THE ALPHA’S CLAIM

JAXSON’S POV

The Great Hall of the Silver Ridge estate was a cathedral of stone, shadows, and the scent of over a thousand predators. They stood in silence, a sea of dark suits and glowing eyes, waiting for the moment their Alpha would finally take a mate and solidify the bloodline.

​I didn’t care about the bloodline. I didn’t care about the Council members sitting in the front row with their judgmental stares and their ledgers. My focus was entirely on the heavy oak doors at the end of the long, candlelit aisle.

​I was restless. My wolf was pacing behind my ribs, his claws dragging against my soul. He wasn't looking for a Luna; he was looking for her. He wanted to claim the girl who had dared to jump out of a window to escape us. He wanted to punish her for the scent of that human boy that still lingered in the back of my mind, a bitter sting of jealousy I refused to acknowledge.

​Then, the doors groaned open.

​The air in the room didn't just shift; it vanished. For a heartbeat, it felt like the oxygen had been sucked out of the hall.

​Ava stood there.

​I had spent years watching her grow up from a distance, watching the scrawny, defiant girl turn into a woman who hid her fire behind oversized hoodies and a sharp tongue. But this? This was a transformation I wasn't prepared for.

​The stylists had done their job with a cruel kind of perfection. The dress was a masterpiece of heavy, silver-white silk, encrusted with so many diamonds it looked like she had been dipped in ice. It was cut dangerously low, the stiff bodice pushing up her breasts so that every frantic, shallow breath she took was a performance for my eyes only. The pale skin of her chest was flushed, a delicate pink that told me exactly how much she hated being the center of this spectacle.

​She looked gorgeous, the kind that made a man want to ruin her just to see if the beauty went all the way through.

​As she began the long walk toward me, the silence in the hall became deafening. I didn't see the "Queen" the pack was seeing. I saw a challenge. I saw the way her hips moved under the weight of that massive gown, the way her waist looked small enough for my hands to snap. I’d already pictured her in my bedroom, stripped of the lace, stripped of the jewels, and stripped of that glass-cold stare.

​I wanted to see her break. I wanted to see those dark extensions scattered across my pillows while I reminded her exactly who owned every inch of her.

​Her gaze finally locked onto mine. She didn't look down. She didn't tremble. She stared at me with a look of pure, unfiltered loathing that made my blood run hot. Most women looked at an Alpha with fear or desire. Ava looked at me like I was something she intended to kill.

​Ah, I love that look, my wolf growled.

​She reached the altar, the scent of her hitting me like a physical blow. It was vanilla; sweet and innocent; mixed with the sharp tang of her fear. It was an intoxicating scent, one that made my fangs ache in my gums.

​I reached out and grabbed her hand. I didn't take it gently. I clamped my fingers around her wrist, feeling the frantic, fluttering pulse against my thumb. She was a trapped bird, and I was the cage.

​"Careful, little wolf," I whispered, my voice a low rumble that only she could hear. "You keep looking at me like you want to slit my throat, and I might actually enjoy it."

​Her lips, full and painted a deep, bruised red, thinned into a hard line. She didn't answer. She just stood there, her eyes twin flames of defiance.

​The Pack Elder stepped forward, the ceremonial silver blade glinting in the candlelight. "We do not vow with words," he announced, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "We vow with blood. We vow with soul."

​I didn't wait for the instruction. I took the blade, slicing a clean, deep line across my palm without flinching. Then, I turned to her. I watched her eyes widen as the Elder took her hand. The steel bit into her soft skin making her wince a little. 

​A dark surge of satisfaction rolled through me. I didn't want a ring to bind her; I wanted her blood.

​I pressed my palm against hers.

​The bond slammed into us with the force of a landslide. It wasn't a gentle connection; it was a brand. Our blood mingled, hot and sticky between our locked hands, and the Pack Link forced its way into the air, weaving our souls together until I could feel her heart racing as if it were my own. She gasped, her knees buckling for a split second before I tightened my grip on her waist, holding her upright.

We exchanged rings, which were heirlooms that had been passed across generations. Mine was plain silver with a Latin inscription on it while hers had a huge diamond that complimented her tiny hand.

​"The Alpha claims his Luna," the Elder boomed.

​I didn't give her a chance to recover. I didn't give the pack a chance to think. I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck, my fingers tangling deep into those dark extensions, and jerked her head back.

​I wanted the dominance to be absolute. I wanted every wolf in this room to see that I wasn't just marrying her, I was conquering her.

​I kissed her, and it was a war.

​It was a hard, demanding claim. She was stiff in my arms, her hands coming up to push against my chest, but I only pulled her closer, crushing her body against the hard planes of mine until there wasn't a breath of air left between us. I deepened the kiss, my tongue marking her with an aggression that silenced the entire hall.

​I wanted her to know. I wanted her to feel the weight of the monster she had just signed her life away to.

​When I finally pulled back, her pupils were blown wide, her lips bruised and swollen from the force of my mouth. She looked wrecked, and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

​I leaned down, my lips brushing the shell of her ear as the pack let out a collective, deafening howl.

​"Get used to the weight of that emerald, Ava," I hissed, my voice a dark, jagged edge. "Because once we get behind those bedroom doors, the real ceremony begins. And I don't plan on being gentle."

​I turned her toward the crowd, my arm locked around her waist like a shackle. She was the Luna of the Silver Ridge Pack. She was the Queen of the North.

​But to me? She was just the prize I had finally hunted down. And I was going to enjoy every second of tearing her apart.