Belle woke up with a groan, her back aching something fierce. Tears pricked at her eyes as she tried to sit up.
"Great. Just great," she muttered, glancing at her heavy school bag in the corner. That thing wasn't helping her situation at all.
She dragged herself to school, wincing with every step. The hallways buzzed with the usual chatter, but Belle barely noticed. Her mind kept drifting back to the forest, to him. Alpha Kael. Those intense eyes, that commanding presence...
"Earth to Belle!" Her friend Maya waved a hand in front of her face. "You've been staring at that math problem for ten minutes. It's not that hard."
"Sorry," Belle mumbled, blinking rapidly. "Just tired."
But as the day wore on, concentration became impossible. During lunch, while picking at her food, she replayed their conversation from the night before. The way he'd looked at her...nobody had ever paid her that much attention before.
That night, while scrubbing the pack house floors, a familiar scent hit her nose. Rich and woodsy, with that unmistakable alpha power.
Kael.
Her heart did a little flip. She shouldn't. She really shouldn't. But...
"Just one peek," she whispered to herself, dropping the cleaning rag.
Belle tiptoed to the window, peeking through the curtains. There he was, standing tall under the moonlight, talking to some of his warriors. Even from here, she could see the power in his stance, the easy confidence.
He suddenly turned, his eyes locking directly with hers.
Busted.
Instead of looking angry, a slow smile spread across his face. He excused himself from the group and started walking toward the house.
Belle's pulse raced. What was she thinking? She frantically grabbed her rag, pretending to clean as footsteps approached.
He said, "Why are you here cleaning? Shouldn't you be studying?" His deep voice made her jump.
Belle froze, rag dripping in her hand. Her mind raced for an answer that wouldn't get her in trouble. The Luna would flip if she knew Belle was talking to the Alpha King.
"I... um..." she stammered.
Before she could form a coherent thought, heavy footsteps approached from behind. The pack Beta appeared, his face twisted with annoyance.
"What are you doing cleaning here?" he growled, grabbing her arm roughly. "This isn't your area to clean!"
Belle winced at his tight grip. "I was just—"
SMACK!
The Beta's hand connected with her cheek, sending her stumbling backward. The sting spread across her face as tears welled in her eyes.
What happened next was a blur. One moment, the Beta was towering over her; the next, he was on the floor with Kael standing over him, fist clenched.
"Touch her again," Kael snarled, "and it'll be the last thing you do."
The Beta's eyes widened in shock. "But Alpha King, she's just a—"
"Choose your next words carefully," Kael warned, his voice deadly quiet.
Belle stood frozen, her cheek throbbing, unable to process what was happening. Why would the Alpha King defend someone like her?
The Beta scrambled to his feet, bearing his neck. "My apologies, Alpha King."
Kael turned to her, his eyes softening as he gently touched her reddened cheek. "Are you okay?"
His touch sent electricity through her body. All she could do was nod, terrified of the consequences this interaction would bring.
The Alpha King's eyes locked with hers, something unreadable swimming in their depths. The silence stretched between them, heavy with tension.
"You're not staying here," he finally said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Belle blinked rapidly, confused. "What?"
"Pack your stuff," he continued, his voice surprisingly gentle despite the command. "I'll collect you in the morning."
The Beta's jaw dropped, mirroring Belle's shock.
"But Alpha King," the Beta sputtered, "she's just a—"
"I've made my decision," Kael cut him off sharply. "Leave us."
The Beta scrambled away, shooting Belle a venomous glare that promised trouble later.
When they were alone, Kael's expression softened again. His fingers brushed her cheek one more time, so lightly she might have imagined it.
"Why?" Belle managed to ask, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Because no one deserves to be treated this way," he said simply. "Pack only essentials. Be ready at dawn."
He turned to leave but paused. "And Belle?"
She looked up, startled when he knew her name.
"No one will touch you again." His words carried a promise that made her shiver.
Sause's heart hammered against her ribs. "Where am I going?"
A hint of a smile played at the corner of Kael's mouth. "You'll see tomorrow."
He turned to leave but paused, glancing back at her over his shoulder. "And Belle? No more cleaning. That's not your job anymore."
With that, he strode away, leaving her standing there with a throbbing cheek and a head full of questions.
Belle touched her cheek where Kael's fingers had been moments before. Pack her things? What did that mean? Was she being kicked out of the pack? Or was it something else entirely?
As Belle walked back to her room, her mind was still racing. What just happened? Why did the Alpha King, the most powerful wolf in the territory, care about someone like her?
Whatever it was, she had to wait till morning to find out.
Back in her tiny room—more like a storage closet with a mattress on the floor—Belle looked around at her meager possessions. It didn't take long to gather everything. A few worn-out clothes, a tattered paperback, and a small photo of her parents. All of it fit into a plastic bag and her old school backpack.
She sat on her thin mattress, knees pulled to her chest. Was this it? Was the Alpha King throwing her out? Maybe he was sending her to another pack. Wolves like her—the runts, the weak ones—sometimes got traded away like unwanted furniture.
"Don't get your hopes up," she whispered to herself, trying to squash the tiny flutter of something that felt dangerously like hope.
Sleep didn't come easily that night. Belle tossed and turned, replaying Kael's words in her mind. No more cleaning. That's not your job anymore. What would her job be then?