Chapter 8 You Will Be Mine!

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The first rays of dawn painted the sky a bruised purple as Alpha Zach stood before the ravaged remains of the packhouse.

He’d arrived to find chaos, a scene that reeked of betrayal and the lingering scent of his mate, Jade, gone.

The air crackled with his simmering rage. His fists clenched, digging into his palms as his silver eyes scanned the wreckage. "Where is she?" he growled, the words a low rumble from deep in his chest.

Christopher, Jade's father, stood before him, his face pale and pinched. "She...she escaped, Alpha. A rogue helped her," he stammered, his voice trembling.

Zach's blood ran cold. A rogue?

The thought of another male touching what was his, even in passing, sent a wave of pure, unadulterated fury through him.

His lip curled into a snarl. "A rogue?" he hissed, the word laced with venom. "Who dares interfere with what is mine?" 

His words were a death sentence.

The ground trembled as Zach unleashed his inner beast. He moved with the speed of a predator, his claws tearing through the flesh of those closest to him to vent his anger.

By the time his rage subsided, a third of the Lake Crescent Pack lay dead or dying, their cries echoing through the blood-soaked clearing.

He looked at his bloodied hands and muttered to himself, "Soon, little mate, soon you'll be mine. I will break you and mold you into the perfect little thing you should have been" a dark smile stretched across his face as the idea of taming Jade filled his mind.

His thoughts shifted to his mate's delicate body, those soft curves yet to be explored, and a primal hunger roared in his chest.

He imagined her yielding beneath him, her cries of pleasure a symphony to his ears. "She will learn her place," he muttered, running a hand through his dark hair. "I will tame that spirit, even if it takes every ounce of my power. Her sweet folds will be mine. I shall break her and make her my perfect little slut."

He craved the feel of her skin beneath his hands, her scent filling his senses, her obedience completing him.

But for now, he would wait. He had other matters to attend to.

Jump forward five years.

The summons arrived in a gilded envelope, an invitation to the annual Mating Ball.

It was a formality, really.

All the major packs would be there to display their power and hunt for more alliances.

Zach’s eyes scanned the invite and a familiar scent hit him.

This year, however, was different.

Whispers had reached his ears, whispers suggesting that a certain runaway might make an appearance.

His runaway.

The thought sent a thrill of anticipation through him, a dark excitement that bordered on mania. He had spent five long years tracking her, his anger simmering just below the surface, and his obsession only growing stronger with each passing day.

Now, the hunt was about to end.

He called for his Beta, Damon, a massive wolf with a scarred snout and a loyalty that ran as deep as the earth. "Damon," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "Prepare everything. We leave at once."

Damon nodded, his eyes gleaming with a hint of the same anticipation that coursed through Zach. "The rumors, Alpha? The one of the runaway?" he asked, his voice a low rumble.

Zach grinned, a flash of teeth in the semi-darkness of his study. "Oh, she'll be there, Damon. I feel it in my bones. My little runaway will finally be mine."

He stood, his gaze piercing and dark.

He began to pace the floor, his energy barely contained. "And while we're at it," he continued, his voice turning into a low, guttural rumble, "we will need more sluts for the pack. We will find the most beautiful, the most obedient ones. Any breed them like rabbits, we will fill our kennels with sweet little things."

Damon nodded, his excitement matching his Alpha's.

He knew his leader, he knew that Zach was not to be crossed, and he also knew that if the beautiful runaway was indeed present at the ball, then there would be blood.

"I will make this land a breeding ground for my pack," he growled, his eyes burning with lust and a barely contained madness.

"And I will finally have what is mine."