Chapter 4

The howl echoed through the trees, rolling like thunder. It vibrated through the soil, into their bones, and down the invisible cord of the bond.

Damien stiffened, golden eyes blazing, every muscle coiled tight.

Marcus was calling. Not just to him, but to every wolf in miles. The Alpha’s howl wasn’t just a sound. It was command, it was law. Wolves bowed under it, bodies trembling, spines bending in submission.

Emilia’s knees buckled. A whimper tore from her throat as her wolf flattened inside her chest, belly-up to the sound of the Alpha’s dominance. Her vision blurred, spots of silver sparking in the dark.

“No—”

Damien caught her before she hit the ground. His grip was fierce, his own body trembling under the pull. Sweat slicked his temple as he gritted his teeth. “Don’t bow. Don’t you dare bow to him.”

“I— I can’t—” Her body shook violently in his arms, the command sinking deeper, heavier. Her lungs burned as if crushed by invisible claws.

“Look at me.”

His voice snapped like a whip. She forced her gaze up, finding the molten gold in his eyes. His aura surged around her, blazing brighter, warring against Marcus’s oppressive weight.

“Feel me,” Damien growled. His forehead pressed to hers, hot and unyielding. His breath seared against her lips. “Not him. Me. The bond. Mine.”

The bond pulsed. Heat burst in her chest, spreading through her veins like wildfire. She gasped as Damien’s presence wrapped around her wolf, shielding, claiming.

The pressure of Marcus’s howl eased — not gone, but dimmed, muffled by Damien’s defiance.

Her body sagged against him, trembling. “Damien…”

His chest rose and fell hard. “I’ve got you.” His voice was a rasp, his wolf’s growl braided through it. “He won’t take you.”

But Marcus was already closing in.

From the Blackfang estate, the Alpha had shifted, his massive silver wolf cutting through the forest like a blade. Each stride shook the ground. His aura rolled ahead of him, crashing through the packlands in waves of crushing obedience.

Wolves cowered in their dens. None dared to answer the heir’s howl. None dared to rise against Marcus.

All except one.

Selene.

She moved through the night like a shadow, her storm-grey eyes bright with amusement as she followed the golden glow of the bond. She had watched Marcus and Roan strike their bargain. She had heard every word. And now she would see for herself what the maid truly meant to Damien.

Her lips curved in a wicked smile. Let the game begin.

Damien and Emilia ran.

Branches tore at Emilia’s arms, her bare feet cut on roots and stones, but she kept going, pulled by Damien’s hand and the bond that throbbed hotter with every heartbeat. The forest blurred around them, every sound sharper, every breath louder.

But Marcus’s presence pressed closer.

Damien stopped suddenly, yanking Emilia against him, pushing her back into the trunk of a tree. She gasped, heart hammering as he pinned her there, golden eyes blazing, chest heaving.

“Listen to me,” he rasped, his voice rough with urgency. “If he finds us—”

“He will find us,” Emilia whispered, fear cutting through the bond.

Damien snarled, slamming his palm against the tree beside her head. “Then we fight. Or we run until the Moon herself burns out. But we don’t bow. Do you understand me?”

Her lips parted. His breath fanned hot against them, searing.

The bond pulled, tight and relentless, dragging them closer, until his forehead pressed against hers again. His wolf snarled inside him, demanding, claiming.

“Damien…” Her voice broke.

Something inside him shattered. His lips crashed onto hers, desperate, brutal, devouring.

Emilia gasped into his mouth as heat tore through her, the bond flaring white-hot. Her hands clawed at his back, dragging him closer, closer, until their bodies slammed together.

He growled into the kiss, raw and primal, his hands gripping her thighs, hauling her up against the tree. Her legs wrapped around his waist instinctively, her nails digging into his shoulders.

The world burned. Nothing existed but him — his mouth, his hands, his fire surging through her veins.

“Mine,” he snarled against her lips. His teeth grazed her throat, a dangerous promise. “Say it.”

“Yours,” she gasped, breathless, trembling. “I’m yours.”

The bond roared, sealing the words like fire etched into their souls.

Damien pressed harder against her, every line of him taut with need, with rage, with desperation. Her body arched into his, helpless to resist. His lips trailed hot along her jaw, down her throat, teeth grazing her skin—

A low laugh curled through the night.

“Well. That didn’t take long.”

Damien froze, golden eyes snapping open. His head whipped toward the sound, a snarl tearing from his chest.

Selene stepped into the clearing, her storm-grey eyes glinting with cruel delight. Her lips curved in a mocking smile as she watched them tangled together against the tree.

“My, my,” she purred. “Caught rutting in the woods like common wolves. How romantic.”

Emilia’s cheeks burned as she tried to scramble down, but Damien’s body blocked hers, his golden eyes blazing at Selene. “Get out.”

Selene laughed softly. “You should thank me. If it had been Marcus who found you…” She let the threat linger in the air, sweet and sharp.

Her gaze slid to Emilia, lingering, assessing. “So this is the maid. You’re prettier than I expected. No wonder he’s lost his senses.”

Emilia stiffened, fear spiking through the bond, but she forced her chin up. “Stay away from him.”

Selene’s smile sharpened. “Oh, darling. You don’t get to give orders. You’ll be lucky if you live long enough to see him walk down the aisle.”

Emilia’s heart lurched. “What?”

Selene’s gaze flicked to Damien, enjoying the fury in his eyes. “Didn’t he tell you? Your Alpha father already promised him to me. We’re to be married. A union of packs. A union of power.”

“No,” Emilia whispered, her stomach dropping, the bond twisting painfully. She turned to Damien, desperate. “Tell me she’s lying.”

Damien’s jaw clenched, his golden eyes burning with fury and shame. “Emilia—”

Before he could finish, the forest shook with a deafening snarl.

Marcus.

The silver Alpha crashed into the clearing, his massive wolf form blazing with dominance, eyes glowing like molten steel. His aura slammed into them like a storm, forcing Emilia to her knees, her body trembling under the weight of it.

Marcus’s voice thundered through the bond, cold and merciless.

“Enough.”

Damien’s wolf snarled, golden fire blazing, but Marcus’s aura crushed harder, pinning him in place.

Silver eyes gleamed, cruel and final.

“My son,” Marcus growled, “you will wed Selene Stormfang. And you will end this farce tonight.”

The bond between Damien and Emilia burned white-hot, stretched to the breaking point—

And snapped taut with pain.