Present day

So pathetic, I think, strolling through the woods. I'm no longer the same girl I was then. No longer dreamy and lovesick. I've trained my senses and improved my skills. I can shift with ease now. I can defend myself.

Liar. Crystal says. I want to kick her.

"I can defend myself," I argue.

Not against him.

"Well it's a good thing I'll never have to. He's never coming back." I am conscious of a bit of uncertainty that makes my voice waver.

Liar

"You came." I hear a voice whisper. It feels like it's in my head, but somehow, I know it's not.

Lucien.

My heart skips a beat and starts to race again as I turn, giving myself a good look at him. I pray that I'm dreaming. 

This can't be real. He couldn't possibly come back after exile.

He doesn't look like a dream. He is too real to be a dream. He is the same. Just....

Better. Older. 

He has gotten stronger. I can sense it in the cool poise he had taken on. He seemed better off, too. His clothes were expensive, but subtly so.

"Do I get to kiss the bride?" He says sardonically, tilting his head to the side to look at me. I look around, panicking for a moment. As he takes a step forward I mirror it with a step backward. Why was no one here?

Well you're in the middle of the woods, it's hardly a public place, Crystal reasons.

I wonder why she doesn't feel scared. Doesn't she feel the restrained anger emanating from him?

The lethal energy masked by his harmless stance?

"You should never have come back," I say, staring into his eyes and forcing myself to hold his gaze. 

He stalks closer to me and I instinctively step backwards. He backs me against a tree, crowding with his body. I can feel the heat from his body. There was bravery, and there was stupidity. Going against Lucien was the second. It screamed for a second.

He kept his expression distant and cold. "To my pack?"

"Dante exiled you. He'll kill you if he finds out you came here." Lucien's lips curve into a half-smile. "Dante is a joke to other packs."

He studies my reaction, leaning in. "And judging by your lack of reaction, you already know. Do you know that the pack is in financial ruin? That other packs are closing in, trying to kill Dante and take over it?"

I hesitate, my lips parting and closing up again.

He chuckles. "You know."

I lift my chin a notch. "Leave before Dante finds out you came," I say softly, trying to reason with him. "I won't tell anyone you came here but I can't hide you if Dante finds out."

"Your worry is unnecessary and poorly placed." He replies coolly, stepping backward.

 "Go tell the groom I paid a visit." He throws over his back as he begins to walk away. "Tell him I'll be back for the celebration tonight."

He pauses in his tracks and forgets to start. He turns and walks over to me slowly, giving me a once-over, cold and clinical.

"And tell him he has gotten himself a beautiful, passionate bride and a beautiful property. Every garden deserves a serpent, doesn't it?"

With a humorless smile, he turns and walks off.

"I never thought of you as the alcoholic type."

I am holding a tumbler and putting whiskey into it when I hear the voice behind me.

 I turn to see Dante at the door of the study, already dressed for the wedding. I shudder and empty the glass of whiskey.

"What's got your panties in a knot?" He asks, walking to me and putting his arms around my shoulders from behind. 

I felt crowded and restricted by his oh-so-sudden show of affection. Dante was not an affectionate man.

"Did you know it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?" I say, wiping my lips and putting the glass back in the cabinet.

"I don't believe in luck." He whispers, his hot breath fanning my ear.

I turn, getting his arms off me. 

 "Did you know that the pack is in debt?" I ask, staring him down.

He evades my eyes, picking up the whiskey bottle I had just been drinking from. "You have quite the alcohol limit, darling."

I know he is trying to buy himself time. Dante is proud and unintelligent, but not outright stupid. 

"Talk."

"I answer to no one. I won't start with you." He says coldly.

"Oh, that's huge!" I say sarcastically. "Let's throw your ridiculous ego in, shall we?"

He stares at me, his eyes flashing. "You've been listening to gossip." He says, trying to intimidate me with his size. 

Compared to Lucien, he is like a petulant boy who throws regular tantrums. I walk around him, trying to hide the way my face is flushed. It was an inappropriate time to think of Lucien.

Dante stills suddenly, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

 I take a step back and he mirrors my action with a menacing step forward. He closes a fist painfully in my hair, making me wince. 

He forces my head back. I look into his eyes and see an anger I have never seen before.

"You have his scent on you."

My eyes widened. I had to mask Lucien's scent. It seems as though Lucien had wanted Dante to recognize his scent. 

To know that he has been here and that he is returning.

"Where is he?" Dante asks, his eyes flashing. I could see the blue in his eyes redden till good eyes were the same shade as the sun at dusk. 

He is more furious than I have ever seen him.

"Where is he?" He repeats

"Gone." I ground out, gritting my teeth. He lets go of my hair and watches me step back and massage my scalp.

He runs his fingers through his hair thoughtfully. "He'll be back. And I'll be ready when he does."

Before the wedding that night, a maid tells me that Dante had fortified pack security, setting up ambushes and traps around the pack house.

Like that would keep him away. Crystal snorts "Crystal ." I growl under my breath.

We both know it won't.

Deep down, I know that even an army of soldiers can't keep Lucien away if he wants to get in. I fidget with my hairpin, looking out my window to the woods. It's a full moon, like the one I had met Lucien under.

 I hug myself.

I almost expect it when I see Lucien stroll into the hall, looking like he has not just gone past a whole army of guards. Werewolf warrior guards. Still, I can feel the blood in my face draining.

 He looks elegant in a black tailored three-piece suit and black handmade leather loafers. The perfect wedding guest, I think humorlessly.

He commands attention just by walking into the room. Immediately, noise fills the hall. Whispers and comments. 

Comments about the rogue who dared to attend the alpha's mating ceremony. Who dared to even return to the pack after being exiled?

Crystal was right. The mating ceremony had not even begun. He hadn't needed that much time to incapacitate more than thirty mature warriors. And he still looks like he has just stepped out of a Vogue magazine.

Beside me, Dante stiffens, his fists balling up.

"What are you doing here, Blackthorn?" He asks, gritting his teeth.

Lucien begins an almost leisurely walk to the place where we both stood, obviously unbothered by the threat of a fight. "Is that how you welcome a guest?" He asks.

"Leave now," Dante commands him. "While I still feel generous enough to spare your life."

Lucien gives a lopsided grin. 

"You're not really this delusional, are you? What makes you think you can kill me?"

A guard begins to advance behind Lucien's back.

"Tell your man off so I don't have to pin him to the wall," Lucien says dryly. "It's an unnecessary waste of energy."

Dante nods to the guard and he steps away.

"What did you do with all the guards?" Dante asks, holding Lucien's gaze.

Lucien shrugs nonchalantly. "That is anyone's guess."

"So you decide to show your face once again after murdering my wife," Dante says, stepping toward him.

"After being framed for her murder, yes," Lucien says. 

"I have come to challenge you for the leadership of the clan."

For a moment, the hall goes silent. So silent I can hear the crickets chirping. 

I am also silent. Stunned into silence. Challenging Dante to a duel could only lead to one dead body and another as an alpha.

Dante looks at Lucien and I can almost see the calculating nature of his gaze.

 He was trying to size Lucien up and determine his level of strength. Know how much he has improved over the years. Dante didn't want to risk embarrassment and death.

"That is a bit too ambitious of you." Dante sneered. "Warrior turned murderer. 

You think you can just walk in here and demand a challenge?"

"Yes," Lucien replies, taking off the gold timepiece on his wrist and letting it fall to the ground with a loud thud. 

"Because I know you're too weak, too cuddled. Everyone has lost whatever trust they once had in you because they recognize you for what you are."

I can see Dante's will beginning to break at Lucien's words. The veins on his neck stand out angrily and his breath becomes shallower. He shook with anger.

 I could see where this was going, and it was not in Dante's favor. He was getting blinded by his anger, but Lucien was still calm and rational, shedding his suit jacket negligently.

"Weak, impulsive, and unfit."

Dante roars, the hair on his face thickening to fur and his eyes flashing.

"Dante!" I call, grabbing his arm and trying to stop him before he can shift completely and accept the challenge. He looks at me and sneers, flinging his arm back and sending me crashing into the opposite wall. 

I hear Lucien's growl as I straighten, a bit dizzy.

By the time I'm conscious enough to look, they have both shifted to their wolves, Lucien's black and Dante's white. 

They circle each other in readiness to fight.

They attack each other in mid-air, clawing and lunging at each other. What had been my wedding had been turned into a conquest.

Everyone stands back, watching with bated breath as they fight, tables and chairs and décor crashing around them. It is fierce and wild, lasting for what could have been an hour but feels like an eternity. 

It is painfully obvious who had better skill, however, Lucien seems to toy with Dante as one would an opponent he knew he had every chance of beating.

I know that is a high probability.

I look around and realize that nobody is fooled or harbors any illusions about this. They don't expect Dante to emerge victorious.

I wince when Lucien claws Dante's wolf to the floor, advancing on the already weak figure. I can see the motion of Dante breathing and I hold my breath, hoping Lucien doesn't deliver the final blow. It is a fight to the death.

Lucien's wolf turns and stares me straight in the eyes. I take a step back, swallowing. 

He seems to smirk at me before turning back to Dante's form on the floor. With his jaw, he picks Dante up by the neck and slams him back down to the floor with a loud thud.

 I shudder, bile forcing itself to my throat and threatening to bring up all the whiskey I had earlier today.

He picks him up again and slams him down with the same sadistic thud.

"End it, already!" I scream, surprising not just myself but everyone in attendance. Lucien does not turn towards me this time but he stiffens. 

"You're going to kill him, right? Do it and let it all be over!"

With a growl, Lucien attacks Dante's wolf once again but this time, he sinks his teeth into Dante's wolf's neck, crushing down slowly and jerking back in one swift motion, pulling Dante's throat out.

 I close my eyes against the gory sight of blood splattered against the floors and walls and Lucien's wolf holding Dante's throat between his teeth.

Softly, menacingly, I hear it clear in my head. Run.

Corrigan’s pov

With a final, calculated attack, Lucien clawed Dante's wolf and sank his teeth into the vulnerable neck. The room fell silent as the gruesome end unfolded. I turned away, unwilling to witness the brutality.

When I dared to look back, Lucien's wolf stood victorious, Dante's throat clenched between his jaws. The sight was a chilling testament to Lucien's dominance and power.

Lucien's wolf met my gaze once more, his eyes a vivid reminder of the bond that still existed between us. He turned away from the motionless body of Dante's wolf, dropping it to the floor. The room remained in stunned silence, the full magnitude of what had just occurred sinking in.

The tension in the room shifted, and I felt a mix of fear and uncertainty. With Dante's demise, there would be a shift in the pack's leadership, and Lucien would undoubtedly be the new alpha. The implications of this shift were profound and far-reaching.

Lucien let his icy gaze sweep over the pack, his expression impassive as he surveyed the room. There was no triumph or gloating in his demeanor, only an air of authority and inevitability. The pack had witnessed the transition of power, and there was no denying the legitimacy of his claim.

"You... You killed Dante," a she-wolf muttered in the room, voicing what we were all thinking.

Lucien nodded solemnly, his voice dripping with frost. "Dante challenged me for leadership. He failed."

The room remained tense, with the pack members uncertain about their future under a new alpha. Lucien's dominance and strength were undeniable, but the path ahead was fraught with his chilling aura.

The murmurs in the room grew louder, and questions and concerns began to surface among the pack members.

"Will the pack change under your rule?"

"Are there going to be new rules or traditions?"

Lucien's gaze hardened as he locked eyes with each questioner. His response was cold and fierce. "This is still your pack, but it's under new leadership now. There will be changes, and you will adapt."

One wolf dared to challenge further, "What about the human alliances Dante had established? Will they remain intact?"

Lucien's eyes flashed with impatience. "I will honor those alliances as long as they serve our interests, if they don’t, I will trash them! And do not question my decisions."

His tone grew more severe as he addressed the entire pack, his alpha authority undeniable. "Do not mistake my willingness to listen for weakness. I expect loyalty, unity, and respect. The division ends now, or you will find yourself outside the pack."

A hushed silence fell over the room, and one by one, the pack members bowed their heads, acknowledging his brutal authority. Lucien had asserted his dominance without resorting to violence, and the pack understood that this new chapter was beginning, with Lucien as its ruthless alpha.

The old era under Dante's reign had come to a decisive end, and the pack's future was now firmly in the icy grip of Lucien's ruthless rule.

*****

The night of our mating ceremony, which had started as a wedding, had become something entirely unexpected. It was a night of change, power shifting, and a new beginning.

My wolf screamed again…

“Run!”

My heart raced in tandem with the pounding of their paws, a cacophony of roars and growls reverberating through the onlooking crowd. I knew I had to get away.

Run! Run! Run!

My wolf's urgent whispers guided me through the turmoil, her voice an instinctual compass leading me to safety. And with every breath I took, I prayed I would escape the unfolding nightmare unscathed.

As I sprinted away from the chaos of the mating ceremony, my breath came in ragged gasps, and the world around me blurred into a chaotic frenzy of movement and shadows. My wolf, Crystal, pushed me forward, her presence a comforting anchor amidst the madness.

The forest loomed ahead, a sanctuary beckoning in its darkened embrace. With each step, I found myself deeper in the woods, and the scent of nature's damp earth and vibrant life filled my nostrils, replacing the acrid stench of the recent violence. It was directionless, and I had no plan, but all I knew was that I needed to get away from the pack, from Dante, from the nightmare that had unfolded before me.

Run, run, run! Crystal's urgent whispers echoed in my mind, her voice an instinctual compass guiding me through the turmoil. Her words were an unrelenting reminder of the danger that pursued me. My heart raced in tandem with the pounding of my paws as I hurtled through the underbrush, my surroundings a blur of color and sound.

But where was I heading? Was I destined to become a rogue? Is this karma for my past decisions? These thoughts churned in my mind as I ran. I felt weak, my wolf wincing in pain within me. The primal instincts that normally guided us were faltering under the weight of confusion and fear.

"Run!" My wolf screamed again, a note of urgency that cut through my doubts. She must have noticed something I didn't, sensed a danger that lurked. I obeyed, pouring every ounce of energy into escaping the unknown threat.

But my instincts had misled me. I ran headlong into a hidden danger, and as I sprinted, the world around me abruptly darkened. Before I could react, a searing pain at the back of my head struck like a lightning bolt, and my vision dissolved into inky blackness.

I fell to the forest floor, disoriented and dazed. A throbbing agony radiated from the point of impact, and my senses were muddled. I could hear voices, faint and distant, as though they were on the other side of a thick veil.

"Who is she?" a voice asked.

"She's from Dante's pack. Look, the mark on her arm, they all have it. “Found her unconscious in the woods," another replied.

A strange sense of relief washed over me. I wasn't alone in this dark and unfamiliar place. But why were they helping me? What had happened to Dante? Or were they Dante’s me? So many questions swirled in my mind as I teetered on the edge of consciousness.

I felt myself being lifted, carried, and placed on something soft. The pain at the back of my head remained sharp, but it began to ebb as a cool sensation washed over my body. Despite the confusion and fear, I couldn't help but wonder who my unexpected saviors were and what their intentions might be.

Soon, I blacked out…