Dorian POVThe stench of blood was thick here. Metallic, sharp. It coated the walls, the floor, the very air.The corridor narrowed as I moved forward, deeper into the bowels of the rogues' hideout. The lamps flickered low on the damp stone, casting elongated shadows that danced like wraiths along the walls%.I passed open cells - some empty, others not. Bones piled in corners. The stink of rot and forgotten screams. Shredded clothing. Shackles rusted with dried blood. One had claw marks so deep they’d scored into stone.Kael’s voice curled in my mind like smoke. “Too late. For them.”But not for her.She was close. I could feel her - like a spark in the dark, a constant tug beneath my ribs. My bond with her was no longer a whisper. It was a scream.Then I saw it - the cell at the far end. The door hung half open. Blood smeared across the handle in streaks - fresh, still glistening.I moved in slow, the way a predator stalks the edge of a kill.Inside, the room was low and narrow. The
Tessa POVThe air outside the cell was colder. Sharper. As if the stone walls themselves had been holding their breath and only now dared to exhale.I stepped into the corridor beside Dorian, my movements stiff, every limb aching. My thigh screamed where it was slashed open, but I didn’t limp. I wouldn’t - not in front of anyone. Not even myself.The scent of blood still clung to me like a second skin. Dried in my hair. Soaked into my shirt. Some of it was mine. Most of it wasn’t.Behind us, the door hung crooked on its hinges. Inside, Callum’s body lay where I’d left it, in pieces, the last of his control rotting with him. I didn’t look back. I wouldn’t give him that.The corridor widened as we moved forward. Our steps echoed off the stone, but it wasn’t empty for long.Two figures waited at the junction ahead, their silhouettes tense and alert, weapons drawn. But they didn’t raise them.Victor stepped forward first, eyes scanning me, then flicking to Dorian as if silently asking: Is
Tessa POVThe ride back was quiet, but not empty.Dorian hadn’t let go of me once since we climbed into the SUV. His arm was draped around my shoulders, the other hand never leaving mine, thumb tracing soft, grounding circles against my knuckles. I sat curled into his side, exhaustion seeping into my bones, but I didn’t sleep.I couldn’t.The adrenaline had faded. The pain had settled. But my senses were still raw - like my skin was made of open nerves, every bump in the road humming against my spine.His scent, dark cedar and heat, was the only thing keeping me in place.Outside the windows, the forest blurred past in shades of green and gray. Behind us, Victor and Rylan trailed in a second vehicle with the two surviving rogues chained in silver, drugged and unconscious. We'd pulled everything we could from the compound - maps, names, weapons, notes.But I didn’t care about any of that right now. I only cared about the man beside me.Dorian hadn’t spoken much since we left, but I fel
Dorian POVShe lay on my bed like a goddamned vision - wet skin glistening in the low light, bruised, scraped, beautiful. Her hair fanned across my pillow, damp and tangled from the shower. Her chest rose and fell like she was holding back a storm.My storm. And I was done holding back.I prowled toward her, slow and deliberate, every muscle coiled with purpose. Her eyes tracked my every move - wide, glowing gold, her wolf close to the surface. She wasn’t afraid. Not even close.She was waiting for me.Tessa.Mine.The bond pulled at us, bringing us closer. My wolf - Kael - howled inside me, demanding what was owed. What had been denied. What had nearly been lost.I dropped to the edge of the bed, bracing my weight beside her, hands on either side of her hips. My gaze dragged over her body. Each bruise, each scrape, each drop of water still clinging to her skin - they were sacred now. Proof that she’d survived. That she’d fought. That she’d won.“Say it,” I rasped, voice shredded with
Tessa POVThe first thing I felt when I woke up was him.Warm. Solid. Wrapped around me like a promise he had no intention of breaking.My face was buried in his chest, skin against skin, and the rhythm of his heartbeat thrummed through me like a song only my soul knew the words to. I hadn’t opened my eyes yet, but I didn’t need to. I felt him. His emotions. His wolf. His bond.And gods… it was everything.The claiming had changed something. I could feel the tether between us now, golden and blazing and alive. I could feel him inside me still, not just in body but in soul, lingering in every inch of my being like a fire that refused to burn out.I shifted slightly under the sheets, muscles aching in the best way. My thighs still trembled faintly from the night before. My neck throbbed where his mark pulsed beneath the skin, aching in sync with the echo of his bite.And that’s when I felt it. A press of heat against my stomach. Hard. Heavy. Insistent.I blinked my eyes open slowly, and
Tessa POVHis body was heavy over mine, but not in a way that crushed me - he anchored me. The way his breathing still hadn’t leveled, the heat of him still inside me… it felt like the world had stopped just for us.Slowly, he shifted - rolling us until I was on top, tangled in the sheets, sprawled across his chest. I could feel the steady thrum of his heart beneath my palm. Strong. Steady. Ours.My fingers trailed upward, tracing the bite mark on his shoulder. My mark.It was dark against his golden skin - already healed over, but raw enough to make my chest clench. I did that. I’d claimed him back. And the magic in that moment still buzzed faintly under my skin.“You keep touching me like that,” Dorian murmured, voice hoarse and low, “and I’m going to forget the part where we’re supposed to rest.”I smiled, but didn’t stop. “Just admiring my work.”His hand slid along my spine, slow and firm. Possessive. “You look good on me, sweetheart.”Heat bloomed low in my belly again. “You’re
Dorian POVShe was still curled against me when the first mindlink came through.Victor: Alpha. Not to interrupt... but it’s been nearly a full day since the challenge. The pack’s talking.I didn’t move. My arm was wrapped around Tessa’s waist, her breath warm against my chest, her fingers still tangled in my hair like she didn’t want to let go.Rylan: They know something happened. They can scent your mark on the wind, feel the shift in the bond. There are whispers. You need to speak to them. Introduce her.Tessa stirred slightly. I smoothed a hand down her spine, grounding myself before I answered.Noted. We’ll come out soon. I cut the link and let out a slow breath.She lifted her head, golden eyes blinking up at me. “What is it?”“Victor and Rylan,” I said. “They’re being polite. But the pack’s waiting.”Her gaze sharpened, lips parting slightly. I could see it - the tension creeping back in. The weight of what came next. The pack. The expectations. The title.“You’re not alone in
Dorian POVShe was still breathless when we stepped out of the shower, cheeks flushed and eyes heavy-lidded with satisfaction. I wrapped a towel around her and pressed a kiss to her temple, then pulled on a pair of dark slacks while she lingered by the mirror, staring at the mark I’d left on her neck.Mine. In blood. In soul.But it wasn’t just about us anymore. “I have something for you,” I said, crossing the room to the armoire I never let anyone else open. Not even Rylan.Tessa turned, brows lifting slightly as I unlocked the lower drawer and revealed what I’d prepared.Three sets of clothes. Each meant something.The first was sleek, dark leather - tailored to her form, reinforced at the shoulders and waist with fine metal studs that caught the light. The top laced tightly, cut in a way that bared her throat and marked collarbone. Warrior. Untouchable. Fierce.The second was regal. A soft cream blouse with a deep neckline and embroidered cuffs, paired with a floor-length midnight
Tessa POVThe morning air was crisp, sharp enough to sting my lungs in the first breath as I stepped outside. Dew clung to the grass, and a thin mist curled across the training grounds like smoke trailing from an unseen fire. My bare feet pressed into the cool earth, grounding me. The moment I exhaled, Sable stirred beneath my skin, more alert than ever.“I feel it,” she whispered.So did I.Power no longer flickered at the edge of awareness like a candle too shy to burn. It coursed through me now, liquid heat and lightning under my skin, vibrant and real. I could feel every heartbeat, every subtle shift in the wind, every breath Dorian took as he approached from across the field.He looked like he'd already been training. His shirt clung to him, dark with sweat at the collar and along the sculpted lines of his chest. But his eyes… they were locked on me, intense, proud, and hungry in a way that made my stomach flutter.“You’re early,” he said, voice low, approving.“I couldn’t sleep,
Tessa POV I held the letter in my shaking hand and read it second time... This can't be .. real .My dearest Tessa,If this letter has reached you, then the threads of fate I so desperately tried to shield you from have begun to tighten. Forgive me. There is much I cannot say outright. I bound myself with oaths and blood to keep certain truths hidden - for your safety, and for reasons that may soon reveal themselves.You were never meant to be ordinary, little star. You were born of two worlds, and in you, something ancient sleeps - something that frightened even those who swore to protect it. I had to give you away, though it broke me in ways I never recovered from. I know the day will come when your power will return to you. You will feel it, burning like wildfire through your bones, washing away the veil I was forced to place over you. Please forgive me for that. I did it to keep you alive. The moment you were born, you became a target.The seal was not meant to break until you w
Tessa POVI stood at the edge of the packhouse balcony, the morning air crisp against my skin. The sky above was painted in soft blues and golds, the sun rising like it had something to prove. Much like me, I thought with a faint smile. There was a strange stillness in the world today - one that hummed just beneath my skin.My reflection in the tall window panes startled me at first. I looked... different. My features were sharper, more radiant. My eyes glowed faintly, gold flecks flickering like embers in a deep forest. My hair - gods, even my hair seemed fuller, darker, shimmering with strands of silver and shadow. Power hummed through me like a current I hadn’t felt before.“You see it too,” Sable whispered, her voice a soft rumble at the back of my mind. “You are more. This is what we were meant to be.”“I feel like I’ve changed overnight, again.” I whispered, fingertips brushing against the slight glow beneath my skin.“Because you have. The bond unlocked something buried. Somet
Dorian POVThe morning sun hadn’t yet crested the distant ridges when I stood at the tall window of my private study, watching the mist curl through the trees like pale fingers. The room was quiet - too quiet - and my wolf didn’t like it.Kael stirred beneath my skin, restless. "She's different now."I nodded to the silent room, though the reflection in the glass answered me - tall, sharp lines in a black shirt, collar open just enough to reveal the mark Tessa had left on my throat. The claiming."More than different," I murmured back. "She’s magnificent."Kael hummed, almost reverent. "You knew she was strong, but not this strong."He was right. I had known Tessa was special - had known it the moment I first caught her scent in the Silver Creek territory. But even then, I hadn’t imagined… this.Her transformation after the Luna ceremony had been nothing short of breathtaking. Strength hummed from her in quiet pulses, radiating in the air around her like heat from the sun. Her eyes, o
Tessa POVI woke up slowly, the sunlight filtering through the curtains, bathing the room in a soft glow. The bed beneath me felt different, as if I were lying on a cloud. Everything about this morning felt different, but it wasn’t until I stretched, feeling the stretch of muscles that hadn’t felt quite so… powerful before, that I realized something had changed. I didn’t know exactly what, but there was a difference. A subtle shift that I couldn’t ignore.Sable was awake the moment my eyes opened, her presence a comforting hum in the back of my mind. She was still, just watching, waiting for me to recognize what had happened. And when I did, she purred softly, a ripple of approval running through our bond.“You feel it too, don’t you?” I asked quietly, my voice still thick with the remnants of sleep."I do", Sable replied, her voice steady, yet tinged with awe. "Something has been unlocked. Something… powerful."I pushed myself up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. My feet hi
Tessa POVThe sky was painted in ink and silver by the time we slipped away. Stars shimmered like scattered dust over the dark forest line, and the wind whispered secrets in a tongue only the wolves could truly understand. I leaned against the cool stone railing of the balcony outside our private quarters, a crystal glass of deep red wine held loosely in my fingers.Below, the estate grounds were hushed. The fire pits still glowed softly, casting flickering light across the stone pathways. Most of the guests had retired. The official meetings were done, and the mask of diplomacy had slipped from Dorian's face the moment the doors to our suite had closed behind us.Now, with just the two of us, the night felt like it finally belonged to something real.Dorian emerged from inside, two fingers holding the stem of his own glass, the rest of him bare from the waist up. The soft moonlight carved lines across his chest and shoulders - each scar a story I hadn’t yet heard, but a few I already
Dorian POVThe first strikes of sunlight cut across the floor like a blade, but Dorian was already awake.He stood by the tall windows, bare-chested, the cool morning air brushing against his skin as he sipped from a glass of dark coffee. The city beyond the trees stirred to life in the distance, unaware that history had shifted the night before.She was still asleep.He didn’t turn to look at her - not yet. He could feel her presence in the room like a second heartbeat, tethered to him through the mark she wore, the bond they'd completed in body and blood. Tessa had fallen asleep curled in the sheets after the second time he’d taken her. Possessive, wild, animal. Kael had been dangerously close to the surface, and for once, Dorian had let his wolf have a say.He was different this morning. Lighter and heavier at once. More himself. Kael paced lazily in the back of his mind, still sated, still sharp.“She’s ours now,” his wolf murmured.“She’s always been,” Dorian replied in silence,
Tessa POVHis breathing was still rough against my hair, his chest rising and falling with the force of it, but his hands never stilled. One stayed tight in my hair, the other stroking over my spine, over the curve of my waist, as if memorizing me all over again.As if he hadn't just taken me. As if he hadn’t already conquered me. As if he couldn’t get enough.And neither could I.My fingers curled against the hard planes of his chest, feeling the wild hammer of his heart against my palm, the frantic beat still syncing with my own."Again," Sable whispered, hungry and insatiable.Kael answered with a low rumble of agreement, echoing through the bond.I tilted my head up to meet Dorian’s eyes - and found him already watching me. Devouring me.Gods, the way he looked at me - like I was the only thing left that mattered in this world. Like I was precious and dangerous and his salvation, all at once."Tessa," he rasped, voice torn and wrecked from what we’d just done. From what he still
Tessa POVThe door barely clicked shut before Dorian pinned me against it with his body, the sheer force of him stealing the breath from my lungs.His mouth crashed down onto mine, fierce and claiming, tasting of wine and war and the unbearable hunger he had kept bottled up all night.I kissed him back just as fiercely, threading my fingers into his hair, dragging him closer, baring my teeth when he growled low against my lips."Ours," Kael rumbled from inside him - but this time I heard it through the bond too, not just Dorian’s mind. It made my wolf howl in answer.Sable surged to the surface, clawing for control, and I let her come halfway - enough for my nails to sharpen, for my instincts to burn brighter, for the raw need to shred through my chest.He tore his mouth from mine only to rip the ceremonial jacket off his shoulders, leaving him in the dark shirt that clung to every hard plane of his body.I was already undoing the clasps of my dress, hands shaking with urgency. But he