Claim What’s Mine

Tonya

I froze, breath caught in my throat, as the air around filled with tension. The murmurs, the laughter, the background music, everything fell into dead silence. All eyes turned.

And then he stepped into view.

Alpha Ezra. The rogue king. 

I had heard stories about him. Every wolf had. Legends whispered by warriors over bonfires, told by mothers in hushed tones to frighten pups into obedience. But nothing, nothing, prepared me for seeing him in the flesh.

He was enormous, his height towering, his body all carved muscle and quiet menace. His golden eyes glowed like wildfire, searing through the dim light of the bar as they focussed on me. He looked like a storm wrapped in flesh as he stared, no, glared at me. 

I couldn’t move. His gaze pinned me in place like I was prey and he was the predator. My heart thudded ferociously in my chest, the thumping so loud in my ears that a chill crept down my spine. For a moment, I truly thought I wouldn’t live past tonight. What had I done to him to be so angry? This was the first time I met him. Surely, this was a mistake. Or a case of mistaken identity. 

Everyone knew Ezra’s story. No one brought it to their lips though. 

He was the son of Lily, Alpha Lou King’s first mate, Zeke’s father. But when Ezra was just a year old, Lily was accused of betraying the Blue Moon pack. Alpha Lou claimed she had sold strategic secrets to an enemy pack. Lily denied it. Pleaded her innocence. But Alpha Lou didn’t listen. He exiled her from the pack without mercy, branding her a traitor, forcing her to become a rogue. 

Within a month, he married Beth, Zeke’s mother. Zeke was born a few months later. 

Ezra’s mother had wandered the wilderness alone, rejected by all, no pack willing to give her shelter. Ezra grew up rogue, hated by the world. He was forced to live in poverty, hide from warriors, hunt for food. 

But he was Alpha blood. The wild didn’t break him. It made him. He fought, clawed, and rose through fire. And somewhere along the line, the rogue pup turned into something greater than any Alpha.

He built his own pack. No, an empire. New Moon pack. The strongest pack in America. Now known as the Rogue King, his name alone was enough to make grown warriors flinch.

He was Zeke’s half-brother. Two years older. Twice as feared.

And now, he was here. Goddess knew why. 

Ezra’s boots echoed on the bar floor as he moved forward, each step slow and deliberate. He didn’t rush. He didn’t need to. He was a predator with all the time in the world.

He moved with lethal grace toward me. My throat clenched. I couldn’t look away. He didn’t blink, didn’t break eye contact. It was like I had accidentally stepped into the crosshairs of something ancient and dangerous. Honestly, I was petrified, paling by the minute. Fear coated my soul. 

I had come to make Zeke jealous, but how did Ezra get intertwined? I didn’t even know him. I silently prayed, ‘Goddess, if you got me out alive from here, I promise I wouldn’t fall for Alicia’s plans ever.’ 

Daniel beside me tensed. So did several other warriors around us. One shifted slightly, crouching low. Daniel and the others took a stance, ready to attack. 

For a split second, I wondered how Ezra was able to infiltrate our pack. It was impossible past all the warriors. His presence was a threat Zeke would never

tolerate.

Ezra didn’t even glance at them. He walked right past them like they were nothing more than background noise. His attention was solely on me, and somehow that was more terrifying than if he had acknowledged them.

I wanted to move. I tried to move. But I was frozen, legs heavy, muscles stiff. A trembling breath escaped me.

Suddenly, another growl ripped through the room. One I recognized. It was Zeke.

In a blur, he appeared between us, his chest heaving, his body brimming with fury. “How dare you come in my pack?” he snarled, eyes blazing. “I’ll kill you. My wolves will rip you into shreds.”

Ezra didn’t even flinch. He tilted his head slightly, lips curling into a snarl. Then he growled louder, wilder. His fangs elongated, glinting under the bar lights in a warning.

Before I could understand what was happening, Zeke lunged. And the room exploded. With a shriek, Alicia took me to a corner. 

The fight was brutal, fast, and unrelenting. Fists flew, claws swiped, furniture shattered. Wolves ducked out of the way as tables splintered and glasses crashed. Zeke was furious, fueled by anger and pride. But Ezra was something else.

He didn’t just fight. He dominated. I had never seen such a beautiful warrior in my life. So untamed, so wild, absolutely unhinged. I found myself captivated by his moves. 

Every move was precise, every blow calculated. He moved like he had been trained in the shadows, forged in blood and rage. Zeke landed punches, but Ezra barely flinched. He countered with savage strength, his blows cracking through Zeke’s defenses.

Zeke growled and shifted partially, claws sprouting, face transforming, but Ezra grabbed him mid-shift and threw him across the bar with a menacing snarl.

Gasps rang out as Zeke landed with a grunt, blood at the corner of his mouth. He tried to get up, but Ezra didn’t let him. He grabbed Zeke by the throat and slammed him against the nearest wall. The building shook with the impact. Zeke punched him in the face, his hand grabbing Ezra’s throat. I shrieked. 

“Enough!” Ezra growled, voice low, feral.

They both held each other for a moment longer, their faces inches away from each other.

Then Ezra left him. Zeke also left him, breathing heavily, his eyes flicking between Ezra and me. Ezra turned slowly, wiping blood from a shallow cut on his cheek with the back of his hand.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Zeke asked. 

“I’ve come to claim what’s mine,” he said, voice cold and clear. “The Blue Moon pack.”

“You must be mad, you fucking traitor!” Zeke shouted. 

Ezra looked down at Zeke. Quietly, he declared, “Next full moon, I’ll challenge you for the title of Alpha. Until then, I will stay here. If you try to attack me again, if anyone touches me, my warriors will burn this pack to the ground.”

Zeke stared at him, stunned. “They’re here?”

Ezra smirked darkly. “Camped right outside your borders.”

A wave of shock rippled through the bar. Zeke looked like someone had gutted him. Ezra turned, his gaze sweeping across the room one last time. His eyes landed on Angie who was hiding in a corner, watching him with excitement and a knowing look. He gazed past her and his eyes landed on me. 

My stomach twisted. He held my gaze for a long moment. Anger, calculation, and possessiveness flickered in those golden depths. Then, without another word, he walked past me and out the door. The bar remained still, like no one dared move until he was gone. Only after the door swung shut behind him did people begin to whisper.

“Alpha Zeke!” Angie’s sympathetic voice rang in the bar. She rushed toward him and placed his arm over her shoulder. Where was she when he was attacked? 

Daniel and other wolves moved to Zeke, to help him stand and walk. 

I sat there, numb, heart pounding.

Zeke stood slowly, eyes still locked on the door. Then he turned and looked at me. His gaze was furious, possessive, filled with jealousy. “Don’t you dare to go out of this pack, Tonya,” he growled at me. “I’ll break your legs if you do.” Then he grabbed Angie’s waist and walked with a limp out of the bar.