“SHE IS MY MATE.” THE FERAL KING STOPPED A PUBLIC EXECUTION, LEAVING AN ENTIRE KINGDOM TERRIFIED AND CONFUSED
The axe gleamed like a shard of winter sunlight. It hung above Cora Linnley’s neck, perfectly still, while the executioner tightened his grip on the wooden handle.
The entire courtyard of Oakhaven seemed to hold its breath. Rain from the night before still clung to the ancient cobblestones.
Water pooled between the cracks, reflecting the gray sky overhead. The scent of wet earth drifted through the air, mingling with the smell of damp wool, smoke, and hundreds of gathered wolves.
Cora knelt at the center of it all. Her knees burned against the cold stone.
Her wrists throbbed where rough hemp rope had rubbed her skin raw. Twenty years. Twenty years of surviving by remaining invisible.
And somehow, invisibility had led her here. A rotten apple struck her shoulder. The crowd laughed.
Another splattered against the wooden platform beside her. “Traitor!” “Murderer!” “Kill her!” The insults rolled through the courtyard like waves crashing against cliffs.
Cora lowered her head. She couldn’t defend herself. Not because she lacked courage. Because she lacked a voice.
A fever had stolen it when she was six years old. Since then, silence had become her prison.
In Oakhaven, strength was respected. Power was worshipped. Silence was mistaken for weakness. Above the crowd, Lord Reginald Hastings stood on the royal balcony.
The fur cloak draped across his shoulders once belonged to the Alpha King himself. The sight of it twisted something deep inside Cora’s chest.
Reginald spread his arms dramatically. His magically amplified voice boomed across the courtyard. “People of Oakhaven!
Today justice is served!” Cheers erupted. “This omega sought to poison your regent.” More cheers.
“Her treachery deserves only one punishment.” The crowd roared. Cora’s gaze drifted upward toward the balcony.
Even from this distance, she could see the satisfaction shining in Reginald’s eyes. He was enjoying this.
Every second. Every heartbeat. Every terrified breath she took. Because this had never been about justice.
It was about power. A week earlier, Reginald’s prized hunting hounds had been found dead.
Poisoned. Within hours, accusations had appeared. Witnesses had emerged. Evidence had conveniently surfaced. And somehow every trail pointed directly to a mute kitchen servant who had never harmed anyone in her life.
The trial had lasted less than ten minutes. The verdict less than ten seconds. Guilty.
The executioner stepped forward. His heavy boots thudded against the platform. Thump. Thump. Thump. Each step echoed through Cora’s body.
She swallowed hard. Fear tasted metallic. The executioner grabbed her shoulder and shoved her toward the block.
The rough wood pressed against her cheek. Dark stains covered its surface. Years of executions.
Years of blood. Her stomach twisted violently. Around her, the noise began to fade. The crowd.
The shouting. The laughter. Everything seemed distant now. Her heart hammered in her ears. Boom.
Boom. Boom. She thought about the servants’ quarters. The small room she called home. The tiny window overlooking the herb garden.
The stray cats she secretly fed every morning. Simple memories. Tiny pieces of a life nobody else valued.
Tears burned behind her eyes. She blinked them away. She refused to give Reginald the satisfaction.
The executioner raised the axe. Muscles strained beneath his leather sleeves. The blade climbed higher.
Sunlight flashed across polished steel. A shadow fell across Cora’s neck. The crowd went silent.
Even the birds seemed to disappear. One breath. Then another. Then— CRASH! The sound exploded through the courtyard.
Not from the execution platform. From the castle gates. Massive oak doors reinforced with iron shattered inward.
Wood splinters erupted through the air. People screamed. Several guards were thrown from their feet.
The ground trembled. A dark shape burst through the cloud of debris. It moved impossibly fast.
A blur of black fur and monstrous power. The beast landed in the center of the courtyard with enough force to crack stone.
Silence followed. Absolute silence. The creature slowly rose. Towering. Massive. Terrifying. Its fur was black as a moonless night.
Its crimson eyes burned like coals pulled from a furnace. Foam dripped from jaws lined with teeth longer than daggers.
Several wolves immediately collapsed to their knees. Others backed away in terror. Everyone knew those eyes.
Everyone knew that wolf. The Alpha King. King Cedric Rutherford. Or what remained of him.
Six months ago, the Blood Curse had transformed him into a feral monster. A creature incapable of reason.
A beast that recognized neither friend nor family. A beast that should have been dead.
Yet here he stood. Breathing. Watching. Hunting. On the balcony above, Reginald’s face drained of color.
“No…” He whispered. The wolf’s crimson gaze swept across the crowd. Guards tightened their grip on weapons.
Archers drew arrows. Children cried. Nobody moved. Nobody dared. Then the beast’s gaze found Cora.
Everything changed. The giant wolf froze. For a heartbeat, the entire world seemed suspended. Rain dripped from shattered gates.
A distant banner fluttered. Somewhere, someone gasped. The wolf stared. Cora stared back. Terror rooted her in place.
She should look away. She couldn’t. Those burning crimson eyes locked onto hers with frightening intensity.
Then the impossible happened. The monster began walking toward her. One step. Then another. And another.
Not toward Reginald. Not toward the guards. Not toward the screaming crowd. Toward the condemned omega kneeling beside the execution block.
Toward Cora. The executioner stumbled backward. Archers hesitated. Nobody understood what was happening. Neither did Cora.
The giant wolf climbed onto the platform. The wooden boards groaned beneath his weight. His hot breath washed over her skin.
The scent of pine forests, rainstorms, blood, and wild earth surrounded her. The beast lowered his head.
Closer. Closer. Until his nose touched the side of her throat. The entire courtyard stopped breathing.
Then the wolf inhaled. And everything changed.
