C10

"I like rules, dominance, and absolute submission," I growled, looking out over the pack house.

It was what made the Adeyemi name feared among every rogue wolf and rival pack. Our name meant pure power, massive strength, and endless pack resources. It took a heavy iron fist and total control to keep the Nightfang Alpha Dominion running like a well-oiled machine.

We owned Silvermoon Hollow, but our territory expanded through all the outer valleys. Much to the Devereux Shadowfang Clan’s anger. We had warriors stationed everywhere, starting with our main ancestral lands.

The Devereux clan used to control the southern borders, running illegal silver weapons and forbidden potions through that territory. Over the last three years, the youngest Devereux wolf, Darius Crowne, had been working with Jabari Rowe and Zane Holloway, as well as Omari Sinclair. That entire bunch worked against rogue wolf human trafficking, which was perfectly fine with me. I hated monsters who got involved in that dirty business. There were plenty of other ways to build pack power. The Adeyemi family had been against moving captured wolves for generations.

It was what started the bloody war between the Devereux and the Adeyemi packs. Darius’s father, being young and stupid, moved captured female wolves across our territory almost forty years ago. Ever since, the feud never ceased, fueled by new blood debts. At least Darius Crowne wasn't as dumb as his father who insisted on trafficking wolves. Malik Devereux had been fueling that bloody mess for forty years, perfectly happy to play in the dirt.

But Malik Devereux was dead now. Thanks to my hothead brother!

I strode into my main hall and sensed everyone’s eyes dart away from me. Wolves scurried away to remain unseen in the shadows. The sheer power behind me made strong alphas cower. I was sure my massive size and fierce reputation had something to do with it too. I had always been a huge, dangerous wolf, and when dealing with opposing warlords, I didn't hesitate to rip throats out myself. It earned me a reputation that made enemies run. They didn't mess with me unless they had a total death wish.

I made it into the Alpha's den undisturbed, only to find my brother sitting with his boots propped up on my dark wood desk.

"What the fuck are you doing, Kellan?" I barked at my brother, who was casually looking at a pack gossip scroll.

Over the last few weeks, the slightest thing set my anger blazing. Ever since the evening I had Nia within my grasp at the summit, drowning in her sweet scent.

There was no denying it; my mood had been especially sour since seeing that female wolf. I was in a constant state of wild hunger that nobody could sate but her.

"Just reading the local news," he mumbled.

"Get your feet off my desk before I break your face."

Everyone in my dominion yielded to my demands. Even Tunde, my half-brother, didn't mess with me anymore. Probably because he became a grouchy ass wolf just like me. But Kellan and Zuri did exactly what I didn't want them to do. It was like they thrived on pissing me off. Neither had any real interest in managing the pack lands, which left the whole heavy burden on my shoulders.

I didn't mind it for the most part, but it irked me when my brother acted like a lazy pup reading a gossip scroll. A lethal sniper, a cold-blooded killer, reading trash news. What the fuck!

"Want to know what the pack gossips are saying?" Kellan asked, completely ignoring my dark look. It was beyond me why he thought I would give a shit.

I gritted my teeth, keeping my mouth shut or risked losing my mind and shifting right here. I just came out of a good council meeting where we acquired a key piece of land in Silvermoon Hollow. My brother was only interested in his hunting targets and the next rogue he could eliminate. Anything to do with pack business made his eyes go totally blank.

But it was now that I needed him and Tunde more than ever. Those two were family. If something happened to me, they would have to take over the Adeyemi Nightfang Pack. The three of us shared the exact same rules—never traffic wolves, never help rivals hide their stolen resources, and never do business with scum.

After my encounter with Nia, I flew north to take care of our outer pack lines. Some rogue warlords had attempted to move captured females through my territory behind my back. I would never allow that to happen. It went against everything the First Alpha Line stood for.

Kellan and Tunde hated wolf trafficking too. They hated it so much, both of those hotheads liked to pick their own targets and hunt them down in the woods. It was the reason Kellan snapped and killed Malik Devereux. Not that I minded eliminating bad wolves, but we couldn't start a full-blown territory war with every clan Kellan and Tunde wanted to tear apart.

Though, I wouldn't have minded killing off the remaining rogue leaders—that would certainly earn me a huge favor from Jabari Rowe. His mate had been missing for three years, and he blamed the southern rogues. He had almost succeeded in destroying their entire alliance. Too bad I didn't need Jabari's favors. And I didn't want a massive war that would make my family an open target and weaken our borders.

If something should happen to me, I knew my brothers wouldn't let our lands fall into rival hands. I needed them to think before they used their claws. Our vast dominion could do a lot of damage if run poorly. If I fell, I needed my two younger brothers to keep Zuri and Nia safe. The fact that my father refused to do business with the rogue traffickers made Zuri a huge target.

While I was away, Kellan and Tunde found themselves the new targets of the remaining Shadowfang clan. I could understand my brother's need to kill the old bastard. Not only did Malik participate in slave trading, but he was also indirectly responsible for our father's death ten years ago in the Whispering Moon Woods. But Kellan and Tunde's messy execution of Malik wasn't the right move. Not yet, anyhow. We had already killed his eldest son years ago to pay that blood debt.

"I'll take your silence as a yes," Kellan continued, completely unbothered that he was wasting my time. I didn't give a shit about anyone in that scroll. Keeping our pack safe should be our only focus right now. "Remember Zuri's pack-bond sister? Nia Whitmore."

My entire body went completely rigid at the mention of her name. Completely oblivious to my inner wolf roaring, Kellan continued, "Okay, that was a dumb question to ask my cold-hearted brother. But I remember her. Sweet body and an even sweeter heart. Apparently, she caught her elite warrior boyfriend, Callum Hayes, red-handed mating with some random female on his couch. The whole pack territory is talking about what she should do next."

Ignoring my brother, I sat behind my heavy desk and powered up my communication crystal with a touch of my thumb.

"Get your fucking boots off my desk, or I'll rip your legs off," I growled. This was the only response he was going to get from me. I didn't even bother giving him a glance, but the lethal tone of my voice was finally enough to make him obey.

Kellan didn't know I held Nia's sweet body in my hands for one glorious night five years ago. Nobody knew it but Nia and me. He didn't know that her sweet scent became my absolute obsession. Even after five long years, I could recall her sweet taste and her loud moans as I claimed her hard under the full moon. One night! It took that girl just one single night to do what no other female had ever done. Make me a total addict for her.

When our eyes met at the Alpha Summit Lodge three weeks ago, time stilled all over again. From the very first moment I laid my eyes on her during Zuri's first year at the academy, I wanted her. I didn't give a fuck about anything else. Just her. Until I found out who her mother truly was. And even then, my inner wolf zeroed in on her and refused to back down.

Callum Hayes was just an immature, flashy warrior who liked to play with females on the side. Nia was just too blind to see it. If she had ever bothered to listen to the pack gossips, she would have seen the warning signs. I had my top scouts confirm the rumors weeks ago. That bastard only managed to secure quarters in my city building because of his connection to Nia, which allowed me to keep a close eye on him. The second I heard he was trying to make her move into his quarters permanently, I set a plan to burn him down. He wasn't good enough to touch her.