Chapter 5 Feeling Humiliated

Dariel 

I watched as the Alpha King took her away.

He didn’t look back at me. Not once. Not to explain. Not to acknowledge me at all.

That, more than anything else, burned.

The courtyard was so silent. I could feel it pressing in on me, heavy and suffocating. I didn’t need to turn around to know what my pack members were doing.

They were staring at me.

Their Alpha. Standing there, useless. Powerless. Stripped of authority in front of everyone.

A cold fury settled in my chest, this was very humiliating. My jaw clenched so hard it hurt. I had been overridden publicly. By a man half my age.

And yet… I could do nothing.

Because he was the Alpha King.

His power wasn’t something I could fight against. Everything I had tried to do had crumbled the moment he stepped forward.

I turned away from the crowd slowly, my hands curling into fists at my sides.

Adeline had collapsed in on herself, her face pale, her breathing uneven. 

Tears streaked down her cheeks as she shook uncontrollably, her perfect composure shattered beyond repair. I felt incredibly pained for failing this sweet daughter of mine. I couldn’t understand why the Alpha king defended Mia so much. To the extent that he threatened me.. what exactly was going on? 

Suddenly, Adeline stood up, and rushed toward me, her hands grabbed my sleeve, fingers shaking so badly she could barely hold on. Her face was streaked with tears, her breathing uneven, and almost frantic.

“Father,” she cried, her voice breaking. “Do something please. You can’t just let this happen.”

I looked down at her, stunned by the desperation in her eyes.

“I can’t lose him,” she sobbed. “I cannot lose the Alpha King to a worthless girl like her.” Her grip tightened painfully. “Do you hear me? My life is over if the engagement is cancelled.”

People were still watching, and I was starting to feel even more embarrassed. But she didn’t care, and continued shouting.

“She must have charmed him or something,” Adeline went on hysterically. “That girl has done something to him. There’s no other explanation. He must think that I’m  bad now. Maybe she found a way to meet him much earlier, and told him lies about me.” Her voice turned sharp, accusatory. “Father, why didn’t you do anything?”

I stiffened. “You just let him walk away with her,” she screamed. “You stood there and let him take my sister. You should have stopped him, and told him the truth about her. You should have said something. You’re the Alpha!”

Her words hit like blows, one after another.

Adeline spun toward her mother, her face streaked with tears and mascara, panic making her voice shrill. “Mother! Please! You have to do something! Talk to him! Make him… make him come back!”

Her hands clawed at the air, trembling as she seemed unable to stand still. “Is anyone even listening to me!  I cannot… I cannot be second best… to an omega!”

My wife stepped forward, and put a hand on Adeline’s shoulder, guiding her back gently, soothingly. 

“Hush, Adeline,” she murmured, tilting her head slightly, “you need to get a grip. The King hasn’t even said anything about severing your engagement. And you’re already panicking so much here. Besides, even if she’s gone to tell him some lies, and seduced him...”

Adeline’s whimpers faltered for a second as her mother’s words sank in. My wife continued, calm and insistent.

“A man of his status, his power… he would never marry someone as classless as Mia. Don’t forget that. You, Adeline, you are the true prize here. So just calm down.”

Adeline, who had already calmed down, shouted again  in a high-pitched voice. “But did you see the way he looked at her? Why would she go after my fiancé? Mia is so cruel… she must be telling him even more lies right now.” 

I couldn’t stand the endless whining anymore. I could feel my temples pounding. “Take her inside,” I said, my voice cold. “I don’t want to hear another scream from her...”

Adeline’s lips trembled. Her mother’s hand gripped her arm tightly, dragging her away. 

I walked into the council room, the elders following behind me like shadows. None of them spoke until the door shut. 

The moment it did, they erupted.

“This is an insult!” one of them barked.

“To our laws!” another snapped.

“To our pride!”

Their voices overlapped, loud and agitated. They paced, gestured, slammed their staffs against the floor.

“What Alpha Jesse did today cannot be tolerated,” an elder said angrily. “He disrespected our sacred ways in front of the entire pack.”

“Adeline is too precious to be treated like this,” another added. “If he dares to humiliate us again, we should sever all ties with the Shadow Blood Pack immediately.”

“Yes,” someone else chimed in. “Let him see what he loses. He’s risking a powerful alliance by acting like a tyrant.”

I listened to their endless rantings. Then I slammed my fist onto the desk.

The sound cracked through the room.

“Enough,” I said coldly.

They froze. “You’re talking nonsense,” I continued sharply. “All of you.” I straightened, my eyes sweeping across their faces. “Pride? Demands? Alliances?” I let out a humorless laugh. “You forget your place.”

Their expressions darkened.

“The Shadow Blood Pack holds all the power,” I said flatly. “All of it. If we even think of severing ties, we won’t be making a statement.” I leaned forward. “We’ll be signing our own death sentence.”

Silence fell.

“If we oppose him now especially when our pack is in such a critical moment,” I added, slower, heavier, “this pack will be headed toward total doom.”

I let the room fall silent for a moment, letting the weight of my words sink in. “Listen to me carefully,” I said, my voice cold, and calm. “We cannot afford to lose this alliance over this insult to our pride. What Alpha Jesse has done… it is not for us to challenge him directly. Our priority is to appease him, not fan the flames of his anger.”

The elders exchanged uneasy glances, their confidence draining away as reality set in. Fear flickered behind their eyes, fear I had no intention of dismissing.

One of them, the eldest, cleared his throat and spoke cautiously, his voice trembling. “Perhaps… Perhaps we should send him a message. A message…  to explain that this was all a misunderstanding.”

I raised a brow, thinking about the suggestion he just proposed.

“And…” he continued, swallowing nervously, “we could ask that… that he return Mia. Given the… the inappropriateness of the entire matter.”

I leaned forward, “then that’s it.”

“I believe he wouldn’t fixate on this matter,” I said finally, voice low, deliberate. Let’s prepare the message. ”