Alphas Claim

As much as I wanted to ignore this meeting, it had to be done. Business demanded discipline, but every thought in my head was consumed by her—my mate.

The moment I’d learned she was listed among the maids of Crescent Pack, rage had coiled in my gut like a serpent. A maid. My Luna, reduced to servitude? The thought alone made my wolf, Dax, snarl within me. The anger only eased when I saw her—unharmed, though far from where she belonged.

She was coming with me. There was no question, no choice in the matter. I would not leave these grounds without her at my side, whether she accepted it yet or not. Something told me she wouldn’t yield easily, and that defiance… Moon help me, it stirred something primal in me.

Little she-wolves rarely showed me anger; most trembled when I entered a room. But she was different. Fierce. Unbroken. Every snarl, every flash of her eyes felt like a challenge I was born to meet.

Her scent drew me down the corridors, heady and unmistakable. Sweet ripe berries and something softer underneath the scent of arousal growing stronger with every step until restraint felt impossible. She felt it too; I knew she did. Her scent didn’t lie.

I paused outside a door near the maids’ quarters, the faint rustle of blankets betraying her presence inside. My jaw clenched. Every instinct screamed at me to claim what was mine, to mark her and end this torment once and for all. It took everything in me not to shatter the lock and take her then and there.

I knocked once , impatient and rough. When there was no answer, I knocked again, harder. The door flew open, and she stood before me breathless, eyes blazing, defiance written in every line of her body

Instead of submission, she met me with fire.

And gods, it pleased me more than it should have.

For a heartbeat, I just looked at her—drank her in. Relief flooded me, steadying the storm inside. Her scent wrapped around me, grounding and intoxicating all at once. My voice dropped low.

“You’re coming with me, little wolf.”

Her eyes widened, then narrowed. “You don’t get to tell me what to do,” she snapped, her voice sharp as steel. “I don’t care who you are.”

My lips curved, pride stirring in my chest. So she did have teeth. Good. I wanted a Luna who could bare them.

Calm and controlled, I reached for her, turning her before she could storm away. My grip tightened at her waist, close enough to feel the tremor in her breath.

“You’re lucky you’re my mate,” I murmured, my voice roughened by restraint. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be showing this much restraint .”

The hitch in her heartbeat told me she felt the pull as fiercely as I did. But I released her, forcing space between us. “Pack what you need,” I ordered. “Jake will see that your belongings are taken to the car.”

Duty called before desire. And so, with Dax snarling in protest inside me, I left her to gather her things and returned to the matter that had brought me here business with Alpha Darius.

The moment I stepped into his office, I caught the faint scent of lavender and pine still lingering in my senses. It took effort to focus.

“Apologies for the delay,” I began, settling opposite him. “I had something to address with one of your maids.”

He frowned slightly. “Has there been a problem?”

“Thankfully not,” I replied. “But one of your maids is my mate. She’ll be coming with me.”

Darius blinked, surprise flickering before understanding softened his features. “Understood. She’ll need to come to the office to be released from Crescent Pack officially.”

He signed the necessary documents, and I offered him the courtesy of advice. “You’ll find your mate, Darius. I’ll give you a year. If you haven’t, you’ll need to name a Luna for your pack.”

Relief flashed in his expression. “Thank you, Alpha Tane.”

I was about to mind-link Jake to bring her down when the door burst open.

She strode in, fury blazing brighter than I’d ever seen.

Mine.

Possessiveness surged through me as Dax howled in triumph. She looked magnificent—wild and unapologetic.

“Ah, Ivory,” darius said smoothly, not batting an eye to her outburst . “We were just finalising the paperwork for your release.”

Her glare could have burned through steel. “So you’re just going to throw one of your maids out to a pack she knows nothing about? My mother is here, and I’m not leaving until I know exactly who I’m leaving with.”

A wave of pride rolled through me. She wouldn’t take orders without understanding. She wouldn’t settle for less. My Luna.

“Understood,” I said, my voice thick with possessive satisfaction. “Given the circumstances, I’ll remain here for the weekend. We’ll take the time to… get to know each other before we return to my lands.”

Darius nodded, completing the documents. “You’re relieved of your duties starting now, Ivory. You may stay in the guest wing until you depart.”

I watched uncertainty flicker across her face, and before I could stop myself, I reached out. My fingers brushed along her jaw, and she leaned into the touch, even if only slightly. The tension in her shoulders eased, her pulse steadying beneath my fingertips.

“I’m glad you’re choosing to know me first,” she whispered softly, her eyes guarded. “But getting to know me might change your mind.”

Anger flickered—directed not at her, but at every moment she’d been made to believe she wasn’t enough.

If only she knew what it meant to be mine.

Dax stirred within me, restless, protective. We’ll show her, he growled. Show her what it means to be claimed, to be cherished.

I exhaled slowly, forcing restraint. For now.

There would be time to show her everything—how a Luna should be treated, worshipped, and protected above all else.

For now, patience.

But Moon help me, it was already running thin.