THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE

he silence was palatable.  They all feared this intruder, no one was moving, no one was saying a word. It made me wonder, who was this man?  Slowly, I lifted my head. A man stood there. Tall. Broad shoulders. He wore all black, his clothes perfectly fitted.  But it was his face that made my breath catch. He was handsome in a way that seemed almost unreal. Sharp jaw. High cheekbones. Dark black hair that fell over his shoulders. His eyes held me frozen. They were golden. They glowed slightly in the darkness, like they had their own light.  He was looking down at me with expressions that was unreadable. Behind him, I could see the crowd. Everyone had their heads bowed. Some had dropped to their knees. Fear was written across every face.  "I asked a question and expect answers" he interrupted. "Alpha Kael ," my stepmother's voice came out shaky. She stepped forward, "We didn't know you were here. We-" Alpha? This was Alpha King, Kael Drakemoor.  The most powerful Alpha in the entire district. The one everyone feared. And he was standing right in front of me. Celeste suddenly rushed forward, tears streaming down her face. Real tears this time, I noticed. She was scared.  "Alpha King," she said, her voice trembling. "This girl... My stepsister. She's a menace. She tried to seduce my fiancé. When he refused her, she attacked him and tried to frame him for assault."  My stomach drop. She was lying again. And this time to the Alpha King himself, would I be killed tonight for a lie?.  Will I die like my father did?  Damien stepped forward too, his head bowed respectfully. "It's true, Your Majesty. She forced herself on me. I pushed her away and she got angry. That's why her dress is torn. She did it to make it look like I attacked her. "No," I whispered. My voice was so quiet I wasn't sure anyone heard me.  But the Alpha King's head turned toward me. Those golden eyes found mine again. "Is this true?" he asked.  I stared at him. Someone was asking for my side of the story. Someone was actually asking me what happened.  "No," I said again, louder this time. My voice shook. "No, it's not true." "She's lying!" Celeste shouted.  "She's always been a liar! She's always caused trouble!"  "Silence." The Alpha King ordered, his voice came out calmly yet the single word made everyone go quiet.  Power.  He took a step closer to me. Then another. He crouched down until he was at my level, his golden eyes boring into mine."Tell me what happened, the truth," he said quietly.  I swallowed hard. My throat felt tight. Could I trust him? Would he believe me when no one else did? His eyes were intense but not cruel. There was something in them that made me think maybe, just maybe, he might listen. "I was upstairs," I started, my voice shaking. "Arranging the rooms. It's my birthday too, not just Celeste's. But I was working while she had her party." I don't know why I needed to say that part but I my heart trusted in his golden eyes.  I saw his jaw tighten slightly but he didn't interrupt.  "Damien came into the room," I continued. Tears started falling again but I pushed through.   "He cornered me. I told him to leave, that he was Celeste's fiancé. But he wouldn't listen. He said I should be grateful someone like him wanted me.  He tried to- He tried to force himself on me." My voice broke and I couldn't stop the sob that escaped.  "He grabbed me. He kissed me even though I fought him. He touched me.  I bit him and pushed him away as hard as I could.  I ran. He chased me and grabbed my dress. That's how it got torn. I came down here to tell Celeste what happened but-" "She's lying!" Vivian interrupted.  "Your Majesty, please don't listen to her. She's always been trouble. Everyone knows about her!!"  "I said silence!"  This time the Alpha King's voice came out as a growl, low and dangerous. He stood up, his full height towering over me. He looked at Damien. "Show me your face." Damien hesitated but lifted his head. There, clear as day, was the mark I'd left when I bit him. Still bloodied and swollen.  The Alpha King stared at it for a long moment. Then he turned to me.  "Get up" he said and held out his hand to help me up, I slide my hand into his. There is a spark of electricity is feel as I struggled to stand with shaky legs.  He examined my face, my torn dress, the bruises forming on my arms where Damien had grabbed me.  When he seemed to have had enough, his golden eyes flashed with something. Something dark and angry but it didn't scare me.  I stared at him as he turned back to the crowd.  "This girl was assaulted. Anyone with eyes can see that. The man has marks from being bitten. Her dress is torn from being grabbed from behind, not from the front.  She has bruises on her arms which shows she was being held down." "But Your Majesty-" Vivian said, wanting to say more lies. "I'm not finished." The Alpha said, his voice was ice cold. "I have seen enough to know that this girl is telling the truth."  The finality in his words made my knees buckle,  nearly giving out again. He believed me. The Alpha King believed me. "Your Majesty, please," Celeste begged. "She's just-" "Enough!" The Alpha's eyes flashed with gold light. Something primal radiated from him.  Power. Raw, terrifying power that made everyone step back. He looked at me again and his expression softened slightly.  "Come with me," he said, squeezing my hand slightly.  "You don't have to stay here." I stared at his hand. Then at his face.  Leave? With him? Where would we go? "I..." I looked back at the house. At Vivian and Celeste.  Despite everything, this was still the only home I knew. "I'll be fine here," I whispered. "Thank you for believing me, but I can't-"  "You can't?"  His eyes narrowed. "Did you not just tell me how you've been treated? How you've been abused for months?"  "Yes but don't worry about me," I said quietly. "I'll be fine." He studied me for a long moment. Then he turned to Vivian.  His expression was hard, cold and terrifying. "If I hear that something like this happens again," he said slowly, each word deliberate, "if I hear that you people go around hurting innocent people. I will return.  And I will not be merciful." Vivian's face went pale. She nodded quickly. The Alpha King looked at each person in the crowd. "Do you all understand?  No one dares lay a hand on her again" Silence. Then everyone nodded, their heads bowed. He looked at me one last time. There was something in his eyes I couldn't read as he let go of my hand.  Was it concern? Frustration?  Worry? I can't tell.  "Remember what I said," he told Vivian again. "I will know if anything happens to her. And you do not want me to come back."With that, he turned and walked away.  His footsteps faded into the darkness. He left but his aura still had everyone frozen.  I stood there, with my hands pressed to my chest and unrestrained tears streaming down my face.  The Alpha King had believed me. He'd defended me. He'd warned them not to touch me. But as I looked at Vivian's face, at the hatred burning in her eyes, I knew one thing for certain.  His warning wouldn't be enough.