Chapter 1 NO COMPASSION

The howls of wolves echoed in the distance, mercilessly reminding him of what was once his home. The moon, a silent witness to his reign, began to eclipse behind the shadows of dawn, as if it too renounced his existence.

Kael stumbled forward, guided only by the savage instinct that still kept him on his feet. He couldn't see. He could barely stand. His steps were clumsy, dragging, each one more painful than the last. He had been wandering for hours, exhausted and completely wounded all over his body.

But it was not a physical wound that had blinded him, but something far more brutal: betrayal. Luna, his destined mate, had rejected him when he needed her most. And with that abandonment, she imposed the most merciless punishment an alpha could receive: oblivion, solitude, humiliation, and blindness.

But Kael was no ordinary wolf. Even broken, his presence commanded. Even blind, his soul burned like a bonfire in the middle of the forest, inextinguishable, fueled by a single truth: he swore he would return to take revenge on everyone, especially his younger brother, who conspired against him to see him fall.

His pack, the one for whom he bled and roared, spat him out as if he had never belonged. They banished him, trampling his name, burying the Alpha's legacy under indifference and cowardice. But Kael's fury would know no rest. Not while his heart still beat in the shadows.

"Lyra, come here! I found a man, quick!"

"A man around here? How strange..." Lyra put away her hunting weapon and headed to the spot where Helga was calling her. But upon seeing him, her eyes lit up and her heart pounded.

"No... it can't be true. What is he doing here?" She knelt beside the body, trembling, and checked that Kael was still breathing.

"Helga, help me, please. Bring the car. He's badly hurt, we must take him with us."

"Do you know him?" Helga asked, confused.

"Yes... it's Kael," his name escaped Lyra's lips with nostalgia.

"Kael? The Alpha of the Dark Moon pack? What on earth happened to him? We can't take him home, Lyra, it's dangerous."

Lyra was already beginning to tie him up with determination, preparing to lift him. She shook her head; she wasn't going to leave him there, not him, not after everything that had happened, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

"I'm not going to leave him lying here like a dying animal. Help me!"

"But... we have to bring dinner. They're waiting for us, and if we arrive empty-handed, you know very well we could be the main course," Helga murmured, completely nervous.

But Lyra didn't care; she was always there for Kael.

"We'll stop by a butcher shop and get meat. I don't understand why they keep forcing us to hunt," Lyra scoffed, as she forcefully lifted Kael's body. With Helga's help, she settled him on her shoulders and they put him in the car.

Lyra was nothing more than an omega, a slave destined to cook and provide food for the pack. But despite her rank, she was strong, proud, untamable. Before returning, they bought enough meat to avoid questions and punishments. When they finally arrived, together they placed Kael on Lyra's bed.

"Thanks, Helga. I'll take care of him."

"Do you have any idea of the trouble we'll get into if they find out Kael is here?"

"I know," Lyra replied, firm. "But I take responsibility, I want to take care of him."

She took a basin of water, a clean towel, and began placing damp cloths on his forehead, trying to relieve his fever and gently clean his wounds.

"Damn it, Lyra... I don't want to be in your shoes," Helga muttered before leaving, closing the door of the small cabin behind her.

And so, for the rest of the night and a good part of the early morning, Lyra stayed by his side. She cleaned every wound, monitored his breathing, caressed his burning skin... and protected his sleep as if her life depended on it.

The next morning arrived, and the first rays of the sun filtered through the window of that humble cabin. Lyra, exhausted from her vigil, slept reclining on the edge of the bed, while Kael, with effort, opened his eyes.

What was that scent?

Confused, Kael immediately noticed that he wasn't in the forest... nor in his mansion. He was in an unfamiliar bed, but that stench... it infuriated him.

"Where am I?" he murmured hoarsely, his throat burning from dryness.

Lyra woke up startled and, seeing him conscious, couldn't help but smile.

"Alpha..."

"That voice, that scent. That damn scent!" he growled to himself. Suddenly, he tried to sit up.

"Lyra! What the hell am I doing in your house?" he roared, and in an instant, he hurled the cup of water to the other end of the room. With uncontrolled fury, he swept away everything within his reach. Some dishes shattered against the floor.

"Kael... Alpha... please," Lyra covered her head, terrified.

"Why did you bring me from the forest? Why didn't you let me die there?"

"I... I found you very ill. I couldn't leave you like that. Please, you're hurt. You need to rest, you need-"

"Don't ask me to calm down, Lyra!" he interrupted with a fierce shout. "Nobody wants your stupid compassion. I don't want to be in this damn hole... and especially not with you."

"Kael... I just wanted to help you. They kicked you out of the pack, they want you dead. I'm just trying to protect you... like no one else would."

Her voice broke, but her eyes remained fixed on him. There was no hatred in her gaze; he had never loved her or acknowledged her feelings, yet she remained firm in what she felt for him.

"I don't need a low-ranking omega like you to help me, and especially not out of compassion!" Kael snapped with contempt. "I'm leaving this damn smelly cabin!"

With effort, he tried to get up from the bed, but his body, weakened and broken, betrayed him. He barely managed to sit up before falling back onto the mattress with a grunt of frustration.

He was blind. He couldn't orient himself, he couldn't see anything; his eyes were useless. All he had now was his sense of smell, and the smell of Lyra's home disoriented him, preventing him from moving safely anywhere. It smelled of poverty, of resignation, of everything he had abhorred his entire life.

"Kael, please..." Lyra approached to help him, but he brusquely pushed her away.

"Don't touch me! I'd rather die than stay here with you. You're nothing but a servant!"

Lyra lowered her gaze. Kael's words struck her like blades; her chest ached. Since she was a child, she had loved him with a quiet, infinite strength, willing to do anything for him. But everyone laughed at her silent love; no one took seriously the desire of an insignificant omega, much less him, who had always looked at her with disdain... as if her existence were a complete mockery.

"I'm getting out of here," Kael growled, and tried to sit up once more. But his legs, fractured from the beatings he received before his exile, faltered. He lost his balance and fell towards the floor.

Lyra, who was nearby, reacted immediately. She embraced him from behind, catching him in her arms before he could crash to the floor.

Her touch was warm; she embraced him, wanting to protect him.

"I'm not going to let you get hurt more... even if you hate me. Even if you wish you had never woken up here. I'm not letting go of you, Kael, I'm here to take care of you always."

Immediately, Kael felt Lyra's touch burn him. An outburst of excessive fury ran through his body, and without thinking, he pushed her with such violence that she fell to the ground.

"I don't need you to take care of me," he roared, his voice full of contempt. "If you were the last woman on Earth, I wouldn't care. The fact that my mate rejected me doesn't mean I would now notice an omega as insignificant as you. I'd rather die first."