The elders take their sweet time making a decision. Reid has already discovered the cupboard full of snacks and made a significant dent in the stockpile. Claudia doesn’t eat or drink anything. Instead, she keeps wringing her hands or bouncing up and down from her chair, as though sitting still is physically impossible. She keeps biting her red bottom lip, and it’s driving me to distraction.“Love, can you relax? It’s going to be fine,” I say, trying to reassure her. She nods, turning to sit again, but the moment my hand rests on her thigh, she’s on her feet once more. My jaw clenches but I don't try to push her further. Reid pours the remaining crumbs from his bag of crisps straight into his mouth, leaning back in his seat as if he hasn’t a care in the world. I drag a hand down my face, silently praying to the moon goddess for the elders to return quickly before I’m forced to smack some sense into one of them.Finally, the door creaks open, and the elders stride in. Claudia’s face pal
Claudia quickens her pace, her footsteps sharp against the stone as I follow close behind, my lips pressing into a hard line. “Claudia, stop running from me. I know you're not thrilled, but this is a good outcome,” I call after her, my voice echoing as she disappears around the corner. Damn it. I push forward, grabbing her arm before she can bolt any farther.Her nostrils flare as she spins to face me, her eyes burning with anger. “I know that,” she snaps, her voice sharp, before trying to tug free from my grip.“Then what is it?” I ask, holding her steady. She huffs, her chest rising and falling, and fixes me with a pointed glare.“You could have told me—or at least warned me—that’s what you were going to say,” she says, her shoulders slumping. Her hands fall limply to her sides, the fight draining from her.I tuck my hands into my pockets, jaw tightening. “Love, I did tell you. I said they might ask you to challenge me, and that many have wanted someone to step into the alpha role.
I can’t believe how effortless my shift feels. It’s like soaring through the air. I feel indestructible as I move, my paws pounding against the dirt in perfect rhythm. A smirk tugs at my lips as I hear Asher struggling to catch up. And he thought he could beat me in a challenge? Ha! I’m not even running at full speed, and I know he’s pushing himself to keep up with me. My wolf licks her lips, clearly appreciating the view of Asher’s muscular frame, replaying the image of his ass in my head. His tight, powerful strides reveal more than just his determination. I haven’t seen many wolves like him, and my wolf seems to agree. If I hadn’t forced her to keep moving, she might’ve taken a playful nip at him—something I’m not entirely sure he’d mind.Even though I’m still learning to navigate this form, my wolf is far more confident than I gave her credit for. It’s like she’s unshackling herself from the layers of Braden’s oppression, while I’m still struggling to do the same. Where I hesitat
“Yes, I did—”Asher starts to explain, but I spin on my heel and bolt. My heart pounds like a war drum in my chest. He knew. He knew we were fated, and he didn’t tell me. Something so monumental, so life-altering, and he kept it a secret. He lied.“Claudia,” he calls, his voice sharp and desperate, as his hand wraps around my wrist, pulling me back. Not close enough for our bodies to touch, but enough for his presence to suffocate me. His storm-grey eyes meet mine, brimming with pain so raw it makes my breath hitch. For a split second, I wonder—does he regret this? Is he about to reject me?“Asher, let me go,” I hiss, tugging at my arm, but his grip holds firm.“Wait. Just listen to me,” he growls, his voice rough, like gravel scraping against stone. I stumble back, but he doesn’t release me.“You knew.” My voice cracks, my chest tightening as the forest around us seems to close in. The trees feel like prison bars, the air like it’s being sucked out of the world. “You knew, and you di
I watch as my mate runs from me—she runs—and I have to wrestle my beast back, forcing it to stay in check and not charge after her, not claim her right here and now.What was I thinking, pushing her to acknowledge the bond? Did I miscalculate? The thought churns in my mind, a bitter taste I can’t swallow.I hoped shifting into her wolf would awaken her to the bond, force her to feel it as I do. But more than that, I knew she needed the shift to grow stronger, to become the wolf she’s meant to be.I drag a hand down my face, the cool night air brushing my skin. An owl’s hoot cuts through the silence, echoing mockingly in the distance, as if to remind me how thoroughly I’ve fucked this up.She compared me to him—to her husband. The thought claws at me, cold and sharp. My own mate thinks I’m capable of the same cruelty? The idea makes my stomach churn, bile rising. I shift on instinct, my wolf taking over, the need to run too overwhelming to ignore. I bolt into the forest, circling the pe
Several days have passed since the mate bond awakened, and while I’m grateful Asher said he would give me space, I didn’t think it would feel like this. I haven’t seen him for more than five minutes at a time, and when I do, he refuses to look at me. The bond in my chest tightens, pulling at me, making me crave his attention. I refuse to grovel or beg, but I’ve decided I will apologize for comparing him to Braden. It wasn’t fair, even if I was caught off guard.I pull my hair into a high ponytail and make my way to Asher’s office, where I know he’s been holed up with Reid for the last few days. He’s been shutting me out, but I’m not letting that happen today. I knock on the door as usual, hearing the murmur of voices fall silent and the shuffle of footsteps. The door creaks open, and Reid’s grinning face greets me.“Good morning, Claudia. How are we today?” he asks, his smile wide and infuriating. I frown. Asher won’t even answer the door now.Tilting my chin up, I cross my arms over
I stand in his office for barely three minutes before I turn and chase after him and Reid. What could be so urgent that they won’t even tell me? A knot tightens in my stomach, the dread pooling like ice water. Could Braden have come here, finally showing up to drag me back? The thought churns my gut and leaves me feeling queasy.I race down the stairs, taking two at a time, nearly tripping over the uneven stone steps in my haste. The guards bow as I pass, a gesture I’m still adjusting to, though it’s becoming less foreign the longer I stay here. Bursting through the front door, I scan the grounds, but they’re nowhere in sight. Frustration bubbles up, and I clench my fists, sprinting toward the forest. That has to be where they’ve gone. I know Asher loves to run in his wolf form and its the fastest way to get anywhere unless you travel by car. The cold air stings my face as I run, my breath puffing out in sharp bursts. Should I shift? I hesitate, unsure if they even went this way. My w
“No, Claudia, I’m not,” Gaia protests, her voice trembling as she pins me with a desperate gaze. I stare at her, the weight of her lie crashing down on me. I trusted her. How could she do this? My voice shakes with fury as I step back, putting distance between us. “Stop playing me for a fool, Gaia. I thought you were my friend. How could you stand there and watch me with your mate? Married to him? What the fuck?” I spit, my words laced with venom.She takes a deep breath, smoothing her muddy, twig-covered hair, which only highlights how wild she looks. Her matted strands cling to her damp skin as she tries to pull herself together. Then, she fixes me with a defiant look.“Okay, you’re right. We were fated. Past tense, Claudia. He rejected me because I couldn’t mark him. Then he met you.” She says half annoyed like that explains everything. I blink, my mind racing to make sense of her words. Rejected her? The thought of rejecting Asher feels like tearing my soul in half. I can’t fatho
Braden appeared suddenly, and I lunged at him, my fist driving into his gut with a forceful punch. As he staggered, my leg swung out, jamming into his thigh with a satisfying thud. He retaliated with a feral growl, his claws slicing into my ribs, sending a sharp jolt of pain through my side. "I'm not going to let you kill me," he spat, as I shoved him away with all my might.Amid the chaos, her scent reached me, and my eyes snapped to meet her jewel-blue gaze. She was trying to push through the fray to get to me, her face radiant with a smile that cut through the violence like a beacon. "Leo," her voice seemed to rise above the clamor of battle cries and snarls, but perhaps it was just my imagination. I turned my attention back to Braden, slicing his jaw and neck, blood pouring from the wounds like a crimson river. The urge to obliterate him was strong, but I had made a promise to let Claudia deliver the final blow. Knowing she was here, seemingly unharmed, brought me a sense of relie
I squeeze through the bars, my hips scraping against the metal, the sting immediate and sharp. Welts are already forming, the raw skin throbbing with each shallow breath. By the time I make it through, exhaustion claws at me, my body convulsing as another wave of unbearable heat ripples through my veins. My skin burns like an open flame, every inch drenched in sweat, my clothes sticking to me like a second skin.I stagger toward the desk where Braden left my blade and grenade. Sunlight glints off the compact disk beside them, a flash of silver that momentarily blinds me. Pulling myself up, the wood splinters beneath my fingers, sharp pricks piercing my palm. I swipe the sweat from my brow, sucking in air, my breath shallow and ragged. My legs tremble as I force them to hold my weight. The battle outside the tent rages on, steel clashing, wolves snarling. I don’t have time. I need to move.Leo.I have to get to him.Shoving the blade back into my boot and tucking the grenade into my ja
Just as I step out of my office, a deafening siren slices through the air, signaling danger. The pack walls have been infiltrated.I sprint forward, my legs burning as I push myself faster. Over the hills of the pack grounds, swarms of warriors descend from all directions like a flood of shadows under the sun. Shit."Reid, make sure there's a team to get to Claudia!" I command through the mindlink, my voice edged with urgency. I don't need him to respond I need him to find her. Then, I shift, bones snapping and reforming as I surge into my wolf form. The moment my paws hit the ground, I charge toward the trees. The scent of rogue wolves fills my nostrils—wild, unhinged, bloodthirsty. Their snarls vibrate in the air, a chaotic symphony of hunger and rage.Two colossal gray wolves lunge at me, one veering left, the other right. A distraction. A trap. I keep my eyes sharp, scanning for a weakness. But I don’t wait for them to make the first move—I strike.I launch at the one in front of
I wake with a jolt, a sharp twist in my gut telling me something isn’t right. The weight of the room presses down on me as I blink against the dim light filtering through the curtains. A few breaths pass before I realize—I’m still in the lounge. Memories from last night surface, fragmented and raw, but I shove them aside as an unsettling void tugs at my consciousness. Something is missing.Claudia.Panic doesn’t grip me immediately—her clothes are still here. For all I know, she could have just gone back to the room to shower. But then, my gaze snags on a note resting atop one of her shoes, and an icy dread coils around my spine.I knew something was off in the way she looked at me last night, but the moment her lips wrapped around my cock, nothing else mattered. Now, as I stare at the note in her elegant scrawl, I wish I had listened to my instincts.I crush the paper in my palm and hurl it into the dying embers of the fireplace, watching as the flames lick at it hungrily, turning he
The ground vibrates beneath me as the rhythmic stomp of boots closes in. The troops march one by one toward my pack, their movements a relentless drumbeat of impending doom. If I make it out of this, Leo is going to kill me—for real this time—for going off on my own.Lying here in my cell, my body throbs with the pain of my own recklessness. What I thought was an act of bravery now feels like pure stupidity. I should have challenged Braden for the pack the second I was thrown into his tent. That was the plan. But it all went wrong. Horribly wrong.Barking orders ring out from the guards outside, their voices sharp and grating. I try to force through the haze of pain of the heat to reach Leo through the mind link, but it’s useless. I’m too weak. My breath catches as the flap of the tent rustles, signaling someone’s return. My heart pounds harder, slamming against my ribs. I want out of this cage, but I also don’t. The idea of someone finding me like this—vulnerable, helpless—is terrify
"What did you just do?" I ask, my body igniting in seconds, heat flooding every vein. My vision blurs as sweat drips down my back. Braden sways in front of me, something small and glinting in his hand. My body wobbles as he lets me go, and I claw at my hair, fingers fumbling for the vial of liquid silver. My hands shake too much to grip it. I just can't reach it. "Heat serum. If you're going to act like a whore, then I'll treat you like one," he groans, voice thick with amusement.A smolder ignites between my legs, molten and all-consuming. Fuck. I don’t know how much he gave me, but my body betrays me instantly, my movements sluggish, my mind drowning in the haze of unbearable heat pulsing through my core.My fingers slip from my hair, every thought narrowing down to a single need—I have to get out of these leathers and this jacket. Too hot. Too tight. Every beat of my heart pumps more of the serum through my bloodstream, and my panties are already soaked. The thick scent of my arou
I'm thrown onto an old wool rug, the rough fibers scraping against my bare hands. I sneer, because even in the midst of battle, Braden refuses to go without his creature comforts. Though a small part of me is grateful—at least I'm not being smushed into the dirt again.Several pairs of black boots surround me before two gleaming black brogues step into my line of vision. "Baby, is that really you?" His voice carries an almost genuine concern, but I know better. I adjust my position, craning my neck to look up at him.Those dark blue eyes are as cold as ever. But everything else is different. He’s massive, his muscles stretched tight over his frame as if he’s been pumping himself full of steroids. He could crush me like a bug."Braden... thank the goddess," I breathe, forcing bile down as I summon a few well-placed tears to trickle down my cheek. He's the one man that has haunted my dreams for months, I never wanted to see him again. I try to stop my body from shaking from fear grippin
I make it to the top of the cliffside, my heart pounding like a war drum as the sun scorches my back. The air hangs heavy, thick with the kind of stillness that only comes before battle—that electric pause before chaos erupts. Even the birds have fallen silent.I tread carefully along the ridge, peering over the other side where their camp sprawls below. From here, I'm just far enough beyond our borders that no guards should detect me. I suppress my aura, unwilling to risk Braden sensing my presence. Lowering myself into a crouch, I inch forward until I can lie flat behind a boulder, my breath shallow, controlled.The camp is a storm of movement, warriors swarming in organized precision. Hundreds, maybe even thousands. It’s as if the entire New Moon Pack has assembled for this. My stomach tightens as I spot Uncle Leon moving through the front line, barking orders. So this is how the rogues are involved. Disappointment stabs through me. One of my father’s most trusted allies, now worki
I wake up tangled in a mess of limbs on the floor, the fire now reduced to glowing embers, and a pleasant ache thrumming between my thighs. Leo lies beside me, his soft snores blending with the distant chirping of birds, signaling the break of dawn. Carefully, I peel myself away from where our bodies are molded together. I can’t wake him. Every movement is slow, calculated, as I inch my way free.Once I’m loose, I jump up, the dim morning light seeping through the curtains now that the candles have long since melted into pools of wax on the floor. My fingers fumble for a pen, hastily scrawling a note explaining where I’m going and why. He’ll be furious—I know it—but he’s my mate, and I will protect him no matter what. This way, at least, he’ll be mad but not worried. Or at least, I hope not.I sprint down the hallway, my bare feet slapping against the cold wooden floor. The scent of burnt-out wax lingers in the air, mingling with the remnants of last night. Clothes and forgotten items