Into the Alpha’s Keep Chapter 68: 68

The air split with the sharp whistle of her arm slicing through it, a blur of motion so swift it sent a dizzying rush through my senses. I braced myself, muscles coiling as I leaned in, my body poised to dodge and counter with a strike of my own.

Time seemed to stretch, the world around us dissolving into an eerie, absolute silence.

The Dăneşti onlookers froze, their faces etched with shock, eyes wide as they watched the scene unfold.

The forest itself held its breath—no rustling leaves, no distant calls of night creatures, just the weight of anticipation pressing down like a physical force.

I knew the consequences could be dire.

Maybe Fenrir would cast me into a cell after this. He might brand me a prisoner, a savage, stripping away my freedom for challenging her in this raw, visceral way.

But I didn’t care.

Let him lock me away, let him chain me for the rest of my days; I’d endure it all if it meant I no longer had to swallow the bitter sting of her gratuitous humiliation.

My pride had been ground down too long, and this—this moment—was my line in the earth, my refusal to bend any further.

I blinked, steeling myself for the inevitable: the searing bite of her claws as they tore into my flesh, the hot rush of blood that would follow.

I could almost feel it already, the phantom pain prickling across my skin. But the impact never came.

My eyes flicked open, confusion knotting my brow as the silence stretched on, unbroken by violence. Then I saw it—a large hand, its nails elongated and glinting like polished obsidian, wrapped tightly around her thin wrist.

She was suspended mid-motion, her attack halted by an unyielding grip.

Marilyn blinked, startled, her head whipping to the side as she registered the interruption.

Fenrir stood there, right behind her, his towering frame radiating a quiet, dangerous intensity. He’d closed the distance between us in an instant, his hair wild and disheveled, strands whipped into chaos by the wind as if he’d sprinted through the forest to reach us.

His muscles were taut beneath his skin, every line of his body coiled with restrained power, and his eyes—those piercing eyes—flickered between molten gold and icy blue, a storm of emotion swirling within them.

The firelight from some distant torch caught the edges of his features, casting sharp shadows across his jaw, and for a moment, he looked less like a man and more like a force of nature unleashed.

He bared his teeth, a flash of white against the dimness, and a low growl rumbled from his chest, vibrating through the air like the warning of a predator staking its claim.

“Fenrir...” she moaned, rubbing against him.

I planted my feet on the ground, controlling my beast, forcing it to remain still, silent, and very quiet inside me. He didn’t belong to us. It didn’t matter if she thought otherwise. Fighting with Marilyn for insulting us was one thing, but now, fighting over jealousy of the alpha was a completely different matter.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he hissed, exuding anger from every pore.

I leaned against Andrei and took a step back, preparing for the onslaught of insults that would follow.

I ruined everything. I retaliated against the bitch and ruined the party. I embarrassed him in front of the pack. Surely, he would say one of those things to me.

He glanced in my direction, where my arm brushed against Andrei’s, before turning back to Marilyn.

“I... I... nothing,” the omega stammered.

She took a deep breath.

“I won’t ask again.”

Marilyn pulled her arm away from his grip. Her skin was marked by the fingers that held her too tightly. He had hurt her. She rubbed the skin, as if trying to erase the mark, feeling embarrassed.

My wolf purred, pleased with his proximity and his position in defending us, putting the bitch in her place.

I shouldn’t focus on his feelings, but I did. Anger. Hatred. Bewilderment. Astonishment. He seemed too confused.

“She provoked me, I just retaliated,” she lied, furrowing her brow, pretending to be sad and offended. “She insulted me about this...” She pointed at the mark on his neck. “I couldn’t control myself, I’m sorry.”

I opened and closed my mouth, stunned by her lack of character. Anton, Andrei, Alexandra, and Mihaela had been by my side the whole time, and they, like me, knew the truth. Still, she didn’t hesitate to come up with the most ridiculous lie possible.

I crossed my arms and waited, ready to curse both of them. I was fed up with Marilyn and her manipulation games. If Fenrir believed her and wanted to throw me in a cage, I’d make the most of it, at least.

Andrei stood still beside me.

Unintentionally, I took another step, pressing our arms together. Fenrir narrowed his eyes at where our bodies touched, and the golden gleam resurfaced. I heard Andrei swallow hard before stepping back.

Unexpectedly, Fenrir grabbed Marilyn by the wrist and spun her around, in front of the entire pack who watched us in silence.

Her friends straightened up, their faces pale and their eyes wide, as if they hadn’t expected what was happening, just like everyone else.

“If any of you, any one of you,” he said, staring directly at the omega, “raise your hand against Savannah or disrespect her in front of me, you will suffer my wrath. She is a Dăneşti, deserves respect just like anyone else here. And above all, she is mated to me. What she feels, I will also feel.” He raised his voice, looking across the pack members. “This is not an order. It is the promise of your alpha. Disobey, and you will find death sooner.” He released Marilyn sharply, leaning in and aligning their faces. “This goes for you too,” he declared.

“Fenrir... I’m sorry, I...,” she murmured, trying to find words, but unable to form a coherent sentence.

“Shut up, Marilyn, and get out of my sight. If you provoke Savannah again or raise a hand to her, I’ll send you to the elder’s prison for defying my orders.”

Tears shone in her eyes, a sob escaped her lips, and a rosy hue covered her cheeks. Lowering her gaze, she spun on her heels and ran away, not looking at anyone.

Fenrir ran a hand through his hair, pulling it back, and took a deep breath. He stared at me, assessing me from head to toe.

“Are you okay?”

I felt as shocked, if not more, than the pack.

Of all the actions he could have taken, this was the one I didn’t expect. Marilyn had humiliated me in various situations, and Fenrir had done nothing in any of them. Seeing him react, not against me, but to protect me, was... unsettling.

I nodded, unable to give him a verbal answer.

My tongue felt like it weighed a ton, stuck to the roof of my mouth. My heart was beating so hard I could hear the buzzing in my eardrums.

“Good,” he said before turning and walking away under the scrutiny of the entire pack.

The music started playing again, and the murmurs of voices merged with the melody as the party continued. However, this time, it was different. I noticed the stares of the people, the comments they made about what had happened. They seemed surprised, shocked. Some were worried, and others were happy.

I stared at Fenrir’s back, watching him until he disappeared into the trees and out of sight.

“I think I’ll drink a bit more, to see if I can absorb the shock of what happened,” Alexandra commented.

“Hey, save some ţuică for me,” Mihaela argued.

“I was ready for the drama,” Andrei said. “I wouldn’t let her hit Savannah.”

“Neither would I,” Anton declared. “I could already hear all the theatrics from Marilyn to Fenrir, about how we would have disrespected her.”

Alexandra laughed.

“And it was him who put the bitch in her place, without anyone needing to step in.”

“This is the best Samhain ever,” Mihaela murmured, seeming a little drunk.

“Shocking,” Andrei agreed.

I stood rooted to the spot, my gaze locked on the shadowed path of trees where Fenrir had vanished, his silhouette swallowed by the dense weave of branches and darkness. The forest seemed to close in around the space he’d left behind, leaves rustling faintly in the breeze as if whispering secrets I couldn’t decipher.

Inside, I was a tangle of conflict, torn between two warring impulses.

A part of me ached to follow him, a desperate, insistent pull that tugged at my chest like a thread stretched taut, urging me to close the distance and bridge whatever gulf had opened between us.

But another part hesitated, heavy with doubt, whispering cautions about what I might find—his anger, his rejection, or worse, an indifference that would cut deeper than any words.

I didn’t know what his reaction would be, and that uncertainty gnawed at me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, the world around me fading as I blocked out the murmur of voices from the others nearby—their conversations a distant hum I had no interest in joining.

I turned inward, focusing on the invisible tether that bound me to him, reaching for the currents of his emotions as they pulsed through that strange, unspoken connection.

What I found was a storm of contradictions: Confusion. Serenity. Hesitation. Resolution.

It was confusing, strange, and senseless. But it served as the injection of courage I needed.

My eyes fluttered open, and I took a steadying breath, the cold air sharp against my lungs. The chatter of the group behind me fell away, their words dissolving into irrelevance as I made my choice.

I stepped forward, and went after him.