Chapter Five: The Lion's Den

The gates of the Thornwell estate loomed out of the dark mist like the jaws of a stone beast.

Asha didn't care about the sprawling, ivy-covered mansion or the pristine cobblestone drive. She was too busy trying to kick out the rear window of the black SUV.

"Let me out of this car!" Asha slammed her palm against the reinforced glass. "This is kidnapping! I have a job! I have rent! You can't just snatch people off the street!"

In the front passenger seat, Kadence didn't even turn his head. He had wrapped a thick piece of dark fabric around his bleeding ribs, but the scent of blood still filled the vehicle.

"You don't have a job anymore," Kadence said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "Not at that club."

"You don't get to decide that!" Asha shouted, leaning forward to glare at the back of his massive head. "Who do you think you are? God?"

In the driver’s seat, Ronan caught Asha’s wild, furious eyes in the rearview mirror. He looked equal parts impressed and deeply stressed.

"Miss, I suggest you sit back," Ronan said softly. "You've had a traumatic night, but you're safe here. Truly."

"Safe?" Asha laughed bitterly, a hysterical edge to her voice. "Your boss literally turned into a giant monster, beat up another giant monster, and threw me over his shoulder like laundry! None of this is safe! You're all insane!"

The SUV ground to a halt in front of the main doors of the pack house.

Before Asha could scramble toward the door handle, Kadence stepped out, opened her side door, and blocked her escape with his broad frame. He didn't grab her this time. He simply held out a hand, his dark gold eyes watching her intently.

"Walk on your own feet," Kadence said quietly. "Or I will carry you again. Choose."

Asha glared at his extended hand as if it were a venomous snake. She slammed her own feet onto the gravel, brushing past him hard enough that her shoulder grazed his arm.

The physical contact made a violent spark of heat shoot through her veins. Asha gasped, stumbling back a step, clutching her arm. She hated how her body reacted to him, hated that every time he was near, her pulse raced with a strange, addicting rhythm she couldn't control.

Kadence’s jaw flexed as he felt the bond flare between them, but he suppressed it, turning toward the stone steps.

"Inside."

The moment they crossed the threshold, the warmth of the grand foyer hit them, along with five pairs of cold, hostile eyes.

Elder Tobias and Elder Meredith were standing at the base of the central staircase, flanked by three uniformed pack guards. Sitting on the leather settee near the grand fireplace, holding a cup of tea, was a stunning woman with refined features, icy blue eyes, and hair the color of spun silk.

Seraphine Castellane.

The room went dead silent the moment Asha stepped through the heavy oak doors.

She stood there in her shredded denim jacket, dirt-stained jeans, and scuffed sneakers, her dark hair wild and her face marked with dust. She looked entirely out of place in the opulent, marble-paved foyer.

Elder Tobias stepped forward, his eyes sweeping over Asha with intense disgust, his nostrils flaring.

"What is the meaning of this, Kadence?" Tobias demanded, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. "Who is this human female? And why does she smell like a border alley?"

Asha’s chin snapped up. She might have been terrified of giant wolves, but she was born and raised in the city. She knew a snob when she saw one.

"I smell like a border alley because your Alpha dragged me through one, old man."

Ronan choked back a cough. Seraphine set her teacup down with a sharp clink.

Tobias’s face turned red. "How dare you speak to..."

"Enough, Tobias," Kadence cut in, stepping directly between Tobias and Asha. His Alpha pressure bled into the room, silent and heavy, forcing the guards to instinctively lower their heads. "She was attacked by a feral rogue near the eastern boundary. I brought her here for protection."

"Attacked by a rogue?" Elder Meredith stepped forward, her sharp eyes narrowing as she studied Asha’s face. She took a slow breath, catching the scent in the air.

Suddenly, Meredith’s eyes widened in horror.

"Kadence..." Meredith whispered, her voice trembling with sudden realization. "The mark... the residual energy on her skin... She isn't just a stray human."

Seraphine stood up from the couch, her icy composure cracking for the first time. She looked at Kadence, then at Asha, her voice turning sharp.

"Kadence, tell me you didn't."

Tobias stepped closer, his face twisting in outrage as he put the pieces together.

"You found your fated mate? This is the female the Goddess chose for the Thornwell line? A human strip-club worker?"

Asha felt the room shrink. The heavy, suffocating judgment of these strangers pressed down on her chest. She looked at Kadence’s back, broad, rigid, and unreadable.

"She is not my mate," Kadence said, his voice flat, emotionless, and bone-chillingly cold.

Asha felt that same phantom blade twist in her heart again, a sharp ache radiating through her chest. She clenched her fists at her sides, refusing to show pain in front of these people.

"I rejected the bond," Kadence continued, looking Tobias dead in the eye. "She is here strictly as a civilian under pack protection until the rogue threat is neutralized. Nothing more."

Seraphine let out a small, relieved breath, stepping closer to Kadence and placing a delicate hand on his arm.

"Of course. You did the right thing, Kadence. A human couldn't possibly handle the duties of a Luna."

Asha stared at Seraphine’s hand on Kadence’s arm. Something hot and ugly flared in her gut, jealousy, wild and irrational.

Asha took a step forward, her eyes flashing with pure fire as she looked straight at Kadence.

"You don't have to worry about me handling anything," Asha said, her voice dropping to a dangerous, icy pitch. "Because the second I get out of this ridiculous mansion, I am going to forget your name, your face, and your pathetic little secret club."

She looked at Tobias, then at Seraphine, her lips pulling into a sharp, defiant smile.

"And for the record," Asha added, pointing a finger at Kadence’s chest, "he didn't dump me. I wouldn't take this arrogant asshole if he came with a crown."

Silence fell over the foyer like a dropped anvil.

Kadence turned his head slowly, his amber eyes locking onto hers with dangerous intensity. The wolf inside him growled, torn between admiration for her lethal pride and sheer rage at her defiance.

"Ronan," Kadence said, his voice vibrating with suppressed power. "Take her to the guest suite on the third floor. Lock the door from the outside."

"Lock me in?!" Asha yelled as Ronan stepped forward apologetically. "You can't keep me here!"

"Try me," Kadence growled, turning his back on her and walking toward his study.

"Welcome to Thornwell Manor, Asha. You're not going anywhere."