Chapter 6

AVELORA

My cheek burned where his hand had struck me. The sting pulsed, and the humiliation was overwhelming as I looked around to find eyes everywhere.

The guards, pack members, and students were frozen in place, watching this horror movie unfold. They were watching me.

I'd known I was no longer invisible the moment I became Alpha Khyrix's mate.

But this... this was different.

This was my father stripping me bare in public, reminding everyone exactly where I came from.

"You cursed thing," my father snarled, lifting his hand again.

I flinched, instinct taking over. I braced myself for the second blow.

Only, it never came.

I looked up.

Khyrix stood between us, his hand locked around my father's wrist, his grip unyielding. He didn't return the same aggression my father carried around. Everything about him was controlled, barely anything noticeable.

My heart slammed violently against my chest.

"Don't touch my mate."

Every time I heard the word mate, something in me flipped.

My father's nostrils flared, his jaw tightening as he ripped his hand free from Khyrix's grasp.

"I'm talking to my daughter."

"And I," Khyrix said calmly, "am talking about my mate."

The crowd had grown.

Behind my father, the Chief Priestess stood with her hands folded neatly in front of her. There were barely any cracks in her facade. She stood there as controlled as Khyrix, silent, observing, detached, as if this were all the confirmation of an outcome she already knew.

"You fucking whore," my father spat, stepping toward me.

Khyrix moved instantly.

I pulled my clammy fingers from his grip. I didn't want anything to escalate because of me. Not here, and especially not now.

"She leaves with me," my father said coldly. "After you reject her."

The certainty in his voice made my stomach twist.

"No," Khyrix replied, unimpressed. "She doesn't."

The back-and-forth was suffocating and exhausting. I was having second thoughts about accepting the offer Khyrix had made. What if I got hurt before I even had the chance to enjoy the benefits of the alliance?

"No one challenges my authority," Khyrix continued, his voice carrying effortlessly, "especially when it concerns my mate and the will of the Moon Goddess."

My father hesitated, his eyes flicking between us.

Neither he nor the others dared challenge the Moon Goddess, especially not while she was still punishing them.

"I, Khyrix," he said, louder now, "Alpha of the Moonbound Clan, accept the decision the Moon Goddess has made."

His gaze didn't waver as it landed on his mother.

The Chief Priestess's eyebrow twitched.

She said nothing. She simply looked between us, then turned and walked away.

Even my father, who was proud, cruel, and unyielding, had nothing left to say, even though he looked like he was going to burn the world down for being challenged.

He was someone who had always respected hierarchy, and moreover, no one could go against Khyrix's decision.

"You'll regret this," he muttered, finally turning his venom on me.

Then he left.

And for the first time since his hand struck my face, I breathed.

I almost fell to the floor, but Khyrix held me steady, firm enough to keep me upright.

"Stand properly," he said under his breath.

The words were quiet, but the authority in them made my spine straighten before my mind could argue. My legs still trembled, my body slow to recover from the shock and from the sting still pulsing across my cheek.

"I can stand," I said, my voice rough.

"Then do so."

I forced my shoulders back, hating how small I felt beside him. Hating even more that his presence made the crowd keep their distance without him saying another word.

His gaze moved to my face. It lingered on the swelling along my cheek, his expression tightening just slightly before smoothing out again into that same unreadable calm.

"You are injured," he said.

"I've been worse," I replied automatically.

He didn't respond immediately. His eyes stayed on me, observant, calculating, like he was measuring more than the mark on my skin.

After a moment, his hand lifted. His fingers hovered near my cheek before stopping, like he reconsidered the contact entirely. Instead, his hand dropped back to his side.

"We need to leave this space," he said.

"Okay." I agreed without questioning him.

He had just proved that he could protect me.

No. He was the first person who had ever defended me, alliance or not.

He was too close. The simple touch of his hand against my cheek had my body reacting against my will.

"Um..."

He acted like he wanted to care but barely knew how to. A dry laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it.

"You're terrible at comfort."

"I am not attempting to comfort you."

"I noticed."

For the briefest second, the corner of his mouth twitched.

It disappeared so quickly that I wasn't sure I'd actually seen it.

"So what is the next step?" I asked as we walked down the hallway wrapped in an awkward silence.

"You will move into the Alpha residence," he said after a moment.

What?

The only residence he had in the school was the massive dorm room they had built specially for him.