Maddox POVWhat is wrong with Sera? I’m pacing, getting increasingly frustrated. She’s got permission to use her wolf, but she’s not! My hands clench into fists, and I watch her fly back from the force of Veyra’s hit. I can’t watch this, it’s pathetic, not just that, but weak. Who in their right mind wouldn't use their wolf for protection?She's been given permission, but I hate this, I hate watching it, and I despise the fact that Veyra is about to win!Pacing this floor is doing nothing now. It's pointless, it's not going to give Sera common sense!Finally, there’s a growl and Sera shifts. “What was she waiting for?” I mutter and watch the screen. “Veyra to bring her within an inch of her life!”I'm just glad she's finally shifting. The fact that she has managed to shift has thrown Veyra off, and it’s the advantage that Sera needed. That brief moment of shock has Sera pouncing onto Veyra. Her wolf’s teeth dig into her shoulder.Veyra cries out, and I smirk. Good, let her fall. Let h
Maddox POVI grab the nearest glass off the table and hurl it across the room. It shatters against the stone wall with a sound that does nothing to ease the fury burning inside me.“She wasn’t supposed to win!” I roar, throwing another glass, another plate. Anything I can grab. This isn't how today was meant to go.The furniture shakes under the violence of my rage. “She was meant to break, not fucking win!”There on the screen is Veyra, standing up. Her body is soaked in blood, and she's swaying on her feet. One arm is hanging uselessly at her side, but she stays standing.Her face is expressionless, but her eyes...Those damn golden eyes burn with something savage and unbroken.My body nearly shifts right here in the room. My wolf surges inside of me, scraping at my skin, wanting to break free. My muscles stretch and strain against the change. I force it back with every bit of control I have.“She should be dead,” I snarl.“She deserved to win,” Dagen says bluntly, his voice cutting
Vane POVWe all saw it. Everyone watched it live. Maddox failed. He didn’t just fail like Dagen, though; he failed epically. He has a name for not caring, for destroying everything, including his mate, so for him to not kill her? For his wolf to fight back and refuse, yeah...That’s got people talking.I can already see the Betas whispering to each other. This entire game is destroyed. It’s no longer what it was. She changed it, and we can’t just throw her out to the wolves without merit. So she’s here to stay, as she’s unlikely to lose.Dagen is glaring at the screen. He isn’t happy either, not that Veyra is alive, more than Maddox really was ready to kill her. Anyone around Dagen can feel the bond; it’s building, and he has to make a choice. He can’t pretend like it’s not real and then expect everyone to treat her nice.Does he want to accept her, or not?“So,” I say before leaning forward. “If both you and Maddox are her mate, how do you plan to solve that?” I look at Dagen.He turn
Vane POVI walk out and got through the halls, when I reach the room I simply nod to the doctor. "We need you to heal a contestant," I say.He follows me out, and I say nothing else. He doesn't need to be told who it is, or why. When I get to her room, I knock and push the door open.The room is empty, but I can hear the sound of running water."Little Flame, the doctor is here, you need to come out." I walk in more, and the bathroom door opens. She has a towel wrapped around her body.The moment the bathroom door opens, I know something’s wrong. Veyra stands there, towel clutched around her body, but her skin is far too pale. Not just pale from fear or anger, but pale from blood loss and exhaustion.Her hands are trembling slightly where she holds the towel closed, and she’s trying to hide it, but she’s unsteady on her feet.I curse under my breath and move without thinking. I reach her just as she sways, and my hands close around her arms to steady her. Her body stiffens, but she do
Veyra POVI’m not happy. The moment he unlocked the collar, I felt it. It was like a pressure valve snapping open, and every sense that had been dulled suddenly slammed back into me full force.My knees were weakened, and I almost fell, but I forced myself to stay upright by gripping the edge of the dresser. My wolf surged forward instantly, and the howl was so damn loud in my chest I swear I almost fell from the weight of it.Then the bonds flared.The ones with Dagen and Maddox seemed to grow stronger, more potent, then I felt the one with Vane snap into place. Vane! How and why?It’s too much, and too many bonds at once. What the hell is going on, and what is wrong with me? Three, why am I mated to three of the most dangerous, horrible, and twisted Alphas? Why me, and how is it even possible? Most people are mated to one.If they are mated to more than one, it’s because their mates are twins. There is nothing remotely similar about Maddox, Vane and Dagen, except for their egotistic
Veyra POVThe moment he slams me against the wall, is the moment my wolf lunges. She's not scared, she's not submitting, she's wanting to challenge him. She surges forward, her muscles coiling beneath my skin as she tries to overpower the pressure of his wolf with her own.Snarling at him, she's trying to prove she's not prey, but a predator, and desperate to prove we're not weaker than him. That we're not the ones meant to fall.I push against his chest to help her, using my strength and hers. My wolf presses against his, willing him to back off, to yield, and for a second, I feel like he might. His hands twitch, and his weight shifts. The balance between us teeters, breath for breath, strength for strength.Just as I'm convinced we're winning, my heat roars, and everything tilts. It coils in my gut and spreads low, hot and aching, seeping into my bones until the drive to dominate twists into something else. Instantly, my breath catches, and my body betrays me. The need is insidious
Veyra POVHeat rolls through me, thick and heady. It's too much now, my wolf pushes up, not to fight against him, not to stop him. No, this time, she's doing in submission, showing him she's willing to do what he asks. That's the thing that stuns me the most, the fact she is surrendering to the desire rather than trying to fight and dominate this moment.Every time that his body presses into mine, every time his lips move against mine, or along my jaw and throat, my hold on her, and on stopping this weakens. He groans softly, his mouth traces the curve of my neck and the vibrations of the sound, sinks straight through me, and hits deep. My hands fist into his shirt suddenly and my back arches off the wall. My wolf is now chasing more of his touch, without me having a say. His thigh presses between mine, and the contact makes me gasp. The sound escapes me unfiltered, breathless and honest. He reacts instantly to it, grinding closer until the heat and friction become too much for me.
Dagen POVI’m not sure what happened. One minute, I was watching the trials, and the next, the bond between me and Veyra snapped into place so strongly it nearly knocked me over. I ignored that; ignoring the bond is easy. What my wolf couldn’t ignore was her Heat, then the way her body shared all its pleasure with me.My wolf reacted before I could stop it, which is why I’m now standing here between Veyra and Vane.My chest still heaving, jaw locked tight. My wolf is barely under control, claws close to the surface, ready to tear into Vane if he moves even an inch closer to her. The scent of the bond is thick in the room, wrapping around all of us. Hers. Mine. His. It clings to the air like smoke. I don’t like this, I don’t like that she’s my mate, but I hate it even more that he and Maddox are as well.My back is to her, my focus on Vane, because if I look at her right now, I won’t be able to think clearly. I already feel the heat of her body just behind me. I can smell the sharp edg
Vane POVThe hours pass slow and heavy. None of us speak much after that. The screens glow in front of us, the only light in the darkened observation room. I try to keep my gaze moving between the different Omegas, watching them stumble through the forest, some trying to build shelters, others just curling up under trees and hoping the night spares them.But no matter how much I try to spread my focus, my eyes keep dragging back to her.Veyra.She’s still tucked into the little shelter she built, her body hidden behind the thick wall of branches and thorns she dragged into place. She’s smarter than the others. She chose a place off the main paths, dug in tight against the trees, hidden and protected by the thorns she wove around her.She’s been still for hours now, only moving when she adjusts the branches or shifts slightly to ease the stiffness in her body. I know she’s awake though. There’s a tension in her even when she lies still. A readiness.Dagen tenses suddenly beside me. His
Vane POVMaddox turns back to the screen, his whole body stiff. His hands flex like he doesn’t know whether to punch something or grab something. His wolf is fighting him hard, and it shows. It’s crawling under his skin, tearing at him, trying to drag him toward her.He hates it. Hates her for it. Hates himself for being weak enough to feel it.But I can feel it too. We all can.“She won’t make it,” Maddox mutters, but even he sounds like he doesn’t believe it anymore.Maybe she won’t. Maybe the Heat and the bond and the fucking rejection will tear her apart before the night is over. But looking at her on the screen, seeing the way she still moves even when every step looks like it shreds her open, I know the truth.She’s not giving up. Not even close.I shift in my chair, my jaw tight. The bond inside me pulls again, sharp and constant. It’s worse now, seeing her like this. It’s like a thread buried under my skin, tugging harder every second she keeps breathing.“If she does make it,
Rael POVI can’t help but watch her. She looks amazing, broken, dying, but still fighting.“She’s going to burn herself out before midnight,” Vane mutters beside me, but I don’t answer.Maybe she will. Maybe she’ll push herself so hard she collapses under the weight of it all. But part of me knows that’s not who Veyra is. She doesn’t fall easily, even when everything inside her is tearing itself apart.She straightens slowly, her face pale under the moonlight that’s filtering through the trees. For a second, she sways even more, and my hand tightens into a fist. She doesn’t drop though. She grits her teeth and moves forward again, slipping deeper into the woods, one foot after another.She’s stubborn. She’s dying. And she still refuses to quit.I sit back slightly, letting out a slow breath. If anyone thinks she’s going to crumble without a fight, they’re idiots. Even with the bonds burning her from the inside out, even with the heat shredding her focus and body, she’s still moving, s
Rael POVI watch the screens, and I don’t miss the way Dagen tenses when the guard presses too close to Veyra. His whole body shifts forward slightly, his fists clenching tight enough that I hear his bones crack.“He’s to be moved,” Dagen growls, his voice low and sharp, and I chuckle under my breath.“What next? No guards near her at all?” I ask, keeping my tone light, even though I know this is serious. They’ve done far worse to the other Omegas, yet Veyra is still practically untouched because of Dagen. He is doing everything but carving a sign over her head saying ‘protected.’He doesn’t bother answering. His focus stays locked on the screen like he could kill the guard just by staring hard enough.“We shouldn’t have agreed,” Vane mutters, his arms folding across his chest as Maddox strides back into the room. “She’s going to die,” Vane says, looking straight at him.“Then she dies,” Maddox says with a shrug like it means nothing.“Now she’s gone, you can pretend you don’t care, h
Veyra POVAs I step into the main room, I see the women already. They are standing in a few lines and waiting. The tension is heavy and thicker than it was before.Rael stands in front of them, his voice is raised loud enough for everyone to hear it. "It will last until after the sun sets. Twenty-four hours, minimum. You must survive the entire night and day."My stomach sinks hard. Twenty-four hours? In this condition? I'm going to struggle. Maddox's smug look now makes sense. Refusing to be knotted is setting me up to fail. I won't agree though.Rael's eyes flick toward me briefly before the keeps talking. "You're wolves, which means you should be able to survive in the wild. You can help each other, sure, if you want to. But remember, we are watching, and if you rely on others too much, you'll be thrown out to the rogues."Thrown out, left to be used and killed. Sounds like every other trial right now.Dagen steps forward now, his expression flat. “There are traps set everywhere. Y
Veyra POVI should pull away, but I don’t. My fingers curl against his shirt, clutching hard as if I’m bracing for another wave of Heat. His presence eases the edge of it, but it’s still burning, slow and punishing. I hate how much I need him near to stay upright.Maddox exhales against my throat, long and ragged. “We can’t keep doing this.”“You mean pretending we aren’t breaking?”“No. Pretending we aren’t bonded.”The silence that follows is full of things neither of us will say. I don’t move. Neither does he. We’re trapped in this moment, locked by the bond and the burn and the fact that, even now, I’d rather die in his arms than beg for mercy on my knees.But if he ever thinks that means I’ll forgive him, he’s wrong. This isn’t surrender. It’s survival.His hands move slowly along my body, stroking the curve of my waist, the dip of my spine, tracing lines of heat wherever he touches. It soothes the ache blooming under my skin, dulling the worst of the burn at my mark, but it also
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