Alpha Salvatore

Aria:The sound of chains followed me into the hall. The guards didn’t bother to be gentle, they never did. I didn’t expect them to be anyway.The throne room smelled like blood and smoke, thick with the dominance of one man. The man that I found myself dreading most.Alpha Dominic Salvatore.The one and only feared Alpha.The monster they whispered about. The Alpha who burned an entire rogue camp for trespassing. The one my father thought would spare our family if he handed me over like some prize mare.“I know that you don’t want to do this, but it is for your family, Aria.” His last words played in my mind. But I knew better. This was a game he played. And it was me who was going to pay the price.I didn’t bow.I didn’t even lower my gaze.He sat on the black throne, pretending and claiming to be king, his body relaxed but radiating the kind of power that made the air tighten around my lungs. Tall, broad-shouldered, and cold-eyed, he looked carved out of sin.The woman beside him,

Dominic:Her scent wouldn’t leave me.It clung to my skin, my throat, my sanity.No matter how many times I tried to ignore it, it was there, soft, defiant, dangerous. And fucking hell did I find myself wanting nothing more than to claim her.Aria Wren.The girl who refused to kneel. The slave who should’ve been invisible. The one person who dared to openly challenge me, and lived to tell the tale.And yet, since the moment she walked into my hall, I hadn’t gone a single hour without feeling the burn of her scent in my lungs.Katherine noticed.Of course she did.“Your little debt payment is causing quite the stir,” Katherine murmured beside me, her hand looping through my arm as we stood at the edge of the training grounds. “The pack is starting to wonder why you’re keeping her alive. I, for one, find myself being curious.”Her tone was sweet, but her grip wasn’t. I could feel her nails pressing lightly against my sleeve. And the tension of her posture was not one that I could miss.

Katherine:The sound of his growl still echoed down the hall when I turned the corner, catching her scent there.It came from his chambers, right where she was with him.My chambers were on the other side of the house.My nails bit into my palms as I waited. A moment later, the door opened, and she walked out.Aria Wren.The slave who hasn’t been here a day and yet, already managed to ruin more than she should for me.She walked out barefoot. Hair tousled. Lips swollen.The sight made something vicious curl low in my stomach. And it took everything in me not to growl.She froze when she saw me, her posture stiffening, but her eyes, those brazen, silver-gray eyes, didn’t drop.“Luna,” she said quietly. No bow. No fear. Just calm, steady defiance. If anything, she looked angry.My voice came out smooth, though it burned to keep it that way. “Out for a stroll, are we? My Alpha’s quarters must be terribly comfortable if you’ve already started making yourself at home.”Her expression didn’

Aria:The door slammed open like a blow.All the girls who were laying, suddenly rose their feet like they were summoned. The one person who lay on her bed, processing what in the world was going on… was me…“Up.” A woman’s voice cracked through the dim like a whip. “On your feet, girl. Now. Did you not hear me speak?”Rough fingers yanked the blanket from me. Cold hit my skin, then a hand fisted in my hair and hauled my head back until my eyes met the face leaning over me.She was all angles, cheekbones sharp as knives, gray hair scraped into a severe knot, eyes the flat color of slate. A thin leather strap hung at her hip like a promise.“I’m Headmistress Brenna,” she said. “I keep order in the slave wing. You don’t eat, breathe, or blink unless I decide it’s time. Understand?”My throat felt sand-scraped from sleep, but I managed, “Loud and clear.”“You’re not special,” she said, voice low with disgust. “Whatever lie your eyes are telling you, forget it. You belong here. On the flo

Aria:Brenna dragged me through the corridor in silence.The light from the chandeliers thinned until only torches burned, each one hissing in its bracket like it wanted to keep its distance.I expected shouting, maybe a blow.Instead, Brenna stopped in front of the laundry room door, turned, and looked at me for a long time.“Do you have any idea what that stunt cost you?” she asked finally. Her voice wasn’t loud, just cold enough to raise gooseflesh. “What would have happened if she had laid a hand on you?”I lifted my chin. “You mean speaking when the Luna decided to humiliate me? I am not going to sit back and simply watch as she keeps throwing harsh words at me simply because she thinks she is Luna.”Her hand shot out so fast I thought she’d strike me. It stopped a breath from my face.Her eyes narrowed. “This is not going to get me anywhere with you. If anything, it is only going to make you grow more stubborn.”She took a step back, pinching the bridge of her nose as she did.“