Chapter 6

The doors to the Riders’ hall were taller than Eyrix remembered from the last time he had been dragged through the compound.

Steel and glass framed the massive entrance, Blackfang’s sigil an open-jawed wolf skull—etched deep into the surface.

Inside, the pack’s elite were already gathered. The Blackfang Riders. Ryder’s enforcers. His killers. His most loyal Alphas.

Eyrix felt them before he saw them.

Dozens of dominant wolves in one place made the air heavy, thick with power and barely restrained violence.

His wolf pressed tight against his ribs, uneasy beneath the collar’s dampening hum. Even with it suppressing him, something leaked through.

Ryder’s hand closed around the back of his neck, not gentle.

Possessive.

“Don’t look down,” Ryder murmured as they stepped inside. “They’ll smell weakness.”

Eyrix lifted his chin. “They already smell me.”

The room went quiet.

One by one, heads turned.

Eyrix felt it like a physical force—the moment his scent reached them. Several Riders stiffened. A few took involuntary steps back. One actually sucked in a sharp breath like he’d been punched in the chest.

“What the hell…” someone whispered.

A low growl rippled through the hall.

Ryder’s grip tightened. “Eyes on me.”

He dragged Eyrix forward, boots echoing on the metal floor, stopping in the center of the massive space.

The Riders formed a loose half-circle around them, eyes glowing, wolves prowling beneath their skin.

“This is Eyrix,” Ryder announced. “My Omega.”

A stunned murmur rolled through the Riders.

“My,” Ryder repeated, daring anyone to object. “Property of Blackfang.”

Eyrix felt the collar pulse, reinforcing the claim.

Alpha Zac, one of the older Alphas, a scarred giant with steel-gray hair and cold eyes, stepped forward. “You brought an unbonded Omega into our hall.”

“Yes,” Ryder said flatly.

“And he smells…” Alpha Zac’s nostrils flared, jaw tightening. “Wrong.”

Eyrix swallowed.

Ryder didn’t deny it. “That’s why he’s here.”

A young Rider, younger and visibly shaken, muttered, “I can’t… I can’t think straight.”

Eyrix could feel it too—a strange pressure in the room, like his presence was bending something invisible. Wolves were meant to respond to Omegas, but this was different. This wasn’t heat or lust or the urge to protect.

Ryder glanced down at Eyrix. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Eyrix whispered. “I swear.”

Ryder’s eyes narrowed. He could feel it too—the way his wolf strained toward Eyrix even as it bristled with a warning it didn’t understand.

“This Omega is dangerous,” the scarred Alpha Zac said. “You can’t keep him here.”

Ryder’s lips curved in a slow, cold smile. “Says who?”

Eyrix’s heart hammered.

The Riders’ wolves were restless now, snarling beneath their skin. Several clenched their fists, fighting instincts they didn’t recognize.

Ryder leaned down, his mouth close to Eyrix’s ear. “You’re doing this,” he murmured. “Every Alpha in this room is choking on you.”

“I don’t mean to,” Eyrix whispered back. “I don’t know how.”

Ryder straightened, gaze sweeping the Riders. “Anyone who can’t control themselves is free to leave.”

No one moved.

Ryder’s smile sharpened. “Good. Then you’ll learn to live with him.”

A Rider near the back suddenly snarled and turned away, gripping his own throat like he couldn’t breathe.

“This is insane,” he growled. “Ryder, your Omega is……”

“My Omega,” Ryder cut in with a growl voice. “Which means this is my problem. Not yours.”

The Rider glared. “He’s going to tear the pack apart.”

Ryder’s eyes flicked back to Eyrix. “Maybe. But not without my say-so.”

Eyrix’s stomach twisted.

He could feel it—something stirring inside him, pushing against the collar’s dampening field. It was like a tide pressing against a dam, subtle but relentless.

Ryder,” Eyrix whispered. “You should let me go.”

Ryder’s jaw tightened. “No.”

“They’re hurting,” Eyrix said softly. “You can feel it.”

Ryder could. He could feel the agitation in his Riders, the way their wolves reacted to Eyrix’s presence like it was a provocation.

“That’s exactly why you’re staying,” Ryder said. “Whatever you are, I’m not letting it loose in the world.”

A sudden crack of metal echoed as one of the Riders slammed his fist into a table, eyes wild. “Get him out of here!”

Ryder’s hand moved instantly, gripping Eyrix’s collar. The runes flared, suppressing the surge inside him. He gasped as the strange force inside him was shoved back down.

The Rider sagged in relief, breathing hard.

Ryder stared at Eyrix in shock.

“So that’s how it works,” he murmured. “You flare, they lose control. I tighten this, and it stops.”

Eyrix’s chest heaved. “You’re hurting me.”

“I know,” Ryder said softly. “But you’re hurting them too.”

“Let me go somewhere empty,” Eyrix pleaded. “Away from Alphas.”

Ryder shook his head. “No. You don’t get to disappear.”

The scarred Alpha Zac took another step forward. “You’re playing with fire, Ryder.”

Ryder didn’t look away from Eyrix. “I’ve always liked fire.”