Chapter 30 — Show the Wolf Its Place

~ RONAN ~

I try to sound calm, but it’s a goddamn miracle I’m holding myself together. This is about teaching Lyra something critical, helping her find the balance between her and her wolf—but fuck, I want her so bad it’s almost painful. My cock's so hard it could split concrete. When I finally take her, she’ll be lucky to walk straight for days.

"Let go," she snarls, thrashing wildly.

"Make me," I challenge.

She fights like hell, her arms and legs flailing as I land another firm smack. I don't stop, though. I keep busting that perfect, round ass, steadily increasing the force of each swat.

Her perfectly rounded bottom jumps beneath my palm, and I can feel the heat rising under her skin. The more she fights, the more her wolf pushes to the surface. That’s what I need. That’s what this is about.

She screams when I don’t let up. I’m not being cruel. I’m just intentionally pushing her, demanding her beast come forward. I’ve felt how strong it is. After she shattered my earlier command and, in turn, broke the hold I had over the pack, I realized just how powerful she truly was.

Her beasts flare up to meet mine, sending heat my way. "There you are," I growl, delivering another blow. "Bring it, little wolf. I'm waiting for you."

"I'm going to kick your ass!"

I click my tongue and land another blow, my cock twitching from the contact. Gods, I can't wait to peel her clothes off and see the red marks I’ve left. I can already smell her wetness, thick and slick. Her scent is intoxicating, laced with submission she refuses to admit. She might try to deny liking this, but her breathy gasps, heady scent and tight grip on the sofa gives away everything her pride tries to hide.

I can sense she’s losing the battle. And as soon as she stills, I bring my hand down one more time, then slide my palm lower until I reach the heat between her thighs. I press my hand into her mound. She cries out, writhing against my palm as her hips buck and chase the sensation.

Knowing that’s my cue, I release her hips and grab a handful of her hair, forcing her to look at me. Her gaze locks on mine, and her eyes blaze with something almost ethereal.

"You will never disregard my orders again, Lyra. I am your Alpha, and you will obey me."

Her blue-green eyes darken, shifting into a shade of hazel-gold that burns right through me. "You don’t tell me what to do."

Son of a bitch.

I let go of her hair and resume the spanking, this time harder. She howls, part fury, part lust, maybe both. When she tries to slide off the couch, I anchor her down.

I can’t let her wolf win. If it gains too much ground, she’ll become a danger to the entire pack. Wolves without balance are chaos. They can’t be trusted.

She has to learn control, and the only way to do that is to face her other half, assert dominance, and take command. Without that balance, the woman and the beast will rip her apart.

"Reach deep down, Lyra," I growl, as tense and frustrated as she is. "You control your beast. She doesn’t control you."

She doesn’t answer. Just keeps fighting, her nails biting into my thigh. I think about dragging her to the bedroom and tying her to the damn bed to stop her from hurting herself.

But then I feel it.

The shift that proves she'd heard me.

It starts in her shoulders, travels down her spine, and ends in her legs. Her hands twitch, opening and closing like she’s trying to bring out claws that haven’t fully manifested yet.

I ease up on the spanking and watch as her nails dig into her palms, leaving blood-red crescents.

She growls—a low, steady rumble that vibrates through her bones.

"That's it," I murmur. "Don’t back down. Show the wolf its place."

Her shirt has ridden up to her mid-back, giving me a perfect view as I slide my hand from her reddened ass to the base of her spine. I reach out with my wolf, searching for that flicker of connection between her and the creature inside her.

Now. This is the moment.

"Your wolf listens to you," I say softly, fiercely. "And you listen to me. Take control. Show it who’s stronger. Don’t take no for an answer."

She snarls again, but this time, she isn’t fighting me. She’s fighting to take back control.

"I’m in fucking control here, so back the hell down!" she suddenly barks, the words filled with ferocity. I could literally feel her voice cracking with raw power. But then her wolf pushes back, snarling in return.

Lyra takes a breath, steadies herself, and says it again—calmer this time. "Back down, or I will make sure we cease to exist."

She means it, and her wolf recognizes it just the way mine would have.

She hasn’t shifted yet, hasn’t run with the pack under the moonlight, but I can feel her strength. Her resolve. Her fear. She’s terrified the beast inside her is stronger, that she’ll be consumed. But that fear is power. And I watch as she lets It fuels her will to fight.

My heart aches for her. I know how hard this is. I was born into a functioning pack and had years to make peace with my nature. Lyra’s had weeks. And she’s facing it all during her first moon heat, completely unprepared.

When I find her father, I’m going to break his fucking face.

A small whimper escapes her lips. Her body goes limp in my arms, and I pull her close, holding her against my chest. She trembles all over, her breathing ragged, her heart racing.

A small whimper escapes her lips as her body goes limp in my arms. I pull her close, holding her against my chest as she trembles all over, her breathing ragged, her heart racing.

I cup her chin, lift her face, and brush sweat-damp hair away. As she stares up at me, I see that her eyes are dazed, and her brows are drawn tight, but the wolf is gone. For now.

"That’s my girl," I murmur, pride swelling in my chest like a storm surge. Gods, I could fucking explode.

Who knows, maybe I will.