Chapter 2

"According to Article Three of the Pack Defense Accord, mixed-unit formations can confuse the chain of command and increase the risk of internal conflict."

I stood in the center of the council hall, my voice cold and formal.

I wanted to be rid of Kaiden.

In this life, I refused to owe him anything, and I refused to be a tool for his repentance.

But my reasoning clearly infuriated my pack sisters.

Clara's eyes widened in disbelief as she hissed,

"Elara, are you crazy? That's Alpha Kaiden's elite guard! We're talking about the most sought-after males in the entire pack!"

"If we want to avoid fighting over males on the road, it's best if we travel separately," I replied, my expression unchanged.

"Please, it's Kaiden! I'd volunteer as bait just to get a whiff of his scent!"

Clara's words were met with a chorus of swooning sighs.

They hadn't tasted the bitterness of being ignored by their mate for thirty years. They were so naive.

I sneered inwardly.

I had assumed that with Kaiden's arrogant Alpha nature, he would leave me alone after being rejected so publicly.

I never expected him to contact me through our mind-link.

"You don't dare let me join you?"

His voice was electric, sending a shiver down my spine.

I snapped my head up, my gaze meeting Kaiden's on the high platform.

He rested his chin on one hand, the collar of his black shirt slightly open, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of his collarbone.

His deep-set, wolfish eyes were locked on me.

"Let's make a bet," his voice echoed in my head, laced with insufferable arrogance. "If you win, I'll withdraw the order. If you lose, you take me with you."

I frowned, about to sever the link.

He let out a soft, provoking laugh. "What's wrong? The pack's former top warrior doesn't have the guts for a little challenge?"

"What's the challenge?" I retorted.

"Meet me on the training grounds."

Ten minutes later, the training grounds were packed with curious pack members.

Kaiden had taken off his jacket. His black combat tank top clung to his powerful, muscular frame.

I had to admit, even in this second life, the sight of him standing in the sunlight was breathtaking.

"The rules are simple," Kaiden said, toying with a red silk ribbon as a wicked smile played on his lips. "This is an ancient claiming ritual. If you can withstand my alpha aura for one minute without kneeling, you win."

The crowd erupted.

It was the most primitive way for an Alpha to declare sovereignty over his mate, overwhelming her with his scent.

Amused laughter rippled through the onlookers.

"Shouldn't we be sparring?" I asked, confused. A challenge like this seemed beneath his status.

"I'm an Alpha, and you're my subordinate. A spar would be bullying," Kaiden said, his presence overwhelmingly aggressive as he closed the distance between us. "This is the contest. Are you scared?"

Well, damn.

Was he trying to intimidate me or humiliate me?

But compared to the nightmare of being entangled with him for decades, one minute of this was nothing.

Besides, we were mates for thirty years. I knew his body better than he did.

I should be immune to his Alpha scent by now.

"Begin," I said coldly.

The moment the word left my lips, the playful look in Kaiden's eyes vanished.

He didn't just release his oppressive aura. He lunged for me.

It was a fiercely possessive embrace. One hand clamped around the small of my back, slamming me against his unyielding chest.

I instinctively tried to fight back, but he was too strong.

An intense Alpha scent, a mix of rainforest and cedar, crashed over me like a tidal wave, threatening to drown my senses.

The wave of heat was so intense I wanted to flee, but as his hand stroked the back of my neck, a tingling sensation urged me to surrender.

My knees went weak.

Damn it. This nineteen-year-old body wasn't conditioned for this yet.

Kaiden lowered his head, his hot breath fanning across my ear.

"Focus, Elara."

But he didn't stop. He buried his nose in the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply as his hot, wet tongue shamelessly traced the line of my artery.

A jolt of electricity shot from the base of my spine to the crown of my head.

I went rigid, on the verge of melting in his arms.

The jeers and whistles from the crowd faded into the background.

My world narrowed to his overpowering scent as it furiously eroded my sanity, seeking to brand me as his Luna with an exclusive mark.

I lifted my head and met his eyes through a daze.

No. I snapped back to reality.

This was just his damned Alpha need to conquer.

As cold as he was to me in our past life, his methods were just as skilled in this one.

He wasn't used to being rejected. He wanted to see me submit at his feet like every other she-wolf.

I was done with this false intimacy.

With my last shred of clarity, I fought the instinctual trembling of my body and shoved him away.

He stared at me, stunned, as if he never expected me to break free from such an intense claim.

He probably never imagined anyone would refuse his touch.

After all, the line of she-wolves waiting for his mark could stretch across the training grounds. My past self included.

I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart and sent a cold message through our mind-link:

"I lose."

Kaiden froze for a split second.

Then, he straightened his disheveled collar, his eyes filled with a teasing glint and a knowing smile. "I look forward to our trip together, my Elara."

I turned and walked away, my steps a little unsteady.

The skin on my neck where his tongue had traced burned.

And his scent, that damned cedar, clung to me, refusing to fade.