A New Claim
Raphael’s POV
The gasps from the crowd echoed in my ears, the disbelief palpable as I stood there with my hand extended toward Ava. I wouldn’t call the Moon Stone pack a large or important one, but the malice they showed toward their own, toward this woman, baffled me. They didn’t know how to treat someone as valuable as she was. And it filled me with disgust.
My hand was still extended, and I could feel Grey pushing me, refusing to let it drop. He wanted her to take it. He wanted to claim her. My wolf’s possessiveness surged through me with a strength I hadn’t felt in decades.
The moment her hand slipped into mine, something in me shifted. The warmth of her skin against mine… I knew then that I would never let her go.
"My King," Charles, the Alpha, began, his voice filled with disdain. "She is wolf-less and unworthy of any standing in your court. Even slaves are better than her."
A surge of pure anger pulsated through me, my teeth grinding as I fought the urge to strike him down. Never before had I wanted to kill someone as much as I did my late sister’s husband. The audacity to speak of her like that in my presence…
"Don’t talk about our mate like that!" Grey roared in my mind, his voice thunderous. The word echoed in my head, and I froze.
Mate?
"What do you mean, mate?" I demanded internally. But Grey had gone silent, leaving me in confusion just as Ava’s mother stormed forward, delivering a vicious slap to her daughter’s face. The sound was deafening, and I watched, frozen, as the woman shoved Ava to her knees, hitting her repeatedly.
If Ava had been without a wolf, as they claimed, those blows would have been fatal. The brutality in her mother’s strikes would have left her broken beyond repair. But Ava… she fought back. She pushed her mother with such force that the woman staggered backward, barely catching herself from falling.
Her blue eyes gleamed silver.
Her wolf was surfacing. A powerful one for that matter.
"Don’t you dare lay your filthy hands on me again," Ava’s voice rang out, but it wasn’t just hers. It was her wolf, angry, fierce, protective.
I was at her side in seconds, taking her hand once again, running my thumb over her knuckles gently to calm her. I had never seen anything like this, and yet it made perfect sense. The power radiating from her… she was not weak. Not wolf-less and certainly not powerless.
"Any further disrespect toward her will be a direct disrespect toward me," I announced, my voice booming through the hall. "She will not be less than a slave in my court. She will be whoever she wants to be. Under my protection, she will thrive. And as you can see," I added, my eyes flashing with cold fury, "she is not wolf-less."
The crowd fell silent, their eyes wide with shock and fear. They were beginning to understand that they had grossly underestimated her. Ava had thrown her mother aside with a strength I hadn’t expected, a strength that would rival even the strongest wolves in this pack. She was powerful. She was mine.
I could hear their whispers now, the confusion rippling through them.
"I thought she didn’t have a wolf..."
"Had she been pretending all this time?"
"She’s stronger than Helena."
"I’m scared."
I turned back to Ava, her hand still in mine. "Are you alright?" I asked, my voice softer now, my concern for her genuine.
I watched in amazement as the wounds from her mother’s assault began to heal right before my eyes. Swiftly. Too swiftly, even for a Beta’s daughter. Every gash, every bruise, sealing itself until there was no trace of injury left. She stood there, whole, uninjured.
"Alpha Charles," I called, my voice a low growl. "I will be leaving tomorrow with her. Until then, there will be no more mistreatment of Ava Jackson. Any harm that befalls her will be met with swift consequences."
Without waiting for a response, I turned, leading Ava out of the hall. Gemma and my Beta, Caleb, followed closely behind, silent but vigilant.
When we reached my quarters, I turned to them both. "You’re dismissed for the night. We leave the first thing tomorrow."
They hesitated, eyes flickering between me and Ava, but I didn’t give them a chance to argue. I shut the door behind us, ensuring we would have no interruptions.
Once we were alone, Ava spoke, her voice soft yet steady. "Why did you step in, my King?"
I turned to face her, watching the way her blue eyes shined in the dim light. Her strength was undeniable, but there was a fragility there too, a vulnerability she was trying to hide.
"I don’t know," I admitted, taking a step closer to her. "I just felt… I needed to protect you." I paused, my eyes searching hers. "My wolf… he likes you a lot. He’s never been this way before."
Grey was silent now, but I could feel his approval, his possessiveness still simmering beneath the surface. She was ours. There was no denying it anymore.
She frowned, confused, and I knew she couldn’t sense the mate bond yet. The broken bond with Landon was likely clouding her ability to recognize the truth. And I wasn’t about to force it on her. Not yet.
"I was here to honor my sister’s memory," I continued. "But now… I’ll be leaving tomorrow. With you."
Ava’s gaze softened, but there was still a wariness there. She had been through too much, her trust too fragile.
"Thank you," she said, her voice barely a whisper.
I nodded, stepping back slightly, giving her space. "Get some rest, Ava. We have a long journey ahead of us."
She hesitated, as if unsure of what to say next, but eventually nodded, retreating toward the bed. As she settled in, I kept my distance, watching her as she drifted off to sleep.
I wouldn’t rush her. But I would protect her. And eventually, she would be mine.
As she slept, I couldn’t shake the feeling of her hand in mine. It was a sensation I could get used to.
For now, I will let her rest.
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