THE CLAIM

Mollie’s POV

My breath hitched as I pressed my back against the locked iron bars, my fingers gripping the freezing metal until my knuckles turned white. The slow, heavy footsteps stopped right at the edge of the shadows, and a massive figure stepped into the dim light of the corridor.

It was him.

Brian Peltz stood before me, his tall, dominating frame completely blocking the narrow hallway as he looked down at me with cold, predatory intensity. He wore dark, heavy leather armor, and his sharp, regal features seemed carved out of stone. The suffocating weight of his powerful alpha aura rolled off him in thick waves, physically pressuring the air around us until it became hard for me to draw a single breath.

"Let me out," I demanded, forcing my voice to remain steady even though my heart was hammering violently against my ribs.

Brian did not answer immediately, his dark eyes sweeping over my sweat-stained training gear, my wrapped hands, and the defensive stance I had automatically taken. A small, mocking twist curled his lips as he took one step closer, trapping me completely between his massive chest and the immovable iron gate.

"You are the girl who was running through the dark like a frightened rabbit," Brian said, his voice a deep, rough growl that vibrated through the stone walls. "The Silvermane palace is filled with fools, but I did not expect to find one hiding in the servant tunnels."

"I am not hiding from anyone, especially not a monster like you," I snapped, lifting my chin high, my eyes flashing with a sudden heat as I stared directly into the face of the man who had murdered my older brother, Captain Kaelen.

"Watch your tongue, little wolf, you have no idea who you are speaking to," he muttered, his cold tone clipping each word short.

"I know exactly who you are, Brian Peltz," I said, my voice thick with a mixture of raw grief and boiling hatred as I took a half step forward, refusing to let him intimidate me. "You are the leader of the Nightshade Clan, the executioner who took my brother away from my family."

Before he could respond, the heavy wooden inner doors at the end of the hall burst open, and Alpha Arthur marched into the corridor alongside three high-ranking Silvermane guards.

"Alpha Brian, we did not realize you had wandered down into the lower levels," Arthur said quickly, his face smoothing into a tight, fake smile as he looked between us. "This girl is just a low-ranking orphan, she should not be bothering you, let my guards escort her back to her quarters."

"She is not bothering me, Alpha Arthur," Brian replied without breaking eye contact with me, his gaze drilling straight into my soul.

"Come along, Mollie, let's step into the main hall where we can discuss pack business properly," Arthur insisted, gesturing toward the open doors while his guards stepped forward to clear the path.

Brian turned slowly, his massive shoulders shifting as he walked out of the narrow corridor, forcing me to follow under the watchful eyes of the guards. We stepped out into the grand, brightly lit main hall of the palace, the polished stone floors reflecting the heavy chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling.

The moment the open space surrounded us, a sudden, violent shift occurred in the air.

I stopped dead in my tracks as my lungs filled with a sudden, intoxicating scent of dark cedar wood, heavy rain, and winter frost. At the exact same microsecond, Brian froze, his entire body stiffening as his head snapped toward me, his dark pupils dilating until his eyes were almost completely black.

The brutal, undeniable snap of the cosmic mate bond slammed into both of us with an intense, earth-shattering power. It felt like a physical bolt of lightning striking my chest, sending a wave of burning heat rushing through my veins while the golden threads of the bond tried to weave our souls together.

"No," I gasped out, stumbling backward as absolute horror and hot anger flared inside my stomach, my hands flying to my chest as if I could physically rip the bond away. "No, this is a mistake, the moon goddess would never bind me to a murderer!"

"Do you think I want this?" Brian roared, his voice filled with intense, cold hostility as he stared down at me, his fists clenching so hard that his veins bulged against his skin. "A weak, broken human girl from a failed pack lineage is the last thing my clan needs!"

"Then reject me," I screamed, openly defying him in front of Alpha Arthur and the entire palace staff who had gathered in the balconies. "Reject me right now, Damien did it on the palace floor, you can do it too!"

"Silence," Brian commanded, his alpha aura flaring so violently that the guards took a collective step back, their heads bowing in involuntary submission. He looked toward Alpha Arthur, his jaw tight as he spoke with absolute authority. "I am driven by political necessity and the survival of my family lineage, Arthur. I need a Luna to secure my pack's territory, and the laws of the shifter realms are absolute."

"Brian, wait, she is a ward of my palace," Arthur argued, though his eyes darted toward the guards, clearly terrified of triggering a full-scale war with the Nightshade Clan.

"She belongs to the Nightshade Clan now," Brian stated ruthlessly, turning back to me with an unyielding glare. "I, Brian Peltz, claim you as my Luna right here on the Silvermane floor, you will pack your things and leave for my fortress immediately."

"I would rather die than go anywhere with you," I hissed, my teeth bared as I tried to strike him, but he caught my wrist in a grip of pure steel.

Before I could even shout a refusal, Brian leans down, his powerful alpha aura flaring as he whispers a chilling vow in my ear: "You will come to my fortress, little human but do not mistake this bond for a blessing—your presence is a curse that will

cost us both everything."