“I have nothing else,” I continued, my voice gaining a desperate strength. “So I offer myself. My loyalty. My.... my body. Whatever you want from me. Just...just help me make them pay. Help me destroy them.” Then, slowly, a smirk touched his lips. It wasn’t a kind smile. It was cold, calculating, and utterly terrifying. It sent a chill down my spine ~ He is no savior, just a cold, calculating rogue with a history of violence and eyes that blaze gold in the shift. She is the Omega who unexpectedly became his fated mate, carrying the weight of murdered kin and a desperate need for vengeance. He offers her the strength she craves, but his methods are brutal, his heart seemingly encased in ice. Amidst the blood and shadows, can fleeting, rare moments of raw connection forge something real, or is a monster forever bound to his nature?
View MoreSELENA
_____ Mud squelched under my worn boots. It always seemed to be muddy in the Omega sector of the Kaelen pack. Or maybe it was just our little corner of it, tucked away by the sluggish part of the Grayling River, the part no one else wanted. I kept my head down, like always. Eyes on the ground meant fewer eyes on me. Fewer chances for someone to decide I needed a lesson in respect, or humility, or whatever bullshit excuse they’d come up with that day. My basket felt heavy on my arm, filled with the herbs Mama had sent me to gather. She’d be wanting them for her poultices. Papa’s cough had been getting worse. The damp air of our small, patched up cabin didn’t help. “Selena!” I flinched. My gaze snapped up, then immediately down again when I saw who it was. Wesley. One of Alpha Henry’s grinning idiots. He was flanked by two others, their chests puffed out like they’d personally won some great battle instead of just being born into slightly better Omega families than mine. “Lost your tongue little mouse?” Wesley sneered. His friends chuckled. I just shook my head, a tiny movement. Speaking was a risk. A word could be twisted, a tone misread. Silence was safer. Most of the time. “Alpha Henry wants a word with your father,” Wesley said, his voice loud enough for everyone in the muddy lane to hear. “Something about...contributions.” My stomach tightened. Contributions. That always meant they wanted more than we had. More food, more firewood, more of whatever meager scraps we managed to cling to. I nodded again, hoping they’d just leave. “Look at me when I’m talking to you girl!” Wesley snapped. Slowly, I lifted my eyes. Just enough to meet his, then I focused on the grimy collar of his tunic. I could feel the contempt coiling in my gut, hot and sharp. Contempt for him, for Henry, for this whole damn pack that treated us like dirt under their claws. But I kept my face blank. A blank face couldn’t betray you. He seemed to enjoy my discomfort for a moment longer, then smirked. “Tell Alfred. Now.” They swaggered off, probably to harass some other poor soul. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and hurried towards home, the herbs forgotten for a moment. Our cabin was small, just two rooms, but Mama always kept it clean. The scent of her herb stew usually filled the air, a comforting smell. Today, though, it was just the damp earth and the lingering scent of woodsmoke. Papa was sitting by the hearth, carving a small wooden bird. His hands, usually so strong and steady, trembled a little. His cough echoed in the small space. Alfred Veridian. The kindest soul in this whole cursed pack. He didn’t deserve this life. None of us did. “Papa,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. It felt rusty from disuse. He looked up, his smile gentle, though his eyes were clouded with worry. “Selena child. You’re back.” Mama came in from the back room, wiping her hands on her apron. Juliet Veridian. She was still beautiful, even with the lines of worry etched around her honey brown eyes. eyes just like mine. She’d been through hell, I knew. Old whispers, things I wasn’t supposed to understand, about the former Alpha, Vorlag. A monster, they said. He’d been obsessed with her. That’s how I got my older brother, Rhys. Or half brother, really. Vorlag’s son. Papa had taken Mama in, taken Rhys in, loved them both without question. “What is it dear?” Mama asked, her voice soft. “Wesly, from the Alpha’s guard,” I managed. “He said... Alpha Henry wants to see Papa. About contributions.” Papa sighed, the sound heavy. He put down his carving. “Again? We just gave them half our winter stores last month!“ “They’re never satisfied, Alfred,” Mama said, her hand resting on his shoulder. There was a bitterness in her tone she rarely let show. “Especially not with us.” “I’ll go,” Papa said, pushing himself up. “Best not to keep the Alpha waiting.”SELENA_____The first real crack in our new order came on a Tuesday, though I didn't know it was Tuesday until Austin mentioned it offhandedly..one of those human world measurements of time that meant nothing in the caverns where the sun never reached. A patrol had gone missing. Not dead. Just..gone. Four wolves, including a seasoned Beta named Corvin who'd been with the pack for over a decade. They'd been assigned to the eastern tunnels, the ones that bordered the rogue territories, and they simply hadn't returned for the evening roll call.Austin found out during his morning briefing. I was in the corner of the main cavern, watching the Omegas work the granary counts, still trying to uncover where the rest of Roric's stolen grain had gone. Lisa had mentioned something about Marcus needing to report on the missing patrol, so I'd stayed close, pretending to be absorbed in inventory lists.Marcus looked physically ill as he told Austin. His face had gone the color of old ash, and hi
I stopped, leaning against the rock wall just inside the tunnel entrance, content to watch her, unseen. This was her time. Her ritual. One she’d discovered in the human world, a small piece of peace she’d carved out for herself. As the sun crested the mountains, flooding the valley below with brilliant, blinding light, she lifted her face to it, eyes closed, as if soaking in its warmth. The sight of her, silhouetted against the dawn, so still, so peaceful, hit me with a force I wasn’t prepared for. It wasn’t lust though.. It was something else entirely. Something quieter. Something that made my chest feel too tight. She must have sensed me. Her posture didn’t change, but she spoke, her voice soft, carried by the wind. “I wondered if you’d come find me.” “I woke up and my property was missing,” I said, pushing off the wall and walking towards her. My tone was light, a deflection. “I was concerned.” She smiled, her eyes still closed. “Liar. You were curious.” I came to stand bes
She was silent for a long moment, looking out at the dark valleys. “I’d make it safe,” she said finally, her voice quiet but firm. “Not just safe from outside threats. Safe for the Omegas. Safe for the pups. A place where a kid can sneak out to look at the stars without being afraid of being beaten for skipping a chore. A place where what you are isn’t more important than who you are.” She shook her head, a faint, selfdeprecating twist to her lips. “It sounds naive.”“It sounds like a competent administrative goal,” I said, my tone pragmatic. “A secure, content population is a productive population. Less likely to rebel. It’s just good policy.”She laughed, a soft, genuine sound that was carried away by the roar of the falls. “Always the strategist.”“It’s who I am,” I said. But her words had sparked something. A glimmer of an idea. A way to give her a piece of what she wanted, to channel that quiet idealism into something tangible. Something that would also serve my purposes. “This
The water had gone lukewarm, the steam thinning to a faint haze. We’d stayed in the pool until our fingers pruned, until the immediate, frantic need for connection had been sated, replaced by a deeper, more settled calm. I’d washed the sweat and the lingering scent of the den from her skin, my hands moving over her with a possessiveness that was now more ritual than conquest. She’d done the same for me, her touch firm and sure, scrubbing away the grime of the day, the metaphorical blood of a dozen petty decisions.We dressed in silence, the simple act feeling more intimate than what had happened in the water. The clean clothes ..a fresh tunic and trousers for me, another simple wool dress for her, felt like a new skin. A small reclaiming of order.Back in the Alpha’s den, the pile of ledgers and scrolls still waited, a silent accusation of work unfinished. I looked at them, and for the first time, the sight didn’t coil a knot of pure annoyance in my gut. It was just work. A problem
“Leave us.” I told Lisa. She bowed her head and left quickly. I turned to Selena. “Get in.” She didn’t hesitate. She untied the simple gown and let it fall to the stone floor. Her body, pale and strong in the steamy light, was a map of our journey together, old scars from her training, fading bruises from the fight, the subtle shift of muscle under smooth skin. She slipped into the water with a soft sigh, sinking down until it lapped at her shoulders. I shucked off my trousers and followed her in. The water was blissfully hot, soaking into my aching muscles. I leaned back against the smooth rock edge, closing my eyes for a moment, just feeling the heat work its magic. I felt her move through the water towards me. Then her hands were on me again, on my chest, her fingers tracing the lines of old scars I’d collected long before I ever met her. “You’re tense,” she murmured, her voice echoing softly in the cavern. “It’s been a long day,” I said, my eyes still closed. “Governing is a
The silence returned, deeper, more profound. This they understood. The cold, clinical threat was far more terrifying than Roric’s red-faced rages. “Your lives are about to improve” I continued. “But your freedom to be stupid, treacherous, or lazy is over. This pack will become strong again. It will become feared by our enemies, not ourselves. You will work. You will obey. And in return, you will eat. You will be safe. You will have a future.” I stopped pacing and turned to face them fully. “That is my bargain. Take it, and thrive. Reject it…” I let the threat hang in the air, cold and absolute. I didn’t wait for a response. I turned and walked away, Selena falling into step beside me. We left them standing there, stunned, trying to process this new, terrifying, pragmatic kind of leadership. The rest of the day was a grind. Endless meetings. Marcus brought me lists. Lists of supplies. Lists of personnel. Lists of grievances. A Beta named Kael, who’d been in charge of the granaries
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