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
Tessa POV The warm water ran over my skin, washing away the sweat and dirt from training, but it didn’t quite cleanse the ache deep inside. My muscles screamed in protest, every bruise a reminder of the punishment I’d endured. The sting from my ribs flared as I reached up to rinse my hair, and I hissed, biting my lip to hold back the pain.The water was comforting, but it didn’t ease the storm raging in my mind.When I stepped out of the shower, the chill of the air hit me, and I wrapped a towel around my body before walking to the mirror. The reflection staring back at me wasn’t what I wanted to see.It was the face of someone broken, someone who had barely held her ground against an opponent far stronger, far more ruthless than anything I’d known.The bruises were already forming, darkening as the hours passed. One across my cheek. Another on my collarbone. My ribs were sore to the touch, my arms stiff from the constant strain of blocking strikes I couldn’t always deflect.The warr
Tessa POVI closed my eyes, lying back against the pillows, letting the silence of the room swallow me. My mind kept racing, the images of the fight, the training, and the roughness of his touch when he picked me up spinning in my head. The heat between us had been undeniable.And now, it was a fire that I couldn’t put out.I wasn’t sure what came next. But as the darkness started pulling me under again, I knew one thing for sure. I wasn’t going to break. Not if I had anything to say about it.The question was: Would I become stronger, or would I keep falling into his trap, one fight at a time?Every time I closed my eyes, I felt him - his hands, his heat, the ghost of his voice murmuring in my ear.I shifted against the sheets, my body aching, but it wasn’t just from the bruises left during training. It was something deeper, something I didn’t want to name.Dorian had touched me. Held me. And I had burned for it. I shouldn’t have. I should have hated it. Hated him.But when I closed
Tessa’s POV The morning air was crisp, biting at my skin as I stepped onto the training grounds. The scent of damp earth and pine filled my lungs, the soft hush of the forest surrounding the clearing. It had been nearly two weeks since my first training session with Dorian, and the bruises had become a constant companion. But something else had settled beneath my skin, too - something fiercer.I was getting stronger.At first, it had been brutal. Every morning before dawn, I’d wake up aching, my muscles sore from the relentless pace Dorian pushed me through. There were days when I felt like I would break, when the voices of doubt whispered that I wasn’t built for this. That I would never be strong enough.But I had learned to ignore them.Because with every punch, every block, every fall that I forced myself to rise from, I felt it - power humming beneath my skin, waiting to be unleashed. Sable had always known it was there. She had never doubted me, even when I had doubted myself."
The message came through Rylan’s mind-link just as I finished the morning drills."They’re back." Three words. That was all it took.I barely paused. My knuckles were still raw, sweat clinging to my skin, but I already felt the shift in the air - the gathering storm. My warriors picked up on it too. Conversations died. Movements slowed. Tension prickled across the field like electricity before a lightning strike.I didn’t say a word. I didn’t need to.By the time I reached the war room, Rylan was waiting, arms crossed, jaw locked. Victor arrived seconds later, expression grim.“They’re stationed just outside the northern ridge,” Rylan said. “Callum’s leading. Two enforcers with him.”Not the Alpha. Callum. Beta of Silver Creek. Sharp as broken glass and ... I did humiliated him last time. Smirke appeared on my face instantly.Victor snorted. “They claim it’s a diplomatic visit. Came asking for Tessa. Again.”I laughed once - dry, cold. “She’s not a possession to negotiate over.”Rylan
Tessa POVElara burst into my room like a storm made of sunshine.“Guess what?” she said, bouncing on her heels, eyes practically glowing. “Dorian said yes!”I blinked at her from the bed, still tangled in a training hoodie and damp hair from the morning run. “Yes to what?”“Our adventure.” She grinned like she’d just been handed the moon. “The hot springs. My favorite spot in the whole damn territory. We’re going, and you can’t say no. Alpha’s orders.”I sat up straighter, suddenly more awake. “Wait, he actually gave you permission?”“Well… I asked really nicely,” she said with a wink. “And he mindlinked me back with a very broody, ‘Take her. Make sure she rests.’ So. We’re going. You need a break from being a badass.”I raised an eyebrow. “You just want to soak in steaming water and force me to talk about your latest crush.”“Guilty.” She snatched my hoodie from the back of the chair and tossed it to me. “Now get dressed. It’s a bit of a walk, but you’ll love it. Promise.”Despite m
Tessa POVThe wind shifted.It was subtle, barely enough to ruffle the hem of my hoodie or stir the curls Elara had pulled into a loose braid for me earlier. But it was there - a shift in the air that made my skin prickle and Sable lift her head inside me."Something’s wrong", she whispered.“Elara,” I said, pausing mid-step on the wooded path just beyond the training fields. “Do you smell that?”Elara stopped beside me, her hand instinctively tightening on the strap of her bag. Her brow furrowed. “I… don’t think so?”But I did. And so did Sable.It was faint - cloaked in pine and earth and the familiar scent of home - but underneath it was something metallic. Something… off.“Let’s head back,” I said, already turning. We didn’t make it more than three steps.The forest went quiet.Not just quiet - silent. No insects. No birds. No wind. Just a vacuum of sound that dropped over us like a shroud.Sable growled low in my chest. "Trap."“Elara - run. Get help.” Before she could argue, I s
The cuff was loose.My wrist throbbed, skin slick with blood, blistered raw from the silver, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Sable pushed with me, one beat behind my breath, her presence a molten growl behind my ribs. Not strong enough to shift yet. But close.So close.I braced my foot against the wall and yanked - the silver chain groaned, the mounting bolts whining against stone before the anchor snapped free with a metallic shriek. I collapsed forward, panting, one wrist free, one ankle still bound. The weight of the chain dragged behind me as I rose to my knees, vision swimming.Then I heard it. Footsteps.Deliberate. Confident. Unhurried.Him.I surged to my feet, dragging the chain with me, and stumbled back into the shadows of the cell. The flickering torch barely lit the far side, but I didn’t need light to feel him.Callum.The door creaked open. His silhouette filled the threshold.“Tessa,” he drawled, amused. “You’re awake again.”I said nothing. I waited.He stepped inside
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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