My Little Wolf: Zane’s Perspective

I stare at Sophia's rigid back, her words echoing in my mind like a challenge I can't ignore. Captor. Not mate. The distinction burns through me, igniting a fury I haven't felt in decades.

After everything I've done, claiming her instead of returning her to the Council, allowing her father sanctuary in my territory, showing restraint when she openly defied me, she still sees me as nothing more than her jailer. The urge to grab her, to force her to acknowledge our bond, pulses through me with each heartbeat. In my years as Alpha, and no one has ever dismissed me so completely.

'She hurts,' Conri growls in my mind, his anger tempered by something I rarely sense from him, understanding. 'Mother dead. Pack broken. Give her time.'

'She called us her captor,' I remind him, the insult still raw. 'After we claimed her, mated her, protected her.'

'Claimed without choice. Mated without choice,' Conri acknowledges, surprising me with his insight. 'But Nyx knows. Nyx understands mate-bond deeper than human girl.'

The sheets rustle as Sophia curls tighter into herself, her breathing hitching in a way that reveals her attempt to muffle sobs.

The sound triggers something uncomfortable in my chest, an ache I haven't allowed myself to feel in decades. She's grieving her mother, processing her father's unexpected arrival, and adjusting to a bond she never wanted. Perhaps some leniency is warranted, just this once.

But another part of me, the Alpha who has maintained control through displays of absolute authority, recoils at the thought of allowing her rejection to stand unchallenged. Weakness now could undermine everything.

'Not weakness,' Conri argues, reading my thoughts. 'Strength to wait, to prove mate-bond true.'

A strangled sob escapes Sophia's control, her shoulders shaking with the effort to contain her grief. My hand moves of its own accord, reaching out to rest on her shoulder. She freezes instantly, her entire body tensing under my touch.

"Don't," she whispers, voice raw from suppressed tears. "Don't touch me, Zane."

Something in me snaps at her words, perhaps the last thread of patience, perhaps the self-control I've maintained since finding her father at my border. I chuckle, the sound dark and dangerous even to my own ears.

"You're mine, little wolf," I remind her, my fingers tightening on her shoulder. "I can do whatever I want."

She tries to move away, edging toward the far side of the bed, wrapping herself tighter in the duvet as if it could shield her from me. The gesture of rejection ignites something primal in me. In one smooth motion, I grab her waist and pull her back across the mattress, trapping her against my chest, her back to my front.

She struggles briefly, but I secure her with an arm around her waist and my other hand at her throat, not squeezing, just holding her steady. Her pulse races beneath my fingers, her scent shifting with notes of fear and anger and, beneath it all, the unmistakable hint of arousal she can't control.

"Let go," she demands, though her voice lacks conviction.

"No," I answer simply, my lips at her ear. "You need to understand something, Sophia. This isn't a temporary arrangement. This isn't something you can reject with pretty words or defiant glares."

I run my nose along the curve of her neck, inhaling deeply at the point where my claiming bite marks her skin. The scent there is intoxicating, our combined scent, proof of the bond she wants to deny.

"I know you want me, little wolf," I murmur against her skin, feeling her shiver despite her anger. "I can smell your arousal every time I touch you."

She snorts, the sound deliberately dismissive. "It's just biological compatibility," she says, her voice steadier now. "It doesn't mean anything."

Her words echo my own earlier thoughts, that her true omega nature simply makes her the perfect biological match for an alpha like me. But Conri growls in disagreement, pushing forward in my consciousness with unusual force.

'Not just biological,' he insists, showing me images of Nyx and Sophia with startling clarity. 'Nyx true mate. Special. Different.'

I pause, momentarily distracted by Conri's vehemence. He's been fixated on Sophia since we found her in the woods, but this feels different, not just the typical alpha wolf's desire to claim a compatible female, but something deeper.

"What exactly did your mother tell you about your abilities?" I ask, loosening my grip on her throat but keeping her firmly against me.

The question catches her off guard. I feel her confusion through our bond.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asks.

"Answer me," I insist, gentler than before but no less commanding.

She hesitates. "She said I was special. That my healing ability was stronger than most omegas'. That I needed to hide it from the Council because they would..." Her voice falters. "Because they would use me as a breeding tool."

"And the mental communication? The way you commanded Kier's wolf to release your father?"

Her body tenses again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me, Sophia," I warn, my hand sliding from her throat to cup her face, turning it so she has to meet my eyes. "I saw what happened. Kier told me what he felt. That wasn't normal omega influence."

"I think there's more to you than just being a true omega with high compatibility," I continue, studying her face carefully. "And I think your parents knew it."

She tries to turn away, but I hold her firmly, forcing her to maintain eye contact. "Whatever secrets you're keeping, little wolf, I will discover them. You belong to me now, your abilities, your body, your future. All mine."

"I hate you," she whispers.

"You can hate me all you want," I reply, releasing her face and allowing her to turn away again. "But you're still mine."

I settle back against the pillows, keeping her secured against me with one arm around her waist. She doesn't fight anymore, perhaps too exhausted by grief and confrontation to continue resisting.