C2

Elowen Hartwell grips the edge of the plush leather sofa inside the Sterling Crown Medical Center's restricted suite, watching the shadow of Calloway Sterling’s massive alpha frame loom above her. She needs his high-ranking pack resources to settle her mother’s astronomical treatment debt before the dawn shift, and submitting to this territorial claim is the only trade left.

"Don’t..." Calloway Sterling murmurs, his tone laced with absolute alpha command as he catches both of Elowen's wrists, prying her dark fingers away from her hips to bare her slick Omega heat to his view. "You are completely breathtaking, Marlowe."

Elowen shivers beneath his heavy, calloused touch, forcing her amber eyes to meet his piercing blue gaze. He wears his signature clear-lens glasses—the deceptive accessory he uses to appear harmless to lesser wolves—and with a single flick of his wrist, he folds the frames closed, one temple at a time, dropping them onto the marble table beside the couch. The illusion of safety shatters instantly, revealing the pure predator underneath.

He catches her by the back of her knees, yanking her body to the edge of the high-rise suite's velvet sofa before dropping to one knee between her thighs.

"You are dripping wet for me, Marlowe. I am going to taste every drop of your pack heat," Calloway growls, his throat vibrating with a deep, possessive roar that rattles through Elowen's chest.

Without giving her a second to gather her breath, he lifts her hips, pinning her thighs wide against his broad shoulders and pressing his mouth directly against her sensitive entrance. A sharp, loud cry tears from Elowen's throat as his hot tongue sweeps across her slick folds.

"Oh, fucking Goddess..." Elowen gasps, her spine snapping off the cushions as her claws threaten to break through her skin from the sheer intensity of the shockwave hitting her nervous system.

Calloway holds her down with effortless alpha strength, his large hands digging into the flesh of her hips to anchor her completely. He opens his mouth wider over her center, sucking her swollen heat with long, deliberate strokes while keeping his dilated eyes locked onto her face.

Elowen reaches down frantically, her fingers tangling into his thick, dark hair in a desperate bid to push his head away from the overwhelming stimulation. Calloway catches her hands mid-air, interlacing his thick fingers with hers and pinning them flat against the leather. He zeroes in on her clit, latching onto the sensitive bundle of nerves with intense suction.

"Ahhh...!" Elowen screams, her toes curling into the couch cushion as her wolf stirs frantically inside her, confused by the strange alpha claiming her body.

Calloway releases a low, rumbling growl of satisfaction, plunging his tongue deep inside her opening, working her body until her hips buck uncontrollably against his mouth. Elowen lets out a string of high, breathless whimpers, her body completely surrendering to the territorial mating dance he is forcing upon her.

He frees her hands only to reach up, cupping her dark breasts in his heavy palms. His thumbs pinches her hard nipples, twisting the tips until a sharp spike of pleasurable agony shoots straight to her core.

"Calloway, please..." Elowen pants, her dark skin glistening with a light sheen of sweat under the dim room lights.

His tongue moves faster, driving into her wet center with rhythmic, forceful thrusts that mimic the real act. The intense friction builds a tight, unbearable coil deep in her lower stomach, making her lower body tremble violently against the leather sofa.

Calloway pulls away abruptly, leaving Elowen letting out a loud, frustrated groan at the sudden loss of heat. He licks his lips slowly, savoring the taste of her Omega scent on his tongue before reaching into his dark trousers to roll a thin sheath over his massive, pulsing shaft.

He positions himself between her outstretched legs, his bare, heavily muscled chest pressing down against her exposed skin. The blunt, burning tip of his member rubs against her drenched entrance, teasing the seam of her heat.

"Look at me," Calloway demands, his voice dropping into a harsh, possessive growl that forces Elowen's eyes open. "Say my name."

Elowen swallows the lump in her throat, knowing he believes he is staring into the eyes of her identical twin, Marlowe Hartwell. "Calloway..." she whispers, her chest tightening with bitter shame.

Calloway aligns his heavy hips and pushes forward in one smooth, unyielding drive.

A sharp, searing pain tears through Elowen's lower body as his thick shaft breaks through her maiden barrier, filling her completely. She gasps out loud, her eyes snapping shut as tears leak from the corners of her eyelids.

Calloway freezes instantly, his large hands gripping the arms of the couch on either side of her head. Sweat drips from his forehead onto her collarbone as he stares down at her in absolute shock, his jaw tight with forced restraint.

"Fuck, Marlowe... Why are you so tight?" he grunts, his breath hot and ragged against her skin.

Elowen grips his upper arms, her nails digging into his firm biceps as her body tries to adapt to the massive intrusion. She sees the raw concern burning in his dark blue eyes—a look of pure devotion meant entirely for Marlowe, the twin who abandoned her pack duties tonight.

Elowen forces her legs to wrap around his waist, pulling him deeper into her body despite the dull ache throbbing between her thighs. "Don't stop..." she chokes out, burying her face into his neck to hide her tears. "Just keep going..."

Calloway lets out a rough, guttural growl, abandoning all caution. He pulls back slightly before slamming his hips forward, setting a punishing, deep rhythm that echoes off the glass walls of the private medical suite.

The initial pain quickly dissolves into an explosive, burning pleasure that consumes Elowen's entire mind. Calloway pounds into her with relentless, territorial fury, his massive weight crushing her into the leather as his cock drives into her sweet spot again and again. She moans wildly into his shoulder, her claws scratching long red marks across his muscular back as he takes her body like a true alpha claiming his mate.

With one final, violent thrust, Calloway buries his length as deep as it can go, holding her tight against his chest as he releases a low roar, his body shuddering with his release.

He collapses over her, his heavy chest heaving against hers as their frantic heartbeats sync in the quiet room. He rolls onto his side, pulling her slick dark body against his side and burying his face into her neck, falling asleep almost instantly from the sheer exhaustion of the mating heat.

Elowen lies completely still beneath his heavy arm, staring up at the white ceiling tiles of the Sterling Crown Medical Center. The clock on the wall ticks loudly in the silence. She checks her phone on the side table, the screen illuminating her face to reveal the time: 2:53 AM.

A text message pops up on her screen.

Are you done yet? The text is from Marlowe Hartwell.

Elowen exhales slowly, carefully lifting Calloway’s heavy arm off her waist. She slides out of the bed, her legs trembling slightly from the raw ache between her thighs. She quickly slips into the duplicate clothes Marlowe left behind, avoiding looking at the mirror. She turns back for one brief second, staring at Calloway’s sharp facial features as he sleeps peacefully on the ruined bed.

She grabs her bag and steps out into the cold, marble hallway of the VIP wing, quietly shutting the heavy door behind her.

"What took you so damn long?" a harsh voice snaps from the shadows.

Marlowe Hartwell steps forward, dressed in a heavy coat, a black cap, dark sunglasses, and a thick mask hiding her face. She looks identical to Elowen in every physical aspect, save for the proud, arrogant tilt of her chin.

"Is it done?" Marlowe demands, her voice laced with ice. "Did he buy it?"

"Yes," Elowen answers softly, pulling her jacket tight around her shoulders. "He is still asleep inside the suite. You can go in now."

"Good. Get out of my sight," Marlowe says, stepping toward the suite door.

Elowen reaches out, catching Marlowe’s sleeve before she can touch the handle. "Wait! Where is the pack money for Mom's treatment? Father promised the credits would be transferred the second I finished this."

Marlowe yanks her arm back with disgust, slapping Elowen's hand away before ripping off her sunglasses and mask, tossing them hard against Elowen's chest.

"Do I look like a bank to you, Elowen?" Marlowe sneers, her brown eyes flashing with mean satisfaction. "Get the credits from Benedict Hartwell! You think I care about your little financial problems? If Calloway finds out an Omega substitute was in his bed tonight, Father will strip your branch of the family of every single pack right we have left!"

Elowen catches the dropped mask, her jaw clenching as her twin sister glares at her like trash. Because Marlowe was born with fair features and high status while Elowen was born with a dark complexion as the lowest-ranked Omega in the Hartwell Family, their father had banished Elowen and her mother to the outskirts of the territory years ago. Tonight, Elowen was forced to wear contact lenses to hide her natural amber eyes and apply a fake henna mark to mimic Marlowe's body scar just to pull off this sick deception.

"You should visit Evelina in the ICU wing," Elowen whispers, her voice breaking with deep emotion. "She keeps calling your name in her fever state..."

"I don't give a damn about that dying female," Marlowe spits, turning her back completely and slamming the private suite door directly in Elowen's face.

Elowen stands alone in the cold, quiet hallway, holding the dark sunglasses and cap in her trembling hands. She forces herself to put the accessories on, hiding her face as she walks down the long corridor toward the main exit of the facility.

She steps out of the Sterling Crown Medical Center and into the freezing snowstorm blanketing Sterling City, the icy wind howling through the massive concrete towers of the Sterling Metropolitan District. She pulls her coat tight, hailing a waiting pack transport cab at the curb.

Inside the vehicle, Elowen pulls out her phone with shaking hands and speed-dials her mother's lead physician.

"Doctor Wallace Pembroke... please, I am begging you," Elowen cries into the receiver as the cab pulls into the dark roads. "Do not disconnect my mother’s life-support machinery tonight. I have the pack settlement coming from Benedict Hartwell... I will pay every single credit by tomorrow morning!"

On the other end of the line, Wallace Pembroke lets out a heavy, solemn sigh before speaking.

"Elowen... you don't understand," Wallace Pembroke says, his voice carrying grave news over the line. "Benedict Hartwell called the main office ten minutes ago. He officially canceled Evelina's pack medical insurance policy and signed the total release form to transfer her care to the terminal ward at Briarwood Memorial Grounds."