The Human Girl Who Tamed Alpha King Chapter 14

PRESENT TIME

JACE

Seeing Dominic attack Aria sparked my fury.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

What the hell? That damn Dominic—who does he think he is, attacking MY person? I was seeing red, I swear.

My fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms. Every muscle in my body was screaming to rush over there and teach him a lesson he'd never forget. The nerve of that guy! Nobody—and I mean NOBODY—messes with what's mine and gets away with it!

Phantom surged inside me as Dominic tackled Aria from behind, slamming her to the ground. Seeing him pin her down, his face moving close to hers as if he owned her, made my vision go red.

My body was already moving, a growl tearing from my throat that silenced the entire training ground. The sound vibrated through the clearing, heavy with Alpha power that made every wolf present drop their gaze and freeze in place. But before I could reach them, Aria made her move.

The crack of her forehead connecting with Dominic's face echoed across the training ground. She followed with a perfectly executed strike to his sternum that left him gasping. In one fluid motion that spoke of years of training, she reversed their positions and was on her feet, knife drawn from her boot with lethal grace.

The sight of her standing over him, blade steady at his throat, eyes blazing with righteous fury – it was magnificent. Phantom howled his approval inside me, a sound of pure admiration for the strength and skill of our mate.

*Our mate defended herself *, Phantom purred with satisfaction. *She's perfect.*

Pride swelled in my chest, followed immediately by a crushing wave of frustration. She was right there, so close I could smell her scent carried on the wind, and yet she might as well have been on another planet. The mate bond pulled at me with physical force, demanding I go to her, comfort her, claim her. But I couldn't. Not yet.

I watched from a distance as she wiped blood from her temple, every instinct screaming at me to rush over and tend to her wound myself. My hands literally trembled with the effort of staying put. The sight of her blood – even just a few drops – made Phantom pace restlessly in my mind.

*She's hurt. We should go to her,* he insisted.

"We can't," I whispered under my breath. "Not yet."

After training ended and the pack members dispersed, I waited. Dominic lingered near the equipment shed, probably hoping to avoid me. Too bad for him – there was no escaping this conversation.

I found him sitting on a fallen log behind the shed, holding a cloth to his still-bleeding nose. For a moment, I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

"How's the nose?" I asked, keeping my voice casual as I approached.

He looked up, startled. "Alpha! I didn't hear you coming."

"Healing well?" I sat down beside him, maintaining the facade of a concerned leader checking on his injured pack member.

"Yes, sir. Should be fine by tomorrow." He lowered the cloth, revealing the swollen, purpled mess Aria had made of his face.

"Good. That's good." I nodded, letting silence stretch between us. "You know, Dominic, you've been with this pack for what, three years now?"

"Yes, Alpha. Three years next month."

"And in all that time, have I ever given you reason to believe that disrespecting our guests was acceptable?"

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees. Dominic's posture shifted, sensing the change in my tone.

"No, Alpha."

"Then help me understand what happened out there today." My voice remained calm, but there was determination underneath now. "Because from where I stood, it looked an awful lot as though you were forcing unwanted attention on a woman under my protection."

Dominic's face went pale beneath the bruising. "Alpha, I was just trying to—"

"You were trying to what, exactly?" I turned to face him fully, and he instinctively lowered his gaze. "Demonstrate your dominance over someone who can't shift to defend herself? Show off for the other wolves by overpowering a human?"

"It wasn't supposed to go that far. I just wanted to get her attention, maybe impress her—"

"By tackling her to the ground?" The words came out as a growl that made him flinch. "By pinning her down while she clearly struggled to get away?"

*Kill him*, Phantom snarled in my mind. He touched our mate without permission. *Rip his throat out.*

I forced myself to remain seated, but my hands clenched into fists. "What you did today was assault, Dominic. In the human world, you'd be facing criminal charges. In my pack, you're facing something much worse."

"Alpha, please, I'm sorry—"

"Sorry doesn't undo what you did." I stood up, towering over him. "Sorry doesn't erase the fear I saw in her eyes when you grabbed her."

"You're going on border patrol," I said, my voice deadly quiet. "Northern border. One month. Alone."

Dominic's face went white. "Alpha, a month of solitary patrol in winter—"

"Is exactly what you've earned." I leaned down, getting close enough that he could feel the heat of my anger. "You'll have plenty of time to think about what it means to respect the people under my protection. Maybe the cold will help cool that aggressive streak of yours."

"Please, Alpha, I have a mate, pups—"

"Then you should have thought about them before you decided to assault an innocent woman." I straightened up, every inch the Alpha delivering judgment. "Your mate and pups will be provided for in your absence. That's more consideration than you showed Aria today."

Dominic's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Yes, Alpha."

"You leave at dawn. Pack light – you'll be living rough." I turned to go, then paused. "And Dominic? If I ever see you lay an unwanted hand on anyone again, exile will be the least of your worries."

As I walked away, leaving him sitting there in the growing darkness, Phantom's satisfaction mixed with my own. But underneath it all was that constant, gnawing ache. The mate bond was a wound that wouldn't heal, made worse every time I saw her and couldn't act on it.

*Why do we wait?* Phantom asked for the hundredth time. *She's ours. Take her.*

"Because she deserves better than being claimed by a monster," I replied silently. "She deserves a choice."

*You're not a monster.*

"Tell that to everyone I've killed."

Walking along the forest path, a sweet melody caught my attention. The voice was beautiful, carrying a pure power that made me slow my steps involuntarily. It came from the direction of the pup center, the lyrics from an old werewolf lullaby I remembered from childhood.

I should stick to my plan—shower, tackle the never-ending pile of administrative work. But Phantom was already pulling me toward the singing, eager and impatient.

*It's her*, he said with absolute certainty. *Our mate is singing*.

My thoughts drifted to the golden-red haired human girl. Aria. Since she arrived with Gabriel and Lucas, I hadn't been able to get her out of my head.

But what impressed me most was what I saw in the training area today. Despite being human, she showed incredible speed and agility. When Dominic made his unwelcome approach, she landed that punch with precision—the reason he needed to stop his bleeding.

"My little warrior," I murmured, feeling the corner of my mouth lift.

Hours later, I sat in my office with border patrol reports spread across my desk when a knock interrupted my thoughts.