C3

“You think a little rough play gives you the right to put your claws on an Adebayo?”

Seth’s voice rolled through the dark chamber like thunder before a storm. I didn't answer with words. The moment his massive palm scraped against the collar of my armored vest, my survival instincts overrode my brain. My hand whipped through the air, a flat-bladed strike aimed straight for his throat.

He didn't even flinch. With the terrifying speed of an alpha predator, his fingers clamped around my wrist mid-air, the bones in my arm groaning under his grip.

In the next heartbeat, my feet slipped on the slick furs and I crashed hard onto the flagstones. Before I could roll into a defensive guard, his free hand came down with surgical precision, ripping the heavy ash-stained hairpiece completely off my skull.

A river of bright silver strands tumbled over my shoulders, catching the pale glow of the twin moons like liquid stardust. The pathetic, sickly omega facade I had maintained for fifteen winters inside the Mensah Clan vanished in a fraction of a second. Thanks to his relentless prodding, the secret my mother made me swear to protect was laid entirely bare.

Seth dropped one heavy knee onto the edge of the mattress, looming over me as he inspected the prize he had just uncovered. His amber eyes darkened, tracking the sharp lines of my face where his rough cloth had wiped away the thick mud paste. The mocking amusement in his scent turned into something heavy, dense, and dangerously quiet.

The underground factions across Valoria Ridge had spent years whispering vile rumors about the Okoye bloodline's sole survivor. The Mensah Clan had told every pack commander that the fire which consumed my mother had left me scarred, deformed, and hairless a cursed thing not even fit to breed.

Yet, as Seth’s calloused thumb dragged across my jawline, it didn't catch on mangled flesh. What he uncovered was pristine, unblemished skin, smooth as polished bone and radiating the unmistakable, vibrant heat of a pure bloodline.

Up close, the truth was undeniable. Beneath the hideous grease and the tattered rags, my features carried the stark, lethal elegance of the ancient northern packs high cheekbones, a sharp jaw, and eyes that burned with a fierce, silver depth. Without the camouflage, my presence didn't just command a room; it threatened it.

Seth’s left eyebrow curved upward, his lips peeling back into a dangerous, feral grin. The broken little mutt his rivals had tried to dump on his doorstep had turned out to be a hidden weapon. The game was changing, and his inner wolf was leaning into the hunt.

A sudden chill shot straight down my spine as I caught that predatory look. I had miscalculated. I should have kept my claws pulled in tonight, but my temper had gotten the better of me. Now it was too late to crawl back into the shadows.

I had initially pegged Seth Adebayo as a cold, calculating mafia boss a man who ran his territory with strict, predictable military discipline. I thought he would respect the formal boundaries of a political arrangement. But staring up at him now, I saw the terrifying truth. This alpha was a chaotic storm, seamlessly switching between a polished executioner and a lawless rogue, making it impossible to predict his next strike. Whatever level of danger I had braced myself for, it wasn't nearly high enough to survive him.

I had planned for tonight to be the final time I ever wore that suffocating disguise. I was supposed to claim my true birthright and face the world as a free man on my twentieth winter. But looking into Seth's predatory gaze, I realized the absolute truth. With an alpha like him ruling the territory, keeping my true strength hidden wasn't a choice anymore it was the only way I would keep breathing.

“Are you going to explain why an omega carries the combat reflexes of a frontline vanguard?” Seth asked, his baritone slicing through the silence like a silver blade.

I forced my breathing to slow down, mimicking a flustered, outmatched captive. “I merely… I did not want a dominant alpha taking what isn't freely given.”

“Do not flatter yourself,” he rumbled, his gaze dropping down the length of my body. “Your face might be a deceptive mask, but your frame is built for a warrior. I have half a mind to extinguish the torches and find out exactly what else you are hiding under those rags.”

I told myself he was testing my reactions until his hand reached out and smashed the glowing crystal sconce against the wall, plunging the entire chamber into absolute, pitch-black darkness. My stomach dropped into a bottomless pit. He wasn't playing. I bit my tongue, hissing under my breath, “The rumors didn't do you justice you truly are a lawless savage.”

I didn't even have time to brace my legs before a massive shadow blocked out the moonlight. Panic exploding in my chest, I bolted toward the open balcony, but the heavy plates of the diamond-pearl armor dragged down my agility. He didn't even need to shift to catch me. With one blinding stride, his arm locked around my waist and slammed me down onto the cold stone floor, my back hitting the surface with a sickening thud.

Pure fury boiled into my throat. Every instinct screamed at me to shred the ceremonial gear, unsheathe my hidden daggers, and tear into his flesh until one of us stopped breathing.

“Have you completely lost your mind, Seth?” I snarled, my voice cracking with raw aggression.

Any other alpha in Valoria Ridge would have recoiled from an omega speaking with such insolence. But Seth? He didn't care about submission. He was wired like a monster that thrived on resistance.

A low, deep chuckle vibrated against my collarbone as he leaned his face down, his fangs practically brushing the pulsing vein in my neck. “We need to make enough noise to satisfy the gallery.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Elder Jabari is convinced I will slit your throat before dawn,” Seth whispered, his rough voice laced with dark amusement. “He stationed two executive guards right outside the iron doors to listen for a consummation. If we do not give them a performance, those old sentinels will be sleeping at our threshold every night until you provide the dominion with an heir.”

“You arrogant bastard!” I gasped, trying to push his massive chest off me. “If the performance matters so much to your pride, go growl at the walls yourself!”

My chest was heaving, every breath thick with unbridled wrath. In the deep shadows, Seth’s scent flared with pure mischief as his hand slid down to my hip, his claws giving my flesh a sudden, wicked pinch.

“Ah!” The sharp sting made me jerk violently beneath him, a breathless gasp escaping my lips before I could lock my jaw.

Right on cue, the faint rustle of leather armor and heavy boots outside the door began to fade, the sentinels finally marching down the corridor, satisfied.

Seth, however, made absolutely no move to release me. Instead, he stayed pinned against my body, his lips grazing the shell of my ear as he rumbled, “You certainly possess an impressive vocal range for a quiet little rogue.”

Flushed with a mixture of heat and hatred, I threw a heavy punch toward his jaw. Anticipating the strike, Seth raised his hands in a mocking gesture of surrender, stepping away with a low laugh as he released his hold.

He crossed the stone floor and struck the master lever, flooding the entire chamber with the warm, golden glow of the backup crystals.

The sudden illumination made me wince, my eyes burning as I blinked through the glare.

I couldn't see my own reflection, but I knew I looked like a casualty of a pack war sprawled across the floorboards, silver hair tangled like a wild animal's, and the priceless mafia armor twisted around my torso. It was total chaos, yet the air in the room felt thick, heavy with an underlying current that made my blood run hot.

Seth’s gaze narrowed, his eyes locking onto me with an intensity that felt like a brand. “Are you planning to occupy my floor all night? Because if you keep lying there like an invitation, I might believe you are intentionally playing games with my wolf.”

My throat went dry, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of an angry retort. I pushed myself up from the flagstones, dragging the heavy armor with me as I stormed straight into the adjoining washroom.

Rows of black combat gear and dark leather tracksuits lined the iron racks inside. Without a second thought, I slammed the bolt shut, ripped off the suffocating ceremonial dress, and pulled on a sleek, flexible black training suit. It felt like real skin light, silent, and built for a kill. If the alpha tried to corner me again, I wouldn't be caught at a disadvantage.

The moment I unlocked the door and stepped back into the main quarters, I froze. The sight waiting for me was completely unexpected. Seth had already washed, throwing on a simple loose tunic, and was currently stretched out across the massive bed like he owned every breath of air in the room. The laces at his throat were completely undone, exposing the heavy silver scars crisscrossing his chest and the lethal muscle definition beneath. He was practically daring me to look.

With how aggressively he had been pushing my buttons earlier, I began to suspect this entire display was a deliberate tactic to test my focus.

For a long moment, the words died in my throat. When we first crossed paths in the Alpha Hall, I thought he was an unapproachable warlord, but tonight, his behavior was completely unhinged.

Seth’s amber eyes never left my form, tracking the slight twitch of my jaw like a hunter reading tracks in the snow.