Chapter 3: Wolf Claims

He takes a step closer. I step back, hitting the table. Nowhere to go.

"April West." He tests the name, rolling it over his tongue like he's tasting wine. Like he's memorizing it. His gaze drops to my mouth, still swollen from his kiss, and something dark and hungry flashes across his face. "Do you know who I am, April West?"

I shake my head frantically. "No. No, I swear. I just needed the money. It was a stupid dare. I'll leave. I'll never come back. I'll—"

"You really don't know." He sounds almost... amused. A dark, cold amusement that makes my stomach drop. He reaches out, his knuckles grazing my cheekbone with surprising gentleness. The touch sends a jolt of electricity down my spine so violent I nearly buckle. "That almost makes this worse."

"Makes what worse?"

He leans down, his face inches from mine. I can see the slight shadow of stubble, the sharp cut of his jaw, the way his pupils are dilated despite the dim lighting.

"I am Tyler Raxon Raven."

The air leaves my lungs.

The club spins.

Blood drains from my face so fast I actually sway. My legs turn to water. If the table wasn't behind me, I'd be on the floor.

Tyler Raxon Raven.

The Alpha of Raytheon.

The most powerful pack in the city. Maybe in the state. The man who reportedly beheaded a rival Alpha last month for stepping on his shoe. The man who owns half the city's real estate and terrifies the other half into compliance. The man whose name is whispered with fear even among other Alphas.

I just kissed him.

On a dare.

For five hundred dollars.

"Oh god," I breathe. "Oh god, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I swear I didn't—"

"The Alpha," I whisper, my voice barely audible.

"The Alpha," he corrects softly, but there's nothing soft about his grip as he grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him. His fingers dig in hard enough to bruise. "And you just put your mouth on me."

"It was an accident." The lie tastes bitter. "Please. I'm nobody. I'm just—just let me go. Please."

He leans in closer, so close I can feel his breath on my neck. He inhales deeply at the curve where my shoulder meets my throat, right over the mating gland, and I shiver violently.

"You smell like vanilla," he murmurs, almost to himself. His nose brushes my pulse point, and I feel him smile against my skin. "And fear. I like the fear."

"Alpha Tyler," the security guard interrupts, voice trembling. "The council meeting is in ten minutes. We need to clear the area."

Tyler doesn't look at the guard. His eyes never leave mine.

"Cancel it."

The guard sputters. "Sir? But the Council—"

"I said cancel it!" Tyler roars.

The change is instantaneous. His eyes flash a glowing, predatory amber—a partial shift. The power of his aura explodes outward like a shockwave. It slams into me, into everyone in the club. People drop to their knees. Wolves bare their throats. Humans stumble back, confused and terrified by an instinct they don't understand.

I grab the table to keep from collapsing under the weight of his dominance.

Tyler turns back to me, the amber slowly fading back to storm-grey, but the intensity remains. He places a hand on the wall on either side of my head, caging me completely. His body is so close I can feel the heat radiating off him.

"You owe me, April West," he says, his voice dropping to a seductive, dangerous octave that makes something low in my belly clench. "You took something from me without asking. Now, I'm going to take something from you."

"I don't have any money," I stammer. "I'm broke. I can't—"

"I don't want your money."

His gaze drops to my lips, then back to my eyes. The heat in his stare is scorching. Possessive. Hungry.

"Then what do you want?"

He smirks, and it's the most terrifying thing I have ever seen. Beautiful and brutal.

"Everything."

He grabs my wrist before I can blink, his fingers wrapping around it like a manacle. "Let's go."

"Go? Go where?" I try to dig my heels in, but he's moving me through the club like I weigh nothing. "Wait—"

"Home," he says simply.

"I'm not going anywhere with you! This is kidnapping!" I yell, trying to twist my arm free. The grip doesn't budge. "Somebody help me!"

I look around the club, pleading with my eyes. The bartender looks away. The bouncers step aside, actually holding the doors open for us. Even the humans in the club seem to know better than to intervene. They can't see what he is, but they can sense it.

Predator.

"Save your breath," Tyler says, kicking the exit doors open. The cool night air hits my face, but it doesn't cool the heat of his hand on my skin, burning through to the bone. "Nobody says no to me. Especially not you."

He drags me toward a sleek, black armored SUV waiting at the curb. It's the kind of vehicle that screams money and danger. A driver in a black suit instantly opens the back door, his face carefully blank.

"Why?" I demand, planting my feet as we reach the car. I pull back with all my strength, but I might as well be pulling against a brick wall. "Why me? I'm just a nobody!"

Tyler stops.

He turns to me, and for the first time, something other than cold dominance flickers across his face. Confusion. Frustration. Like he's asking himself the same question and doesn't like the answer.

He leans down, gripping my waist with both hands. He lifts me slightly, just enough to prove he could pick me up and throw me in the car if he wanted, and pulls me flush against his hard body.

"Because," he growls, his lips brushing my ear, sending shivers cascading down my entire body. "When you kissed me, my wolf woke up."

My heart stops.

No.

No, that's not possible. That's not how it works. I'm an Omega. Nobody's wolf wakes up for an Omega.

"And he hasn't stopped screaming 'Mine' since your lips touched mine."

The world tilts.

Mate.

He thinks I'm his mate.

He doesn't wait for my reaction. He lifts me off my feet and shoves me into the backseat of the car. I scramble back, reaching for the opposite door handle, but it's locked. Child locks. Of course.

Tyler climbs in after me, filling the space with his overwhelming presence. The door slams shut.

The lock clicks.

Sealing my fate.