CHAPTER 80: CHAPTER 80: ALPHA AERON’S PROTECTIVE STANCE

The owner of the deep voice was none other than Alpha Aeron DuskDraven, who had suddenly stepped out from his hidden position and stood in front of her protectively.

Selene felt dread seep into her bones, slow and suffocating, while countless questions swirled in her mind. What does he mean by leaving me to him? What does he want to do with me?

Did he recognize her? Or maybe he had begun to doubt her identity? But how could that even be possible...her enchantment was still working, wasn’t it? There was still time before it wore off. Just to reassure herself, Selene darted a glance toward the floor-to-ceiling window, and an entirely unfamiliar face with different hair stared back at her reflection.

Her appearance was intact. Then was it her scent that had betrayed her? No... Her gaze fell to the bracelet clutched around her hand, it was still there, completely manipulating her scent.

Then why the hell does he want to deal with me? For the first time, panic cracked through her expression. She did not want to go with him. No, she would rather be taken by any of the other Alphas, it would at least make escaping easier. But with him? She could not guarantee freedom.

Her heart wasn’t just betraying her, it was her prison, the cursed mate bond tightening its chains every time his presence drew near. Her chest burned, trembling with a fear she could barely disguise, her eyes darting to his face, desperate to find some clue, some hint of the purpose behind his words.

The color drained from her face.

But to the other Alphas, it looked as though she had finally broken and that she was cowering before them. Their egos swelled, their eyes gleaming with arrogance, utterly blind to the truth. To them, she was finally afraid of their kind, mistaking her dread for submission.

And Alpha Fenrik...oh, he was suddenly delighted. A smug smile curled on his lips as he looked at her frozen expression, his eyes flashing with cruel satisfaction.

"Yes, Alpha Aeron," he said smoothly, his voice filled with relief, "you can take care of her. I only want my son back. But if you take her under your charge, it will be to our benefit as well." His gaze glimmered with a twisted sort of joy, as though the sight of her fear was already enough to soothe his wounded pride.

Fenrik’s words dripped like poison, but there was a strange eagerness in them...like a man licking the boots of one greater, desperate to align himself with power. He wanted Aeron to have her. He wanted to feed her into his jaws.

The other Alphas nodded in agreement, their eyes flicking between Fenrik and Aeron, then back to Selene. Their faces were painted with mocking grins, some sneering openly, others smirking as if they had just witnessed the cruelest joke.

Because Alpha Aeron was not just any Alpha. He was the strongest Alpha among them, the one with the most ruthless and strongest pack. His strength was legend who had conquered many packs under himself. And now... he had finally stepped forward for a witch.

Their eyes shone with excitement, like they finally found something interesting.

"Finally," one heir murmured under his breath, loud enough for the others to hear. "The great Alpha Aeron has decided to taste the world for what it is. Even he cannot resist."

Low chuckles rippled among them, making her stomach roll with disgust. Their words weren’t spoken to her...they were spoken over her, around her, like she was nothing but an object, an offering, a plaything to be tossed into Aeron’s hands.

And they pushed it further. Their laughter dripped with filth, their eyes leering at her as though even her defiance was a joke. "Even she fears him," one jeered softly. "And who would not be afraid of Alpha Aeron?"

Selene’s stomach twisted violently. She could feel every mocking glance press against her like claws, stripping her raw, peeling back her pride until only her burning heart remained.

They were handing her to him, pushing her into the jaws of the one man she could not fight, not because of his strength, but because of the cursed bond that chained her soul to his.

She clenched her teeth until her jaw ached, her gaze cutting through them like she was already looking at corpses. Filthy men... Their minds were sewers, overflowing with filth that they dared to call power. Rotting wolves who believed themselves kings.

Alpha Aeron stood there like stone, utterly unmoved by the filth spilling from their mouths. Their mocking and their desperate eagerness to please him, it washed over him like waves against a cliff, leaving not a single ripple on his expression.

Where Selene’s rage boiled in her veins, Aeron was cold, calm as the sea in the dead of night. His face betrayed nothing, as though their words were beneath notice, not even worth the weight of disdain.

He did not answer them. He did not rise to their bait. He simply stepped forward, his presence heavy enough to silence the room without a word. And then his gaze landed on her.

Selene froze, her throat tightening. The full weight of his eyes pressed into her, burning and unyielding. For one heartbeat she could not breathe, her body betraying her as the cursed bond writhed within her chest.

"Get up," he said with a deep voice, a command that left no space for defiance. "Follow me."

The room went still. Even the Alphas who had just been mocking her dared not laugh now.

Selene’s heart slammed against her ribs, her legs trembling as she struggled to rise under the weight of her restraints and his voice alike. Every instinct screamed at her not to obey, not to step closer, and yet her body betrayed her all over again.

Aeron did not look at her struggle and did not offer aid or mockery. He simply turned, as though her compliance was inevitable, already decided.

But before he moved further, his eyes shifted, settling on Alpha Fenrik. "Your son will be returned," Aeron said flatly, his voice a final decree.

Without waiting for a response, Aeron turned and began to walk, his long strides unhurried, leaving the other Alphas in silence that carried its own weight of dominance.

And Selene, with her heart burning, had no choice but to follow.