43| OURS.

Book:The Alpha King's Special Mate Published:2024-11-19

MAXIMUS
Although I tried to calm Starlette by assuring her that her nightmare was just a dream, I couldn’t get what she told me off my mind. While it could have simply been a dream, there was also a possibility that her dream was a warning. And with the recent threat to my pack, I was slightly worried.
I snapped back to the present when Kade nearly slashed through my abdomen during our sparring session. I quickly jerked back, narrowly avoiding his strike.
“Fuck,” I growled under my breath.
“You seem to be thinking a lot today.” He observed. “Anything you mind sharing?”
“No.” I shook my head. “But we have to work harder to protect this pack.”
“And that’s why we are here…” He glanced around, watching our warriors as they trained intensely. We were in a clearing deep in the woods, a place reserved for this kind of rigorous training. It was also where we had captured that witch. The memory of how she had outsmarted us and escaped flashed through my mind, and anger twisted in my gut. Stupid witch.
“Let’s go,” I groaned, lifting my sword and resuming training with my beta.
He blocked my attack with a swift motion, twirling his sword in a way that almost made me lose my grip. If I weren’t stronger than him, I might have.
“You’re improving.” I commended.
“Soon, I’ll be better than you.” He replied with a smirk.
“And challenge me for the throne?” I raised an eyebrow.
He chuckled. “I’m loyal to you, Alpha.”
Before I could respond, a loud scream ripped through the woods, and the sound of the swords clanking against each other stopped at once, curiosity in every warrior’s eyes.
Before anyone could say a word, I was already sprinting toward the source of the scream, my warriors close behind. That scream was unmistakably Starlette’s.
My thoughts raced as fast as my legs carried me. I pushed myself harder, moving at an incredible speed. I didn’t stop until I reached her, finding her lying helplessly on the ground. Lauren and a warrior stood beside her, fear etched in their faces the second they saw me.
In an instant, I was beside the warrior, and without hesitation, I severed his head from his body. A wave of relief washed over me when I checked Starlette’s pulse and found she was still alive. The air around us reeked of wolfsbane, so I didn’t need to ask what had happened to her.
I carefully lifted Starlette into my arms, her weight almost nothing to me.
I shot a death glare at Lauren. “Nothing is stopping me from taking your head once you’ve given birth to that child.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, intensifying the disgust and hatred that swelled within me. She would pay for this.
I blamed myself for allowing her the freedom to roam around the pack. She didn’t deserve that; she deserved nothing!
“Two of you should take her to her room. She’ll remain on room arrest until she delivers. Allow her to leave and die with her.” I ordered before leaving the woods and taking my mate to the bedroom.
On the way, I mind-linked the pack doctor, ordering him to prepare a drip to neutralize the wolfsbane in Starlette’s system. Given that she was unconscious, I knew the poison must have been highly concentrated. It would take several drips to flush it out of her body.
I laid her gently on the bed, my heart heavy with worry as I gazed down at her. I couldn’t bear to think about what could have happened-what that bitch might have done if I hadn’t arrived in time. I swore to myself that she wouldn’t escape the consequences of her actions.
The doctor arrived shortly after, Bella trailing behind him.
“What happened?” Worries saturated her features as she rushed to Starlette’s side and collapsed beside her, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Star,” her voice shook.
“Good day, Alpha,” the doctor greeted with a nod before quickly getting to work, setting up the drip.
I stood silently for a moment, watching them. Then I grabbed a fresh pair of black pants and a white shirt before heading to the bathroom to clean up. I was drenched in that bastard’s blood. I wish I hadn’t killed him immediately and made him suffer a slow death. That was what he deserved for harming my mate.
I didn’t waste time in the bathroom, and when I got back into the room, Starlette was still unconscious.
My gaze alternated between Bella and the doctor as I instructed. “You must not leave her side until I return.”
They both nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”
I hated to leave my mate in that condition, but the park needed me. All Alpha’s across the northern kingdoms were in the boardroom waiting for me. I had summoned them to discuss my intentions to form an alliance with the witches. It wasn’t a decision I could make alone. Though my word was law, there were still protocols to follow.
They arose from their seats when I entered the boardroom, their heads bent in a curt nod as they chorused. “Good day, Alpha King.”
I motioned for them to sit as I took my place at the head of the long, rectangular wooden table.
“Thank you all for honoring this invitation.” I began.
“It’s a pleasure.” A few of them responded.
The meeting began on a cool note but soon heated up when I brought up my intention to ally with the witches.
“That’s an abomination!” one Alpha shouted.
“They can’t be trusted!” another protested.
“They’ll stab us in the back the moment they get the chance.”
The room buzzed with heated objections, though a few voices sided with me. I understood their hesitation; I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea either. But with the threat of the invisibles looming, we had to do what we had to do. The long silence of the invisibles was bothersome, and we had to be prepared for their next strike.
The commotion continued for a bit, with the Alphas airing their thoughts, none of them willing to relent.
An idea came to my mind, and I slammed my hand on the table, calling them to order.
“Enough!” I growled.
All eyes turned to me, and the room fell into an uneasy silence.
“Let’s take a vote,” I said. “Raise your hands if you object to the alliance.”
Three of the six Alpha’s raised their hands.
“Now, raise your hands if you agree.”
The remaining three lifted their hands. I nodded.
“We all know where my vote lies.” I said, leaning back in my chair. “That makes four votes for the alliance and three against.” I sighed heavily. “The majority wins. We will proceed with the alliance.”
I half-expected another uproar, but to my surprise, they all remained quiet, though disapproval was evident on some faces.
I rose to my feet. “Thank you all for coming. You will be informed of the outcome.”
I walked out of the room but stopped when a voice called from behind.
“Alpha King Maximus.”
I turned to look at him with a raised brow. It was Starlette’s father, one of the Alphas, who had opposed the alliance. His presence irritated me. I knew how he had mistreated Starlette in the past, and though she never gave me the full details, I could tell it was bad.
“Do you have something to say?” I asked impatiently.
He hesitated before speaking. “Have you marked her?”
His question was like fuel to my burning rage. It was none of his damn business!
“Can I see her?” He added.
“You cannot,” I said coldly, turning away before I severed another person’s head today.
He deserved to know nothing about her-not the fact that she lay unconscious in our bedroom, nothing at all.
When I returned to the room, Starlette was slowly regaining consciousness. I pulled her into my arms, my heart aching as I stared at her. I made a silent promise to myself-I would never allow anything to happen to her again. And to ensure that, I had to either mark her or link her to me.
My eyes lingered on the crook of her neck, where I would mark her.
“Ours.” Nile growled in my head.