The alpha's claim

A blinding surge of white hot lightning exploded through my veins, washing away the cold, heavy weight of my past in an instant. I let out a loud, breathless gasp, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck as the room began to spin.

"Look at her neck!" a council member shrieked, pointing at us as the crowd gasped in shock.

A bright, golden crest was burning through my skin, shining so bright that it lit up the dark room. The mark of the Supreme Luna was sinking deep into my flesh, proving to everyone that a wolfless girl could bond with the strongest Alpha alive

___

I stood before the full length mirror in the grand guest room, smoothing down the soft fabric of my dark dress. The golden crest on my neck pulsed with a warm, steady thrum that buzzed straight into my heartbeat. I kept reaching up to touch it, half expecting the glowing mark to fade away like grease on water. But it remained firm, hot, and permanent against my skin.

"Stop picking at it," Lucian said, walking into the room with his heavy boots thudding against the floorboards.

He looked terrifying in his dark traveling coat, his broad shoulders filling up the entire doorway.

"I still cannot believe this is real," I whispered, turning around to face him. "They said one without a wolf would die from an Alpha's mark."

"They are idiots who know nothing about ancient blood," Lucian said smoothly, reaching out to grip my waist and pull me toward the door. "We are leaving. The carriage is waiting."

When we stepped into the sunny main courtyard, the air was bitter and cold. Servants and pack elders stood along the stone walls in complete, terrified silence. None of them dared to make eye contact with me.

Before we could reach the iron gate, a ragged figure stumbled out from the guard quarters, blocking our path.

Cassian looked like a dead man walking. His clothes were torn, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hands trembled violently as he stared at the golden mark glowing on my collarbone.

"You cannot take her," Cassian croaked out, his voice cracking with pure desperation. "She belongs to this territory, You cannot just mark a servant and steal her away"

"She is my Luna now, Cassian," Lucian warned, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous rumble that shook the gravel beneath our feet. "Move out of my way."

"Olivia, look at me" Cassian screamed, taking a frantic step toward me with his arms reaching out. "You loved me for six years, You cannot just leave with my father, You don't even know him"

"You knew," I said, my voice surprisingly steady, as I looked straight into his bloodshot eyes." You told me I was not family."

"I didn't mean it like that" Cassian wept, tears cutting clean tracks through the dirt on his face. "Please, Olivia, stay, We can fix this, Maya needs you"

Lucian did not even bother to draw a weapon. He simply stepped forward and shoved his son back with a single, casual thrust of his palm. Cassian flew backward five feet, hitting the hard dirt road with a loud grunt.

"If you follow us, I will put a silver bullet in your knee," Lucian stated calmly, guiding me into the leather interior of his armored carriage.

The heavy iron door slammed shut, cutting off Cassian's desperate wails as the black horses galloped out of the Silver Moon territory.

The journey to the Blackthorn castle took six long hours, filled with a heavy, thick silence that made my skin prickle. When we finally arrived, the fortress stood tall and menacing against the dark mountains, lit by flickering torches.

Inside the massive stone hall, five female servants rushed forward the moment Lucian led me through the wooden doors.

"Show the Luna to the master suite," Lucian commanded the head maid before turning toward the tactical strategy room. "Prepare her for bed."

"Yes, Alpha," the head maid bowed low, her eyes wide with shock as she took in my thick waist and the golden crest burning on my neck.

For the next two hours, the servants washed my hair with lavender oils, dressed me in a dark green silk nightgown that clung tightly to my hips, and brushed out my long brown hair. They moved quickly, speaking only in hushed whispers as they arranged the plush satin pillows on the giant canopy bed.

"Will that be all, my Luna?" the maid asked softly.

"Yes, thank you," I murmured, sitting nervously on the edge of the mattress.

When the heavy double doors clicked shut, leaving me alone in the dark room, my stomach twisted into tight knots. The scent of pine, crushed ice, and raw male power suddenly drifted through the air.

The side door clicked open.

Lucian walked into the bedroom bare chested, wearing only dark cotton trousers low on his hips. The torchlight caught the hard, silver scars crisscrossing his broad chest and flat stomach. His dark hair was damp, sweeping back from his sharp forehead as his dark eyes locked directly onto mine.

My throat went bone dry. I shifted back nervously on the soft mattress, pulling the silk sheet up toward my waist.

I weighed a a hundred and fifty pounds, I felt very unworthy lying next to Lucian

"You look tense, Olivia," Lucian said, his low baritone vibrating through the quiet room.

He walked slowly toward the bed, unbothered, and made to lie right beside me on the white sheets. His massive frame dipped the mattress heavily, his warm skin radiating a terrifying heat that made my skin flush red.

"Lucian, wait," I choked out, pressing my palms against his broad, hard chest to stop him from leaning closer. "This is our first night. We just met yesterday"

"You bear my mark," Lucian said, completely ignoring my hands on his chest as he leaned over me, his dark eyes burning with possessive hunger. "You are my female now."

Before I could draw another breath to object, his large hand grabbed the top edge of my silk nightgown, ripping the thin fabric straight down the middle with a sharp, violent tear.