An Alpha's Forbidden Mate-Chapter 37: Pride

Chapter Thirty Seven

The atmosphere in the throne room was thick enough to choke the senses. High above, the King leaned forward, his eyes shimmering with a cold, predatory intelligence. Tom stood at the base of the stairs, his pulse thrumming in his ears as the King’s voice rumbled through the chamber: "Do you know your crime, boy?"

Tom’s mind raced. He thought of the date in the city, the laughter he had shared with Caroline, and the way her hand had felt in his. Is this it? he wondered. Is he going to execute me for touching his daughter?

"No, my King," Tom replied, his voice a steady mask for the turmoil beneath.

"You’re guilty," the King said, a slow, jagged smile spreading across his face, "of taking my daughter’s heart."

Tom’s blood ran cold. The word taking echoed in his mind like a death knell. A horrific misunderstanding flashed before his eyes—images of Caroline lying dead, of himself being framed for a murder he didn’t commit. He thought of John’s sudden appearance earlier; could the Shadow Wolf have done something so reckless?

"Your Majesty, I didn’t kill the Princess!" Tom blurted out, his hands clenching into fists. "I didn’t! We just—"

The King paused, his brow arching in amusement. "Kill her? What are you talking about, boy? I mean the way she stares at you. I mean she loves you."

Tom froze. The tension snapped so suddenly he felt dizzy. "Wait... what?"

"I am a father, Tom. I see the way my daughter has changed since you arrived," the King continued, his tone shifting into something almost fatherly, though it felt as oily as a snake’s skin. "I know you two went on a date, and I must admit, I haven’t seen her smile like that for a very long time. It seems you have truly stolen her heart."

Tom exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He felt foolish, yet the underlying fear remained. "My King... that might be a rather large assumption. We were simply enjoying view of the city."

The King laughed—a dry, hollow sound. "Modesty becomes you. But understand this: I am not against you two dating. In fact, I want you two to work. A hero who is anchored by love is a hero who stays loyal to the crown."

"Thank you, my King," Tom said, bowing his head. "I really appreciate your... blessing."

"You’re welcome," the King said, waving a hand dismissively. "You may leave now." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

As Tom turned to depart, his eyes caught Olivia, the maid who stood silently by the pillar. She wasn’t looking at him with the blank stare of a servant; she was wearing a strange, chilling smile—the kind of look the devil might give a soul he had just purchased.

John was right, Tom thought as he hurried through the corridors. Caroline isn’t just a girl. She’s a golden cage. The King is using her to bind me to this throne before I can even think of rebellion.

Tom spent the rest of the night in a state of restless exhaustion. When he finally closed his eyes, his dreams were a fractured kaleidoscope of his childhood: Luna’s laughter in the forest, his father’s steady hand on his shoulder, and the warmth of a home that felt light-years away.

The next morning, the sun had barely touched the horizon when Tom felt a presence in his room. He opened his eyes to see a blurry silhouette standing at the foot of his bed. Unlike previous times, Tom didn’t jump or reach for a weapon. He simply sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you ready?" John’s voice was as sharp as a winter frost.

"Ready for what?" Tom groaned, his body still aching from the previous day’s stresses.

"Last night you asked me to teach you how to tap into your evolved form," John said, crossing his arms. "I don’t like repeating myself. Are we doing this or not?"

"Fine. Let me just dress—"

Before Tom could finish the sentence, John’s hand clamped onto his shoulder. The room dissolved into a churning vortex of black space. Tom felt as if he were being pulled through a straw. A second later, they appeared in the same vast, desolate plain where John had previously "tortured" him into physical toughness.

The world tilted. Tom lurched forward, his stomach turning inside out as he vomited onto the dry grass. "What... what is happening to me?" he wheezed, wiping his mouth.

"Oh, that might be my fault," John said, looking entirely unaffected. "It was the speed at which we reached this place."

"I didn’t vomit the first time you brought me here!" Tom snapped. "And I was even weaker back then."

"The first time was at night," John explained coolly. "We jumped from shadow to shadow—a simple flicker. But since it’s broad daylight, there are no shadows to link the palace to this plain. We had to cross dimensions. It’s like jumping into the shadow of Place A but forcing a window open to appear in Place B."

Tom stared at him, bewildered. "Like a portal? How the hell did you learn a technique like that?"

"I didn’t learn it," John said, a small spark of pride in his eyes. "I created it."

Tom let out a skeptical laugh. "If you don’t want to tell me the truth, just say so. No need to play the genius."

John didn’t argue. He simply stood there with a straight face, but Tom noticed something. "John... are you okay? Your nose is bleeding."

John touched the side of his nostril, looking at the crimson smear on his fingers. He didn’t seem surprised; he just wiped it away with his sleeve. "I guess I still need a lot of training myself. Dimension jumping takes a toll. Now, stop worrying about me and get into position."

John picked up a small, smooth pebble from the ground. "Now, I want you to catch this—not with your hands, but with your mind. Your Silver Crest is an Advanced form. It responds to intent, not just muscle."

Tom nodded, centering his breathing. John tossed the stone. It didn’t fly fast, but as it reached the midpoint, it slowed, then stopped entirely, hovering in the air as it became engulfed in a faint white aura.

"Good," John said. "Again."

For the next three hours, John tossed pebbles. Small ones, large ones, smooth ones. Over and over. Tom’s frustration grew with every toss. He felt like a child playing a game while his enemies were sharpening their swords.

"Stop!" Tom finally shouted, his aura flaring in a burst of silver light that sent the latest pebble flying into the distance. "Stop this nonsense! I asked you to train me for war, not play your stupid games. I’m stuck in a kingdom that wants to own me, and you’re throwing rocks?"

John let out a short, sharp laugh.

"What’s funny?" Tom demanded, his eyes glowing with a dangerous silver light. "You think messing with me is funny? I’m out of here."

Tom turned to walk away, but John’s voice stopped him. "So, you think you’re too strong for small stones? You think you’ve mastered the ’pebbles’ already?"

"I think I’m wasting my time," Tom growled.

"Come with me," John said, his voice dropping an octave.

They walked toward the edge of the plain, where the ground dropped off into a massive, steep cliff. The beauty of the rock face was lost on Tom; he only saw the height. John led him to the base of the cliff and pointed upward.

"Stay there. Look up. And don’t move," John commanded before vanishing into the shadows.

Tom waited, his heart thudding. Suddenly, the air above him began to scream. He looked up to see a massive boulder—the size of a small house—hurling toward him.

"Are you crazy?!" Tom yelled. He thrust his hands upward, his silver aura exploding from his palms. He caught the first boulder with his mind, the weight of it nearly snapping his spine. Then came the second. Then the third.

The strain was unbearable. Tom’s vision began to tunnel. As he caught the third boulder, the silver light around his hands began to flicker and crack. Then, a fourth boulder, even larger than the others, appeared from the cliffside.

Tom roared, pushing his mind to the absolute limit. He tried to seize the fourth rock, but the mental pressure was too much. Blood began to leak from his ears, his nose, and the corners of his eyes. The silver light shattered like glass.

The boulders came crashing down. Tom tried to dodge, but his legs felt like lead; the mental exhaustion had drained his physical strength. He looked up, the shadow of the largest rock swallowing him whole. This is it, he thought.

At the final microsecond, a dark blur slammed into his side. John tackled him out of the way just as the boulders hit the earth with a sound like a mountain collapsing. The ground shook so violently that Tom was tossed into the air before landing hard in the dirt.

Tom lay there for a long time, gasping for air, his face covered in blood and dust. He looked at the massive pile of rubble where he had stood seconds ago.

"John... did you do this?" Tom wheezed, his voice barely a whisper.

"Whether I did it or not is not of concern," John replied, standing over him, his own face pale from the effort of the save.

"You almost killed me!" Tom screamed, find the strength to sit up. "You’re insane!"

"I thought you were too big for small pebbles," John said, his voice cold and devoid of pity. "So I brought you bigger ones. You told me you were strong enough to handle more, so I gave it to you."

Tom pointed a trembling finger at the rocks. "Those were boulders, John! Huge, building-crushing boulders!"

"And yet, you failed to hold them," John said, leaning down so their eyes were level. "You’ve gotten stronger, Tom. I agree. But with pride comes the downfall. You want to reach the Advanced Class? You want to use the Silver Crest power to its full potential? Then you have to realize that if you cannot master and control the weight of tinest grain of sand, then the weight of mountains will always crush you."

John turned away, leaving Tom in the dirt. "Clean yourself up. We start again with the pebbles. Hope this time, you won’t complain."

Tom sat in the silence of the plain, the taste of blood in his mouth. He looked at his hands, which were still shaking. For the first time, he realized that the road to the Astex token and his revenge wasn’t just about how hard he could hit—it was about whether his mind could hold the weight of the world without breaking.