C10

"You just got rejected in public. Sit down before you embarrass yourself further."

Jackson’s cold, lethal voice cuts through the roaring hall without him even raising his volume. His broad chest presses right against my back, his heavy black uniform smelling of fresh rain, raw leather, and dangerous Alpha power.

Micheal takes a furious step forward, his jaw trembling, his hand reaching out to grab my arm. "Ada is my mate! You can't just drop into our territory and take what's mine!"

Jackson slowly turns his head, his dark, silver-flecked eyes locking onto Micheal's pale face.

The instant our eyes meet in the reflection of the marble wall, the real mate pull slams into both of us like a physical sledgehammer to the chest.

My heart hammers wildly against my ribs, my wolf throwing her head back and roaring in pure, unadulterated triumph. A wave of scorching, electric heat rushes down between my thighs, making my breath hitch sharply. Jackson’s pupils dilate until his eyes are almost completely black, his thick scent of pine and heavy musk thickening in the air around us, suffocating every other wolf in the room.

The crystal chandeliers overhead vibrate violently. Cracks spiderweb across the remaining stained-glass windows, and with a deafening SNAP, three massive glass panels shatter completely, raining down onto the floor.

"Argh!" Micheal suddenly screams, grabbing his chest with both hands.

He collapses onto his knees right on top of the shattered glass, doubling over in agony. He opens his mouth to choke out a curse, but instead, a heavy spray of dark, crimson blood vomits out from his lips, splattering across the white marble floor. The sheer force of our true mate bond unleashing in the room is violently severing the false, unformed thread he was trying to force on me, tearing his internal organs apart from the inside out.

"Micheal!" Elizabeth shrieks, rushing to her son's side as he continues to choke on his own blood.

Jackson doesn't even grant them a second glance. He turns his massive frame fully toward me, looking down at my face with an intense, unyielding gaze. He does not smile. His posture is pure military dominance.

"You're coming with me tonight," Jackson commands, his deep voice vibrating straight through my bones and settling thick in my stomach. "Pack whatever you need. You have ten minutes."

I stare back into the eyes of this cold, terrifying man who was my worst enemy in the past, but whose touch makes my blood burn with an undeniable, possessive fire. He feels like absolute danger and ultimate safety all wrapped into one.

"Make it five," I answer, my voice completely calm, matching his direct, unwavering tone.

"You can't do this!" Micheal gasps from the floor, wiping blood from his chin with a shaking hand, trying desperately to push himself up using the edge of the head table. "I will call the High Council! I will claim her by force! She belongs to Bloodmoon!"

Micheal reaches out a trembling, blood-soaked hand, trying to grab the hem of my white dress.

"Touch her," Jackson's voice cuts through the air like a razor blade, "and I will erase your bloodline."

Micheal freezes, his fingers hovering an inch from my dress, his dark eyes wide with sudden, instinctual horror.

Jackson raises his right hand into the air and casually snaps his fingers.

BOOM!

A massive, bone-shaking explosion detonates in the far distance, rocking the entire academy building to its foundation. The floor beneath our feet rolls like a ship on a rough ocean. Through the high, shattered archways of the grand hall, a giant pillar of orange fire and black smoke erupts into the night sky, illuminating the distant mountain ridge.

It is the main Bloodmoon family estate, burning to absolute ground.

"I already did," Jackson says softly, his tone completely flat as if he were discussing the weather. "This is just the announcement."

Elizabeth screams in pure horror, clutching her chest as she stares at her burning lineage, while the surrounding pack elders fall into total, stunned silence. Micheal collapses back onto his hands, staring at the distant fire with a blank, broken expression, his entire family status completely wiped out in a single night.

Jackson steps directly into my personal space, his broad shoulder brushing against mine, his large, warm hand wrapping firmly around my fingers. His grip is possessive, tight, and commanding, leaving no room for argument.

"You're coming with me," Jackson says, his words short, direct, and final.

I don't pull away. I squeeze his hand back, letting my wolf's power align with his heavy Alpha aura.

We turn on our heels to walk out of the ruined hall together, our footsteps echoing against the bloody marble.

"AAAAAAHHH!"

A high-pitched, agonizing scream tears through the air from the upper balcony above us.

I snap my head up. Standing at the railing is young Cecelia. Her hands are clawing frantically at her own neck and cheeks. Her smooth skin is blistering and smoking, dark grey ash peeling off her flesh as if invisible silver water is actively pouring over her body, burning her alive right in front of the entire crowd.

My breath hitches. The silver pool curse that destroyed me in the future is manifesting on her right now. The timeline is fighting back against her sins.

Jackson does not look back at the screaming girl. He doesn't even slow his stride, pulling me firmly along beside him toward the grand exit.

He leans his head down close to my ear, his rough breath brushing against my skin, his voice dropping to a low, possessive whisper that only I can hear.

"I don't know why the Moon Goddess sent you back..." Jackson whispers, his thumb stroking the sensitive skin of my wrist as the heavy doors swing open before us, "...but I intend to keep you."