C6

Zaria

"Are you completely out of your mind, alpha?" I snap, the lie catching in my throat as my inner wolf claws at my chest, desperate to hide the truth. "We do not share a single common line. I have never seen that pathetic creature before tonight."

Kael Adebayo doesn't buy my nervous scent for a second, his golden eyes narrowing as he leans back in his heavy leather chair. "If the presence of that weak Mensah bloodline compromises your focus, get out of my den right now and clear your head before you touch my skin again. I will not have your erratic pulse messing up my neural lines."

"My focus is unbroken, Master Kael," I press back, forced to match his dominance just enough to keep my claws from slipping out under the sheer pressure of his aura. "There will be no mistakes with the silver needles. But I do owe you my respect for what you did just now. Most alphas would have thrown a stray to the enforcers after hearing those kinds of accusations."

"You think I did that for you?" Kael lets out a low, mocking growl, his massive shoulders shifting under his black silk shirt as he looks away from me. "I simply despise unnecessary complications in my territory. Replacing a high-level silver healer is a tracking nightmare. If your skills turn out to be as worthless as that pathetic piece of trash claimed, I will personally have Tade snap your neck and dump you over the border wall. Do not flatter yourself, female. And certainly do not start craving my bed. My standards for a Luna are far higher than a desperate rogue clinic worker from the outer slums."

I stare at him, my mouth dropping open at the sheer, suffocating arrogance radiating from his dark frame. "Craving your bed? You have a very twisted imagination, Master Kael. Let me make this entirely transparent for your massive ego. I am inside the Shadow Den for one reason only—the thick stack of Dominion gold vouchers that will feed my twin heirs. I have absolutely zero interest in climbing into a crippled alpha's sheets."

"Good," Kael rumbles, a dangerous, dark smirk playing at the edge of his lips. "Because too many high-born females break their own neck bonds trying to catch my scent."

I bite my tongue to keep from howling in frustration at his absolute vanity. Before I can slide the next silver spike into his flesh, the heavy oak doors click open. Tade Mensah steps back inside the private quarters, his scent carrying the crisp smell of the outer courtyard after running Kofi and Amara off the primary estate lines.

Tade stops short, looking at my raised needle. "Are you ready to initiate the neural flow, Dr. Okoye?"

"Yes," I breathe, forcing my fingers to stabilize as I step closer to the dark alpha's massive frame.

Kael has been paralyzed from the lower spine down since the silver-poisoned ambush two years ago, his wolf completely locked away from his legs. But the very second my treated silver spike pierces the specific pressure point on his upper thigh, his entire body tenses, a sharp gasp cutting through his throat.

I lean in closer, our scents mixing in the tight space. "Can you actually feel the silver heat burning the nerve path?"

Kael's golden eyes flare with an intense, violent shock, his fingers digging into the armrests of his chair so hard the leather rips under his pressure. He slowly nods, his gaze locking onto mine with an entirely new kind of hunger.

"The channel isn't dead," I whisper, a thrill of genuine pride running through my veins. "The wolf marrow is just sleeping. I will need to bind your neural lines every single night for the next seven suns. You are going to be seeing a lot of me, Master Kael."

The dark alpha doesn't speak, but the suffocating weight of his dominant aura shifts, softening into something thick, warm, and dangerously possessive as he watches me pack away my medical kit. As I turn toward the exit, his deep voice stops me in my tracks. "Tade. Take the armored truck and drive the healer back to her den personally."

Tade nods immediately, dropping his head. "Right away, Alpha."

I don't even try to decline the escort. The outer borders of the Adebayo Dominion are crawling with rogue packs and lethal mafia enforcers, making it impossible to catch a safe transport past midnight. I follow Tade down the grand stone steps and slide into the heavy passenger seat of the black armored vehicle, giving him the coordinates to my hidden apartment on the edge of the lower neutral territory.

When the truck finally pulls up against the cracked concrete curb of my building, Tade shifts into park. "We have arrived, Dr. Okoye. I will be outside your gates at dusk tomorrow."

"Thank you, Tade," I say, pushing the heavy door open and stepping out into the cold, damp night air.

The armored truck idles for a second before pulling away into the shadows, its tail lights disappearing down the dark alley. I turn toward the rusted iron gate of my apartment complex, my keys already out, when a familiar, disgusting scent hits my nose.

Kofi Mensah steps out from the darkness of the stairwell, his eyes bloodshot and his jaw tight.

"Well, well," I scoff, my voice cutting through the quiet alley like a whip as I face my pathetic ex-husband. "If it isn't the grand Mensah heir, sneaking around my trash bins like a starving rogue. I thought you were far too high and mighty to step foot in the slums, Kofi."

Kofi's face twists with pure venom, his inner wolf pulsing beneath his skin with an unstable, erratic energy. "When did you learn to manipulate silver neural lines, Zaria? How the hell did you get inside the Shadow Den without my knowledge?"

"Do I need to submit a formal pack report to you before I earn my living?" I cross my arms, letting a mocking smile spread across my lips. "I must say, your tough-guy act inside Master Kael's room was truly spectacular. You looked absolutely beautiful calling me a fraud while shaking in your expensive leather boots."

Kofi takes a predatory step forward, his teeth baring. "You think this is a joke? The Adebayo Dominion doesn't need a dirty stray like you touching their supreme commander. I know exactly what you are doing, Zaria. You used that pathetic, pretty face of yours to trick Kael into letting you near his body. The man is a useless cripple who can't even shift his legs, and you are already throwing yourself into his lap like a desperate bitch. You truly have no shame."

A strange, toxic wave of jealousy rolls off his scent, making my stomach turn. Even though he stripped my titles and cast me out to die so he could mate into the wealthy Mensah Clan, his fragile male ego can't handle the thought of another alpha touching what used to belong to him.

I let out a loud, mocking laugh that echoes off the brick walls. "Kael Adebayo might be confined to that chair right now, Kofi, but his shadow is still ten times the male you will ever be. At least his wolf has actual power. Tell me... does your little pack defect still keep you from performing in Amara's bed, or are you still relying on black-market herbs just to pretend you're an alpha male?"

The words hit him like a physical blow. The absolute fury that flashes in his eyes is magnificent. For the three years we were bound, his severe sexual dysfunction was our darkest secret—an indelible stain on his pride that kept him completely impotent within our private den. I spent years protecting him, protecting his reputation from the judgment of the pack, only for him to destroy my entire life the second he found a richer bitch to buy his cure.

"I am completely healed, you feral whore," Kofi spits, his voice shaking with humiliation as he tries to mask his rage.

"Are you sure about that?" I purr, leaning in to look at his trembling hands. "Because you smell exactly like a terrified little pup right now. I know exactly why you're standing outside my door. You're terrified I am going to open my mouth to the Adebayo family. You're scared to death they will realize your high-and-mighty marriage is built on the broken back of your discarded ex-wife."

Kofi's mask completely shatters. He lunges across the pavement, his large hand snapping around my throat with lethal force, pinning my spine against the rusted iron gate. His claws dig deep into my skin, drawing hot trickles of blood down my neck as he cuts off my oxygen.

"You think you can ruin my standing in the dominion?" he snarls directly into my face, his breath hot and rank against my skin. "I will tear your throat out and bury you in the dirt before I let you say another word to Kael."