Alpha Marcel

“I, Lia Volkov, reject you…” “You’re being serious right now?” He asked, stopping her. “Do I look like I’m joking?” She asked, her eyes hardening. “I am going to reject you… and you, Alpha, are going to accept it…” *********************************** Marcel was bred to be a weapon. A fighter. An executioner. The Alpha sent where rogues needed to be destroyed. He never questioned it. Rogues were chaos. A stain on wolfkind. They were not to be protected, only eliminated. And he would never mate one. Until his wolf chose her. She is everything he was meant to end. A rogue with no pack, no protection, and no place in his world. The bond ignites against his will, only for her to be the one to reject… But as the line between hunter and protector is shattered. Because their kind wants her dead. The rogues want her claimed. And Marcel’s wolf will no longer be silenced. She was never meant to survive him. Yet she may be the one thing that brings him to his knees. Chapter 1 Lia: I didn’t stop running. My shoes struck dirt and gravel, lungs burning, pulse roaring in my ears as branches snapped back against my jacket. My pants were torn at the knee, streaked with mud and blood I didn’t remember earning. I hadn’t worn dresses in a long time. That version of me had died the night my father cast me out. The night where my whole life had changed. Alphas weren’t meant to become rogues. Yet here I was. Hunted from every side, pushed into a darkness that I didn’t know I could survive. The forest blurred as I pushed harder, ignoring the sharp protest in my legs. Behind me, somewhere beyond the dark, there were always footsteps. If not wolves sent by the Council, then rogues eager to cash in on my name. An Alpha-born rogue was worth more alive than dead, at least to the right people. My own blood had decided that much. The bond hit without warning. It slammed into my spine, white-hot and violent, stealing the breath from my lungs. I staggered, catching myself against a tree as my vision swam. No. My wolf recoiled, snarling in instinctive fury, not submission. I didn’t need the pull tugging at my chest to know what it was. I’d felt bonds before, watched others kneel to them. This one felt like a challenge. Like war. I turned slowly, already knowing who stood there. Marcel Del Gardi. The one person who always found me, and yet, always kept me alive despite his reputation. “You know, running is not going to get you far.” He said, and I scoffed, wanting to run back. But my wolf wouldn’t allow it. “Then follow up to that reputation of yours and end this.” I said, glaring at him. “You and I both know that I can.” He said casually. “I am choosing not to for one reason, which you, just like me, feel.” Even in the dark, he was unmistakable. Power rolled off him in suffocating waves, Alpha dominance honed into something sharp and merciless. This was the man sent to end conflicts the world didn’t want named. The fighter who wiped out rogue camps and never asked questions afterward. The irony almost made me laugh. My mate. His gaze locked onto me, and I felt his wolf surge forward, claiming, demanding, recognizing what the world had decided to make forbidden. “Well, then… I reject you,” I said, my voice rough but steady. “I won’t be claimed. Not by an Alpha who was meant to destroy me. Not by anyone in this world that knows nothing but death and hypocrisy.” The bond screamed in protest. But he didn’t speak, not at first. For the first time since I’d turned around, something flickered across his face. Surprise. Maybe disbelief. His jaw tightened, breath drawing in as if he intended to answer, perhaps to reject me back, perhaps worse. “You are being serious right now?” “Yes, now… accept the rejection.” “Say it formally then.” He said, taking a step toward me. “If you mean it, that is…” “I, Lia Volkov, reject you as my mate.” I said, glaring at him. He never got the chance to respond, though. And I never got the chance to run. Growls rose from the trees. Not one. Many. My blood went cold. Rogues burst from the shadows, eyes wild, movements reckless with hunger and greed. One of them hit me hard from the side, claws ripping across my arm as I went down. Pain tore through me, bright and blinding. I fought back on instinct, kicking, twisting, but another shape lunged… It never reached me. The night suddenly turned into something that I could have never imagined. Marcel moved like something unleashed. I saw flashes through the pain, bodies crashing into trees, bones breaking, snarls cut off abruptly. He didn’t fight like a man protecting territory. He fought like a weapon fulfilling its purpose, every strike final, every movement devastating. For me. By the time the last body hit the ground, the forest had gone deathly quiet. I tried to push myself up, wanting to run. My strength failed me, not allowing me to take one step forward. Strong arms caught me, lifting me with effortless ease. His hold was solid, unyielding, nothing like the hesitation I’d expected. The world tilted, darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision. “Let me go.” I whispered as he held me to his chest, his wolf meeting my own despite the informal rejection. “You’re safe now,” he said, low and absolute, as if safety were something he could command into existence. “I’ll be sure of it, little wolf…” I didn’t believe him. But my body betrayed me anyway as everything went black. Chapter 2 Marcel: She weighed less than she should have. That was the first thing I noticed as I carried her through the gates, how light she felt in my arms, how wrong it was for someone with Alpha blood to be reduced to bone, muscle, and stubborn will. Her pulse fluttered against my wrist, fast but steady enough to tell me she wasn’t slipping away. At least, not yet. The territory lights cut through the trees as I crossed the perimeter. My men straightened the moment they caught my scent, and then hers. Confusion rippled through the ranks. I ignored it. I didn’t slow. Her wolf stirred despite the rejection. Mine answered without asking permission, wanting to claim her. I shut it down, knowing well that now was not the time. The pack house doors opened before I reached them. My mother stood at the entrance, as she always did when I returned injured or bloodied or carrying the aftermath of a fight. She had been by my side through wars, Council orders, and the day I decided I would never kneel again. Nothing surprised or phased her anymore. Until now. Her gaze dropped to the woman in my arms. Then it sharpened. “You brought someone,” she said slowly. “A woman.” I didn’t answer, I knew that it wouldn’t change the fact. She stepped closer, eyes narrowing as she inhaled. I felt it the second she caught the scent, Alpha blood, unmistakable, old and powerful. Then the confusion. The edge. “And she’s a rogue,” my mother added. “She is an Alpha born rogue.” Silence stretched. “Why,” she asked carefully, “are you bringing a rogue into your territory, Marcel? When you should be ridding us from them, why did you choose to bring one in?” I walked past her. “She was injured,” I said, voice flat. “She’s under my protection. And no one is going to harm her.” That stopped her. My mother turned, following as I headed inside, her expression unreadable now. “You don’t protect rogues,” she said. “You end them. Or you leave them to the wild.” “I didn’t tonight.” I said, looking down at the woman who stirred in my arms. She looked at the woman again, really looked this time. At the torn clothes. The blood drying along her arm. The faint crease between her brows even in unconsciousness. “An Alpha born rogue is not common. They shouldn’t even be rogues, there is a reason why they are Alphas.” my mother said quietly. “Why would she be a rogue? And have you thought about how you are going to explain this to Elara?” “I don’t think that I am going to have to explain anything to anyone, mother.” I said, and she raised an eyebrow. “Marcel…” “I said, I am not going to explain a thing. She is here, under my protection, because I chose to bring her here. If anyone has a problem with that, they are going to be having a problem with me.” I said, and mother raised an eyebrow. “What if I am the one who has the problem?” Mom asked, looking me dead in the eye. I said nothing, turning to head to the infirmary once more, knowing that we could talk about the rest later. For now, I needed to have her tended to… That was when Elara stepped into the hall. She had always moved like she belonged there, because she did. The beta’s daughter. Raised within these walls. Groomed for them. My mother’s preferred outcome wrapped in loyalty and convenience. Her eyes went straight to the woman in my arms. Then her mouth tightened. “Who is that?” Elara asked, frowning. “What happened to her?” I didn’t stop walking. I didn’t look at her. “Elara,” my mother said, a warning threaded into her tone. But Elara had already stepped closer, her gaze flicking between the woman’s face and the way my arms were locked around her. Possessive. Protective. That, more than anything else, seemed to irritate her. “She doesn’t smell like pack,” Elara said. “Why is she here? Did you bring in a rogue, Marcel?” I reached the medical wing and finally stopped. “Get the medical team,” I ordered, my voice leaving no room for argument. “Now. She is losing too much blood.” They moved instantly. White coats appeared, stretchers rolling forward, hands reaching for the woman I still hadn’t let go of. For a fraction of a second, one I didn’t allow myself to examine, I hesitated. Then I lowered her carefully, ensuring she was supported before I stepped back. “Take care of her,” I said. “No questions.” The lead medic nodded. “Yes, Alpha.” As they wheeled her away, her scent lingered in the air, wild, Alpha-strong, threaded with defiance and blood. My mother watched me closely. “You’re bringing chaos into this house,” she said. “One that you of all people shouldn’t have the time to deal with.” “Chaos found me first,” I replied. “And I am going to deal with it as it is…” Chapter 3 Lia: I woke up choking on air. My body jerked upright before my mind caught up, heart slamming so hard it hurt. White walls replaced trees. The smell of antiseptic burned my nose. Lights, too bright, too clean, made my vision swim. Not the forest. Not dead. The realization didn’t calm me. It made panic crash down harder, my heart racing faster than it should have. I swung my legs off the bed, ignoring the sharp protest in my arm and shoulder. Pain flared, grounding and terrifying all at once. Someone had patched me up. Someone had brought me somewhere. Pack territory. I pushed to my feet, unsteady, instincts screaming to run. “Easy,” a woman’s voice said, calm but firm. “Breathe. I know that you are scared, but you need to breathe.” A hand lifted, not to grab, not to restrain, but to stop me without touching me. Authority radiated from her in a way that made my wolf hesitate despite herself. “Slowly,” she added. “In. And out. You need to calm yourself, child. I know that you don’t want to, but you must.” I didn’t listen. I knew better than to trust strangers in packs. I took another step, dizziness crashing into me like a wall. The room tilted. My knees nearly buckled. “You won’t make it past the door, your body is still too weak. And frankly, I don’t even think that you would know where to go.” she said gently. “Plus, no one is chasing you here. You can allow yourself to sit. And as much as I wouldn’t have said it, you are safe as my son bids it.” I froze. The woman stood a few feet away, composed, observant. Silver threaded through her dark hair, her posture straight, her presence… steady. Alpha-adjacent. Powerful in a quieter way. Her eyes softened as they met mine, not pity. Recognition. Fear. She saw it immediately. “You’re terrified, and we are not going to get anywhere with this.” she said, not accusing. Stating a fact. “And that tells me more than your scent ever could. An Alpha born who turned rogue.” “You know nothing.” I said, and she smiled. “I know enough.” She said, looking me in the eye. “And I think that the two of us know that I am not wrong in my statement.” My chest rose and fell too fast. “Where am I?” I demanded, my voice hoarse. “Safe,” she replied. “As I said, my son wants you safe. No one is going to harm you.” I laughed, short, broken. “That’s a lie. This is no safe ground.” “No,” she said. “It isn’t. I have no reason to lie to you. And if I, or anyone, wanted you hurt, trust me, child… you would have been.” Her gaze flicked briefly to the door, then back to me. “Sit,” she instructed. “Before you collapse. You are already fighting back to balance, and your wolf has yet to heal. You should exert yourself simply because you are choosing to be stubborn.” “I don’t trust you.” I said, and she smiled. “You don’t need to. Your body will do the job before you can choose to say another word.” She said, and though I wanted to object… she was right. My body betrayed me, sinking back onto the bed as my strength drained away. “How am I alive?” I asked quietly. “I was… I should have been dead.” Her lips pressed together for a moment before she answered. “My son brought you here. You were bleeding. You were taken care of. You just need to heal for now.” The words didn’t make sense. “Your… son?” I echoed. “You keep talking about him, but you never mentioned…” “Yes, my son.” She stepped closer now, close enough that I could smell her properly, pack, authority, warmth. “What?” “You were unconscious when you arrived. Injured. He carried you himself.” She said, not bothering to stop, to allow me to think, to regather my thoughts. “You would have died if he hadn’t.” My mind scrambled, memories colliding and refusing to line up. The bond. The rejection. The growls. Violence exploding around me… Him. Marcel. My breath caught painfully as his face surfaced in my mind, sharp and unyielding, his voice low and certain as the world went dark. You’re safe now. “No,” I whispered. “That doesn’t make sense. He kills…” The woman watched the realization dawn, something unreadable crossing her expression. “You remember him,” she said, stopping me. “And to say the least, you know of him.” Before I could answer, before I could decide whether to deny it, the door opened. The room changed instantly. Power filled the space, heavy and unmistakable, pressing into my skin like a warning. My wolf stirred despite everything, despite the rejection, despite my fear. He… Marcel, walked in. His gaze went straight to me. “Mother,” he said calmly, breaking the tension without raising his voice, “please give us a moment.” The woman, Isobel, my mind supplied distantly, studied us both. Then she nodded once. “I’ll be nearby,” she said, her eyes lingering on me. “You are safe here, child. Remember that. If we wanted you dead… you wouldn’t have survived long enough to wake up now…” Chapter 4 Marcel: I closed the door behind my mother and didn’t move closer right away. Lia sat rigid on the edge of the bed, shoulders tight, eyes sharp despite the exhaustion clinging to her. She looked like she was ready to bolt, or attack. Either way, she was coiled for violence. “May I sit?” I asked, keeping my tone even. “I am not here to hurt you. I just want to talk.” Her head snapped up. Fury flashed across her face so fast it surprised me. “Why?” she shot back. “So you can watch me better while you decide how to kill me? Because I doubt that you are here to simply speak to me. What is it going to be? A ransom? Or are you going to torment the answers of whatever questions you might have out of me?” I frowned. That… wasn’t what I had expected. “I brought you here because you were bleeding out,” I said slowly. “You would have died in that forest. I wasn’t going to allow that to happen. Questioning or harming you… why would you even think that?” Her laugh was bitter. Sharp. Both an answer to her pain, my question… “Don’t insult me by pretending this is mercy.” She said, glaring at me. “What do you really want from me?” I took a step closer. She didn’t retreat. Good. Fearless, or reckless. Possibly both. “I wasn’t going to let you die,” I said, firmer now. “Whatever you think of me, that much should be obvious.” Her eyes burned. “Of course you brought me here. It makes sense. You didn’t want anyone else taking the kill. The great Alpha, the killer of rogues… since that bitch played through your walls and councils chose to break whatever protection…” “I never needed anything that the council, or Katherine believed to take.” I said, stopping her. “And I wouldn’t have had the rogues kill you.” “Then by all means, enjoy your kill.” She said darkly as she clenched her fists. “It should be an easy one given my current position.” The words landed harder than they should have. I stopped in front of her, leaning down just enough that she had to look at me. “Do you really believe that I want you dead?” I asked quietly. “Do you think that you would have woken up if I did?” For a heartbeat, uncertainty flickered across her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but she closed it again, fighting back whatever it was that she wanted to say. “Why?” She whispered, looking me in the eye. I wanted to think of a proper response, one that wouldn’t have her turning against me… Then the door opened. “Alpha…” “Elara?” I said sharply. “What do you want?” She walked in like she owned the room, expression soft, familiar—too familiar. She crossed straight to my side, fingers brushing my arm as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she said lightly, smiling up at me. “Your mother’s calling for you.” I looked at her. “For what?” “She didn’t say.” A pause. Perfectly timed. “But she sounded concerned. She didn’t want to walk in here herself. She didn’t want to frighten our guest here.” Lia’s gaze snapped between us, her jaw tightening. The air shifted. Tension coiled tight and volatile. I exhaled slowly. “I’ll be back,” I said, more to myself than to Lia. “And we are going to talk when I’m back.” Her eyes narrowed. “Of course you will.” I didn’t answer, mostly because I knew that she was going to need to process whatever was going on. I turned and followed Elara into the hall. The moment the door closed behind us, I stopped walking. “What were you doing in that room?” I asked coldly. She spun around, irritation flashing through her carefully composed expression. “Excuse me?” “You heard me.” I asked, glaring at her. “And you know well enough that I don’t like repeating myself twice.” She scoffed. “I was checking on you. On her. Everyone is talking about you bringing her here, and now that you are in her room personally… what do you think that’s going to spark?” “I didn’t ask you to.” Her lips pressed together. “You’re being unreasonable. Everyone knows my place with you, and it is my right to ask questions when you bring in a woman, in your arms… and not to mention, she is a rogue.” “I did not ask for your opinion.” I said, shutting her out completely. “And I wouldn’t ask about something when I am the one making decisions.” Her eyes hardened. “You don’t get to shut me out, Marcel. I am not going to sit back and watch… And if that is what you expect…” “I just did.” I said, stopping her. “And if you don’t like it, I believe that you know to walk out that door.” She stared at me for a long moment, then huffed sharply and turned away. “Fine. Do whatever you want.” She walked out the door without another word. I stood there longer than necessary. Behind me, I felt it before I heard it, my mother’s presence, quiet and observant. “You really did bring in chaos,” Chapter 5 Lia: The food was untouched. I didn’t want to eat, but the maids insisted that I had to get something to eat. I knew he would notice it the second he walked in. The tray sat neatly on the small table by the window, warm soup, bread, water. Real food. Pack food. I hadn’t eaten any of it, but I had stopped pacing. Stopped shaking. That alone would tell him I wasn’t as frightened as before. The door opened without a knock. Marcel stepped inside, closing it behind him with deliberate calm. His gaze flicked to the tray, then to me. No judgment. No comment. He pulled out the chair across from the bed and sat. “I see that you are still being stubborn with eating.” “You didn’t have to get me anything to eat.” I said, and he scoffed. “And let you starve yourself to death.” “It would be a better option than being poisoned.” I said, and he raised an eyebrow before taking the glass and taking a sip of the water, setting it back in its place. I looked away from him, knowing that he just proved a point. Then again, I knew that I would have smelled it if they snuck in poison. For a moment, neither of us spoke. I just stared into space, wondering what was coming next. The silence stretched, heavy but not suffocating. Different from before. I hated that I noticed. And I hated, more than anything, that my wolf felt comfortable with whatever this was. I exhaled slowly. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you earlier. I am sorry for it.” His eyes lifted to mine. Sharp. Assessing. “You were injured,” he said. “And cornered. I wouldn’t blame you for being scared given everything that you must have endured until today.” “That doesn’t excuse it.” “No,” he agreed. “It explains it. But you don’t need to apologize for it.” I looked away, jaw tightening. The words sat between us, unsettling in their lack of accusation. He leaned back slightly. “What’s your story?” I stiffened. “My what?” “Your story,” he repeated evenly. “Why you were running? Not from the rogues that night… from everything. And don’t tell me that you weren’t. It wasn’t me your were running from. You knew, since the moment you saw me weeks ago, that I wouldn’t harm you.” I didn’t answer. The seconds ticked by. I could feel him watching me, waiting. Not pressing. That somehow made it worse. One brow lifted, just a fraction. “I thought so.” I glared at him. “Don’t do that.” “Do what?” “Pretend you’re patient.” A corner of his mouth twitched. “I am patient. And I am waiting for an answer. One way or another, I am going to get it.” “With everyone else,” I shot back. “I have no answers to give to you.” He didn’t deny it. “Listen,” he said, voice lowering. “I can’t help you if you won’t speak. I am not going to hurt you, Lia.” I laughed, short and humorless. “I don’t need your help.” His gaze sharpened. “What I need,” I continued, forcing the words out before doubt could stop me, “is for you to accept my rejection. And let me leave. Me staying here is not going to do any of us any good.” Silence snapped into place. Then he smirked. It wasn’t kind. It wasn’t amused. It was slow and dangerous. He rose from the chair and took one step toward me. Then another. I stood my ground, even as every instinct screamed at me to move. He stopped close enough that I could feel him, heat, power, something ancient and unyielding pressing into my space. His eyes held mine, and then… Gold bled into the dark. His wolf surged forward, not fully, but enough. Enough to make my breath hitch. Enough to remind me exactly who I was standing in front of. Enough to remind me that he could have my head if he wanted to, and he was choosing not to. “That,” he said quietly, voice layered with something not entirely human, “is not going to happen. And it would be better if you allow yourself to breathe.” My heart slammed against my ribs. Before I could speak, before I could argue or threaten or beg, he stepped back, turned, and walked out of the room. I stared at the door for a second too long before releasing a breath that I didn’t even realize that I was holding before opening my mouth. “Well then, Alpha… it seems to me that you are in for a surprise…” Chapter 6 Marcel: “Are you sure that her staying here is the right idea, Marcel?” My beta, Vladimir, asked. He had been waiting for me outside the infirmary door, and though ration told me that he was right to ask… her staying was not a good idea judging by everything. But I was not sending my mate to die. “I am not going to send her back into whatever hell she’s been through. But you are going to look into her story.” I said, and he nodded. “What am I to find?” “Anything that would lead to her. I want to know why she was cast out. Look for a Lia Volkov.” He looked at the door for a second before turning his attention to me. “An Alpha born who was cast out a rogue by her pack… pretty sure that we already have our options narrowed. But she is not from here. We would have known if she was.” He said, and I ran my fingers through my hair. The two of us kept walking, heading out, and though part of me didn’t want to leave, another knew that I had to. Plus, I needed to take care of a lot for now, and Lia, as tempting as it was going to be to talk to her, was not giving me the better resolve. “I don’t really care where she is from. I want to know what she did to be cast out.” I said, heading toward my room. “Whatever it is that you find on her, I want to know. She is not going anywhere, and she is going to eventually realize that she is safe here. At least, as long as she doesn’t start causing trouble.” “Don’t worry, I’ll let you know what I find.” He said, and I nodded. “And Vladimir?” I asked, making him raise an eyebrow. “Be sure that no one finds out about this.” He walked away without saying another word. I didn’t need him to. If I trusted anyone in this world, it was him. My best friend and the man who grew by my side. It was supposed to be Elara as my beta, she was born into it. But I grew up with Vladimir, and I always knew that he was going to be my right hand. The moment of peace in my room didn’t last for long, though. A soft chime sounded at the door moments later instead, the polite kind, practiced. I didn’t need my wolf to tell me who it would be. The scent reached me first. Familiar. Sweetened with submission. “Enter,” I said flatly. She stepped inside with measured confidence, the kind taught, not born. Dark hair loose over her shoulders, silk clinging to her frame like it was made for nights that never asked questions. One of my consorts. One of the women chosen long ago to ease an Alpha’s temper when violence threatened to spill over. She stopped just inside the room. “My Alpha,” she murmured, eyes lowering before lifting again, slow and deliberate. “Luna Isobel sent me. I hope that I wasn’t intruding.” I raised an eyebrow. That was all. She took it as permission. She crossed the room with quiet grace, every step calculated. I didn’t move. Didn’t stop her. This was routine. Expected. Clean. Her fingers brushed my arm first. Then she leaned in, lips grazing the line of my jaw, her breath warm against my skin. “You’ve been tense,” she whispered, pressing a soft kiss to my neck. “I can feel it in your shoulders.” She ran her hands over my chest, down to my abdomen… “Let me…” Her mouth shifted closer to my lips. I caught her wrist. Not hard. Just enough. She froze. “Enough,” I said calmly. Confusion flickered across her face. “Did I…? I’m sorry…” “You’re dismissed.” The words landed heavier than a shout. She searched my eyes, clearly unsure if this was a test. A mood. A punishment. “My Alpha, if I did anything to offend you…” “Leave,” I repeated, firmer now. “Now.” She stepped back immediately, head lowering, composure snapping back into place. Without another word, she turned and slipped out of the room, the door closing softly behind her. Silence reclaimed the space. My wolf snarled, not in hunger, but irritation. It wasn’t her scent that lingered. It was Lia’s. The mate who was now daring to challenge. Blood. Defiance. Rejection that still burned like an open wound. I dragged a hand through my hair and exhaled slowly. This wasn’t lust. It wasn’t need. It was something far more dangerous. And my mother knew it. The door was knocked again, and the low growl that escaped me was one that I couldn’t stop… it was one of annoyance. But it was the next words that made my eyes harden… “Alpha, it is your guest.” One of my men said, making me frown. “She ran away, Alpha…”