Chapter 2

Willa

I stood frozen, my back pressed hard against the cold stone railing, my pulse hammering against the fresh, bleeding mark on my neck. My throat burned where his fangs had broken the skin, but every nerve in my body was vibrating with a white-hot, agonizing pleasure.

Travis surged forward, a predator asserting complete dominance.

His storm-grey eyes were gone, completely swallowed by pitch-black darkness as his wolf took full control of his mind and body. A low, thunderous growl vibrated deep within his chest.

"Mine," his wolf rumbled, the voice doubled and echoing with raw Alpha power.

 "Mine to break. Mine to mark. Mine to claim."

His hands snapped out, gripping my hips with bruising strength. He lifted me bodily off the stone floor, pressing me upward so my legs instinctually wrapped tight around his waist. I gasped, the friction of my thighs against his tailored trousers sending a jolt of liquid heat straight to my core.

"Travis—" I whimpered, but the name was swallowed as his mouth crashed back onto mine.

This was no gentle reunion. This was a wild, desperate claiming. His tongue demanded entry, tasting like bourbon, mint, and pure male dominance. I threw my hands into his thick dark hair, gripping the strands, arching my chest into his broad, hard chest. My inner wolf howled in victory, scratching against my ribs, demanding that I surrender completely to our true mate.

"Goddess, Willa," he growled into the kiss, his mouth sliding down to the side of my jaw, then down the sensitive column of my neck.

He found the freshly bitten mark. His warm, rough tongue licked away the bead of blood trailing down my collarbone, sending a violent shiver cascading down my spine. I threw my head back against the stone wall, a breathless moan escaping my lips.

"Travis, please..." I begged, not even knowing what I was begging for—only that the empty, aching void between my thighs was screaming to be filled.

"You smell like pine and sweet rain," he growled, his hand tearing at the high slit of my midnight-blue dress, ripping the delicate silk further up my thigh until his warm, calloused palm was resting directly against my bare skin. "Your scent is driving my wolf insane. I can't think. I can't breathe without you."

His thumb stroked the tender inner curve of my thigh, creeping higher, closer to the center of my heat. I squeezed my eyes shut, my toes curling inside my heels, my hips bucking helplessly against his thick length. Through the heavy fabric of his trousers, I could feel just how hard and ready he was for me.

"Claim me," my inner wolf whimpered, pushing the words through my throat before my mind could censor them. "Travis... claim me the wolf way. Take me."

The command snapped something inside him.

With a deep, guttural roar, Travis slammed his hips forward, grinding his heavy arousal hard against my core. A sharp, piercing cry tore from my lips as electric sparks exploded behind my eyes—the raw, unbridled power of the knotting bond threatening to take hold. His scent—rainwater, cedar, and burning firewood—thickened until it filled the air, completely smothering my senses.

He hoisted me higher, hooking one of my knees over his forearm, his fingers digging into my hips to position me directly over him. His teeth nipped sharply at my pulse point, right over the pack mark, leaving deep red bruises in his wake.

"Say it," he rasped against my ear, his breath hot and frantic, his body shuddering with the effort of holding back. "Tell me who you belong to, doctor. Tell my wolf."

"You," I choked out, tears of overwhelming sensation pricking the corners of my eyes as I pulled his lips back to mine. "I'm yours. I'm your mate."

He groaned, a sound of pure satisfaction that vibrated through my entire skeleton. He unclasped the silver Alpha crest from his lapel with one hand and let it clatter onto the stone floor, completely uncaring of his status, his crown, or the pack inside. In this moment, there was no Silvermoon Pack, no high-society council, and no high-born bloodlines.

"Mine," he growled again, his fangs grazing the skin over my artery. "Forever."

"Travis," I whispered, breathless, as he slowly pulled his mouth away from my neck. "What do we do now? When do we announce it?"

Travis went completely still.

The fiery haze in his eyes vanished, replaced instantly by a chilling, dead emptiness. He looked down at the bleeding mark on my neck, and then he let go of my waist.

He stepped back.

"Travis?" I asked, my smile faltering as the cold air rushed between us.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his expression hardening into stone. He straightened his suit jacket, not even looking me in the eye.

"That isn't mine to decide," he said. His voice was completely flat.

I stared at him, my heart plummeting into my stomach. "What are you talking about? We're mates. You just marked me."

"I lost control for a second. It doesn't mean anything."

"Doesn't mean anything?!" I screamed, clutching my throat. "It's a mate bond!"

"I'm sorry, Willa, but this can't go on," he said coldly, finally meeting my gaze with indifference. "As future Alpha, taking an orphan pack doctor with no noble bloodline as my Luna will destroy my standing and drag down my crown. I need someone of high status."

I couldn't breathe.

Travis took another step back toward the ballroom doors, his posture rigid, his eyes completely devoid of the man who had just kissed me like I was his oxygen.

"I, Travis Keene, future Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack, reject you, Willa Greer, as my destined mate."