LOGIN"Lucien says he will stand before the Alpha Council and claim Rowan Ashcroft as his Luna," I said, my hand tightening around the edges of the dark oak dining table until my knuckles turned white.Lucien did not even pause his task. He set his bone-china coffee mug onto the silver tray, wiped his lips with a linen napkin, and looked straight through me with eyes as cold as arctic ice. "She carried my bloodline, Freya. A human female cannot comprehend what it means to lose a Royal Silverclaw pup. I will claim her before the full moon."He turned on his heel and walked out of the Bennett Silverclaw Citadel, his heavy dragon-hide boots echoing across the marble floor like a death knell.I stared at the empty doorway, my heart hammering against my ribs while my stomach churned with dark, violent nausea. I forced myself to sit down, reaching for the bowl of raw venison broth and oat mash Aunt Yu had laid out. I had to eat. I was a human female in a pack of apex predators, heavy-bodied, plus
Lucien grabbed my waist, yanking my plus-sized body back into his lap before I could take another step across the fur rug."Sit down and shut your mouth, Freya," Lucien growled into my ear, his hand tightening over my hip until his long fingers bit into my skin. "You aren't going anywhere while I take this call.""Let go of me, Lucien!" I spat, my heart slamming against my ribs as I tried to wriggle away from his suffocating warmth. "I don't need to sit here and listen to you whisper dirty sweet-talk to your Nightfang mistress!"He didn't release me. Instead, his heavy thumb slid down, pressing hard into the meat of my thigh through my thin cotton dress, his possessive grip anchoring my heavy hips directly over his rock-hard length."Move again and I'll strip you right here in front of the Beta Council," he growled low in his throat, his golden Alpha eyes flashing with a sudden spike of raw threat.Before I could bite back a response, the silver communicator on his desk flared to life
The heavy stone archway at the top of the Bennett Alpha Dominion Hall trembled as the pregnant human woman lost her footing, her soft body slipping against the crumbling cliff edge."Get back, you bloodsucking bastards!" the human woman screamed, her voice cracking with pure terror as her hands clutched her heavily swollen belly.My throat went dry, my own hand instinctively resting over my hips as I took a trembling step forward onto the cold stone terrace."If you pull back from the ledge, I will give you the pack silver you paid for your claim!" I called out, my voice echoing across the open courtyard where dozens of Silverclaw Elite Guardians stood with drawn weapons.The pregnant woman glared down at me, her eyes wild and bloodshot. "You lie! You're just another royal pet living in the Bennett Citadel while human workers rot in collapsed mine shafts!""I am not lying to you," I shouted back, stepping past the line of Beta Aides despite the sharp wind whipping my dark hair across
I held the parchment in my trembling fingers, reading the bloody words again as my heart pounded wildly against my heavy chest."Tristan, get the pack trackers," Lucien growled behind me, his golden eyes glowing in the dark room while his voice vibrated with dangerous Alpha power. "Find out which direction Ronan Ashcroft took my female's mother.""Right away, Alpha King," Tristan replied, stepping over the shattered glass on the floor and hurrying back toward the main gates.I turned around to face Lucien, my hands shaking so hard the paper rattled. "He wants me, Lucien. Ronan took my mother to force me to give up my lineage and my rights to the Holloway Manor.""He will get nothing from you," Lucien snarled, stepping close until his broad, warm chest pressed flush against my soft body. He lifted his hand, his thick fingers cupping my jaw with possessive force. "You belong to the Bennett Silverclaw Pack now, Freya. Your blood, your thick body, and your mother are all under my absolute
I stepped into the Alpha King's Chamber, my hands cold as ice while my heart hammered hard against my heavy chest.Lucien Bennett sat behind his dark mahogany desk, his broad chest rising and falling with heavy, restrained anger. Tristan Mercer stood nearby, holding an official scroll stamped with the black wax seal of the Bennett Alpha Dominion."You brought her," Lucien growled, his golden eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my core throb. "Freya, step closer."I adjusted my tunic over my wide hips, walking forward until I stood right across from his massive frame. "What is going on, Lucien? Tristan said this involves my family.""Graham Holloway has officially surrendered the Holloway Manor deeds to the Bennett pack," Lucien said coldly, sliding the parchment across the polished wood. "He tried to flee across the border to the Nightfang Pack this morning, but the Silverclaw Elite Guardians intercepted him."I gasped, my throat going dry. "He tried to run?""He tried
I stared at the black vehicle parked by the stone edge of the Silverclaw Dominion Hall, my throat tight as the tinted window rolled down.A high-ranking royal female sat in the leather interior, her severe grey eyes locked onto mine with an unyielding, territorial glare. It was Astrid Sinclair, the high matriarch of the Sinclair line and sister to the elder council leader. She wore a woven royal velvet cloak, her graying hair pinned with silver pins that marked her rank in the Silverclaw lineage."Get in, human," Astrid Sinclair commanded, her sharp voice cutting through the heavy morning air like a silver blade.I adjusted the edge of my tunic over my full waist, stepping toward the carriage with my boots crunching against the gravel. "If you have something to say to me, Lady Sinclair, you can say it here on the public plaza.""You have audacity for a fat human who smells of my nephew's royal scent," Astrid sneered, her lip curling in deep disgust as her eyes scanned my broad hips an







