Claudia Scott is ready to start her family as the wife of the New Moon pack’s beta. But when a stranger arrives, claiming she’s not who she thinks she is, Claudia’s life takes a dark turn. As she digs into the mysterious revelations, she uncovers a string of secrets that Braden has been keeping from her. Now, as her world unravels, Claudia must confront a heartbreaking betrayal and the truth about her past. With war looming and her enemies closing in, Claudia must reclaim her rightful place before those who betrayed her strip everything from her. But blood, power, and survival come at a cost—and in this battle, there can be no mercy. Torn between her past, her loyalty, and the undeniable bond with a mysterious stranger, Claudia will stop at nothing to take back what’s hers … even if it means facing her darkest fears and burning down the world to do it. In a game of lust, power, and blood, the only way to survive is to surrender...to the heat of the hunt.
View MoreThe next few days are much the same. Claudia fetches me from the cell, and Braden meets us at the top of the stairs. Depending on his mood—or whatever he thinks will hurt me the most—he either kisses or hits her. I see the confusion in her eyes, the way she wonders why the man she ‘loves’ keeps hurting her like this. Each day, she seems more alone, trapped with only Braden to depend on. Her frustration spills onto me. She whips me more often, not even noticing how quickly I heal.Today, however, instead of heading to the clearing where I've been working, we take a different path through the pack's territory. The destination is the house where Claudia and Braden once lived when they were betas. Now, it seems, ‘Uncle’ Leon occupies it.Dark wood panels line the walls, and amber lanterns cast an eerie glow despite it being the middle of the day. The air is stale, carrying a faint scent of dust and something different that itches my nose. Claudia steps up and knocks on the door, her knuck
Claudia gets up slowly, rising to her feet. She looks exhausted—the kind of tired that comes from being stretched too thin. It's too much for her. I don't dare touch her; the way her red lip trembles and her hands shake as she picks up the whip tells me she’s walking a tightrope, one wrong move away from shattering completely.I’ve just managed to get her to a good place in her healing—she was moving forward, happy, strong. And in a mere few days, Braden has ripped through those old wounds, tearing them open again. I can see the doubt creeping back into her eyes. His ability to channel Gaia’s magic might be strong, but it’s sloppy. Too many holes for me to poke through, for her to question.When she turns to me, her mask is back in place, even if the cracks are showing. She sighs, her head tilting slightly toward the back of the house where the cells are. Neither of us speaks on the walk back, the silence heavy and suffocating.The air grows colder and damp as we descend, the walls na
*** Trigger Warning Assult ***I’m going to kill him.I've had time to plan since he left me to rot in this cell. I just never expected that my own mate wouldn’t recognize me. I just need to touch her—I know, with everything in my soul, that it will help break the spell he's woven to distort her mind. But the magic has taken root far deeper than I anticipated. The damage to my thigh is proof of that.“You tried to touch her and stop me from hurting my wife, and now you’re going to pay for that,” Braden snarls. His voice slithers through the air, venomous and sharp.I feel it the moment he enters my mate. The betrayal burns through the bond, a searing agony, but what cuts deeper is the sight of her head lolling limply—his blow rendering her too dazed to even understand what’s happening. Worse still, she tried to get him to stop, and my need to protect her made me act rashly. I should have stayed still. He’s baiting me, and now I watch, helpless, as he violates my mate before my eyes.I
*** Trigger Warning ***Braden stands in the doorway, his features cloaked in shadows, but as he steps forward, a wide grin stretches across his face. "I'll admit, I wasn't sure you would whip him, baby, but I'm so proud of you," he purrs, pulling me inside and wrapping me in his arms. I let myself relax into his hold, my heart still racing from the confrontation. His scent—earthy and sharp—fills my senses, grounding me."Of course I would. After how he hurt me, that's not something I could forget," I reply, my voice steady, though my fingers tremble slightly against his chest. Braden's dark blue eyes fix on mine, a mix of amusement and something darker flickering there."My wife is a violent little thing," he murmurs, and I can't tell if he's pleased or disturbed by it. His grip tightens, almost possessive, and a chill pricks at the back of my neck."Get inside," he orders Asher, his voice low and commanding. He shields me, tucking me further into his side as if to hide me from Asher
I jump back, growling, before shaking my head. I pick up my tea, now cold, and finish it in one gulp. “Come on, and don’t make me use the whip again!” I snap, grabbing his mug and placing both of them in the dishwasher. My fingers tighten around the handle of the whip, and I feel that same ripple of discomfort slither up my spine, but I shove it down.Asher follows this time, keeping his distance as I storm out of the pack house. The air is heavy with the scent of pine and damp earth, and my boots crunch against the gravel path. Guards are everywhere, their eyes shadowed and vigilant. One of them, a man with dark, unblinking eyes, watches me closely. I meet his gaze for a heartbeat before turning away, unease prickling beneath my skin. Asher strolls behind me, too quiet, too compliant, the paper towel at his thigh stained red where I struck him.By the time I make it out of the garden and into the woods, I collide with someone I didn’t expect.“Uncle Leon?” My voice is stunned, brittl
I stare, unblinking, watching the blood drip down Asher's thigh. My fist grips the leather handle of the whip so hard that my knuckles turn bone white, the edges biting into my palm. The kettle hisses behind me, steam billowing like ghosts in the air, clinging to my skin."Just sit down," I manage to say, my voice steady despite the violent pounding of my heart. Asher's eyes flick to mine, dark and unreadable, before he exhales sharply and turns away, leaving a trail of crimson droplets in his wake. The chair screeches against the tiles as he collapses into it, burying his face in his hands.Guilt slams into me, sharp and suffocating. I release the whip, letting it clatter to the floor with a metallic finality. My fingers tremble as I snatch up a cloth, dropping to my knees to scrub at the blood—his blood—until my hands ache and the floor gleams. The scent of iron hangs heavy in the air, sour and unrelenting.After wiping my damp palms on the skirt of my dress, I grab a stack of towels
As we reach the top of the stairs, I keep my eyes fixed on the man the entire time. The dungeon's oppressive chill still clings to my skin, making the house's stale air feel almost comforting by comparison. I don’t trust him—not even a little—and at least being back inside makes it easier to pretend I'm in control.“What’s your name?” I ask, my voice coming out sharper than intended. I refuse to call him slave. He tilts his head, a strange look crossing his face, as if he's trying to convey something telepathically. After a beat, he lets out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. My fingers tighten around the handle of the whip instinctively. The thought of using it on him twists my stomach, especially with his skin still raw and marred. But the whip has become a security blanket of sorts, and I cling to it all the same.“You don’t need that,” he sighs, hand dropping to his side. His eyes—storm-grey and sharp—flick up to the ceiling as he takes another measured breath.I
“You are to whip this man if he tries to touch you. You are to whip this man if he disobeys your commands. You are to whip this man for everything that he ever did or tried to do to you.” Braden's voice is steady, but I can barely hear it over the pounding of my heart. My gaze stays locked with those storm-grey eyes—the eyes from my dreams. The man. Is this really the monster who did that to me? And who will I become if I treat him the way Braden insists?A power seems to radiate from Braden, more potent and dangerous than I remember. Is it because he became alpha, or is it something more? “I don’t think I can do this,” I mumble, finally breaking eye contact and trying to pass the whip back to Braden. He refuses, his eyes darkening. “You will do this, Claudia.” His resolve presses into me, heavy and unrelenting. I swallow past the lump in my throat, a feeble nod escaping me.The slave's eyes burn into me, scorching and raw. Braden cups my cheek, his hand sliding down my neck until it
The dungeon is unlike anything I expect. It's a cave-like structure with endless staircases spiraling downward into darkness. Torches line the walls, their flickering flames casting eerie shadows that stretch and contort. I wonder how they stay lit—if someone has to come down here each day to light them. The air is thick and suffocating, reeking of rot and stale sweat that stings my nose. I press into Braden's side, seeking comfort as we descend yet another staircase. My heart pounds erratically, each beat echoing in my ears. I can’t understand why we’re going so far down. What kind of surprise could possibly be waiting here that I would want?We stop outside an engraved iron door, rusted and foreboding. A small slit at the top reveals only utter darkness. The grating sound of metal dragging along the ground sends a chill up my spine, making my teeth ache with the vibration.“I’ve got you, baby,” Braden murmurs, his voice low and smooth, but it does nothing to steady my nerves. “Nothi
My lungs burned as I stumbled through the dense underbrush, the wild throb of my heartbeat pounding in my ears along with the sound of my feet over the uneven ground of the dark woods. Moonlight filtered in thin shafts through the canopy above as I desperately tried to make my way back home. Each step was a struggle, my body wracked with agonizing pain with every stride.A shadow flickered at the corner of my vision. There was someone else here, in the center of New Moon Pack's territory. A soft crush of dead leaves, the snap of a twig underfoot had my head spinning to see who was behind me. Yet each time I searched, they disappeared before I could catch a glance of who it was.The branches and trees seemed to reach out to grab me with their spindle-like fingers, slowing me down as if trying to stop me from making my way home. From getting away from whoever hunted me. I didn’t know who it was, but this was my pack, my home. Whoever was following me wasn’t from here—someone had breache...
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