Chapter 7

Dexter

Where the fuck was all that screaming coming from? It was the middle of the goddamn night, and someone had the audacity to disturb my sleep?

I sat up, muscles tense, ears sharp. The noise wasn’t distant. It was inside the fucking packhouse. My pack didn’t bring captives here unless they were important.

“Let me go! You bastards! Where am I?!”

I frowned. That voice—it was familiar.

I swung my legs out of bed, grabbed some sweatpants, and stepped into the dimly lit hallway. The sound was closer now. Heavy footsteps. Struggles. Another scream, desperate and wild.

I reached the landing, looking down at the commotion below. My entire body stiffened.

It was her.

The girl from the stream.

The one who stopped showing up weeks ago.

The one I never knew the name of but couldn’t fucking forget.

And now, she was here. In my fucking packhouse, kicking and screaming like a wild animal.

Then it hit me—hard and fast. The bond. The intoxicating, undeniable pull of the mate bond.

Fuck.

My wolf howled inside me. My mate. She was my fucking mate.

A slow smirk spread across my face. Well, well. What were the fucking odds? I had been wondering where she disappeared to, and now she just walked into my home, throwing a fucking tantrum?

Before I could process it further, she shifted.

Pure white fur. Stunning.

She lunged.

I dodged, catching her midair and slamming her into the ground, pinning her beneath me. She snarled, claws scraping the floor, fighting like hell.

Then—

“I reject you as my mate!” she screamed, voice dripping with venom.

Everything stopped.

My smirk disappeared.

My wolf fucking snapped.

Did she just reject me?

My grip tightened, rage surging through me like a wildfire. My wolf roared, demanding control, demanding to mark her, to claim her, to punish her for thinking she had a fucking choice.

“You don’t decide that,” I growled, voice dark, lethal. “I do.”

She bucked beneath me, fury burning in her eyes. But there was something else in them. Pain. Real, gut-wrenching pain.

“Let my sister go, you monster!” she spat, voice cracking.

I stiffened. Her sister? What the hell was she talking about? We didn’t always capture girls during war, so who the hell had we brought in that had her screaming like this?

Ah. My mind began to recollect, and just like that, everything made sense.

Her father. The bastard Alpha and Luna from Diamond Spark we executed weeks ago. The ones who betrayed me.

She was their daughter.

And the girl we took captive? Her fucking sister. That explained the familiarity I’d noticed when we caught that girl. They did look alike in some ways.

That girl had been just as stubborn when she was caught.

I chuckled, low and dark. Fate had a sick sense of humor. The moon goddess was really something else. What the fuck was this ridiculous situation?

“You killed my parents already! Let my sister go!” she screamed again, thrashing beneath me.

I rolled my eyes before shifting back into my human form. She did the same, her body still pinned under mine, her chest heaving, her bare skin burning against me.

“You were that bastard’s daughter? Diamond Spark Pack?” I mused, tilting my head.

Her eyes darkened, but she didn’t answer.

“And you think you can come in here, scream at me, and I’ll just let your sister go?” I whispered, lips brushing her ear, voice dripping with amusement. “We were looking for the younger daughter, but you? You walked right the fuck in.”

Something flickered in her eyes—fear.

Finally,

“You don’t understand your situation do you, sweetheart?”

She swallowed hard. Her breath hitched. Realization settled in.

She fucked up.

I leaned in, inhaling her scent, feeling the way her body trembled beneath me. My cock twitched, my wolf growling in satisfaction.

Mine.

The word clawed at my throat, but I didn’t say it.

Not yet.

“I’m sorry, honey,” I murmured, smirking. “But both you and your sister go nowhere.”

She stiffened. Her face twisted in horror.

“No—no, please,” she choked out, voice breaking. “Please, don’t do this. Just let her go. Take me instead. Just let her go!”

I said nothing. Just watched. Watched her unravel, watched her shatter.

She was strong.

But not strong enough.

I pushed off her, grabbing her arm and yanking her up.

“Take her to the holding room,” I ordered the guards, voice cold. “Make sure she doesn’t try anything stupid.”

They nodded, grabbing her roughly. But the second they pulled her away, something unexpected happened.

“Please… please…” she sobbed, voice raw, broken.

I froze.

Something unfamiliar twisted inside me.

I turned slightly, watching her through narrowed eyes.

Her shoulders shook violently. Tears pooled in her eyes but didn’t fall. She wasn’t faking it. She wasn’t trying to manipulate me.

She was breaking.

And for some reason, that didn’t sit right with me at the same time it felt satisfying.

I clenched my jaw, pushing the feeling away. It didn’t fucking matter.

I turned to walk away, ignoring the way my wolf clawed at my insides, demanding I turn back.

She was mine.

And she would fucking learn it.

“Please!” she screamed as I was walking away. “I’ll do anything, just let my sister go! You can lock me up instead!” Her voice cracked, desperation coating every word.

That was amusing. I turned one more time, taking in the way she clung to hope like it would fucking save her. She had no idea that whether she wanted it or not, she couldn’t leave this pack. She belonged to me. But I loved the entertainment. I’d go with the flow.

“And what ‘thing’ could you possibly do for me?” I asked, watching her carefully. I could see the way her mind raced, trying to find an answer, trying to give me something to work with.

Nothing. She had nothing.

Her lips parted, but no words came out. Yeah, she thought of it. She thought hard. Desperation dragged her all the way here, but now she realized she had nothing to bargain with.

I smirked.

“So you see, you have no choice,” I said coldly, turning my back to her once again. “Take her to the cell. Now.”

A choked sob left her lips. I ignored it. Even though it tore a part of me, I didn’t pay attention to it. I’ve only ever seen her smile, gentle but tough. But right now she was completely helpless in front of me. That strangely gave me satisfaction.

“Wait!” she cried, struggling as the guards moved forward to grab her. “I’ll do anything! Please, Alpha! Please! I swear—”

I didn’t stop. I didn’t look back. The sound of her struggling against them, the way her voice cracked, the way she begged—it did something to me. But I shoved that feeling aside. Even seeing how my men handled her so roughly pinched my skin.

She needed to learn. She needed to fucking understand that I didn’t do deals. Why? She was mine already, do I need to make a deal to have what’s already mine?

The door slammed behind me as I entered my room. I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down my face.

Fuck.

The moment my head hit the pillow, I knew it was fucking useless. Sleep was going to be a bitch tonight.

I rolled over. Then again. My wolf growled lowly, restless, irritated. I gritted my teeth, willing myself to push her voice from my head, but it wasn’t working. I could still hear her, still see her wide, desperate eyes, still feel the way her presence stirred something inside me.

What the fuck was her name?

I never got it. I should have. She wasn’t just anyone. She wasn’t just some random rogue begging for mercy. She was different.

Mine.

My jaw clenched. My fingers curled into the sheets.

Fuck.

My wolf was pushing, wanting me to go to her, wanting me to claim what was already ours. I exhaled sharply, staring at the ceiling.

The cell. She was there now. Locked up.

Alone.

A growl rumbled in my chest before I forced myself to roll onto my stomach. I needed to ignore this. I needed to shut it down.

I needed to forget her, but I fucking couldn’t. My mind has never been this messed up in a long time.