Chapter Six

XANDER

I stood beneath the icy spray, hands shoved against the shower tiles, but the freezing water did nothing to extinguish the scalding fever tearing through my blood. My chest heaved and my heart slammed savagely against my ribs.

I was hard, painfully, agonizingly erect and beneath my skin, my wolf paced like a caged predator, tearing at my insides with a desperate, ravenous urge to break free.

How? How the hell did I end up mated to my wife's daughter? Was this some sick, sadistic joke from the Moon Goddess?

Every second spent in the same room with her was absolute agony. It tested every ounce of my sanity. I didn't just want her; I was starving for her. I wanted to pin her down, part her thighs wide, and sink into her until I branded her as mine by every ancient, bloody law in existence.

I had married her mother and my new wife had trusted me to take care of her daughter, how the hell was I supposed to know her daughter would be the one obsession that could bring me to my knees?

She was feisty, sharp-tongued, and utterly relentless. Every fiery, defiant word that tripped off her lips sent a surge of possessive madness straight to my gut. It made me want to pin her hands above her head and drive myself into her, over and over again, until she was breathless, until my name was the only sound her throat could make.

Thirty-two years old. The most powerful, wealthy man in this city. Alpha of the strongest pack in the region. And I was completely unraveled by a twenty-year-old college student who had no damn idea what she was to me.

It grew more excruciating by the day, having her so close yet forced to act like a stranger. She was human; she couldn't feel the terrifying, magnetic bond pulling at my soul. She wouldn't understand the sudden heat in her skin or the chaos in her pulse when I stood too close.

And God help me, I had nearly burned the world down the day she offhandedly mentioned a boyfriend.

A boyfriend. Who the hell dared to touch what belonged to me?

The mere vision of her in another man's arms, another man touching her skin, ignited a blinding, suffocating rage in my chest. My hands had clenched so violently that my claws broke through, slicing deep into my own palms just to keep me from hunting him down and ripping out his throat.

Shutting off the water, I stepped out into the steam and wrapped a towel around my waist. The cold shower had been a joke; the fire under my skin was hotter than ever.

A sharp knock shattered the silence before my butler stepped inside.

"Alpha, Kai is in the study. He says it's urgent."

He didn't need to explain. A heavy, dark tension hung in the air; Kai never crossed my threshold unless blood was involved.

"I'll be there in five," I rasped out, my voice dark and rough. He bowed his head and retreated.

Good. Whatever nightmare Kai brought to my doorstep, I welcomed it. I needed something violent, something brutal, anything to drown out the memory of her deep violet eyes and keep a certain daughter from driving me completely out of my mind.

I stepped into the study, and the second Kai caught sight of me, he snapped up from his chair.

"Xander... this is bad."

"Spit it out," I ordered. My patience was gone, and the shower hadn't calmed me down one bit.

"We've got a rogue in the industrial district. He’s been there three weeks. He hit the warehouse on Ninth first, killed two of our guards, and ruined half our stock. Two nights ago he ambushed Byre by the docks. Broke his arm and tore his shoulder open before Byre got away."

My blood ran cold. "And why am I just hearing this now?"

Kai met my eyes, though I saw the guilt on his face. "You were dealing with the wedding. I was trying to fix it without adding more to your plate."

"Kai," I stepped close to him, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "A stray wolf is hunting my men in my city, and you decided I didn't need to know?"

"I'm sorry but I'm telling you now," he said, holding his ground.

I forced my anger down. We could fight later; right now, I needed blood. "Get the men."

Within an hour, six of my best fighters were moving through the shadows. Silent. Deadly. No one asked questions. When the Alpha said move, they moved.

The industrial district was dead silent under the flickering streetlights. Cold wind rattled the chain-link fences surrounding the dark warehouses. This was our land. A rogue hunting here wasn't just trying to survive, it was a direct threat.

We picked up his scent near the water, trailing him through narrow alleys between rusty shipping containers. The city noise faded, replaced by the heavy sound of water slapping against the concrete.

I was already fighting the urge to kill. I was blood thirsty.

We found him behind a pile of old wooden pallets. One of my men lay dead at his feet, throat torn open, blood dark against the ground.

The rogue turned slowly when he caught our scent. He wasn't scared. He was too calm, too still for a stray caught red-handed.

He shifted back into human form without any rush, wiping blood off his mouth with the back of his hand like he had all the time in the world.

"Alpha Xander," he said, smiling like he’d been waiting for me.

"You're on my territory," I growled, taking a step forward as my men fanned out, surrounding him completely.

"I noticed." His smile widened.

"What pack are you from?"

He tilted his head. "Does it matter? I'm rogue right now. No name, no pack. Aren't you just supposed to kill me?"

"Your scent says different." I stepped closer, breathing in the stench of blood, salt, and something else, a sharp, pine scent I knew all too well. Silver Fang territory. Mountain wolves from the north.

His smile faded for a split second before he forced it back.

"You're a long way from home," I said softly.

"Careful, Alpha," he warned, his tone growing serious. "Killing a lone rogue is one thing. Killing someone connected to a strong pack is how wars start."

"You should have thought about that before you slaughtered one of mine."

The cocky look vanished from his face. His eyes darted around at the glowing eyes of my men, realizing there was no way out.

"This was just a message!, a test to see how you'd react, not a full war!"Kai whispered into his ears and xander growled.

"Message received," I said quietly. "Now you'll take mine back."

He tried to run. He didn't even get three steps

.

I snapped. Thinking stopped, and pure instinct took over. I slammed him hard against the side of a metal shipping container. My jaws locked around his throat, feeling his pulse beating wildly against my teeth.

He clawed at my face and screamed, but I couldn't hear him.

Every drop of frustration I’d felt trying to stay away from Olivia, all the rage I'd held inside, poured out of me. I ripped into his neck and didn't stop until he went completely still.

I was the Alpha king and ready for any pack that wants to go to war with me.

Silence washed over the docks.

I stood over his body, chest heaving, hot blood soaking through my clothes and covering my hands. My men stayed quiet, stunned by how brutal it was. Kai stared at the body, his face dark.

"Let's wait for the day of their response, they want war, we'll give them war.

I growled and without another word, turned on his heels and started going towards the house that I had just run out from.

My new step daughter has no idea how dangerous I could be and I intended to keep it that way.