THE DARK ALPHA

FOUR YEARS EARLIER...

KATRINA

“You can’t take her away! She’s my daughter!”

I had only heard stories of the Alpha who drinks the blood of his defeated enemies. An Alpha who kills for fun and strikes terror when it’s his godforsaken birthday. An Alpha who’s slayed every girl he’s ever laid with. An Alpha who singlehandedly raised his pack from the ashes of conquest to victory. The one wolf territories have known for his blackness. The one that every living wolf today calls… The Dark Alpha.

After my encounter with the Alpha Triplets, I thought I’d never meet a worse wolf. Another more evil and wicked but I was wrong. I’ve always been.

Kane’s hold on me was firm and he was the only thing standing in the way of me tearing someone apart. The sun that had once been shining disappeared the second this abomination stepped into our pack.

He wore a black hoodie that kept his face in the shadows. Only his nose and lips that had been pierced in gold were shimmering. There was a smug smirk on his wicked lips and I gritted my teeth angrily as Kane continued to struggle with me.

“I don’t care who she is to you.” The lower edge of his lips rose. “She’s my mate.”

I could see the darkness in his voice, in his aura, and I hated the moon goddess for the trick she was playing on me.

“She was my daughter before she became your mate! How dare you come in here and…”

“Kat, calm down,” Kane commanded as the hooded figure slipped his hands into his pockets. The movement showed indications of a black ring on his left index finger. “We can’t act irrationally.”

His azure eyes sent me a word of warning but I was too angry to not ignore it.

“Did you hear what he said?!” My heart pounded hard against Kane’s hand and I was losing my cool every second that this wolf stood there, wanting to take my daughter away from me. “Did you?!”

“If you don’t calm down now, I’ll have no choice but to send you out of here.”

I glared at him, the temptation to slap him was so great but not now, not here… I’ll deal with him later. Stepping back, I freed myself from his grip and folded my hands, hoping that it would be enough for me to restrain myself.

But whom was I kidding?

Kane turned to him, his muscular hands glittering with tattoos for each war he’s won in the past decade. He aged like fine wine and my attraction for him was as strong as ever. I hated falling so easily for him because when I want to be mad, a single touch and a single kiss were enough to put me back on the bed.

“Alpha Adrian, are you aware that it’s my fourteen-year-old daughter you are calling your mate?”

“She’s a shifted wolf. I can take her.”

“It was a premature shift. It shouldn’t have happened.”

The darkness hadn’t moved an inch and if it were anyone else here, they would have choked to death with the clash of powerful auras that was heating the office.

“The pup is my mate.” I tightened the fold on my hands. Another word and he’s a goner. “She’s my property.”

Like Kane knew I was about to do something, he turned to me with another warning stare and I took a step back.

‘We’re wasting time, Kat. I say we tear that head off him,’ my wolf, Melora, said.

‘For once I agree with you.’

Kane glared at him when he called our daughter his property—how fucking dare him—but to say the truth, he was handling this better than I would ever.

“She’s only fourteen, Alpha. You can’t take her.”

“I don’t care,” his hard gruff voice that could make anyone shiver came again.

Kane took a step closer to him and their auras got tougher.

“You are in my pack. You are demanding my daughter and claiming to be her mate.” The Alpha smirked. “Alpha, do you have any idea what that means?”

He tilted his head and though I couldn’t see them, I felt evil murdering eyes on me. Eyes like death.

He took a step closer to Kane as well and I bit my tongue out of his sheer audacity. “I’ll set this pack on fire, burn it down to the ground and kill anyone that refuses to give me what is mine.” I saw something flicker dangerously in where his eyes should be. “Including you, Alpha.”

I felt Kane’s tension, he was losing his patience.

I freed my hand from the twist, realizing now what I had to do. My insides were crying and my heart was heavier than it had ever been. A war between two powerful packs would only mean destruction.

It’s how it has been in history. It’s how it has been a thousand years ago. It’s how it will always be. Many innocent lives would be lost if this happens and I knew Kane wouldn’t back down. After the past years we’ve been together, I know he will do anything for his kids. He’s proved it to me time and again but it’s time for me to act.

I stepped forward and held Kane’s powerful hands, looking for strength from him and giving him strength.

“Alpha Adrian of the Silverclaw pack.” I felt those eyes on me again and Kane raised a styled eyebrow as he looked at me in worry. “A war won’t be necessary.”

‘What are you up to, Kat?’

‘Forgive me, Kane.’

“Because I have decided that the day my daughter turns eighteen, she will no longer be my daughter…”

‘I’m doing the right thing,’ I convinced myself.

“But your mate and the Luna of the Silverclaw pack.”