Belonging to the Mad Alpha

Her heart pounded in her ears, and the soles of her feet were torn by sharp branches. Still, she kept running like her life depended on it, because it did. If she stopped, she'd be dragged back to face an ancient ceremony that would seal her fate forever.

But now, she wasn't sure she'd make it.

Her legs buckled beneath her, her chest heaving violently. Her breathing came out in ragged gasps, loud enough to alert her enemies, or rather, her clan.

"Lucy... stop being a baby and come out," one of the men sang, voice dripping with mockery.

Tears welled in her eyes, already red and swollen from crying. She couldn't stop. Couldn't stop the tears, couldn't stop the silent prayers to the moon goddess to deliver her from the rogue werewolves who dared call themselves Royals.

She had an inactive wolf. Cursed, they said. Condemned to remain wolfless, unless she mated with the mad Alpha-a nightmare spun into flesh, a horror story that haunted her childhood, only to become her reality.

And tonight was the night. Her eighteenth birthday. The night she was to mate with him or lose the chance to ever shift. Of course, she had chosen the latter. Anything was better than the first.

The legends were terrifying. Her future, worse. The mad Alpha was ancient, twisted in both body and mind. He wasn't just dangerous, danger ran from him. They said he kept a cave full of virgin brides, young girls that had been snatched away from their parents on their eighteenth birthday, sacrificed like livestock. And now, she was next in line.

If only she could soil herself tonight, break the curse by mating with another werewolf, she'd be free of the Alpha, and he'd lose her scent, turning his focus on the one she had mated with. Yes she'd lose her wolf forever, but that would be a blessing, a mercy.

"Lucy, Lucy, come on out... The mad Alpha awaits you. You don't want to keep him waiting," another voice sang. This one stabbed deeper- it was her brother.

She crouched behind a massive mahogany tree, body trembling and spent, her dress torn in every angle. She couldn't move anymore. Maybe it was time to give up and save her last breath to fight when they found her.

But what good would that do? She couldn't even defeat the weakest wolf in her pack.

"Oh moon goddess, please..." she whispered. "I'll do anything... Please save me tonight. You're merciful. You wouldn't curse your daughters with this fate. Please..."

"Hey, young girl... you alright?" a voice broke through her frantic prayers.

A male voice.

Her eyes flew open, then immediately shut again with a wince.

"What the hell! Put that away!" she hissed in a whisper, shielding her eyes from the harsh glare of the flashlight.

"Oh, sorry," the stranger said, lowering it. "You look... lost. Are you in trouble?"

She tried to sniff him, her instincts kicking in. No trace of a wolf. Definitely human, not that she could completely trust her senses as it faltered sometimes. But he looked harmless, by the look and smell of him.

The moon goddess had answered her.

"Turn that off!" she whispered sharply, grabbing his arm and tugging him down beside her. He resisted at first but eventually sank to the ground, switching off the flashlight.

"Are you in danger?" he asked again, voice low now, matching hers.

"I am. Do you hear those men? They're hunting me. They want to hurt me. I can't let them find me."

He paused for a moment, listening. Then: "And you're Lucy?"

She nodded, still not looking at him. Now that he was beside her, she felt oddly protective of him-this fragile, clueless human who had no idea what he'd just stepped into. If the Royals sighted him, he'd be dead.

Then an idea struck her. Wild. Reckless. Beautifully dangerous. One that would make the mad Alpha rage and maybe even destroy himself. But she wasn't so sure it would work with a human.

"What's your name?" she asked quietly.

"Kyle."

A beat of silence passed.

"Okay... Would you like to have sex with me, Kyle?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to swallow them back. Her stomach turned. What was she thinking, offering herself like this to a stranger?

But it was the only way out.

And it was already too late to take it back.

Kyle's brow shot up instantly, his expression a mix of amusement and disbelief. He must've misheard her. Either that, or this girl had a concussion-and bad judgment. She looked like she'd just escaped a dungeon of feral women.

"I'm not having sex with a-" he began, but before he could finish, her lips crashed against his.

He froze.

She froze.

The world itself seemed to hold its breath.

"I... I didn't mean that... I'm... I'm sorry," Lucy stammered, pulling back, biting her lip so hard it almost bled. Her eyes were wide, too wide, on the verge of panic.

She'd expected him to respond, wasn't that what human males did? Weren't they supposed to be easily seduced?

Instead, Kyle laughed.

Not cruelly, but with that same mix of surprise and reluctant amusement. "I knew it. You're crazy."

He stood up, and for a moment Lucy thought he was leaving. She shrank back, mortified by her own desperation.

Then he switched his flashlight back on and extended a hand.

"You should come with me."

That caught her off guard. She hesitated, staring at his hand like it was a trick. Why was he doing this? Was it because of her offer? Was he accepting it now?

But... no. His expression wasn't leering. He wasn't trying to take advantage. Whatever his reason, his help felt genuine. Unlike her motives just moments before.

Maybe the moon goddess had sent him.

She took his hand.

His chuckle at her eagerness was light, almost shy. She hated how charming it was. This human was cute. Too cute. And for a dangerous second, she almost reconsidered the idea of sleeping with him.

But if she did, her scent would cling to him. The mad Alpha would know. He'd hunt Kyle down, tear him apart for touching what was his. Lucy wasn't sure she could allow that anymore.

"Ah-" she winced as she stood, pain lancing through her legs.

Without a word, Kyle swept her into his arms.

"No, no-you don't have to. I can walk," she protested, squirming.

He didn't answer. Just kept walking, steady and calm.

Eventually, exhaustion overtook her. Her head dropped against his shoulder, and sleep claimed her like a blanket of mercy.

Unknowing to her, who Kyle truly was.

"Have you lost your mind?!"

Kyle rolled his eyes at his assistant and Beta.

"You stole your brother's bride again?! He'll come for you this time. He'll kill you. He'll burn down the pack!"

The words had barely left Wesley's mouth when he clenched his jaw, trying to rein in his anger.

"Watch your tongue. I'm your Alpha. Need me to remind you again? Next time it'll be with my claws in your throat."

Wesley rolled his eyes. Kyle was too soft to hurt him, too soft to hurt anyone. That was why the rumors about his brother had always been one-sided. Kyle hadn't taken the girls; he'd saved them, each one lured into the woods for his mad brother to hunt.

"Okay, boss. The girl though... do I send her home, or-"

"No. Leave her. And no wolfly-things-she doesn't know I'm a werewolf. She thinks I'm human. You know I think something's off about this one... which makes her, interesting." He laughed, remembering her strange offer.

"I like this one. I'm keeping her."

Wesley grimaced. This was worse than usual. Kyle always made sure the girls were gone before dawn, never letting them see his face. Why did he want this one to stay? That was enough reason for Wesley to quietly decide he'd get Lucy out as soon as he could.

"Okay," Wesley said, pretending to agree.

A few hours later, Lucy woke up looking disheveled, still wearing her bloodied, dirt-streaked clothes. A foul stench clung to her as she yawned and pushed herself upright. She staggered out of the room and into the living room, where she found Kyle, book in one hand, cup of tea in the other, legs crossed as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"My damsel in distress. I see you're awake," he said, not looking up from his book.

"I think it's time I collected my payment for saving you."

Lucy barely heard him. Her wide eyes scanned the room like she had just stepped onto a movie set. From the mythological artwork painted on the ceiling to the deep blue drapes and embroidered tapestries, every inch of the space screamed wealth and old secrets. She took it in with equal parts admiration and suspicion. Whoever owned this place had something to do with her ending up here.

"Lucy?" Kyle called again, snapping her back.

She remembered the night. But how she got here? Nothing. Still, a small part of her blamed fate for dropping her into the lap of a ridiculously rich man-a handsome one, at that. She couldn't stop staring at the way he lounged on the couch, effortlessly elegant, undeniably powerful.

He was human, she reminded herself again and again.

Then she remembered something else-throwing herself at him.

And him turning her down like it was nothing.

Did they do something last night? Is that why he was staring at her like that?

Did he... see her naked?

Shame flushed her face as she looked down at herself, only to be disappointed at how homeless she still looked, nothing had changed from last night. Her body didn't ache, nothing throbbed, and no part of her told her something had happened. If a man that handsome had taken her, surely she'd still be feeling something.

"I... I need to go home," she stuttered, her voice barely above a whisper. Shame wrapped around her like a blanket. This man clearly wasn't attracted to her. And worse, her virginity was intact. Which meant the Mad Alpha was still out there, still hunting her.

Kyle shook his head with a slow, amused smirk.

"Come on now, Lucy. Where's that bold girl who came at me last night? Don't make me regret being a gentleman. You're staying for breakfast."

Breakfast? Absolutely not.

She had school. Her first class with the renowned professor-if he even liked her.

Sure, she was a werewolf, but she attended a human school, studying music at a conservatory that only accepted the truly gifted. And she had just one month to prove she was worth the scholarship they'd given her.

"I... I can't," she said, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry we ever met, but I have to leave. My parents will be looking for me."

A lie.

Her parents might be looking for her-but only to hand her back over to the Mad Alpha.

Maybe she should stay. Maybe she could charm this man into letting her hide a little longer.

But she couldn't do that to him. Not after he had been kind. Not after he hadn't taken advantage of her.

"Hmm. Your parents. Okay then... I'll drive you to them," Kyle offered casually.

"No!" she snapped. "I can... I can find my way. Thanks."

Kyle laughed, not unkindly. She was nervous, he could smell it. But he also knew if she walked out of this house unmarked, her brother would find her. And Kyle didn't want that. This girl intrigued him. But he couldn't push, not if he wanted to keep up the human act.

"Lucy," he said gently. "I just want to make sure you're safe."

Her eyes drifted to the large wall clock across the room, and panic bubbled up in her chest.

She needed to be somewhere. Somewhere important.

And it definitely wasn't home.

"Fine! I have a class in an hour, and if I don't make it, I lose my scholarship!"

For the first time, Kyle truly saw her, not the girl throwing herself at him in the middle of the night, but the girl in front of him now. Desperate. Driven. Fearful of losing the one thing that gave her purpose.

It hit him harder than he expected.

She looked more terrified of missing her class than she had been when begging him to take her virginity.

"I'll take you," he said. "I got you a clean dress already. I'll drop you off, but you have to promise me one thing."

She blinked.

"Go on a date with me. After school. Just one."

She nearly laughed, the absurdity of it cutting through her panic. But she nodded. It was a fair deal. And honestly? He was making her life a lot easier.

And he did.

Lucy arrived just in time at Dodgers Musical School, her heart hammering in her chest as she rushed to her classroom. She'd never met the professor in person-but the rumors were already infamous.

He was brutal. Cold. Known to shatter dreams and destroy confidence. Students left his class crying. Some dropped out entirely. Others ended up in therapy, or worse.

Professor Kain.

The school felt like a ghost town. A few tired students wandered the halls, their gazes lost in thought, disconnected from the world. Nothing like the chaotic energy during auditions, when over fifty hopefuls crowded the corridors, instruments clutched tight, nerves raw.

That audition had been brutal, five instruments, one melody, and no room for error. Only five students had passed. She was one of them. But she hadn't expected to be assigned to him.

The professor.

In exactly three minutes, he would walk into classroom 408. Waiting for him inside was a golden vintage grand piano, gleaming at the center like an altar. The entire room was spotless, unnaturally so, every surface polished, every chair perfectly aligned. It was so clean, she half-believed it had been scrubbed by someone with clinical OCD. The air felt... sterile.

"Woooof," she exhaled loudly, trying to push fear out of her lungs.

The rumors had to be exaggerated, just bitter talk from students who couldn't handle discipline. She'd squeeze every bit of knowledge from this man, no matter how hard he made it.

She tried to picture him.

Short, ginger hair, maybe under five foot. Wrinkled face, long nose, probably balding. A stiff old coat, a frown carved into his face, thin lips perpetually pursed in disapproval. Round spectacles, of course. He had to be in his sixties. Definitely the kind of man who'd sneer if a metronome ticked off-tempo.

Her phone buzzed exactly three minutes later. Class time.

She glanced toward the door.

Nothing.

One minute passed.

Still nothing.

Wasn't he supposed to be punctual to the second? Maybe her clock was off. Or maybe he just didn't care anymore.

"What an unserious fellow..." she muttered, barely loud enough for even her own ears.

"What is your definition of unserious?"

She turned so fast it was a miracle her neck didn't snap. The chair screeched back, her phone tumbled from her lap and shattered on the marble floor. Her lips parted, but no words came.

The man standing there did not match her mental image at all.

"Lucy Craig," he said, her name sliding from his mouth like venom. "Welcome to your first-and last-class with me. You may get the hell out."

Kain hated her already. The color of her hair, the wide-eyed innocence in her face, her scent, everything about her screamed boring and problematic at once.

He hadn't taken on a student in fifteen years, not since the rumors started. The ones that whispered how he ruined students, altered the course of their lives with a single scathing word. He hadn't cared enough to deny them.

And now, her.

For two full minutes, he'd stood silently at the classroom door, watching. Her annoyingly long silver hair shimmered under the fluorescents. Her shoulders slouched as if the world had already defeated her. And then her scent, werewolf. But weak. Like her wolf was in a coma, or nonexistent.

He should've walked away. Should've left her to another instructor. But he needed to try, the school council had sent her his way to redeem himself. She was trouble, his worst nightmare. Especially now, when he'd worked so hard to stay out of everything. No pack drama. No politics. No students.

Yet here she was.

"No! Please! What do you mean, last class? I... I wasn't talking to you, I swear! I was-"

"I don't like you," he said flatly. "Find another professor."

Her face crumbled, then tightened, jaw clenching, shoulders straightening.

It made his frown deepen, not with annoyance this time, but with something more dangerous: curiosity.

"I can't," she snapped. "You are my professor. You were assigned to me."

His brow arched. The nerve.

But then her eyes locked with his-and he hated how long he stared.

There was something in them. Something ancient. Something broken.

He didn't want to care. Didn't want to look deeper.

Lucy, meanwhile, was ready to pass out.

She had never met a man like this. So unyielding. So there. His presence soaked the room like smoke. He radiated power-not the kind you flexed in a fight, but the kind that made people kneel before you instinctively. She could feel the heat of him across the room. It terrified her.

She didn't like being scared.

And she definitely didn't like this man, this demon in a black tailored suit,was this good-looking. Not in a Kyle way. Kyle was charming, easy. This man looked like he'd tear your heart out and make you say thank you for the experience. His polished black shoes gleamed like obsidian, his entire form wrapped in dark elegance. He didn't belong in a classroom. He belonged behind a throne.

And she hated how her stomach flipped.

"These kids don't listen anymore..." Kain muttered, shaking his head.

He reached into his coat and tossed her a heavy brown envelope. It slammed into her arms and dropped to the floor with a thud, too heavy to catch.

Inside, a thick stack of papers, bound loosely. Sheet music.

Lucy opened it-and horror etched itself onto her face.

"Learn every song in there before our next class," he said, glancing at his watch with disinterest. "Which is... the day after tomorrow."

She looked up, frozen. Her mouth opened, but no words came.

"There are a hundred songs," he continued coldly. "Each with its own annotated note. I assume you can already play a few on the piano. That narrows it down. Miss a single note, and we're done. Start searching for a new professor."

And just like that-he was gone. No further words. No glance back.

Lucy stared at the door he disappeared through, eyes wide and wet, before her knees gave out and she sank to the floor. Tears spilled freely as her fingers gripped the envelope like a lifeline and a curse.

This part of her life, the part that was supposed to make sense, was collapsing too. The Mad Alpha was still out there, hunting her like prey. And now this-this professor from hell-was going to shatter what was left of her hope.

Elsewhere, Kain walked calmly out of the building, heading for a meeting he never thought he'd take.

With someone he never wanted to see again.

Wesley. His brother's Beta. A man Kain wouldn't trust with a paperclip, let alone a conversation.

They met at a diner not far from the school, a modest place with worn red booths and the scent of burnt coffee lingering like bad memories. Kain already regretted showing up.

The moment Wesley slid into the seat opposite him, Kain scoffed, his expression dripping with disgust. The sight of the man who was once his own Beta made his blood itch.

"You said it was important," Kain said coldly. "Start talking."

Wesley leaned in slightly. "Your brother... he took another girl."

Kain raised a brow, unimpressed. "That's what you dragged me here for?"

Wesley exhaled sharply, trying not to react. "I know it's not my place, but... You're the-well, you know what they call you. But it's never been good to enrage you."

"And I dare you to say it out loud."

Wesley swallowed. Hard. He wouldn't risk it. Not here. Not anywhere.

No one wanted to lose their head in a diner. Especially not on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon.

"Forgive me," Wesley muttered. "All I meant is... we know what happens when the pack keeps your girls from you. So I'll personally bring her to you. Tomorrow evening."

Kain's palm shot up in front of his face like a wall of fury. Wesley froze mid-sentence.

"I don't need your help," Kain snapped. "And I don't need any of those girls. I have enough slaves in my court. Now get out before I change my mind."

Wesley didn't need to be told twice. He left in a blur of panic and sweaty palms.

"Miscreants," Kain muttered, rising from his seat.

Then he saw her. A woman. Sitting two tables away, watching him. Red hair, striking features, dressed in a tight pink dress with heels that clicked like a threat on the linoleum floor.

Not bad.

Too bad she was human.

If he so much as touched her, she'd be dead by sunrise.

He turned to leave, except she rose, her body language screaming target locked. She swayed toward him, hips exaggerated, lips painted like sin. Inches from his table, she pretended to stumble.

Kain caught her effortlessly, his instincts faster than her ploy.

She grabbed his arm like it was a lifeline-or a trophy-and sighed dramatically. Around them, other patrons whispered and giggled.

"A knight in shining armor," one woman murmured.

Kain forced a smile. A very forced smile. "Steady."

"You're so strong," the redhead purred, pressing against him. "Can I buy you lunch? Just to say thanks?"

"No."

He steadied her and stepped back, ready to disappear. But she blocked his path, arms crossed under her chest, nipples poking through the strained cotton of her dress.

Kain barely glanced. He'd seen it all. Felt it all. And none of it excited him anymore.

Especially not since her.

Silver hair. A sharp tongue. Eyes that looked like they held forgotten stories.

His step-sister. The only woman who had ever gotten under his skin. Not love-just obsession. Pure, undeniable obsession.

And now... the student. Lucy. She had silver hair too.

Damn it.

"You're sexy," the redhead whispered, smearing ketchup-stained fingers across his chest.

That did it.

Kain leaned in, close enough that only she could hear.

"And you're filthy," he growled, his voice velvet and venom. "Get away from me before I rip you in half."

She froze.

The blood drained from her face.

Then she ran.

Perfect.

He turned to leave, finally, finally, but as he reached the door, he stopped.

Because standing outside, visible through the glass, was a woman with silver hair.

And his heart.

Long dead, long buried-

Slit cleanly in two.