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Chapter 22 : The Price of Strength
Last Updated:
2025-03-30 05:15:50
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Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 23 : The Things Left Unsaid
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,
Last Updated : 2025-03-30Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 24 : The Darkness Between Dreams
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
Last Updated : 2025-03-30Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 25 : No More Running
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
Last Updated : 2025-03-30Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 26 : No One Touches What’s Mine
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
Last Updated : 2025-03-30Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 27 : Standing on My Own
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
Last Updated : 2025-03-30Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 28 : Training
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
Last Updated : 2025-03-30Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 29 : The Fight
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
Last Updated : 2025-03-31Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 30 : Breaking Point
Dorian’s POVShe hit the ground hard.Too hard.A growl built in my throat as I watched her crumble, her body slack, her breathing ragged. My wolf, Kael, lunged against the walls of my mind, snarling."You pushed her too far."I ignored him, moving before I could think better of it. The warrior I’d assigned as her opponent took a cautious step back, shoulders tense as if he expected me to tear into him. Smart. I was close.Too close.I crouched beside her, pressing my fingers to her pulse. Strong but erratic. Her skin was slick with sweat, her chest rising and falling in uneven gasps. She looked fragile like this, a stark contrast to the fighter who had thrown herself at an opponent twice her size minutes ago.I gritted my teeth.I knew what she was made of. Knew that weakness had been beaten into her, that Silver Creek had tried to bury her fire.But I also knew that fire still burned. She just needed to see it, to believe it.She stirred, a soft sound escaping her lips. My breath hi
Last Updated : 2025-04-01
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Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 57 : Wine and Politics
Tessa POVThe first course was barely set down before the questions began - though they were veiled in smiles and wine-smooth words.Alpha Ronan’s voice broke through the rising murmur. “It’s a bold thing,” he said, slicing into a piece of seared venison with the same precision he might use gutting a threat, “bringing a Luna into politics before the bond has fully settled.”I didn’t flinch, though my spine straightened. He wasn’t wrong. But he wasn’t right, either.“She’s already earned her place,” Dorian replied evenly, not looking up from his glass. “Bond or not.”“And what of the Council?” Ronan continued, his tone casual, but his gaze sharp. “They won’t take kindly to a Luna who hasn’t been properly vetted. Especially one that comes with… history.”History. A polite way of saying claimed by another. My jaw tightened, but I kept my voice even. “They’ll get used to it.”Elara bit back a smile behind her wineglass. Caelan didn’t bother hiding his laugh.“She’s got more spine than hal
Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 56 : The Dinner
Tessa POV My breath caught as Dorian finally stepped back, his hand lingering a moment too long on my waist before he forced it away. His chest rose and fell with shallow, restrained breaths - like holding back the need to shift, to claim, to devour.I didn’t move. Couldn’t. My legs felt boneless beneath me, my lips swollen and tingling, skin alive with the echo of his hands.He cursed softly under his breath and scrubbed a hand down his face, voice rough. “They’ll smell you if we don’t get this under control.”My cheeks burned. “They’ll smell you too.”His mouth twitched into something like a grin, but darker - possessive. “Good.”“Dorian.”A growl, low and reluctant, rumbled from his chest before he turned away. “I know. I know. I’ll change.”He moved toward the tall closet across the room, stripping the shirt from his body as he walked. I watched, helpless, as muscle and scars and power shifted beneath skin still dusted with dirt. Kael wasn’t gone. He was pacing just beneath the
Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 55 : Before The Mask Slips
Tessa POV The sun filtered through the high windows, casting long shadows across the suite’s stone floors. I stood barefoot on the cool surface, watching as Elara moved gracefully through the room with a tray of jewelry and dark lip stain.“You’re too calm,” I said, lips twitching.She arched a brow, tossing a look over her shoulder. “That’s because you’re panicking for the both of us.”I exhaled sharply through my nose. “Not panicking. Just… aware that I’m about to play hostess to several Alphas and their wolves in our private suite.”Elara set the tray down with a soft clink and turned to me fully, eyes gleaming. “You’ll be fine. You’re their Luna now. Time to make them see it.”She started with my hair - twisting it into a half-up style that exposed my neck but let the length spill over one shoulder. Loose enough to look effortless. Sharp enough to look dangerous. The makeup followed - subtle smudges of black along my lashes, a kiss of bronze at my cheekbones, a wine-stained mouth
Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 54 : Fire In Me
Dorian POVShe was fire beneath me.No, she was something worse. Something that burned slow and deep, something that didn’t just set flesh alight but dug into the bone. I watched her come undone, mouth parted, eyes wide, body trembling beneath my hands - and I didn’t feel triumphant.I felt addicted.Kael was clawing at the edge of my skin, barely held back. The bastard wanted out. He wanted to break her down completely, to mark every inch of her until even her scent reeked of us."Ours", he growled. "She’s ours. Take her again. Harder. She likes it."“I know,” I murmured aloud before I even realized it, my voice wrecked.She stirred beneath me, a flush high on her cheeks, her eyes dazed and liquid in the low light.Fuck.I was losing control again.Every second I spent inside her, around her, touching her - I lost another inch of discipline I’d carved into myself over years of violence, wars, loss. She unraveled it with a look. With the way she said my name like it meant something.A
Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 53 : Heat Of The Moment
Tessa POVI pushed open the suite doors and shut them quietly behind me.The quiet was thick. Still. Heavy with that charged air I’d started to recognize.He was here.I stepped farther in, slipping out of my boots, the faint rustle of my shirt brushing my skin louder than it should’ve been in the hush of the room.“Lira told me you survived the first round of planning,” Dorian’s voice came from the shadows near the balcony, low and dark. “Did she frighten you yet?”I turned.He stood there - shirtless, barefoot, loose black slacks hanging low on his hips, a glass in one hand. The light from the setting sun gilded the hard lines of his chest, the ridges of his abdomen, the dark tattoo curling around his ribs.But it was his eyes that made me stop moving. They were already on me. Already… hungry.“She didn’t frighten me,” I said, voice softer than I meant. “But she did mention a pre-ceremony dinner. That we’re hosting it. Together.”His smile was slow, wicked. “Mm. That’ll be fun.”I r
Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 52 : That Afternoon
Tessa POV I never thought planning a mating ceremony would feel like preparing for a siege.Elara led me through the wide halls of the estate like she was commanding a unit. A clipboard in her one hand, half a dozen color-coded notes in the other, pen tucked behind her ear, and a determination that could probably break steel.“So,” she said, sweeping into one of the sunlit sitting rooms just off the eastern corridor, “we’ve got six days. That’s enough time if we don’t waste a single minute.”Three other women were already seated around the low table, parchment, swatches of fabric, and floral samples spread out between steaming cups of tea.“This is Lira,” Elara nodded toward the eldest of the women - a graceful Omega with silver-streaked hair braided down her back. “She’s head of house operations. Every moving piece of this pack’s home flows through her.”Lira inclined her head with a warm smile that didn’t quite reach her sharp eyes. “And soon, Luna, you’ll be part of that flow.”I
Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 51 : The First Step
Tessa POVThe sharp cry of a hawk overhead stirred me from sleep, golden light already slipping between the tall windows of the suite. The air smelled like dew and pine, and something else - leather, warmth, and Dorian.He wasn’t beside me. I blinked once, then heard the soft rustle of movement in the adjoining room.“I was about to come wake you,” came his voice, smooth and deep.I turned and found him standing at the edge of the bed. He was already dressed - in black tactical pants, a form-fitting long-sleeve shirt, and that alpha confidence that clung to him like a second skin.He tossed a small bundle onto the bed.“Training gear,” he said. “You’ve got twenty minutes. Don’t keep your pack waiting, Luna.”Luna.It still hit me like a new heartbeat, equal parts fire and fear. But this time, I didn’t flinch from it. I got up.By the time we reached the clearing, dozens of warriors were already assembled. The space was surrounded by trees, sunlight dappling the hard-packed earth. The
Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 50 : Wrapped in His Arms
I lay across his chest, the soft blanket pulled halfway over us, our skin still slick from sweat, hearts slowing in sync. His fingers traced lazy circles against the curve of my back, and I felt… whole. Like I was right where I was always meant to be.“You didn’t have to give me all this,” I murmured against his skin, the new suite still glowing around us - luxurious, filled with future and promise.“I didn’t do it for you.” His voice was low and rough, but not cold.I pulled back just enough to look at him. “No?”“I did it for us.” His eyes met mine, molten and steady. “I’m done pretending I’m something I’m not. And I’m done hiding you.”The shift in his expression was subtle - something darker threading through the light.“I want the pack to see you standing beside me. ” He brushed a strand of damp hair from my face. “And I want the Luna ceremony done within the week. Vows. Bonding with pack. Everything.”I hesitated. “Dorian… what if they don’t accept me?”He stilled, his hand paus
Save Me, Claim Me Chapter 49 : In the Suite
Tessa POV Dorian’s head tilted slightly, the distant look in his eyes sharpening. Mind link. He didn’t speak, but I could feel the shift in his energy - tense, brief, then resigned. He brushed his lips against my temple and murmured, “I’ll be back in a minute,” before disappearing through the bedroom doors and down the hallway. I stood there, unsure, when Elara’s voice floated in behind me. “He hates those. Mind links, I mean.” She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed loosely, her smile softening. “Feels like they pry into his peace.” I turned to face her. “Is it… something urgent?” She shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe just annoying.” Then she stepped into the room and looked around. “He did all of this himself, you know. No help. No opinions. Not even mine.” I ran my hand over the velvet on the back of the armchair, still overwhelmed. “He didn’t have to-” “He needed to,” she cut in gently. “After everything… he needed something that felt like hope.” I looked at he
