Dorian POVThe phone was still in my hand. I stared at the screen - blocked number, encrypted signal. Cowards.Alpha Caden of Silver Creek thought he could end the conversation on his terms.He was wrong.I moved to my desk, pulled the encrypted satellite cell from the drawer. Only a few had the code to use it - Silver Creek was one of them. My thumb hovered over the dial, and I let my wolf rise just beneath the surface, coiled and ready.“Don’t,” Victor said quietly from behind me. “Let it go for now.”I ignored him.Rylan didn’t say anything. He just crossed his arms, watching with that hard look that said he’d back whatever decision I made, even if it was stupid. Even if it was war.I hit the number. It rang once. Twice. Then silence.Finally, a click.“Alpha Dorian.” Caden’s voice came through, smug, oily, confident. “I wasn’t expecting a call back so soon.”“Then you’re even dumber than I thought.”Silence. I let it stretch. Let it build.He broke it. “I gave you a warning. The g
Tessa POV There was someone outside my door.I felt it before I heard it - an energy, heavy and sharp, pressing against the other side like a storm trying not to break. My breath caught. I set the book down slowly, listening.No knock. No voice. Just... presence.My heart picked up its pace.Dorian.It couldn’t be anyone else. No one else moved like that. Carried that much weight in their silence.I stood from the armchair, the blanket slipping from my lap to the floor. My bare feet made no sound on the stone, but I felt the cool bite of it, grounding me. I reached for the door - then stopped with my hand hovering just above the handle.Why wasn’t he knocking?Why did it feel like the air was trembling?I leaned in slightly, and my wolf stirred, uneasy. She didn’t feel threatened. But she was... alert. Listening. Cautious.And still, I opened the door. Slowly. Carefully. He didn’t move.Dorian stood there, one hand braced against the doorframe, head lowered, eyes closed. But even lik
Dorian POVThe moment she opened the door, I knew I was on the edge.One look at me, and her breath hitched - eyes locked on mine, pupils wide, lips parted. I saw the flicker of fear. Not of me… not really. But of the weight I was dragging behind me. Fury. Bloodlust. Control held on a fraying leash.My wolf surged forward when he saw her. Not just with desire. With need. With obsession. With rage that the bastards from Silver Creek still dared to speak her name like she was a possession they’d lost instead of a soul they broke.“I needed to see you,” I said, the words scraping up my throat.“I know.”That whisper… gods. It almost snapped me in half.I turned and walked away before I did something stupid. Like fall to my knees in front of her. Like kiss her like she already belonged to me.Because she didn’t. Not yet.But she would. There is no other way. I ran until the forest swallowed me whole.Until the trees blurred into streaks of shadow and bark. Until the cold air bit into my
Tessa POVThe wind carried a hint of warmth through the trees, teasing the edge of spring, though the forest still held onto winter's chill. Sunlight filtered down through the bare branches, casting broken shadows on the path as I walked alongside Isla.“I still can’t believe you’ve never tried pine tea,” Elara said, tugging a scarf tighter around her neck as we moved toward a small clearing. “It’s like drinking the forest.”I smiled, amused by her excitement. “Does it taste like bark?”She wrinkled her nose. “A little. But in a cozy, earthy way. You’ll see.”This was the first time I’d spent real time with Dorian’s sister. She was… disarming. Gentle but whip-smart. Talkative, but never overbearing. The opposite of what I expected from the sister of a man like him. And yet, somehow, I could see the resemblance - in the eyes. The way she looked at you like she saw more than you wanted her to.We reached the clearing where a fire pit waited, half-buried in frost. Elara crouched and bega
Dorian POV The first pulse of warning struck like a blade to my ribs. Intruders.Silver Creek wolves. Too many.I was already moving before the second mindlink hit - sharper, frantic."Dorian-" Elara’s voice, taut with urgency. "Tessa and I- north clearing -"A snarl ripped from my throat. My vision narrowed to the cold, moonlit forest stretching ahead. My muscles burned as I ran, my body teetering on the razor’s edge between control and primal instinct.Then I shifted. Bones snapped, realigned, muscle stretching in a violent surge of power. The pain barely registered. My wolf surged forward, his fury blending seamlessly with my own.Protect. Kill. Destroy."All warriors, to the north quadrant - now." My command slammed into my fighters through the pack bond, absolute and unyielding.The world blurred into streaks of dark and silver as I ran, weaving between thick pines, my claws digging into the frozen earth. The wind carried the metallic tang of blood - fresh, sharp. My own blood
Tessa POVPain tore through me, sharp and relentless, pulling me under like a riptide. My limbs convulsed, muscles spasming as the shift forced itself upon me, dragging me from wolf to human with violent, unforgiving force.I couldn’t stop it.Couldn’t control it.Heat pulsed beneath my skin as fur retracted, vanishing as if it had never been there. My bones cracked, snapping into place, reshaping. My limbs thinned, my fingers stretching, clawing at the dirt beneath me as the weight of my body felt wrong - too light, too fragile.I gasped, lungs seizing, my chest tightening as exhaustion slammed into me. My vision blurred, the world tilting as I fought to stay upright.I was shaking. Trembling. My bare skin slick with sweat, feverish.A voice cut through the haze. Deep. Familiar.“Tessa.”I barely registered it.The ground beneath me felt unsteady, spinning, and my knees buckled before I could stop them.Then - warmth. Strength. Arms catching me before I hit the earth.Dorian.His sce
When I woke again, the pain had dulled to a steady throb.The room around me was dimly lit, unfamiliar but not unwelcoming. The air smelled of earth and pine, with a faint trace of something burning - a fireplace, maybe. Soft blankets cocooned me, warm and comforting against the soreness in my limbs.But what struck me most was the quiet.For the first time since my shift, the chaos in my mind had settled. A presence lingered at the edges of my consciousness, not intrusive, but there.Waiting.Tentatively, I reached out, hesitantly brushing against the foreign yet familiar energy within me. A soft, amused voice echoed through my thoughts."You finally hear me."I sucked in a breath, my body stiffening.“Who… are you?” I whispered aloud, half-afraid of the answer.The presence stirred, warm and knowing. "I am you. And you are me. You may call me Sable." A shiver ran through me. My wolf.Sable.The name settled deep in my chest, a tether between us forming. A sense of quiet understandi
The knock at my door was sharp, decisive.I tensed, my body still aching from the shift, but I forced myself upright. The two guards stationed outside hadn’t moved all morning, their presence a constant reminder that, despite the warmth of the room, I wasn’t free.The door opened before I could answer. A woman stepped inside, carrying a folded set of clothes. She was tall, strong, with dark brown hair tied back and sharp eyes that raked over me with a look I couldn’t quite decipher."Get dressed," she said, placing the clothes on the bed. "The Alpha is waiting."I hesitated. "For what?"Her expression didn’t change. "You’re to stand before the pack."A weight settled in my stomach.I didn’t get a choice in this.With a slow breath, I pushed back the blankets and reached for the clothes. They were simple but sturdy - black leggings, a long-sleeved tunic, and boots. Better than the loose, clothes I’d woken up in. My movements were stiff, my muscles sore, but I didn’t let it show.The wo
Tessa’s POV I barely slept that night.Every time I closed my eyes, I felt him again - his hands correcting my stance, his body so close it blurred the line between dominance and something far more dangerous. The heat of his touch still burned against my skin, and the worst part?I didn’t hate it. I hated him. I hated the way he controlled everything - this pack, this training, me.And I hated that, despite every reason to resist, my body reacted to him like I belonged to him.Sable prowled in my mind, restless. "He wants to break us."I sat up in the room I’d been given, staring out the window. The moon was high, bathing the forest in silver light. Somewhere out there, Dorian was probably still training, pushing his warriors to their limits."He’s not breaking us", I told my wolf. "He’s making us stronger."Sable’s growl was low, reluctant. "Then we fight. We take everything he gives us. And we make sure he never owns us."I exhaled, gripping the sheets. "Agreed."The Next Morning
Tessa’s POVThe morning air was cold, but the heat between us burned hotter.Dorian moved like a predator - fluid, controlled, utterly lethal. Even when he wasn’t attacking, every motion was precise, effortless. He barely broke a sweat, while my skin was damp, my breath ragged from exhaustion.He was beautiful.That realization hit me at the worst moment - when he pivoted in a perfect arc, demonstrating a counterstrike I was supposed to mimic. The muscles in his arms flexed, his shirt clinging to his torso, damp with sweat. His dark hair was slightly tousled, a few strands sticking to his forehead, and his sharp jaw clenched in focus.Sable hummed in approval. "Look at him."I swallowed hard. I already was.His body wasn’t just strong - it was built for destruction, honed into something wickedly dangerous. But there was elegance in it, too, like watching a storm twist through the sky.His gaze flicked to mine, sharp and knowing.“Distracted?”My breath hitched. I forced my expression
Tessa’s POVI woke to the scent of herbs and antiseptic, my body aching like I’d been trampled by a herd of wolves. My eyelids felt heavy, but as I forced them open, the soft glow of lamps illuminated the wooden beams of the ceiling above me.The clinic.I exhaled slowly, pushing past the hazy memories of the fight. My wolf, Sable, stirred sluggishly in the back of my mind."You’re awake", she murmured."Unfortunately". I swallowed, my throat dry.Sitting up took effort. My ribs protested, but the pain was manageable - familiar, even. I had lived through worse. I had survived Callum’s beatings, the humiliation of being cast aside like I was nothing. This? This I could handle.A soft knock sounded at the door. Before I could answer, it creaked open, and Elara stepped inside.Dorian’s sister.I hadn’t spoken to her much, but I’d seen her watching me from the edges of the pack’s gathering . She was tall and poised, her dark hair braided over one shoulder, her sharp golden eyes assessing
Dorian’s POVThe door clicked shut behind me, and I exhaled, rolling the tension out of my shoulders. Kael was still restless, his presence coiling in the back of my mind, watching."You should have stayed." His voice was a low snarl. "She doesn’t trust easily, and you left her with doubts.""She doesn’t need me hovering over her like she’s fragile", I countered. "She needs space to think."Kael didn’t like that answer, but he fell silent.I moved down the dimly lit hallway, my boots echoing against the wooden floors. The packhouse was quieter than usual, but I wasn’t stupid. They were talking - whispering about the broken female their Alpha had dragged into their territory.Their murmurs had been there since I carried Tessa through the main hall, her body bloodied and bruised but still defiant. A mated Beta female, discarded by her mate and brought here? It was reckless. It was unheard of.It was my decision. And I wasn’t about to explain myself.I pushed through the double doors int
Dorian's POV She was fighting me. Even now, bruised and exhausted, Tessa was still fighting.Kael paced in the back of my mind, still unsettled. "You shouldn’t have let this happen.""She needed it", I reminded him. "She needs to prove to herself that she’s more than what he made her believe."A growl. "She could have died."I pushed the thought away before it could settle.Tessa was watching me, her expression carefully guarded, but I could see it - the flicker of uncertainty, the crack in her defenses. She wanted to believe me. She just didn’t know how.I leaned back in my chair, keeping my voice even. “I know you think this is another cage. That I’m no different than him.”Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t deny it.Good. She was honest, even in her silence.I let the words settle before continuing. “But you’re wrong.”Tessa let out a slow breath, eyes narrowing slightly. “Then prove it.”A challenge.My wolf bared his teeth in approval. I studied her for a long moment before speak
Tessa’s POVI drifted in and out of consciousness.Pain pulled at the edges of my awareness, but exhaustion weighed heavier. My body ached, my ribs protesting every shallow breath. I knew I should fight the pull of sleep, but the warmth of the blanket and the lingering scent of cedarwood lulled me deeper.Somewhere in the haze, I felt a hand brush against mine - light, tentative. Not a dream.Dorian.I wanted to say something, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. I sank further into the dark, Sable’s presence wrapping around me like a shield."Rest", she murmured. "You’ve earned it."And for once, I let myself listen.Dorian’s POV She looked so small like this.Tessa had fought like hell - more than I expected, more than I dared to hope. But now, unconscious in the clinic bed, she seemed… fragile.Kael huffed inside me, still pacing, still restless. "She shouldn’t have been in that fight."I clenched my fists. "She needed it."A snarl. "She needed us."I exhaled slowly, running a hand thr
Tessa's POVPain pulled me from the depths of unconsciousness.It was a dull, relentless ache, spreading through my body like fire licking at the edges of dry wood. Every breath sent a sharp sting through my ribs, every shift of my muscles a reminder of the fight.I swallowed against the dryness in my throat, my lashes fluttering as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. The scent of herbs and clean linen filled my nose - sterile, sharp, unfamiliar.Not the main hall. Not the place where I had stood, fists clenched, heart pounding. A clinic.I was still alive. For a moment, that alone felt like a victory.I kept my eyes closed, focusing on the voices drifting through the air.“She won’t be able to move without pain for a few days.” Sera’s voice was calm, clinical, but there was an edge of something else beneath it - something sharp. “Was it worth it?”Dorian’s voice followed, deep and unreadable. “She needed this.”There was silence, and then Sera exhaled sharply. “She needed this,
Dorian’s POVTessa was too still in my arms.Too quiet.Her breathing was steady, but I could feel the weight of her exhaustion, the way her body had given out long before she wanted it to. Blood smeared her skin, dark bruises already blooming along her arms, her ribs. She was light against me, fragile in a way that made my jaw clench.I kept my stride even, controlled, as I carried her through the hall, but inside, I was anything but calm."This was a mistake." Kael’s voice was a low growl in my mind, dark and simmering with rage. "You should have stopped it. You should have protected her.""She fought." I forced the words through gritted teeth. "She proved she wasn’t weak.""And yet, here she is - broken in your arms."A snarl threatened to rise in my throat. Not at my wolf - but at myself. I wouldn’t let guilt take hold.This was necessary. She needed to fight. She needed to remember she could.But Kael wasn’t convinced."You keep telling yourself that," he sneered, "but I see what
Dorian’s POVShe was losing. The pack saw it. I saw it. And yet, she kept standing.I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay where I was, to keep my face impassive as Tessa swayed on her feet, breathing hard. Blood smeared her lip, dark bruises already forming on her arms, her ribs. She had landed a few good hits, but the outcome of this fight had never been in question."Enough." My wolf’s voice growled through my mind, sharp and demanding. "Stop this.""Not yet."His fury lashed against me, a restless storm. He didn’t understand."She is ours. Letting them hurt her is weakness." His voice was barely restrained. "We should kill the one who dares touch her."I exhaled slowly, keeping my gaze locked on Tessa. "This is necessary.""Necessary?" He snarled. "You think watching her break will make her stronger?"Yes.Not physically. That wasn’t the point. This wasn’t about proving herself to the pack - it was about proving herself to herself.The moment I brought her here, they saw her