#3. Female

Eryx POV

I wrapped up the meeting with one final nod, not listening to anything the elders were still mumbling. Their voices were nothing but noise in my ears. I needed something—no, someone, to pull my mind away from the anger boiling in my chest. And the rogue locked down in my dungeon was the perfect target. A stupid wolf who dared to enter my territory like he owned the place.

I rose from my chair, and the room fell silent. Every guard, every warrior, even the servants who walked past the doorway, bowed immediately. No one could meet my eyes. No one ever did. They feared me, and honestly, I liked that. Fear kept everyone quiet. Fear kept my pack under control.

I walked through the main hallway, and the sound of my boots filled the whole corridor. Guards stiffened as I passed. Some held their breath. I only walked faster, eager to put my hands on the idiot waiting inside the dungeon cell.

When I reached the stairs that led down to the lower floor, the air turned cold and damp. The darkness welcomed me like an old friend. I pushed open the heavy door, and the guards standing there bowed quickly, stepping aside before I even said a word. They kept their eyes on the ground. Smart.

“He’s still in wolf form, Alpha,” one guard murmured, voice shaking a little.

I felt rage curl inside my chest. “Of course he is,” I muttered. “He thinks he can disobey me.”

I moved past them, filling the narrow hallway with my presence. The scent of metal, dirt, and blood clung to the air. When I reached the last cell, the guard opened it instantly and stepped far away, practically pressing his back against the wall.

I stepped inside.

The rogue wolf crouched at the far corner, its fur dirty and tangled, its eyes wide and full of fear.

“Why haven’t you shifted, you filthy rogue?” I growled.

No answer. Only trembling.

“Shift,” I ordered, voice deep. “And don’t make me repeat myself.”

Still nothing.

The wolf pressed itself deeper into the shadows. That only made me angrier.

I let out a low growl, stepping closer. “If you don’t shift, I’ll break your bones one by one. Don’t test me.”

The wolf's eyes widened even more. Fear. Good. He should fear me. It was the only smart thing he had done so far.

But he still didn’t shift.

A sharp spark of anger went through me. My patience snapped. I reached down, grabbed the wolf by the neck and lifted him off the ground. He whined and kicked his legs helplessly.

“You want to play hard?” I snarled. “Fine. I’ll kill you then.”

I tightened my grip, my claws pushing out.

“Shift,” I said again. “Before I break you. Last warning.”

Then I slammed the wolf onto the cold stone floor.

He whined in pain, his body shaking.

I grabbed him again, claws fully out now, close enough for him to see exactly what I could do to him. The moment his eyes met the sharp curve of my claws, his entire body began to twist.

The shift started slowly. Painfully. Bones cracked. Skin stretched. Fur melted into skin.

At first, I smirked. About time.

But then something stopped me.

The smirk dropped from my face.

Long red hair spilled across the dirty floor. Soft, smooth, feminine skin replaced the fur. A delicate neck. And as her chest rose with a shaky breath, I froze.

Rounded curves. A woman’s body.

My grip loosened. My eyes widened.

Was I dreaming? No. No, this was real. Very real.

She lifted her head, her eyes meeting mine, and my heart slammed against my ribs.

She was beautiful, even dirty, wounded, trembling… she was beautiful.

“Let go of me,” she said in a soft, feminine voice.

A voice I didn’t know I had been starving to hear until this moment.

My mind went blank.

“You’re… you’re a female,” I said, my voice raspy, almost broken.

She jerked my hand off her and dragged herself back against the wall, wincing as her freshly shifted body struggled to adjust.

I moved toward her without thinking.

I needed to touch her.

I needed to make sure she was real.

I needed… her.

I reached out and grabbed a handful of her hair gently, sliding my palm down her soft neck, feeling the warmth of her skin.

She slapped my hand away instantly.

“Let go of me, you monster,” she spat and even dared to spit on my face.

The sound that came from my throat was a dangerous growl.

“No,” I said.

I leaned close, inhaling her scent before I could stop myself. I buried my nose against the curve of her neck, breathing her in like she was air and I had been suffocating for years.

A female.

A female wolf.

In my territory. In my dungeon.

And fate had brought her to me.

“You’re a female,” I whispered again, obsession rising inside me so fast it scared even me. “And you’re mine. You’re mine.”

I didn’t even know her name, but I didn’t care. My wolf didn’t care either. He was clawing and pushing inside me, demanding to claim her, mark her, protect her.

“No, I’m not yours. Please let me go,” she begged softly.

Her plea didn’t calm me. It did the opposite.

I saw red.

“Never,” I growled. “Never.”

I tore off my shirt and pushed it onto her body, covering her naked skin before anyone else could see even a small part of her. The shirt drowned her, but I didn’t care. I liked it on her.

“Mine,” I growled loudly.

And then I said it again and again, chanting the word like a mad man who had finally found what he had been searching for all his life.

“Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.”