Blood of the Totem: The Alpha's Forbidden Mate

Glass exploded inward from the skylight, and Hart Santino's first thought was that his night just got significantly worse than dealing with overdue student loans.Three massive figures crashed through the ceiling and landed in the conservation lab like they'd done this a thousand times before, which honestly, given how smoothly they moved, they probably had.Hart stood frozen behind his workstation, still holding the stupid wolf totem he'd been documenting for the past hour, and watched these absolutely giant men brush glass off their shoulders like it was confetti.The alarm system went on immediately, and Hart's brain finally caught up with his survival instincts."Oh shit," he said eloquently, and bolted for the door.He made it approximately three steps before the biggest one appeared in front of him, which was impossible because he'd been across the room half a second ago, but apparently physics had taken the night off along with building security."Give us the totem, little huma

The pack meeting hall looked like someone had crossed a medieval throne room with a corporate boardroom and added way too many people who could probably rip Hart's head off without breaking a sweat.Hart stood next to Cole on a raised platform, acutely aware that every pair of eyes in the room was fixed on him with varying degrees of hostility, curiosity, and what he really hoped wasn't hunger."This is a terrible idea," Hart muttered under his breath, and Cole's hand pressed briefly against the small of his back in a grounding manner."They need to see you're real and that you're under my protection," Cole said quietly, then raised his voice to address the assembled pack."Most of you already know why we're here, but for those who don't, the Original Bloodline totem has activated after three thousand years, and it chose a human as my fated mate."The hall erupted into chaos. Wolves shouted over each other, some in languages Hart didn't recognize, and the energy in the room has become

Dawn broke over the neutral territory like the world's worst morning, all grey sky and cold wind that carried the scent of violence waiting to happen.Hart stood between Jethro and Lewis, wrapped in a jacket that smelled like Cole and trying very hard not to throw up from anxiety and the residual heat symptoms."This is barbaric," Lewis said for the fifth time, filming everything on his phone because apparently supernatural secrecy was less important than documentation."We should call the actual police, or the FBI, or I don't know, animal control?""The police can't help with werewolf law," Jethro said, his eyes fixed on the clearing where Cole stood waiting, already shirtless despite the cold because apparently werewolf duels had a dress code."And if you try to leave this area before the duel is finished, the perimeter guards will knock you unconscious and drag you back."Hart's wrist throbbed where the totem mark was under his skin, and he could feel Cole across the distance.The

The inside of the factory was filled with bones and dried blood, which was exactly as horrifying as Hart expected.The BlackY Wolf led them through corridors that seemed designed specifically to be nightmare fuel, all exposed pipes and flickering lights.Lewis stayed close enough that Hart could hear his breathing, fast and shallow like he was fighting panic.Jethro walked behind them with the casual confidence of someone who'd done this a hundred times, but Hart could feel the tension radiating off him through the bond connection that apparently extended to Cole's Beta."Third floor," the BlackY Wolf said, gesturing toward a freight elevator that looked like it hadn't been inspected since the industrial revolution. "Liam's waiting.""Of course he is," Hart muttered, because apparently supernatural kidnapping came with dramatic flair.The elevator groaned upward with sounds that suggested it might give up and kill them before they even reached Liam, which would be an incredibly anticl

Haanshil Manor's medical wing smelled like antiseptic and blood, and Hart was getting really tired of watching people get stitched up because of decisions he'd made.He sat next to Mira's bed while a pack healer checked her vitals, his hand wrapped around hers like he could physically keep her safe through sheer stubborn will."I'm fine," Mira said for the third time, though her voice still shook. "Hart, seriously, I'm not hurt. Stop looking at me like I'm about to break.""You were kidnapped by werewolves and held hostage in a building that exploded," Hart said flatly. "I'm allowed to be worried."Across the room, Lewis sat with Sera, who'd been given enough sedatives to knock out a horse and was finally sleeping.Her broken arm was splinted, her other injuries bandaged, and Lewis hadn't let go of her hand since they'd gotten back."She thinks she hallucinated all of it," Lewis said quietly, his eyes red from crying or smoke or both."The healers said the trauma combined with the sed