Chapter Four

Alpha's POV

He watched her from the shadows—rock hard, the moonlight kissing every trembling inch of Elara’s delicate frame. Caelin hadn’t meant to feel this deeply. He was Alpha. He was control and steel and Power. But the way Elara obeyed, the way she looked up at him like the stars bowed to his command—it undid something in him.

He hadn’t planned for this. Not tonight. But when Elara touched herself at his command, when her knees wobbled and her breath hitched just to please him… Caelin’s world tilted.

He had wanted her for two moons now. Ever since Elara turned seventeen. It was the first time he saw her no longer as a pack child, but as a woman—soft, open, quietly burning. Caelin waited, watching, questioning whether the girl would ever seek him out. And now, finally, she had.

And gods help him, he would ruin her. Mark her. Own her.

Elara was still standing on the balcony when Caelin returned with a cool glass of wine in one hand and the glint of restraint in his eyes.

“You disobeyed,” Cealin said, his voice low and deliberate.

Elara flinched at the quiet edge in his voice. She turned slightly, guilt and heat written across her face.

“I—I tried not to.”

Caelin took the wine to the table, set it down beside the humming laptop, and in one smooth motion, closed the device and took it from Elara’s lap.

“You touched yourself,” he said, voice tighter now. “And you came. Like a pup with no self-control.”

“I’m sorry, Alpha.”

“Sorry,” Caelin echoed, his gaze sharp as moonlight. “You will be.”

He gestured with two fingers. “Up. Stand up.”

Elara scrambled to obey. Her legs trembled again, not from fear—but from something far more dangerous.

“Face the rails. Bend over.”

The girl obeyed instantly, her hands gripping the cold metal railings, hair spilling like ink down her back. Caelin’s throat bobbed. His fingers flexed at his sides before curling into tight fists.

He stepped forward until he was directly behind her.

“Look at me,” he ordered.

Elara twisted her head slightly, their eyes locking. Caelin let out a soft, controlled breath.

“If this is going to happen,” he said slowly, “you need to understand something.”

He ran his fingers along the girl’s side, then flattened a hand over her back to steady her.

“I don’t share, Elara. Not with your friends. Not with his Omega. Not even with the stars, if they ask. You’re mine. Understand?”

Elara’s breath stuttered. “Yes, Alpha. I understand.”

“No one touches you unless I say so. Not a man, not a woman.”

Elara’s eyes shone like glass under the moon. She didn’t argue. She didn’t hesitate.

“Yes, Alpha. I’m yours.”

Those words cut through him like wildfire. he had waited two moons to hear them. And now… now it was time to teach her what they meant.

“Good girl,” Caelin murmured.

He pressed a hand to Elara’s lower back, holding her in place.

“You’ll be punished. Not because I’m angry,” he said, voice silk and steel, “but because you need to learn. You don’t come unless I say.”

Elara nodded, breathless. “I’ll be good.”

“I know you will,” Caelin replied, his voice like dark honey.

He raised his hand—once—and brought it down with precise discipline.

The first strike wasn’t cruel. It was measured. A lesson, not a punishment.

Elara jerked from the contact, letting out a shocked breath, but her eyes fluttered with something else entirely.

Another.

And another.

By the fifth, Elara’s legs had begun to wobble, her breath coming in soft, uneven puffs. She sniffled once, but her voice was still thick with pleasure.

Caelin stood taller behind her, breath tight in his chest.

He couldn’t help himself.

He reached for Elara’s chin and turned her face toward him again, brushing a thumb along her trembling lip before leaning in and capturing her mouth in a bruising kiss. It was a claim—hot, deep, possessive.

When he pulled away, his voice was darker. “You’ll take ten more,” he said, “but this time… you’ll touch yourself while I do.”

Elara hesitated only a second before nodding. “Yes, Alpha.”

Her hand slipped down—eager, trusting.

Caelin almost cursed under his breath.

He stood there, watching, heat pounding in his temples as Elara moved. Bent forward, her back arched, her face flushed. She was divine.

And Caelin couldn’t look away.

He raised his hand again. Another strike.

Elara moaned, her hand moving between her thighs.

Caelin struck again. Harder. Elara trembled.

By the seventh, she was gasping—each breath a near sob, her moans echoing in the night air.

Caelin leaned in close, his lips brushing the shell of Elara’s ear.

“Don’t you dare,” he hissed, his voice sharp with command. “You will not come.”

Elara’s breathing quickened, her voice shaky. “I’m—trying. Alpha, I’m trying.”

Caelin ran a hand down her spine, anchoring her. “You better. Or you’ll start over from one.”

Elara whimpered. “Yes, Alpha.”

She was close. Caelin could feel it, like lightning thick in the air. But he would hold her there, on the edge, as long as he wished. Because this was his. She was his.

And tonight was only the beginning.