Anais POV

Time lost all meaning in the darkness. The cell smelled of damp stone and despair, a heavy, suffocating scent that clung to my skin. I curled tighter into the corner, my knees pulled to my chest, shivering not just from the cold, but from the terrifying uncertainty.

The heavy iron door groaned open, slicing through the silence.

Dimitri filled the doorway. Even in the dim torchlight, his presence was overwhelming—a force of nature that sucked the air out of the room. The scent of blizzard and cedar flooded the small space, instantly overpowering the smell of rot. It was a scent that made my heart hammer against my ribs, a confusing mix of terror and an instinctual pull I couldn't understand.

He stepped inside, the heavy door clanging shut behind him. His ice-blue eyes swept over me, cold and calculating.

"Stand up," he ordered. The Alpha's Command washed over me, compelling my trembling limbs to obey before my mind could even process the request.

I scrambled to my feet, pressing my back against the rough stone wall as he stalked closer. He stopped inches from me, his large frame boxing me in.

"Why do you still wear it?" His voice was a low growl, his gaze dropping to the moonstone ring on my finger.

"I... I can't take it off," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I've tried. It won't budge."

He reached out, his rough fingers brushing against my hand. The moment skin met skin, a jolt of electricity—The Physical Surge—zapped through me, hot and undeniable. I gasped, trying to pull away, but his grip tightened. He wasn't hurting me, but the intensity of his touch was terrifying.

He stared into my eyes, searching for something. For a lie? For a confession? I saw a flicker of something wild in his gaze, a flash of gold bleeding into the blue. His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking as if he were fighting a war within himself.

"Get out," he snarled suddenly, releasing my hand as if it burned him.

I blinked, stunned. "W-What?"

"Leave. Before I change my mind and let you rot here." He turned his back on me, his shoulders tense. "Go!"

I didn't wait to be told twice. I scrambled past him, stumbling out of the cell and running toward the sliver of light at the end of the corridor, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs.

The fresh air of the courtyard hit me like a physical blow, but I didn't stop. I was barefoot, my feet scraping against the cobblestones, but pain was irrelevant. I just needed to get away.

"Hold it right there, rogue!"

A rough hand clamped around my upper arm, jerking me to a halt. I cried out as I was spun around to face two towering Pack Warriors.

"Look at this," the one holding me sneered, his grip bruising. "Trying to sneak out?"

"Please," I begged, struggling uselessly. "The Alpha... he let me go."

"Likely story," the warrior scoffed, tightening his grip until I whimpered.

A low, thunderous growl vibrated through the air, freezing the blood in my veins.

"Let. Her. Go."

The warriors went pale, dropping my arm instantly and bowing their heads. Dimitri strode toward us, his fury palpable. It wasn't the cold, calculated anger from the cell; this was raw, possessive rage.

He shoved the warrior aside with enough force to send the man stumbling. "If you ever touch her again," Dimitri hissed, his voice laced with a lethal promise, "you will lose that hand."

He turned to me. I flinched, expecting his wrath to turn my way, but he simply grabbed my wrist—the one the warrior had bruised. His thumb brushed over the red marks, and a strange warmth seeped from his skin into mine, soothing the ache.

"Get in the car," he ordered, pulling me toward a black armored SUV parked nearby. His tone brooked no argument.

I climbed into the passenger seat, trembling. As he slammed the door and rounded the vehicle, I realized with a sinking feeling that I wasn't escaping. I was just being moved from one cage to another.

Dimitri POV

The Great Hall was silent, save for the rustling of parchment. I sat at the head of the long mahogany table, my face a mask of indifference, though Ragnar was pacing restlessly in my mind.

Mate safe. Mate home, the beast chanted, satisfied that we had dropped Anais off at her crumbling apartment. I had left warriors to watch the perimeter, though I told myself it was to keep her in, not to keep others out.

"As you can see," Beatrice said, her voice dripping with faux sympathy as she addressed the Council of Elders. She stood near the fireplace, her hand resting on the shoulder of her son, Bryson. "Grafton's will is clear. The heir must be mated to ascend. Dimitri is... unattached. And given his disposition toward women, it is unlikely that will change."

She smiled at me, a shark baring its teeth. "Therefore, as Grafton's widow, I assume the role of Regent until Bryson comes of age."

The Elders murmured in agreement. Beatrice's eyes gleamed with triumph. She thought she had won. She thought she had checkmated me.

"Not quite," I said, my voice cutting through the murmurs.

I pulled the sealed letter from my jacket pocket—the one the High Elder had handed me privately before the meeting. My father's handwriting was shaky on the envelope.

Trust the bond, my son. She is the only way.

I hated him for it. I hated that he had manipulated me, drugged me, and tied me to a wolfless nobody. But I hated Beatrice more.

"I have fulfilled the requirement," I announced, standing up. The room went deathly quiet.

Beatrice's smile faltered. "Impossible. You have no mate."

"I do." I looked her dead in the eye. "The Sacred Bonding Contract was signed by my father before his death. The bond is sealed. The mark is on her finger."

"Lies!" Beatrice shrieked, her composure cracking. "Who? Who would have you?"

I ignored her screeching and looked at my Gamma, Davon, who was standing by the door. I didn't want this. I didn't want a mate, especially not a weak one. But I was the Alpha. And I would not let this pack fall into the hands of a poisoner.

I opened the Mind-Link, projecting my voice so every wolf in the vicinity could hear the command that would seal my fate—and hers.

"Davon. Bring my Mate, Anais Moreno, to the Great Hall. Now. And show her the respect due to your future Luna."

Anais POV

The walk to the Great Hall felt like a march to the gallows. Two warriors flanked me, their grips firm but not bruising, guiding me through corridors that whispered of wealth and power I couldn't comprehend. I was acutely aware of my appearance—faded jeans that were fraying at the hems and a white t-shirt that had seen better days. I was a stain on their pristine tapestry.

When the massive oak doors swung open, the silence that rushed out to meet me was heavier than any noise.

The Great Hall was a cavernous space of stone and velvet, illuminated by iron chandeliers that cast long, dancing shadows. At the far end, seated on a throne carved from dark wood and lined with fur, sat Dimitri. He looked like a king from the old stories—lethal, beautiful, and utterly cold.

As I stepped onto the plush runner, the air in the room shifted. Hundreds of eyes landed on me. I could smell their judgment—a sharp, metallic tang that coated the back of my throat.

"What is that?!"

The shriek tore through the silence. A woman with perfectly coiffed blonde hair and diamonds dripping from her neck stepped forward near the dais. Beatrice. Her face was twisted in a mask of pure revulsion.

She pointed a manicured finger at me, trembling with rage. "You expect us to accept this... this wolfless trash as our Luna?"

A ripple of murmurs went through the crowd. I shrank in on myself, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole.

"Well done, brother," a voice sneered from beside Beatrice. A young man who looked like a softer, crueler version of Dimitri stepped forward. Bryson. His eyes raked over my body, lingering on my chest and legs with a slimy, predatory hunger that made my skin crawl. "Did you find her in a dumpster behind the Omega slums? She certainly smells like it."

Laughter, sharp and cruel, bubbled up from the gathered elite. Even a girl standing near them—Cassidy, I assumed—wrinkled her nose, looking at me with profound disappointment.

I looked at Dimitri. I didn't know why, but a foolish part of me hoped he would stop this. He was the Alpha. He had claimed me.

But he sat frozen on his throne, his ice-blue eyes staring right through me. He didn't look angry. He didn't look protective. He looked bored. To him, I wasn't a person being flayed alive by his family's cruelty; I was a prop. A piece of paper to be stamped and filed away to secure his crown.

The realization hit me like a physical blow. I was alone.

Tears pricked my eyes, hot and humiliating. I couldn't breathe. The scent of their disdain was suffocating. Before I could think, my body moved. I spun on my heel and ran.

"Hey!" someone shouted, but I didn't stop.

I sprinted back the way we came, my bare feet slapping against the cold stone. I burst through the main doors and into the night air, gasping for oxygen. The gravel of the driveway bit into my soles, but I pushed toward the main gate, toward freedom.

I was almost there when a wall of muscle materialized in front of me.

I skidded to a halt, my chest heaving. It was the man from the office—Davon. He didn't look malicious, but he stood with the immovable solidity of a mountain.

"I'm sorry, Luna," he said, his voice low and regretful. "My Alpha's orders are that you are not to leave the grounds."

"Don't call me that!" I choked out, backing away. "I'm not your Luna. I'm nobody!"

"You are what he says you are."

"Get in the car."

The voice came from behind me, dark and vibrating with power. I spun around to find Dimitri standing by the open door of the black armored SUV. I hadn't even heard him approach. The scent of blizzard and cedar enveloped me, instantly calming my racing heart against my will. I hated it. I hated that my body responded to him while my mind screamed in terror.

"Please," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I just want to go home. My mother... she'll be worried sick. She doesn't know where I am."

Dimitri stared down at me. For a second, the ice in his eyes seemed to crack. His jaw tightened, a muscle feathering in his cheek. He looked at my tear-streaked face, then at my trembling hands.

He stepped closer, invading my personal space until all I could see was him. He reached out, his hand wrapping around the back of my neck. The Physical Surge was instantaneous—a jolt of static electricity that made my knees weak. He wasn't hurting me, but the weight of his hand was a heavy claim.

"You can go," he said, his voice a rough growl that vibrated in my chest.

My eyes widened. "I... I can?"

"You have until sunrise." His grip tightened slightly, his thumb brushing the pulse point behind my ear. "Go check on your mother. Pack your things. Say your goodbyes."

He leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. "But if you are not back on my territory by the time the sun clears the horizon, I will hunt you down myself. And trust me, Anais... you will not enjoy the chase."

He released me abruptly and stepped back, his face once again a mask of indifference. "Driver. Take her."

I scrambled into the backseat of the SUV, the door slamming shut like the lid of a coffin. As the car pulled away, I watched him standing in the driveway, a dark silhouette against the moonlight. I had been given a few hours of freedom, but the invisible leash around my neck had only been lengthened, not cut.

Anais POV

The SUV dropped me off at the edge of the Omega Sector, the black paint gleaming like an alien spaceship against the backdrop of peeling paint and sagging porches. I waited until the taillights disappeared before I ran the rest of the way to the small, weathered house I called home.

"Anais!"

My mother, Amber, dropped the basket of laundry she was holding and rushed to embrace me. She smelled of cheap soap and comfort, a scent that made my eyes sting.

"Where have you been?" she asked, pulling back to inspect me, her brow furrowed with worry. "I heard rumors... people saying the new Alpha took you."

"It's okay, Mom," I lied, forcing a smile that felt like glass shattering in my mouth. "I... I got a job. At the Pack House. In the kitchens."

Her face softened, relief washing away the fear. "Oh, honey. That's wonderful. It's safe there."

Safe. The word tasted like ash. If only she knew I was walking back into the lion's den to keep his claws away from her.

We spent the evening in a bubble of false normalcy. I watched her cook, memorizing the way her hands moved, the hum of her voice. I couldn't tell her the truth. I couldn't tell her that I was the Alpha's unwanted mate, or that I had to leave before the sun touched the horizon or risk being hunted down like prey.

I didn't sleep. I lay in my narrow bed, watching the sky turn from black to a bruised purple.

It's time.

With a heavy heart, I slipped out of bed. I needed to leave now to make it back to the estate by sunrise. I tiptoed to my mother's room to whisper a silent goodbye.

The door was slightly ajar.

"Mom?" I whispered, pushing it open.

The metallic stench hit me before my eyes adjusted to the gloom. It was a smell I knew from the butcher shop—thick, coppery, and overwhelming.

My mother wasn't in bed. She was on the floor.

"Mom!"

I rushed forward, my knees skidding in something wet and sticky. I shook her shoulders, desperate for her to wake up, but her eyes were wide open, staring at nothing. Her throat...

A scream tore from my throat, a raw, animalistic sound that shattered the morning silence.

Dimitri POV

The air in my father's study was stale, preserved by stasis runes and the weight of secrets. I sat behind his massive mahogany desk, the leather chair creaking under my shifting weight.

In my hand, I held the Sacred Bonding Contract. The parchment hummed with the Moon Goddess's energy, binding my fate to a girl who had no wolf, no status, and no power.

Why?

I traced the signature of my father, Grafton. He had been a visionary, a Lycan of immense power. He wouldn't have shackled his heir to a wolfless Omega without a reason.

"You will understand in time why she is the only one who can save us."

His final letter burned in my memory. Save us? From what? And how could a girl who smelled like rain-washed lilies and fear save a Pack of predators?

She smells good, my Lycan, Ragnar, grumbled in my head. She is ours.

She is a liability, I countered, though I couldn't deny the way my blood heated when I thought of her terrified eyes.

I stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. The sky was lightening. The sun was crowning the distant hills, painting the forest in hues of blood and gold.

Sunrise.

I waited. One minute. Five minutes. Ten.

She wasn't here.

A low growl vibrated in my chest. She had defied me. The little mouse had found a spine, or perhaps she was simply foolish enough to think I wouldn't follow through on my threat.

She mocks us! Ragnar roared, pacing in the cage of my mind. Fetch her!

I opened the Mind-Link, my mental voice projecting with the force of a thunderclap. "Davon."

"Alpha?" My Beta's voice was instant.

"She isn't here. Take a squad. Go to the Omega Sector. Drag her back to me."

"On it."

I turned away from the window, my claws lengthening, scratching deep grooves into the windowsill. I would teach Anais Moreno that my word was law.

Thirty minutes later, Davon's voice returned through the link, but the confidence was gone. It was replaced by a grim hesitation.

"Alpha... we found her. But we can't bring her in."

"What do you mean you can't?" I snarled, my patience snapping. "Is she dead?"

"No. She's in custody. The human police arrested her ten minutes ago."

I froze. "Explain."

"She was found covered in blood, screaming over her mother's body. Amber Moreno was murdered last night. The humans think Anais did it."

The world tilted on its axis. Murdered?

Mate is hurt. Mate is in danger! Ragnar was frantic now, clawing at my ribs. Protect!

I didn't care about the murder. I didn't care about the human police. What I cared about was that my mate was in a cage that I didn't build.

"Get her out," I commanded, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper.

"Alpha, it's a homicide investigation. The humans—"

"I don't care about their laws!" I roared, the power of my Alpha Command shaking the link. "She belongs to the Pack. She belongs to me. Call the Mayor. Bribe the Chief. Burn the station down if you have to. Bring her to me. Now."

An hour later, the double doors of my private suite opened.

Davon walked in, guiding Anais. She looked small. Broken. Her clothes were stained with dried blood that wasn't hers. Her eyes were hollow, void of the light I had seen yesterday.

The scent of her hit me—not the sweet lilies I remembered, but a sharp, acrid mix of grief and terror that made my nose wrinkle.

She didn't even look at me. She just stood there, a puppet with its strings cut.

"The police released her into our custody," Davon said quietly. "But they're still building a case."

I walked over to her. Ragnar was whining, urging me to lick the blood from her skin, to comfort her. But I didn't know how to comfort. I only knew how to control.

I reached out, tilting her chin up with a finger. Her skin was ice cold.

"Who did this?" I asked, my voice rough.

She blinked, a single tear cutting a clean track through the grime on her cheek. "I don't know," she whispered, her voice shattered. "I went to say goodbye... and she was gone."

A surge of protective rage, darker and deeper than anything I had ever felt, coiled in my gut. This wasn't a random attack. Rogues didn't leave bodies behind; they ate them. This was a message.

I looked at Davon over her head.

"Forget the human police," I ordered. "Use our trackers. I want to know who murdered her mother. Find them. And bring them to me. Alive."

I looked back down at Anais. She was mine to torment, mine to reject, mine to break. And no one else was allowed to touch what was mine.