Chapter 3: A Pack of Wolves

KAEL

Her scent of defiance drowned out the pine and smoke in the Great hall. It was pure and it was mine.

I grasped her arm firmly, holding her back as my pack hovered at my side. She stood stiff beside me, her body tense, fighting the shiver I could feel through her. The tremble spread up my arm and into my heart, and I unconsciously shivered. She was wild and untamed, and mine. I glared at her, warning her silently to stand firm. She would not yield. Good.

Bring her to the middle," I commanded, my voice echoing down the corridor. "Let everyone see that war has its advantages."

Two of my men advanced, their touch gentle on her. They carried her into the middle of the room, all eyes upon her. But only mine mattered. The spark between us was fierce and electric, something no other human could feel.

I spoke low, doing it for her alone. "This is Lyra of Ravengarde. The last of her line. By conquest and force of will, she is mine… my spoils, my property." I did not look away from her eyes. "Every breath she ever draws again is by my permission. Never you forget that."

She hardened herself, her heart pounding in her throat so rapidly I could clearly see it. Refusal flamed in her eyes like fire, and she glared at me.

Roric. My must trusted commander… moved forward, with the worried look he had when he believed I was being foolish. "Kael, respectfully, she's a risk. Whatever remains of her folk can still rally to her banner. Having a figure such as herself in our gates is a risk we don't need to take for Shadowfen."

I did not glance in his direction. I smiled at her, enjoying her anger. I spoke to Roric. "Her folk are dead or scattered. She is a living evidence of Shadowfen strength, a reminder of the cost of rebellion." I stood up from my chair and walked towards her like an animal. My stride shortened our distance with each step. "She is not a guest. She is not a prisoner. She is an extension of my will."

I stopped and looked out over the pack so they'd understand. "Any insult to her is an insult to me. Any harm done to her will be taken personally… deeply and savagely. Remember her status.”

I stopped in front of her, our bodies nearly touching. I smelled her… anger and fear and something clean under. I dropped my voice to a growl, one I saved for her and her alone.

Do you understand your place here, little wolf? Do you feel it?" I stroked my hand along the line of her jaw and up to the cheekbone, my thumb tracing the line of her cheek. A shock ran through both of us… revulsion, recognition, and raw, undeniable electricity.

Her eyes flared. "I understand you're a tyrant and a murderer. I know you killed everything that ever meant anything to me. And I'll never forgive you."

My thumb pushed into her skin, and she looked at me with hatred. The hunger within me was balanced by the hate within her. "You don't understand… but you will." I moved closer, my lips against her ear, so close. "Each look, each step, each act of rebellion will be a reminder of who is in charge in this room and of who is in charge of you. My touch, my eyes, my want… these will consume you."

She tried to turn away, a momentary act of defiance. My fingers whirled her face towards mine again. The fire in her eyes dared me, and I refused to let it go.

“I will never bow to you. Never. Even if you kill me.” Her voice was iron, but it trembled.

My slow smile spoke over my lips. I moved close, filling the space between us, my body pressed against hers. The electricity in the air crackled. "Bow? No. Your spirit is too strong to bow. But your fire, how it struggles me, it is tempting. It will be mine to see, to tempt, to take. Like it or not, Lyra, it will burn for me."

I could feel her strained, between the fight and the draw she could not break. Good. Let her feel it too.

"Your threats do not intimidate me. They are empty words, Kael," she panted, her defiance trembling but real.

My eyes burned. "No. They're not here to scare you. They're here to claim you… even if just in your mind for now." I let go of her jaw, my fingers running a hot, sweeping course along her neck before drifting away. "Every spark, every defiant thought… already belong to me."

I stood tall, my voice hard and cool to the pack, but still my eyes fixed on her. "Deal with her as I told you. She is mine. Any disrespect, any insult, any lack of respect to her." My eyes swept the room, making the threat seem to hang in the air.

"Will be met with my whole, undivided fury."

And I lowered my voice, just for her, cutting us off from all the others. "And you, little wolf," I said to her, staring into her with possessiveness, "will remember why you are not to defy me. Every look, every spark of defiance… belongs to me. A right I have. A right no one else has. Only me.".

She swallowed hard, a reluctant surrender to defeat. My words weighed heavily upon her. She grumbled under her breath, a last, obstinate denial for my ears alone.

"I will never yield… fully. You'll never own me whole."

My lips twisted into a slow, possessive, knowing smile. I moved back, maintaining inches between us, yet the tension still lingered, drawn taut and snapping.

“Perhaps not," I growled, my voice soft and menacing. "But the more you struggle against me, the sweeter it will be, Lyra. Each rebellious throb you provide. I will relish. Each and every one of them. Until you break."

The pack growled, a mix of amazement and terror. But all I could see was her… the storm in her eyes, her rising and falling chest. This was just the beginning. Our beginning. And I was going to relish every second.