, completely devoid of any real emotion.

"Come on, Alpha Kravos!" one of his close friends, a massive Lycan sitting near the front, loudly taunted his restraint. "You can do a hell of a lot better than that!"

A dark, possessive shadow instantly flashed over Kravos's sharp features. He absolutely hated being challenged. Before I could even register his shift in mood, his strong, muscular arms wrapped securely around my waist. He forcefully pulled my body flush against his hard, impenetrable chest, leaving absolutely zero space between us.

His hand slid up my back, his thick fingers burying into my hair, but his touch was entirely different from Tinsley's vicious grip. He tilted my head back, and his soft lips crashed firmly against mine.

This wasn't a chaste peck. He quickly deepened the contact, his mouth moving over mine with a devastatingly passionate, consuming hunger. My hands instinctively fluttered up, pressing flat against the hard planes of his chest to steady myself as the world around me completely spun out of control. His tongue firmly traced the seam of my lips, demanding entry, and when I gasped in shock, he took immediate advantage.

The blistering heat of his mouth awakened a sudden, terrifying rush of desire deep within my core—intense, physical desires I had only ever reserved for Jace. A soft, involuntary moan slipped from my throat, completely drowned out by the roaring cheers of the pack. The sparks of the mate bond exploded across my skin, a searing, electric current that made my knees weak.

Yet, just as quickly as he ignited the raging fire inside me, Kravos abruptly broke the kiss. The sudden loss of his heat left me gasping, completely dazed and trembling.

He didn't look back at me. He instantly spun around to face the crowd, throwing his arm in the air and cheering like a wild, untamed man. He played the part perfectly, completely feeding into the crowd's desperate need for entertainment. But his other hand shot out, his long fingers gripping mine with an iron-clad hold. Without a single word, he began dragging me quickly down the dimly lit hallway, leading me directly toward his private quarters.

My heart hammered violently against my ribs with every step we took deeper into the Lycan King's territory. Once we finally reached his door, he pushed it open and pulled me inside.

The heavy oak door clicked shut with a resounding thud, completely isolating us in his bedroom. The sudden, suffocating silence of the room made my panic fiercely mount. The reality of exactly what happened after a mating ceremony was crashing down on my shoulders, heavy and terrifying.

Kravos stood directly in front of me, the faint moonlight filtering through the large windows illuminating his sharp jawline. He didn't waste a single second. He effortlessly reached up and began unbuttoning his tailored, black button-up shirt. With every button he undid, my anxiety spiked. He shrugged the expensive fabric off his broad shoulders, revealing an impossibly massive wall of sculpted muscle, thick scars, and raw, untamed power. The sheer size of his chest and the heavy V-lines disappearing into his waistband made my mouth go completely dry.

The looming, unspoken expectations of our wedding night completely pushed me over the psychological edge. I backed up, my calves bumping harshly against a heavy armchair.

"I’m a virgin," I blurted out in a single, terrified breath. My hands were visibly trembling as I clutched the fabric of my dress.

Kravos paused, his hand hovering over the silver buckle of his belt. He slowly lifted his head, his dark eyes locking onto my panicked form.

"I... I am not sure I can do this yet," I babbled frantically, completely terrified of the physical reality of our union. "I don't have any experience. I mean, you are huge. I just... I don't know what to do."

An amused, soft smirk slowly broke through his hardened, lethal exterior. He didn't look angry. He didn't look disappointed. He simply abandoned his belt and took a slow, deliberate step closer to me. My breath hitched in my throat as his towering frame completely eclipsed my vision.

His touch was surprisingly gentle when his large, calloused fingers reached out. He firmly but softly tilted my chin up, forcing my wide, fearful eyes to meet his calm, emerald gaze.

"We won’t be consummating our union tonight," he calmly assured me, his voice a low, soothing rumble that directly vibrated into my chest. "For now, we rest," he decreed softly, gently releasing my chin.

The wave of sheer relief that washed over me was so immense my knees actually buckled slightly. I let out a heavy, shaky breath, tears of pure gratitude pricking the corners of my eyes. He wasn't going to force me.

"I don't have any clothes to sleep in," I whispered, awkwardly staring at the floor.

Kravos let out a soft chuckle. He walked over to a massive wooden dresser, pulled out one of his oversized, dark grey cotton shirts, and tossed it directly at me. I quickly caught it, turning my back to him as I hurriedly stripped out of my formal clothes and slipped the soft fabric over my head. The shirt engulfed my small frame, the hem easily reaching down to my mid-thigh. It smelled intensely of his masculine scent—pine, rain, and raw power.

I nervously crawled onto the far edge of his massive, dark bed, aggressively pulling the thick, expensive comforter up to my chin. I curled into a tight ball, trying to take up as little space as humanly possible.

The lights clicked off, plunging the massive room into complete darkness. A moment later, I felt the heavy mattress drastically dip on the opposite side as Kravos climbed into bed. The heavy, suffocating silence of the room settled over us, and with it, my deep-seated insecurities violently clawed their way back to the surface. Tinsley's vicious words echoed relentlessly in my mind. A weak, simpering excuse for a werewolf. Groveling in the dirt.

Staring blankly into the pitch-black darkness, I couldn't hold back the nagging, agonizing doubt anymore.

"Does it bother you that I am a nobody?" I whispered into the quiet room, my voice sounding incredibly small and pathetic. "I am notoriously weak. My wolf hardly ever surfaces. I am just a lowly, pathetic maid to the Alpha's daughter. I have no status. I have no power."

I squeezed my eyes shut, fully expecting his harsh dismissal, or worse, his absolute silence. I waited for him to tell me to shut up and go to sleep.

Instead, the mattress dipped significantly again as Kravos shifted his massive weight. The bedside lamp suddenly flickered on, casting a warm, golden glow over his rugged, severely scarred features. I slowly opened my eyes to see him turning onto his side, fully facing me.

A victorious, knowing smirk played on his full lips. He casually reached out across the vast space between us. His thick, warm fingers lazily caught a loose strand of my hair, slowly twisting the dark lock between his thumb and index finger. The physical contact sent a fresh wave of sparks dancing across my scalp.

"I know exactly what you are, my little Luna," he murmured, his deep voice dripping with a hidden, profound certainty that made my heart violently skip a beat. His emerald eyes locked onto mine, completely devoid of any doubt. "Question is, do you?"