CHAPTER SIX

ALEX

The scent hits me before I enter the inspection tent – sweet vanilla and wild jasmine, undercut with something darker. Something that makes my wolf snap to attention after decades of disinterest.

"Alpha." Victoria's simpered greeting grates against my nerves. "We were just examining the new tributes. Nothing worth your personal attention—"

I silence her with a look. My focus is entirely on the source of that scent: a small figure on the inspection platform, bent forward in submission. Even in this humiliating position, something about her radiates defiance.

"Leave us," I command, not bothering to look at the others scrambling to obey. "All of you."

Only when the tent flap falls shut do I approach her. She's trembling slightly, but not from fear – no, this is something else. Something she's fighting to control. My wolf prowls beneath my skin, desperate to investigate.

"Stand up," I order, softening my voice despite the Alpha command threading through it. "Turn around."

She moves with a grace that belies her supposed status. Wolfless. The word in her paperwork had caught my attention – we get few wolfless tributes, and fewer still with her level of control. Most can barely function without their wolves.

But this one... this one is different.

She keeps her eyes down, dark lashes casting shadows on pale cheeks. Her honey-blonde hair falls in waves past her shoulders, and even without touching it, I know it will feel like silk.

"Look at me, little wolf." The endearment slips out before I can stop it.

She stiffens. "I..." Her voice is soft, musical. "Slaves aren't permitted to—"

I catch her chin, tilting her face up. And my world stops turning.

Amber eyes meet mine, flecked with gold and something else – something that flashes crimson so quickly I might have imagined it. My wolf howls in recognition.

Mate.

The word thunders through my blood, ancient and undeniable. Every instinct screams to claim her, mark her, make her mine in every way possible. But beneath that primal urge, something else nags at my senses.

She's hiding something. Many somethings, if the careful control in her scent is any indication.

"Interesting," I murmur, brushing my thumb across her lower lip. It's softer than I imagined, and she shivers at my touch. "Very interesting."

"My Lord," she whispers, trying to look away. I tighten my grip.

"They say you're wolfless." I lean closer, inhaling deeply. There's power in her scent, carefully masked but unmistakable. "They say you're broken. Defective." I let my lips curl into a dark smile. "They're lying."

Terror spikes through her sweet scent. "I don't—"

"Shh." I press my thumb against those tempting lips, silencing her. "Your first lesson, little wolf. Never lie to me. I'll always know." I slide my other hand into her hair, gripping just tight enough to make her gasp. My wolf growls in approval at the sound. "And I punish liars most severely."

"Please," she breathes against my thumb. The sensation sends heat straight to my core. "I am wolfless. The papers—"

"The papers lie." I lean closer still, letting my scent wrap around her. Her pupils dilate, and there – another flash of crimson in those amber depths. "But we'll discover your truths soon enough. Won't we, little wolf?"

I gentle my grip, turning it into a caress. She's so small compared to me, so seemingly fragile. Yet something tells me this one could tear my entire world apart if I let her.

"Welcome to Silver Creek, Alora." I put every ounce of possession I feel into her name. Mine. Whether she feels the mate bond yet or not, she belongs to me now. "You belong to me now."

Her wolf – the one she pretends doesn't exist – responds to my claim. I feel it in the way she unconsciously leans toward me, in the slight catch in her breath.

But she doesn't recognize me as her mate. The bond is there, humming between us, but it's muted. Hidden behind whatever walls she's built to conceal her true nature.

No matter. I've spent years searching for something to break the emptiness inside me. Now fate has delivered not just a mate, but a delicious mystery to unravel.

I release her reluctantly, stepping back. "Report to the main house. Sarah will show you to my personal quarters."

Her head snaps up. "Personal... but I'm meant for the kitchens—"

"You're meant for whatever I decide." I let my power flare, watching her struggle not to submit to it. Fascinating. "Unless you'd like to tell me why you're really here?"

She drops her gaze again, shoulders slumping in defeat. "No, my Lord."

"Good girl." The praise makes her shiver. Interesting. I file that reaction away for later exploration. "Go."

She hurries from the tent, but I catch her backward glance. There's fear there, yes – but also curiosity. Hunger.

My wolf rumbles in satisfaction. Let her keep her secrets for now. We'll peel away each layer of deception until we find the truth beneath.

And when we do... when we do, little mate, you'll learn exactly what it means to belong to the Beast.