Veyra POVI hate every part of this. Every look, every breath in this room feels like a weight pressing down on me. I almost let Vane take everything. My wolf had control, my Heat had taken over, and for a moment, I lost all sense of who I am.The Heat is still there, curling in my stomach like smoke. Ignoring it doesn’t help. It’s growing stronger, bolder, the longer I deny it. But I won’t give in. I won’t let biology make my decisions. I’m not their mate, no matter what the bond says. I’ll never be.I’m the Omega they swore would die during the first trial. I’m the one who trained to be Alpha, and I should have been Alpha, regardless of what my designation is. Not that it matters here. Not when I’m standing in a room with four monsters who wear their Alpha status like a crown and sharpen it into a weapon.They think they’ve won. That the bond changes something. That I’ll fall in line because of Heat. That I’ll beg for them. But they don’t understand what they’ve actually done. They’
Veyra POVMaddox steps back, his breath ragged, blood still wet on his lips. The bite mark on my neck throbs, not from the pain but from the bond snapping into place with a force so violent it’s like a second heartbeat under my skin. The moment stretches, thick with silence and heat. None of them speaks, and for one sharp second, it’s quiet enough to hear my pulse in my ears.Then everything explodes.Dagen launches at Maddox with a roar that splits the room. His wolf is half-shifted, claws already tearing through the seams of his skin. He slams into Maddox with enough force to knock both of them into the wall. Stone cracks on impact. Maddox snarls and throws an elbow, catching Dagen in the ribs, but it’s not enough to shake him off. Dagen’s fist drives into Maddox’s jaw, once, twice, a third time, fast and brutal.“You think you get to do that?” Dagen roars. “You think that mark makes her yours?”Rael doesn’t wait. He moves next, grabbing Maddox by the shoulder and dragging him away
Maddox POVThe floor beneath me is cold, and I can still taste blood in my mouth. My own from the hits, maybe some of Dagen's from when my wolf shot forward and bit him, some is Veyra's from when I claimed her.I drag myself to my feet, chest heaving, hands clenched at my sides. My wolf is still snarling under my skin, smug and satisfied, but I want to tear him out. Rip him apart for what he just did. For what I just did.The room stinks of blood, sweat, and the bond. It’s thick in the air now, too heavy to ignore. I don’t look at Veyra. I can’t. If I do, I’ll see what I already know, that she didn’t want this. That I didn’t either.Dagen is breathing hard, eyes locked on me like he’s one second from shifting again. Rael stands between us, teeth bared, not to protect me but to hold the line.Vane doesn’t move. He stands at the back, arms folded, silent, eyes tracking every twitch of my muscles. Waiting.I spit blood onto the floor, wipe my mouth, and speak through gritted teeth. “We t
Maddox POVMy footsteps echo through the corridor as I move, and my wolf claws beneath my skin the entire way.This isn’t supposed to happen.I don’t claim mates. I don’t keep them. I use them, break them, and discard them like the broken pieces they become. That’s what I did with the last one. That’s what I’ve always done. Even when the bond snapped into place, I didn’t give in. I broke it. I severed it and burned it out of myself. But this one won’t go. It won’t fade. It clings to me like fire under my skin, constant and alive, no matter how hard I try to push it back.I don’t go to my room. I don’t want the silence. I head for the control hall, where the monitors still track the trials in progress. The room is dimly lit, the air tense with quiet focus. I ignore the screens showing the other Omegas fighting for survival. I don’t care about them right now.“Put her room back on,” I say to the Beta by the console. “Veyra’s.”He reaches for the controls immediately, but I stop him with
Veyra POVThe claim mark burns like fire against my neck. It pulses with every beat of my heart, deeper and sharper than pain. I hate Maddox more than I ever hated Dagen. I had Maddox more than everyone. I didn’t think that was possible.That is a lie, if I am honest. I hate Kieran more. I hate Lyra more. Kieran rejected me and gutted me in the process, and Lyra smiled as they stripped everything I had away. But Maddox? He is quickly catching up.Dagen tried to break me. Maddox succeeded. He didn't just try to control me, he bit me. He claimed me when he knew what it would do. He knew what it would awaken in me. He knew the bond would shift and that my Heat would worsen. When an Alpha marks you, your body stops resisting the Heat. It feeds it, intensifies it, and digs in like claws.He chose to do that. He chose to make this worse.Now I am caught in something I cannot fight. My body feels wrong. The burn in my skin, the ache in my gut, the bond pulling tight every time I breathe, non
Veyra POVWhen I walk into the room, I know instantly that something is wrong. The air changes. Conversations stop. I can feel every Omega in the room glance in my direction, but their attention means nothing compared to the way the air tightens in my lungs.They are here. All of them. Maddox. Dagen. Rael. Vane.Their scents are already thick in the room, overwhelming and familiar. My wolf surges toward the sensation with such force that I nearly stumble. I dig my nails into my palms and focus on the far end of the hall where the Alphas sit at their raised table, watching everything.Dagen’s eyes find mine first. His gaze is sharp, unreadable, but I can feel the bond reacting to his attention. Then Rael looks up from his drink. His mouth twitches like he’s amused, but his eyes flash gold for a moment. Vane doesn’t look away, and I feel the press of his stare like heat along my spine. Maddox doesn’t meet my eyes, but he’s sitting at the edge of the table, his shoulders tense.I force m
Maddox POVThe scent of her is everywhere. It clings to the air, heavier than before, thick with Heat and the unmistakable sting of pain. I try to ignore it. Try to act like it’s background noise, like it’s nothing more than what it is for every Omega in this cursed place.But it isn’t.She’s seated not far from us, across the dining hall with the rest of the Omegas. I can’t see her face clearly, but I don’t need to. My wolf is clawing at me from the inside, howling with frustration and need. He feels her. Feels her pain. Feels the heat twisting through her and the bond that burns like an open wound between us because we haven’t mated. Because I claimed her and didn’t complete it.I sit forward slightly, pressing my elbows to the table, trying to focus on the food in front of me, but everything tastes wrong. My mouth is dry, and my skin feels too tight. The collar didn’t stop the bond from growing. Now that we’re in the same room, breathing the same air, it’s back in full force. Worse
Maddox POV“She’s fighting it, far more than any other omega would be capable of” Dagen says, arms crossed as he watches her from the corner of his eye. “But not for long. Her wolf is already pushing forward. That room’s about to turn feral if we don’t do something.”“She’d never let me close enough,” I repeat.Rael turns toward me, brow furrowed. “Then talk to her. You’re the reason she’s like this. You might be the only one who can stop it now.”I glance across the room again. Her breathing is shallow. Her hands won’t let go of the table. Every line of her body is drawn tight with restraint, and still, she stays silent. That stubborn, defiant streak of hers is the only thing keeping her upright right now, and it’s killing her.“Delay the trial,” Vane says suddenly. “Give her a few hours.”“No,” I say immediately. “We can’t. If we delay it now, we draw attention. We’ll lose the audience. We’ll lose the structure. Everyone will think she’s being favored.”“She is being favored,” Dagen
Veyra POVI hate this, I hate how good it feels to be touched and how quickly my body stops trembling as soon as Maddox pulls me closer to him. My wolf is still pressing hard against my ribs, she's whining and pacing, desperate for more than just the comfort of being held.She's clawing at me from the inside, pushing toward him with a hunger I don't want to acknowledge.The burn in the claim mark on my neck is beginning to ease slightly now. It's not vanished completely but it's dull enough that I can breathe again. My skin isn't searing anymore, and my bones no longer feel like they're grinding against each other from the pressure of the bond.I hate that his touch fixes it, I that part of me that needs this, like it's survival.He shifts me slightly in his grip, one arm wrapped firmly around my waist, his hand splayed across my ribs, holding me flush against his chest. His breath ghosts against my throat, warm and steady. Then his lips brush just beneath my ear. It isn’t a kiss. Not
Maddox POV“She’s fighting it, far more than any other omega would be capable of” Dagen says, arms crossed as he watches her from the corner of his eye. “But not for long. Her wolf is already pushing forward. That room’s about to turn feral if we don’t do something.”“She’d never let me close enough,” I repeat.Rael turns toward me, brow furrowed. “Then talk to her. You’re the reason she’s like this. You might be the only one who can stop it now.”I glance across the room again. Her breathing is shallow. Her hands won’t let go of the table. Every line of her body is drawn tight with restraint, and still, she stays silent. That stubborn, defiant streak of hers is the only thing keeping her upright right now, and it’s killing her.“Delay the trial,” Vane says suddenly. “Give her a few hours.”“No,” I say immediately. “We can’t. If we delay it now, we draw attention. We’ll lose the audience. We’ll lose the structure. Everyone will think she’s being favored.”“She is being favored,” Dagen
Maddox POVThe scent of her is everywhere. It clings to the air, heavier than before, thick with Heat and the unmistakable sting of pain. I try to ignore it. Try to act like it’s background noise, like it’s nothing more than what it is for every Omega in this cursed place.But it isn’t.She’s seated not far from us, across the dining hall with the rest of the Omegas. I can’t see her face clearly, but I don’t need to. My wolf is clawing at me from the inside, howling with frustration and need. He feels her. Feels her pain. Feels the heat twisting through her and the bond that burns like an open wound between us because we haven’t mated. Because I claimed her and didn’t complete it.I sit forward slightly, pressing my elbows to the table, trying to focus on the food in front of me, but everything tastes wrong. My mouth is dry, and my skin feels too tight. The collar didn’t stop the bond from growing. Now that we’re in the same room, breathing the same air, it’s back in full force. Worse
Veyra POVWhen I walk into the room, I know instantly that something is wrong. The air changes. Conversations stop. I can feel every Omega in the room glance in my direction, but their attention means nothing compared to the way the air tightens in my lungs.They are here. All of them. Maddox. Dagen. Rael. Vane.Their scents are already thick in the room, overwhelming and familiar. My wolf surges toward the sensation with such force that I nearly stumble. I dig my nails into my palms and focus on the far end of the hall where the Alphas sit at their raised table, watching everything.Dagen’s eyes find mine first. His gaze is sharp, unreadable, but I can feel the bond reacting to his attention. Then Rael looks up from his drink. His mouth twitches like he’s amused, but his eyes flash gold for a moment. Vane doesn’t look away, and I feel the press of his stare like heat along my spine. Maddox doesn’t meet my eyes, but he’s sitting at the edge of the table, his shoulders tense.I force m
Veyra POVThe claim mark burns like fire against my neck. It pulses with every beat of my heart, deeper and sharper than pain. I hate Maddox more than I ever hated Dagen. I had Maddox more than everyone. I didn’t think that was possible.That is a lie, if I am honest. I hate Kieran more. I hate Lyra more. Kieran rejected me and gutted me in the process, and Lyra smiled as they stripped everything I had away. But Maddox? He is quickly catching up.Dagen tried to break me. Maddox succeeded. He didn't just try to control me, he bit me. He claimed me when he knew what it would do. He knew what it would awaken in me. He knew the bond would shift and that my Heat would worsen. When an Alpha marks you, your body stops resisting the Heat. It feeds it, intensifies it, and digs in like claws.He chose to do that. He chose to make this worse.Now I am caught in something I cannot fight. My body feels wrong. The burn in my skin, the ache in my gut, the bond pulling tight every time I breathe, non
Maddox POVMy footsteps echo through the corridor as I move, and my wolf claws beneath my skin the entire way.This isn’t supposed to happen.I don’t claim mates. I don’t keep them. I use them, break them, and discard them like the broken pieces they become. That’s what I did with the last one. That’s what I’ve always done. Even when the bond snapped into place, I didn’t give in. I broke it. I severed it and burned it out of myself. But this one won’t go. It won’t fade. It clings to me like fire under my skin, constant and alive, no matter how hard I try to push it back.I don’t go to my room. I don’t want the silence. I head for the control hall, where the monitors still track the trials in progress. The room is dimly lit, the air tense with quiet focus. I ignore the screens showing the other Omegas fighting for survival. I don’t care about them right now.“Put her room back on,” I say to the Beta by the console. “Veyra’s.”He reaches for the controls immediately, but I stop him with
Maddox POVThe floor beneath me is cold, and I can still taste blood in my mouth. My own from the hits, maybe some of Dagen's from when my wolf shot forward and bit him, some is Veyra's from when I claimed her.I drag myself to my feet, chest heaving, hands clenched at my sides. My wolf is still snarling under my skin, smug and satisfied, but I want to tear him out. Rip him apart for what he just did. For what I just did.The room stinks of blood, sweat, and the bond. It’s thick in the air now, too heavy to ignore. I don’t look at Veyra. I can’t. If I do, I’ll see what I already know, that she didn’t want this. That I didn’t either.Dagen is breathing hard, eyes locked on me like he’s one second from shifting again. Rael stands between us, teeth bared, not to protect me but to hold the line.Vane doesn’t move. He stands at the back, arms folded, silent, eyes tracking every twitch of my muscles. Waiting.I spit blood onto the floor, wipe my mouth, and speak through gritted teeth. “We t
Veyra POVMaddox steps back, his breath ragged, blood still wet on his lips. The bite mark on my neck throbs, not from the pain but from the bond snapping into place with a force so violent it’s like a second heartbeat under my skin. The moment stretches, thick with silence and heat. None of them speaks, and for one sharp second, it’s quiet enough to hear my pulse in my ears.Then everything explodes.Dagen launches at Maddox with a roar that splits the room. His wolf is half-shifted, claws already tearing through the seams of his skin. He slams into Maddox with enough force to knock both of them into the wall. Stone cracks on impact. Maddox snarls and throws an elbow, catching Dagen in the ribs, but it’s not enough to shake him off. Dagen’s fist drives into Maddox’s jaw, once, twice, a third time, fast and brutal.“You think you get to do that?” Dagen roars. “You think that mark makes her yours?”Rael doesn’t wait. He moves next, grabbing Maddox by the shoulder and dragging him away
Veyra POVI hate every part of this. Every look, every breath in this room feels like a weight pressing down on me. I almost let Vane take everything. My wolf had control, my Heat had taken over, and for a moment, I lost all sense of who I am.The Heat is still there, curling in my stomach like smoke. Ignoring it doesn’t help. It’s growing stronger, bolder, the longer I deny it. But I won’t give in. I won’t let biology make my decisions. I’m not their mate, no matter what the bond says. I’ll never be.I’m the Omega they swore would die during the first trial. I’m the one who trained to be Alpha, and I should have been Alpha, regardless of what my designation is. Not that it matters here. Not when I’m standing in a room with four monsters who wear their Alpha status like a crown and sharpen it into a weapon.They think they’ve won. That the bond changes something. That I’ll fall in line because of Heat. That I’ll beg for them. But they don’t understand what they’ve actually done. They’