Chapter 3 – Introducing the King's Shield

Almost immediately, the air in the VIP suite became as cold as ice.

The moment Clara's heart stopped beating, she felt a chilly weight settle into the bottom of her stomach. The trackers that are part of the Silver Pack. The agonising scent-suppressant that she had applied with quivering hands had become ineffective after she had been the target of their relentless pursuit across three states for several months. If they were to drag her back to the northern areas, she would be put to death as a renegade within the territory. Toby would be left alone in that antiseptic human hospital room, and his life-support machines would be turned off as soon as the money ran out.

Her chest tightened up with panic, making it impossible for her to take a breath. Her inner wolf ripped at her ribs, fervently attempting to rip through her flesh and engage in combat; yet, the silver that was woven into her veins prevented the beast from escaping from its prison of unimaginable suffering.

A large, warm shadow engulfed her just as she was about to collapse into a state of hyperventilation.

Dominic moved closer to her and stepped in front of her. His broad, powerful shoulders shielded her petite form from the guard's frenzied gaze and fully barred her from entering the doorway. Dominic declared, "Let them try," although the sheer enormity of him was reassuring. However, the dreadful energy emanating from his body made the room shake. Although it was not very loud, his voice carried a lethal and resonant resonance that caused the crystal chandeliers that were suspended above him to shake.

The velvety corridor of The Velvet Den began to reverberate with the sound of heavy, hurried footsteps. Three individuals pushed their way through the scarred security guard and rushed inside the VIP suite. They wore heavy leather jackets that smelt of stale sweat, cheap whisky and the strong, unmistakable odour of low-ranking pack wolves. Other odours that they wore included cheap whisky. As their eyes wandered aimlessly over the room, they eventually settled on Dominic.

It was a sneering expression on the face of the leader of the trackers, a muscular man with a jagged scar that ran through his left eyebrow. It was difficult for him to recognise Dominic in the dim and magnificent lighting of the human club. "Step aside, pal," the tracker yelled while flexing his jaw. "The girl is the reason we are here. A member of the Silver Pack, she is a rogue who has escaped from her pack. You should turn her over so we don't get blood on that fine suit of yours.

Clara retreated into the leather couch, her fingers sinking into the cushions as she settled back into the seat. The venom that was on them was palpable to her. It was not enough for them to simply seize her; they desired to completely destroy her.

Dominic did not show any panic. The posture of his body was not even altered. All he did was bend his head, and his eyes, which were a startling grey colour, narrowed into two ice stripes. The room was abruptly engulfed in a terrible and suffocating weight for no apparent reason. The power strangling him was his Alpha King aura, an invisible force so dense it felt like the pressure at the bottom of the ocean.

The two trackers who were standing behind the leader suddenly choked, and their knees buckled as they landed with a loud thud on the hardwood floor. They moaned and gasped for air, as the oxygen that had been present in the room had abruptly disappeared.

A look of complete and utter dread appeared on the leader's face. As Dominic Vance's unbridled, apex-predator power flowed over him, his skin turned a sickly, pale white. He was overcome with intense fear. He felt as though a physical blow had struck him when he realised they were not dealing with a wealthy human businessman. They were in the presence of the most feared supernatural tyrant in the city, and they were standing right there.

"A-Alpha Vance..." the commander stutteringly said, his voice breaking as he struggled to resist the weight that was crushing down on his chest with his invisible hands. We... we were unaware that this was supposed to be your region. On the other hand, there's the she-wolf. She is a criminal. Our Alpha is demanding that she come back. When it comes to purchasing her back from the club, we are prepared to make a substantial offer.

Dom took a single, sluggish stride forward in the distance. A predatory, beautiful, and dripping-with-fatal-purpose movement was displayed by the individual. A low, deep growl rumbled from the depths of his chest, a sound so primal that it caused Clara's inner wolf to weep in desperation and obedience. "You think your pathetic Alpha has enough gold to buy what is mine?" Clara asked. A dark and mocking sound emanated from Dominic as he purred. He delved under his jacket, his fingers moving with excruciating slowness, and drew out a large gold coin, which was the ancient marking of a transaction that was completely otherworldly. It was thrown at the feet of the leader in a thoughtless manner.

As it slammed into the floors, the coin seemed to shine brightly in the dim light.

Dominic hissed, his pupils expanding until they were completely black and engulfing the grey in his eyes. "Go back to your master and tell him that his bounty is worthless," Dominic said. By wrapping a possessive arm around Clara's hip and tugging her flush to his side, he demonstrated his mastery of the situation. "I outbid them all."

After taking a look at the coin, the leader of the tracker turned his attention to the scary Alpha King, whose aura was on the edge of suffocating his shoulders. The leader did not utter a single word before grabbing his two terrified men by their collars and dragging them out of the room. They were nearly scrambling down the corridor in an attempt to escape with their lives.

When the mahogany doors were finally slammed shut, the crushing pressure that had been building up in the chamber was finally released.

The shaking and strained breath that Clara let out was accompanied by the utter collapse of her legs. However, she did not fall to the ground. As Dominic's iron hold tightened around her waist, she was lifted effortlessly against his sturdy frame without any difficulty. "We're leaving," Dominic said, his voice hard and clipped. The delicious aroma of cedarwood, dark cocoa, and raw rain overwhelmed her senses, momentarily drowning out the phantom pain of the silver on her skin. "We're leaving," Dominic said.

He quickly snatched her up into his arms and carried her through the club's exclusive back exit without her having the opportunity to raise her voice in protest. There was already a sleek, armoured black Maybach waiting in the alleyway that was slicked with rain, and its engine purred like a beast that was being held captive. Instantaneously, the private chauffeur opened the door on his own while bending his head in profound reverence.

Dominic slid into the roomy cabin, which smelt of leather, while ensuring that Clara was firmly planted on his lap. With a resounding, vacuum-sealed click, the door shut, therefore obliterating any possibility of external communication.

While Clara's heart was pounding against her ribs, she peered out the tinted window of the luxury vehicle as it dissolved into the traffic of the metropolis. As she felt the stiff, possessive heat of the Alpha King beneath her, she realised that she had just stepped into an entirely other type of danger. She was safe from the trackers until she felt the heat of the Alpha King beneath her.