Ch. 6 Torn

Dane

I've spent my entire life in control. Control of my emotions, my actions, my future. Summit, my wolf, has always respected my authority, understanding that in the world of wolf packs, discipline is everything.

Until today. Until her. All it took was one look at the little fireball of a she-wolf with silky brown hair and piercing green eyes to rip it all to shreds. 

"You've jeopardized years of careful negotiation!" My father's voice booms through the guest quarters Forest Trails has provided us when he arrived this afternoon, thankfully too late to witness my spectacular public humiliation. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

I maintain my posture, back straight, face impassive. A lifetime of training under my father's critical eye has taught me to never show weakness. But inside, Summit is snarling, furious at being separated from our mate.

Our mate. Finley Bennett. The name alone sends a rush of possessiveness through me that I can barely contain. Every voluptuous inch of her is Mine! 

"The alliance with Silver Creek—" Father continues, fueling my homicidal thoughts.

"Can still happen without my mating to Aria," I interrupt, knowing it will only infuriate him further. "There are other ways to secure alliances."

His hand slams against the wall, the impact making the windows rattle. "This isn't about alliances! This is about power. Silver Creek has the numbers, the territory, the bloodlines. Combined with our training methods, we could become the dominant pack in three states."

"I've found my mate." I keep my voice level, reasonable. "The Moon Goddess herself has chosen."

"The Moon Goddess." He spits the words like poison. "She chose a female Alpha candidate? One who already has an incomplete bond with another male? What kind of divine plan is that?"

The reminder of Finley's connection to the Glass Lake Beta sends Summit into another fury. My wolf doesn't share or compromise. The Beta had his chance and rejected her. She's ours now. And he’ll fucking lose a hand if he tries to touch her again. 

"She's strong," I say simply. "Her bloodlines are impeccable. Forest Trails territory borders ours. Not to mention they’re close allies with Glass Lake. There are political advantages to this match as well."

"Not compared to Silver Creek." Father paces, his Alpha energy filling the room oppressively. He’ll never admit an alliance with Glass Lake would offer us more than Silver Creek ever could. He doesn’t want to be allies with them, he wants to be more powerful than them. "And certainly not with that complication. A female who thinks she can lead a pack? Who's already been rejected by another mate? It's embarrassing."

Summit's growl reverberates through my chest before I can stop it. Father's eyes narrow.

"Control yourself," he warns. "You're not some untrained pup."

But that's exactly what I feel like. Since the moment I saw Finley standing beside her father—strong, proud, those forest green eyes challenging—I've been fighting a losing battle against instincts I thought I had mastered years ago.

When Summit took over, when I felt my teeth break her skin and tasted her blood, everything changed. The mate bond exploded between us, more powerful than anything I'd been taught to expect. And now, being away from her is physical torture.

"You will reject the bond," Father says, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Tonight. We'll make appropriate apologies to Alpha Bennett, blame it on the wolf's instincts, and leave at first light. Aria is already on her way to Mountain Ridge, expecting to discuss wedding details."

Something inside me snaps. "No."

The single word hangs between us like a declaration of war. My father goes still, his eyes bleeding to Alpha gold.

"What did you say to me?"

"I said no." I rise to my full height, meeting his gaze. "I won't reject her."

"You dare defy me? Your Alpha?"

"I dare to follow the Moon Goddess's will." I feel Summit rising closer to the surface, lending me his strength. "What kind of leader ignores divine guidance for personal convenience?"

His hand moves faster than I can track, the slap connecting with my cheek with enough force to make my head snap sideways. In twenty-five years, my father has never struck me in anger.

"You are my son," he says, voice deadly quiet. "My heir. Everything I've built, I've built for you. And you'd throw it away for some she-wolf you met five hours ago?"

The mate bond pulses in response, as if reminding me that five hours or five decades, it makes no difference. She's mine. We belong to each other.

"I need time," I say finally, knowing I can't win this outright confrontation. Not yet. "Let me speak with her again. Assess the situation more clearly."

It's a delay tactic, and Father knows it, but he's too skilled a politician to refuse such a reasonable request. "One day," he says coldly. "You have until tomorrow night to come to your senses and reject this... entanglement. Or I'll do it for you."

The threat hangs heavy in the air. We both know he can't technically reject my mate bond, but as Alpha, he has other ways to enforce his will. Ways that would make continuing any relationship with Finley impossible.

"I understand." I don't say I agree.

He studies me for a long moment, then nods curtly. "Don't disappoint me, Dane. You know what's at stake."

After he leaves, I sink onto the edge of the bed, the weight of legacy and duty pressing down on me. Summit paces restlessly, demanding we go to our mate now, claim her properly, consequences be damned.

But I wasn't raised to act on impulse, to choose personal desire over pack welfare. The Mountain Ridge Alpha bloodline stretches back fifteen generations. We've survived wars, territory disputes, witch covens, and human encroachment through calculated strategy, not emotional decisions.

And yet...

I close my eyes and feel the bond, that golden thread connecting me to Finley. It pulls toward her, alive and insistent. When I focus, I can almost sense her emotions—confusion, anger, hurt.

And beneath it all, a flicker of something that matches the fire burning in my own chest.

A soft knock interrupts my thoughts. I open the door to find a young Forest Trails enforcer, his posture respectful but wary.

"Alpha Bennett requests your presence at the lake clearing," he says. "Alone."

My pulse quickens. Is Finley going to be there? But no—this would be her father, likely wanting to express his displeasure more privately than in his office with his daughter present.

"Lead the way."

I just hope that lake doesn’t end up as my watery grave.