005

VIVIENNE pov.

My whole body was weak and unsteady, vision swimming as I trailed after Kane through winding halls that screamed old money and older violence. The bastard’s stride was relentless, like he couldn’t wait to drag me into whatever nightmare passed for hospitality in this hellhole.

Every nerve screamed to run or bite or claw, but I couldn’t, still too dizzy, strength sucked out by drugs and fury and the brutal grip that bastard had wrapped around my throat minutes ago.

I watched him ahead of me, Kane, all muscle and scars and hate, his back a wall, his presence a warning sign. He’d nearly choked me out in front of his brothers and didn’t even blink after, didn’t say a word about it as he jerked his head for me to follow, like I was a misbehaving dog and not a woman worth ten million.

I clocked every turn, every guard, every door, every possible exit. My mind worked overtime even as my limbs dragged, cataloguing details because information was survival here.

The Shadowcrest estate was all polished wood, predator silence, and the heavy scent of pack... male, Alpha, and ancient. Every step I took deeper in made my wolf snarl inside, though she was still so weak she could barely lift her head. Didn’t matter. I’d crawl through hell before I let them break me.

Kane glanced back once, eyes raking over me with pure disgust. I matched his glare, chin high, daring him to put his hands on me again. He almost smirked, then looked away. Coward. Or maybe just smart enough to know I’d tear him up if I wasn’t half-dead.

My mind ran the math, weighing options. Each brother was a different poison, Dante with his glacier calm, Ryker and his twisted humor, Asher’s silent menace, and Kane, the brute who looked at me like I’d pissed on his soul. No easy weaknesses. No cracks to slip through yet.

But that didn’t scare me. It thrilled something wild in me. The bigger the monster, the sweeter the victory. Give me a goddamn mountain and I’ll carve my name on the summit, even if I have to bleed for every inch.

He stopped in front of a set of massive doors, slammed one open so hard it bounced off the wall, then turned to face me fully.

“You step out of line once in here, you’ll regret it, Moreau.” His voice was low, promising nothing but pure violence. “You’re property, not a guest. Remember it.”

I bared my teeth in a smile, full of poison and promise. “You’re just mad your leash has a bigger price tag than your balls, Kane.”

He moved so fast, I barely saw the hand before his fingers crushed my jaw, bone grinding, eyes locked to mine, full of murder and madness. “One more word and I’ll feed you to the pack. Alive.”

I didn’t blink, not once, just let my hate bleed between us, every muscle screaming for a fight. “You couldn’t break me on your best day if you begged the gods and bled for it. Try again, Kane. I fucking dare you.”

He shoved me so hard through the door I staggered, but I didn’t go down. I whipped back around, tossed my tangled hair from my face, staring him down with a grin sharp enough to carve names into coffins.

“You want obedience? Next time you better buy a corpse. All you’ve got now is a pissed-off Alpha bitch and a countdown to your funeral.”

Kane’s jaw clenched, veins popping in his neck, his eyes dark as anything dark. “You’ll eat. You’ll follow orders. Try shit, you’re dead.”

I barked a laugh, the kind that sounds ugly, and every inch of my body still trembling but my spirit never softer. “Dead? You know you can’t kill me. None of you can. You spent a fortune...ten million, wasn’t it? ...on me just to breed me like a fucking show dog. You really think you’re gonna kill your own golden ticket, a bitch with an alpha blood? You’ll wring every drop out of me first and pray I give you sons. Go on, admit it. I’m the most precious thing you’ve ever owned, Kane, and you hate it. You hate knowing I’m worth more than every man in this den of degenerates put together.”

He stepped in so close our breaths collided, grabbing my throat again, this time his thumb pressing the artery, cutting off the world at the edges. “You’re precious to no one. You’re meat. You’re property. And if you ever call yourself Alpha in this house again, I’ll rip the title out of your spine and make you wear it as a leash.”

I let out a dark, wild laugh, even as stars prickled behind my eyes. “Careful, Kane. The last man who put his hands on me ended up with a knife through the soft spot behind his ear. I know where yours is. It’s called your ego.”

He slammed me up against the nearest wall, face twisted with real rage now, not that bored pack-madness, but something raw and personal. “You talk too much for someone with nothing left.”

I spat blood, smiling wider. “I talk because you can’t handle silence. You think violence scares me? I’ve seen puppies bite harder.”

His hand tightened, but I arched into it, lips curling around a threat. “You want to see what a real Alpha tastes like, Kane? Try me. I’ll chew through your throat and laugh while you drown.”

He lost it, slammed me again, and again, until the wall cracked and my head spun, but I kept laughing, running my mouth, spitting curses and death threats, every word pouring gasoline on his rage.

“Go ahead, Kane! Break me! Put me down like the bitch you think I am. All you’re doing is making sure the day I walk out of here, I’ll take your balls with me as a fucking trophy!”

His grip slipped, knuckles bleeding now from the wall, breath harsh and ragged. “One of these nights, I’m going to shut you up for good.”

I bared my teeth, blood on my tongue, eyes bright with feral promise. “And one of these nights, I’ll bury you. Maybe I’ll even fuck you first, just so your ghost has something to haunt.”

Something wild and dangerous snapped in him. He spun me around, slammed me against the wall, breath hot on my ear, voice pure gravel. “You want darkness? I’ll show you darkness. Disobey again and I’ll chain you naked outside until the pack forgets you ever had a name. You’re not a queen here. You’re not even a bitch. You’re prey.”

He let me go, stepping back, fists shaking, eyes still locked on mine like he wanted to bite through bone. “Eat. Shower. Don’t test me again. Or you’ll wish I’d killed you.”

I laughed, throat raw, victorious in the dark. “Don’t worry, Kane. I’ll eat. I’ll shower. And I’ll remember every insult, every bruise. Because I always pay my debts. And you, darling, are racking up interest.”

He stormed off, the door slamming so hard it shook dust from the ceiling, leaving me in the shattered silence with nothing but my own hunger, rage, and the promise of a war he’ll never be ready for.