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2025-07-11 09:47:52Ashen's POV
The smile on his face remained, yet I couldn’t shake the fear stirred by his sharp, cold gaze. He helped me up gently, then pulled me into a firm embrace as he pointed at Alpha Lior and the others, still kneeling in submission.
“He’s mine now. Ashen no longer belongs to you, Alpha Lior!”
Thunder rumbled in the distance as if echoing his declaration.
“Take care of them,” he commanded.
His voice boomed again, and this time he led me away from Alpha Lior and his pack members.
Seven tall, broad-shouldered men appeared behind him, their expressions just as stone-cold. I turned to look at them moving toward Alpha Lior, but he tilted my head away.
“There’s no need for you to see those who’ve made your life a living hell, Ashen. My men will make sure they regret it.”
I stared up at him. He smirked and raised a brow.
“Move.”
A shout came from behind. I reflexively turned and saw Alpha Lior and his group being forced into a large black minibus.
I hesitated, then mustered the courage to speak.
“Who are you? I’m sorry, but I don’t know you at all. And… what are you going to do to Alpha Lior?”
He gripped my hand tightly and caressed my cheek with an intensity that made me flinch. The hunger in his eyes. Yes, I couldn’t be mistaken, was terrifying.
“You don’t know me? I guess I’m not as famous as people say, if even my mate doesn’t recognize me…”
His hand slid to my chin as he leaned in. I immediately pushed him away.
“What are you doing?! I’m sorry, but I don’t understand any of this!”
He tilted his head and gave a crooked smile.
“Haven’t you had enough suffering to want to escape it, Ashen? Why do you keep questioning what fate has already decided? You are my mate. I came to save you from all the pain.”
Thunder echoed again, followed by the soft tap of rain. Before I could respond, he grabbed my hand.
“Enough questions. It’s about to rain.”
He held me close, his warmth overwhelming. My heart pounded.
Then suddenly, we vanished.
In a blink, we reappeared in a large, luxurious bedroom.
He gently released me and sat me down on the edge of the bed, then knelt in front of me and kissed the back of my hand.
“Still unsure about me? Don’t you realize your pain disappeared the moment I touched your forehead?”
I swallowed. He was right—my body no longer ached.
“Look,” he said, pointing to my arm. “Your pack’s mark is gone. The Moon Goddess has blessed our bond. Are you still doubting me?”
“I’m so sorry if I’m coming off as ungrateful after you saved me, but… I still can’t process any of this. I don’t even know your name…”
“You’ve never heard of the Alpha from the West? The one who defeated fifty human enforcers in minutes? The one whose pack runs one of the most profitable agricultural empires?”
My heart skipped. Of course, I had heard of him.
I pulled my hand back. I tried to step away, but he held my leg in place.
“What is it? Are you afraid of me now that you know?”
“You… you’re Alpha Grayson Duskbane?”
He crawled closer, his breath brushing my skin. I nearly cried.
He stopped just inches from my face, giving me a sharp smile.
“Yes. I’m Grayson Duskbane of the Graveshade Pack. I am your Alpha.”
His hand traced my cheek again, and just as he leaned in for a kiss, I turned my face away.
But he tilted my chin back toward him.
“Why shy away? You know I’ll mark you the moment we arrive at the packhouse. Don’t you understand what happens when fated mates finally unite?”
“This must be a mistake. There’s no way I’m your fated mate, Alpha Grayson. I—”
I stopped. I couldn’t meet his eyes.
Grayson Duskbane… I had heard countless stories.
He and his pack were known for rejecting modern human partnerships. They seized land and used humans as slaves. Their traditions were ancient, their methods brutal.
They even educated their young only in survival and war—no modern knowledge, unlike Alpha Lior’s pack.
Some even said they sacrificed weak omegas to a dark ancestral guardian.
So why… why would he want me? Was I just another offering?
“How long will you stay silent? What’s going through that head of yours?”
I paused, then asked quietly,
“Alpha Grayson… are you going to kill me?”
His icy expression melted into a laugh. He tousled my hair and stood.
“Your mind is so twisted. Lior and his dogs deserve the worst my pack can give them. But why would I kill you?”
I swallowed hard.
“I don’t know. But… you did kill your previous mate, didn’t you? She was a woman… and she died because of your anger.”
His expression turned cold again. I bowed deeply, trembling.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I just want to understand…”
My hands trembled in my lap. My whole body tensed.
He reached down and held my hand again, locking eyes with me. A small smile formed.
“I wouldn’t kill you. If I wanted to, I could’ve done it already. I came to claim you. What happened with my former mate isn’t your concern. You need to remember that, okay?”
I didn’t answer. I just stared at him, frozen.
“Now, your only task is to pack your things. I’ll be waiting outside. Let everyone see who you belong to.”
He kissed me, this time, I couldn’t dodge it. Then he turned and left, leaving behind a stare that pierced straight through my heart.
Latest chapter
CLAIMED BY THE COLD-HEARTED ALPHA 50
ASHEN’S POVThe moment I stepped out of the room, the pull sharpened— clearer, heavier, more insistent than before.It tugged at the center of my chest, right beneath the sigil glowing faintly under my shirt. Each pulse was a direction. Each direction was a warning. And every warning carried one truth: something hostile was moving toward Grayson.Grayson walked beside me, matching my pace without hesitation. His shoulder brushed mine, silent reassurance wrapped in every step he took. He didn’t touch me, didn’t pull me close, didn’t try to shield me. He simply stayed at my side with unwavering certainty.“Ashen,” he murmured, “is the pull getting stronger?”“Yes,” I said, voice low but steady. “It’s shifting. Narrowing. Directing.”“Meaning the threat is moving,” he said.“Yes,” I whispered. “Toward us.”He inhaled slowly. “Then let it come.”“No,” I said immediately. “You don’t let anything come. Not this one.”His jaw tightened. “Ashen—”“You said you'd follow,” I cut in. “So follow.
CLAIMED BY THE COLD-HEARTED ALPHA 49
ASHEN’S POVThe room felt different—warmer, clearer, sharper in a way that wasn’t physical but perceptual.It was like every corner, every shift of air, every sound existed within a new clarity I hadn’t possessed before.The eclipse inside me had settled enough that the world no longer fought me.And for the first time since the awakening began, I felt like I could breathe without bracing for impact.Grayson was still sitting close, one hand resting on my lower back, the other loosely holding my wrist. Even after everything—the unification, the sigil, the forming instincts—he didn’t move away. If anything, he watched me even more intently, as if trying to understand the new rhythm of my aura the same way he learned to read every expression on my face.“Ashen,” he murmured, voice steady, “tell me again. How does it feel now?”I rested my hand over the mark on my chest, feeling its faint hum. “Settled,” I said. “But not static.”His brows lowered slightly. “Meaning?”“Meaning the power
CLAIMED BY THE COLD-HEARTED ALPHA 48
ASHEN’S POVFor a long moment, neither of us moved.Grayson’s hand rested over the new sigil glowing faintly on my chest, his palm warm, his fingers steady despite the tremor hiding beneath his skin. The mark pulsed softly beneath his touch—once, twice, three times—each pulse syncing with the rhythm of the bond. It felt intimate, ancient, and impossibly personal all at once.My breath shuddered. “Grayson… it reacts to you more than anything else.”His eyes flickered to mine, dark and intense. “Because you shaped it with your choice. That makes it dangerous.”“For who?” I whispered.“Anyone who ever tries to touch you with a single wrong intention,” he answered quietly.The warmth in his voice wasn’t gentle.It was possessive.Fierce.Protective in a way that resonated with the eclipse inside me.My heart thudded once beneath his palm, the mark glowing brighter for a split second.“See?” he murmured. “It answers to you.”“It answers to us,” I corrected.He swallowed once, unable to dis
CLAIMED BY THE COLD-HEARTED ALPHA 47
ASHEN’S POVWhen the words left my mouth—I choose to protect you—the core inside my chest reacted faster than any awakening, any resonance, any forced alignment ever had. A pulse shot through my ribs, sharp but not painful, bright but not blinding. It felt like something ancient and formless suddenly recognized a purpose clear enough to settle into.Grayson froze..“Ashen,” he said quietly. “Repeat that.”I swallowed. “I said I choose to protect you.”His jaw clenched, breath tightening. “You shouldn’t choose for my sake.”“I’m not choosing for your sake,” I said firmly. “I’m choosing for mine.”His eyes darkened, emotion flickering in the shadows of his expression. “Explain it. Say it out loud.”I pressed a hand to my sternum, fingers trembling slightly from the warmth building beneath the surface. “Because my power was born fractured. Because my identity was shaped by running from forces inside me I couldn’t control. And because you were the only constant that never fractured with
CLAIMED BY THE COLD-HEARTED ALPHA 46
ASHEN’S POVThe moment the core clicked into place, a wave of warmth rolled through my entire body—slow, steady, deliberate. Not a surge. Not an attack. Not an explosion of uncontrolled force. It felt like a deep breath taken by the power inside me, followed by a gentle exhale that settled every lingering fracture. My fingers twitched against the sheets, and Grayson’s hand tightened around mine instantly.“Ashen,” he murmured, leaning closer, “what changed?”I inhaled carefully, letting the new rhythm in my chest guide me. “Everything. But also… nothing. I’m still me. Just… clearer.”Grayson cupped the back of my head, guiding my forehead against his shoulder. “Clear how?”I searched for words while the warmth continued to spread. “Like the world inside me had been broken into pieces for so long that I forgot what it sounded like when everything moved together. Now it’s all aligned. No conflict. No echoing layers. Just one steady presence.”Grayson brushed his fingers through my hair.
CLAIMED BY THE COLD-HEARTED ALPHA 45
ASHEN’S POVThe unification settled into me like a second heartbeat—quiet but impossibly present, as if the core itself was waiting for my next breath to decide its shape. I could feel the weight of it resting in my sternum, warm and steady, nothing like the chaos it used to be. For the first time in my life, there was no conflict inside me, no cold trying to destabilize warmth, no flame trying to consume stillness. Everything moved in a single direction, following a center that was undeniably mine.Grayson sat beside me on the bed, one hand still cradling the back of my head, his thumb sweeping slow lines along my neck. He wasn’t trying to comfort me—he was grounding me, reminding me where I was, reminding me who I was. The bond thrummed faintly between us, steady but cautious, as if even it sensed the magnitude of what had just happened.“What do you mean it’s not over?” he asked quietly. “You said the unification is complete.”I licked my lips slowly, trying to find the right words
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