The darkness didn't last long, but the fog it left behind was thick and suffocating. When Giovanni's eyes finally flickered open, the ceiling was spinning. Her body felt heavy, her skin humming with a strange, frantic heat that made the silk sheets feel like sandpaper against her thighs.

"She's coming around."

The voice was cold, clinical. Yvette.

Giovanni tried to sit up, but her limbs felt like lead. "What... what did you do to me?"

"I gave you what the Alpha paid for," Yvette replied, stepping into her line of sight. She was adjusting a blood pressure cuff on Giovanni's arm. "That injection wasn't just a vitamin boost, Giovanni. It's a hormone catalyst. It's designed to force your body into a receptive state. Your wolf should be screaming for a mate right about now."

Giovanni's heart hammered. It was true. Deep in her chest, her inner wolf was pacing, agitated, her senses heightened to a painful degree. Every scent in the room-the lavender polish, the metallic tang of the medical kit, Yvette's sharp, beta scent-was overwhelming.

"I feel... sick," Giovanni whispered, her hand moving to her stomach.

"That's the 'heat' hitting your system," Yvette said, packing her bag. "It's artificial, so it's going to be twice as intense. Try to stay hydrated. The Alpha will be back shortly to check on you."

The door clicked shut, leaving Giovanni alone in the vast, silent room. She rolled onto her side, clutching a pillow, trying to breathe through the waves of heat rolling over her. She felt dirty. Not just because of the drugs, but because of the way they were treating her-like a prize mare being prepped for the stud.

The heavy oak doors creaked open.

The scent hit her before he did. Forest floor, expensive tobacco, and that dark, spicy musk that belonged only to Russell. Her wolf let out a low, involuntary whine of submission.

Russell walked in, his suit jacket discarded, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar. He looked tired, but his Alpha aura was so potent it made the air vibrate. He didn't say a word. He walked to the edge of the bed and looked down at her.

"How do you feel?" he asked. His voice was a low rumble that vibrated right through her skin.

"Why are you doing this to me, Russell?" she choked out, her eyes watering. "Why the drugs? Why the locks? I'm your wife. I'm your Luna."

Russell's eyes darkened, a flash of molten gold swirling in the grey. He sat on the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. He reached out, his large hand cupping her face. His skin was burning hot, or maybe it was just her reaction to him.

"You're my vessel," he corrected, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw. "Being a Luna is a title of power, Giovanni. You haven't earned that. Right now, your only job is to survive the night."

"I hate you," she whispered, even as her body betrayed her, leaning into his touch.

He moved his hand from her face to her neck, his fingers brushing against the mark he had left earlier. Giovanni let out a soft gasp, her back arching instinctively. The "artificial heat" was screaming now, demanding the Alpha's touch.

"Please," she breathed, not even knowing what she was asking for.

Russell's expression didn't soften. He looked at her with a terrifying, predatory hunger, but his heart stayed behind a wall of ice. He leaned down, his lips hovering just an inch from hers.

"You want me to touch you?" he asked, his voice a lethal caress.

"I... I can't think straight," she confessed, her hands trembling as they reached up to touch his chest. His heart was steady, a slow, powerful thrum against her palms. "Everything is so hot."

"That's the wolf in you, little one. She knows who her master is."

He didn't kiss her. Instead, he grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head, his eyes locking onto hers. The dominance in his gaze was absolute. He was a billionaire in the boardroom, but here, in the dim light of the bedroom, he was all wolf.

"Do you know what happens to Omegas who can't provide a strong heir, Giovanni?"

She shook her head, her breath coming in shallow pants.

"They get sent to the fringe packs," he whispered. "To the mines. To the breeders who don't care if they survive the birth. If you want to stay in this palace, if you want to wear that lace and eat at my table, you will give me a son that carries my Alpha gene."

"Is that all I am to you?" she cried, a tear finally escaping and rolling into her hair. "A machine? A way to keep your brother from the throne?"

Russell paused. He looked at the tear, his jaw tightening. For a split second, the ice in his eyes cracked, and she saw a flash of something else-something raw and tortured. But just as quickly, it was gone.

"You are mine," he growled, his head dropping to the crook of her neck. He inhaled sharply, scenting her, marking her with his smell. "And tonight, we make sure the world knows it."

He released her wrists, but before she could move, he pulled her flush against him. The friction of his clothes against her sensitized skin made her cry out. He wrapped a hand in her hair, pulling her head back so she had to look at him.

"I'm going to make you forget your own name," he promised, his voice dark and jagged.

He leaned in, his mouth finally crashing onto hers. It wasn't a soft, romantic kiss. It was a battle. He tasted of power and rain, his tongue sweeping through her mouth as if he were trying to claim her soul. Giovanni wrapped her arms around his neck, her wolf howling in a mixture of agony and ecstasy.

The chemistry was undeniable, a physical pull that ignored the cruelty of their situation. For a moment, Giovanni forgot the needles. She forgot the contract. She forgot the "vessel" talk. She just wanted him.

Russell pulled back, his eyes glowing bright gold now, his breathing heavy. He stood up, but he didn't leave. He started unbuckling his belt, his gaze never leaving hers.

"Get on your knees, Giovanni," he commanded, his voice vibrating with Alpha authority.

The sheer power of the command hit her like a physical blow. Her body moved before her mind could protest, her knees hitting the plush carpet at his feet. She looked up at him, her heart in her throat, her wedding dress torn and hanging off one shoulder.

Russell reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy, silver collar. It wasn't a piece of jewelry. It was etched with ancient runes-suppression runes.

"What is that?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

"Insurance," Russell said, his voice cold as the grave again. "To make sure you don't shift and ruin the process."

He stepped closer, the silver cold against her throat.

"Wait," she gasped, her hands moving to stop him. "Russell, please, not a collar. Anything but that."

He didn't listen. He clicked the lock, the heavy metal snapping into place.

Suddenly, the front gate alarm began to blare throughout the mansion. A red light flashed in the hallway.

Russell's head snapped toward the door, a feral snarl ripping from his chest. "Declan! Status!"

The intercom on the wall crackled to life. "Alpha! It's Xavier! He's at the gate with a Council! They're claiming the marriage hasn't been consummated and they're here to take her for testing!"

Russell looked down at Giovanni, his eyes full of a murderous rage. He grabbed her by the hair, forcing her to look up at him.

"You have ten seconds to decide, Giovanni," he hissed, the silver collar glowing faintly against her skin. "Do you go with them and face the Council's 'tests,' or do you show them exactly who you belong to?"

Giovanni's breath hitched as the silver collar hummed against her throat. The runes were cold, a sharp contrast to the fire burning in her veins from the injection.

"Choose, Giovanni," Russell growled. His hand remained tangled in her hair, his knuckles brushing her scalp. "My brother is at that gate with a Council. If they take you, they won't be as gentle as I've been. They'll strip you down in a lab to verify your purity and your fertility. Is that what you want?"

"Gentle?" Giovanni choked out, a bitter laugh escaping her. She looked up at him, her eyes clouded with tears and the haze of the drug. "You've locked me up and drugged me. You call this gentle?"

"I call this necessary," Russell snapped. He pulled her closer, his face inches from hers. "You have five seconds before I let them in. If you want to be a state-owned breeder, by all means, walk out that door. But if you want to stay under the protection of the Van-Doren name, you're going to have to prove you're already mine."

The intercom crackled again. Xavier's voice was louder this time, dripping with mocking concern. "Russell, don't be difficult. If the girl is untouched, the marriage is void under pack law. Just let the Council do a quick check and we'll be out of your hair."

Russell's jaw tightened. The growl that ripped from his chest was low and vibrating, a sound of pure, unadulterated dominance. He looked at Giovanni, and for a second, his gaze softened into something that looked like possession.

"Please," Giovanni whispered, her wolf whimpering at the thought of being touched by the Council's cold hands. "Don't let them take me."

"Then show them," Russell commanded.

He didn't wait for her to agree. He hauled her to her feet and grabbed a silk robe from the foot of the bed, throwing it over her shoulders to cover her torn dress. He kept one hand firmly on the back of her neck, guiding her toward the balcony that overlooked the front courtyard.

He slammed the glass doors open. The night air was crisp, but it did nothing to cool the fever in Giovanni's blood.

Below, in the floodlights of the driveway, stood Xavier and a man in the grey uniform of the Council. Several guards were positioned between them and the house, their postures rigid.

"Xavier!" Russell's voice boomed over the courtyard, echoing with the power of an Alpha. "You're trespassing on private pack territory."

Xavier looked up, a smirk playing on his lips until his eyes landed on Giovanni. He went still, his gaze raking over her disheveled hair and the silver collar glinting on her neck.

"The Council received a tip that the union was a sham, Russell," He shouted, his hand resting on his sidearm. "We're here to escort the Omega to the sanctuary for verification."

"The only place this Omega is going is back to my bed," Russell replied. He reached out and pulled Giovanni flush against his side, his arm heavy and possessive around her waist.

"She looks terrified, Russ," Xavier called out, his voice sharp. "And what's with the collar? Afraid she'll run?"

"She's in heat," Russell lied, though the drug made the lie look like the truth. Giovanni's face was flushed, her scent-now sweet and heavy like ripening peaches-filling the air. "She's overwhelmed by the bond. Or are you calling me a liar in front of a Council official?"

The Enforcer hesitated. An Alpha's claim over a female in heat was nearly sacred in pack law. To interfere was to invite a blood feud.

"If she's in heat, then the mating should be well underway," the Enforcer said, his eyes narrowing. "Let her speak. Giovanni, do you claim Russell Van-Doren as your Alpha and mate?"

Giovanni felt Russell's fingers dig into her hip, a silent, painful warning. She looked down at the men below, then at the monster beside her. She was trapped between a cage and a storm.

"I... I am his," she whispered, her voice trembling so much it was barely audible.

"Louder," Russell hissed in her ear.

"I am his!" she cried out, the words feeling like a betrayal to her soul. "Please, just leave us alone."

Xavier's expression shifted. The smirk was gone, replaced by a dark, brooding look that Giovanni couldn't decipher. He stared at her for a long beat before turning to the Enforcer.

"You heard her. The asset is claimed. Let's go."

The Enforcer nodded slowly. "We'll be back in forty-eight hours for the blood work, Alpha. If there's no trace of a successful knotting in her system by then, the contract is forfeit."

They turned and walked back toward their vehicles. Giovanni felt the tension leave Russell's body as the SUV's headlights faded into the distance.

He didn't let go of her. He dragged her back inside the room and kicked the balcony doors shut, locking them with a sharp click.

"That was too close," he muttered, his voice thick with a dark adrenaline.

"They're coming back," Giovanni said, her voice small. She felt the weight of the silver collar, a reminder of the "asset" she had become. "What happens in forty-eight hours?"

Russell turned her around, his hands moving to the lapels of the robe he'd put on her. He slowly began to slide it off her shoulders, his eyes fixed on hers. The coldness was still there, but it was being burned away by a raw, primal hunger.

"In forty-eight hours, you'll be pregnant with my child," he said.

He picked her up, tossing her onto the center of the bed. This time, he didn't stay back. He moved over her, his large frame casting a shadow that swallowed her whole. He reached out, his thumb catching a stray tear on her cheek before sliding down to her lips.

"Don't look at me like that, Giovanni," he whispered, his voice a dangerous caress. "You chose this. You told them you were mine."

"I had no choice," she sobbed, her hands pushing feebly against his chest.

"You'll find I'm a very thorough owner," he rumbled.

He leaned down, his mouth hovering just over her marking place. He didn't bite, not yet. He just licked the wounded skin, his tongue hot and rough, sending a jolt of electricity straight to her core.

Giovanni's wolf let out a broken howl, her body arching toward him despite the fear screaming in her head. The chemistry was a poison, a beautiful, terrifying thing that made her want to pull him closer even as she hated every second of it.

"Tell me you want me," Russell commanded, his teeth grazing her pulse point. "Say it, and I might be gentle."

Giovanni gripped the sheets, her knuckles white. The room felt like it was spinning, the scent of him drowning out her common sense. She looked up at him, her heart shattering as she realized there was no escape.

"I... I want you," she whispered, the lie tasting like honey and ash.

Russell's eyes flared into a brilliant, blinding gold.

"Good girl," he growled.

He reached for the bedside table, picking up a small, velvet box he hadn't shown her before. He opened it to reveal a second collar-this one made of black leather and lined with gold spikes.

"The silver was for the Council," he said, his voice dropping to a register that made her whole body vibrate. "This one is for me."

The velvet box  shut with a soft and final click, Giovanni looked at it like it was a coffin. Russell didn't rush and that was the worst part. He moved with a deliberate calm that made everything feel inevitable like this had already been decided long before she ever stepped into that cathedral.

"The silver one stays on," he said, setting the box aside. "The Council needs to see it when they return. But this" his fingers brushed the black leather collar, " this is what you'll wear for me." Her throat tightened and the cold weight of the silver collar already felt suffocating, the runes dampening her wolf, pressing her instincts into a muted, restless hum. The thought of another, made something inside her splinter.

"I can't," she whispered.

Russell stilled. It was subtle, A shift in the air like the  kind of stillness that came right before a storm broke. "You can't?" he repeated softly. Giovanni swallowed hard, forcing herself to hold his gaze.  And she said. "I won't." For a moment, nothing happened. Then Russell smiled.

It wasn't warm and wasn't kind, It was sharp and slow and dangerous, like a blade being drawn across skin. "There it is," he whispered . "I was wondering when you'd find your spine." He leaned down, keeping one hand beside her head, trapping her beneath him without even touching her and his presence alone was enough to cage her in.

"But let's be clear about something, Giovanni," he continued, his voice dropping lower. "You don't get to refuse me. Her heart pounded, but something new flickered beneath the fear. It was anger. "You said I chose this," she shot back, her voice trembling but louder than before. "That I told them I was yours, but you didn't give me a real choice. You never have."

Russell's eyes darkened. "And yet," he said quietly, "you're still here." Before she could respond, he grabbed her chin firmly enough to hold her still. "You think my brother showing up was a coincidence?" he asked. "You think the Council just decided to take an interest in my marriage overnight?"

Giovanni frowned and confusion cutting through the haze of heat and fear. "What are you talking about?" "Xavier is testing me," Russell said. "He's looking for weakness or a crack in my control. And right now " his grip tightened slightly, " you are that crack." The words hit me harder than any physical blow. "I'm a crack?" she repeated, her voice hollow.

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "An unproven mate, unsecured heir and a liability." Something inside her chest twisted painfully. "I'm not a thing," she said. "No," Russell said, his tone almost thoughtful. "You're more dangerous than that. Things don't get taken from me. People do." Giovanni stared at him, her breath catching.

"Is that what this is?" she asked slowly. "A war between you and your brother?"

Russell didn't answer immediately. His gaze flickered over her face, as if weighing how much to reveal. "Everything is a war," he finally said. Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Then Giovanni did something unexpected. She laughed. It was soft at first then sharper and almost hysterical.

Russell's expression hardened. "What's so funny?" "This," she said, gesturing weakly between them. "All of this. You, your brother, the Council, the collars, the injections" her voice cracked. "You're all fighting over power, and I'm just... what? The battlefield?" Russell's jaw clenched. "You're the prize," he corrected.

"That's worse," she shot back.

For the first time something in his expression shifted not quite but... unsettled. Giovanni saw it and she held onto it. "If I'm so important," she continued, her voice steadier now, "then stop treating me like I'm disposable." Russell went very still. "You're asking for respect," he said. I'm asking to be treated like a person," she replied.

A long pause then... "You'll get that," Russell said slowly, "when you prove you can survive this." The words landed like ice before she could respond then he reached for the velvet box again. Giovanni's body tensed but instead of opening it, he set it aside again.

"Not yet," he said, almost to himself. Her eyes widened slightly. That... wasn't what she expected. Russell stood running a hand through his hair as if trying to shake off something invisible. "The Council will be back in forty-eight hours," he said. "Until then, you don't leave this room. You don't speak to anyone unless I allow it. And you do exactly what Yvette tells you."

"And if I don't?" she challenged quietly. His gaze snapped back to hers. "Then you won't survive long enough to matter." The heat in her body surged again, sharper this time, making her gasp. She curled slightly, her fingers gripping the sheets. Russell noticed immediately.

"Still spiking," he observed.

"I hate this," she said, her voice breaking. "I hate what you're doing to me." Something flickered in his eyes again that same brief crack she'd seen before but it vanished just as quickly. "You'll hate it less when it works," he said. She shook her head weakly. "You don't even hear yourself."

Before he could respond, a knock sounded at the door. Three sharp knocks. Russell's expression darkened instantly. "What?" Declan's voice came through from the other side. "Alpha, we have a situation." Russell crossed the room in seconds, yanking the door open just enough to speak without exposing Giovanni.

"What kind of situation?"

"A breach," Declan said. "Not from outside. From within." Russell went still. "Explain." "One of the lower staff is missing," Declan continued. "And... there are signs someone accessed the west wing security system." Giovanni's breath caught. Russell's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who?"

Declan hesitated. "...Xavier's personal guard was seen on the grounds earlier." A low, lethal growl rumbled from Russell's chest. "He's still here," Russell said. Giovanni's heart began to race for a completely different reason now.

Xavier hadn't left.

Russell turned back toward her slowly and his expression unreadable. "Looks like my brother isn't done playing games," he said. Giovanni swallowed hard. "What does that mean for me?" Russell walked back to the bed, stopping just close enough for his presence to press in around her. "It means," he said quietly, "that you just became even more valuable."