INICIAR SESIÓNMarcus tracked the wolf warriors as they spread around him, noting their positions without really seeing them. His attention stayed fixed on the male with his hands on the woman who owned his soul.These hands didn’t belong there. Her fear came at him like an armoured truck, hard enough to make his vision sharpen, heat flooding his veins so fast it burned. It wasn’t sudden fear. It wasn’t new. She’d been afraid before she ever walked into this room, and that realisation snapped something tightly inside him. That Alpha had done this.That bastard was already moving her, pushing her back, positioning himself between them like a shield. Keeping her from him.His lips peeled back into a snarl before he was aware of it.“She. Is. Mine.”The wolf ignored him and touched her again when she tried to come forward.The sound that tore out of his chest wasn’t a word. It wasn’t something he recognised as his own. It rolled through the room, vibrating through stone and bone alike. The warriors a
Marcus watched them as they filtered into the spacious hotel lounge, each delegation peeling off into their chosen clusters, already posturing before the evening had officially begun. Drinks before dinner; a chance to mingle and network. Assessing the room before the real games started. On the surface, everything was going according to plan. But he couldn’t relax. Something was wrong. The sensation had hit him without warning as soon as Aidan left him alone at the apartment. A sharp, visceral pull low in his chest that stole the air from his lungs.Dani was back. His heart stuttered, then slammed violently against his ribs as the bond flared to life. Every instinct he had surged forward at once, screaming at him to find her. What the hell was she doing there? Had she finally learned the truth? Had something gone wrong? Had she decided she couldn’t stay away after all? Or had she been dragged back into his world against her will?The ward had been loosened in specific areas to al
“You’re different.”The words landed softly, which made them worse.Dani lifted her gaze to the male sitting across from her in the suite’s lounging area, then dropped it just as quickly. She had chosen to sit on the couch rather than look around the suite. Anything to stay out of the bedroom. She didn’t need to look to know there would be only one bed. “How so?” she asked, keeping her voice level.“You’ve been more pliable,” Ethan said. “Submissive.”Her jaw tightened.“Is that not what you want?”“It would be,” he replied, “if I didn’t know you. There isn’t a submissive bone in your body, Danielle.” He lifted the glass she’d poured for him earlier, the amber liquid catching the light as he took a slow sip. She watched the motion despite herself, her attention snagging on meaningless details because it was easier than thinking about what was really happening. “Well,” she said quietly, “I do have my best friend’s life in my hands.”Ethan laughed. It wasn’t loud, but amused, as if s
Dani was a wreck by the time the convoy reached the checkpoint at the Scarlet City boundary. The closer they got, the worse it became. The bond didn’t just stir; it flared, it roared to life, like it had been waiting for this exact moment. How was this possible?She hadn’t taken his blood in days. She’d done everything she could to put distance between herself and Marcus, and yet the pull wrapped tighter with every mile. It slid under her skin, into her chest, making it harder to breathe.Would it happen again? Would her body betray her the moment she saw him? Would she lose control the way she had before? Would she forget every reason she’d had to lie to him, to push him away, to keep him safe from the mess she was trapped in?And worse, would he even want her anymore?The thought hurt more than she expected. She swallowed and shifted in her seat, pressing her hands to her thighs like she could anchor herself. This time, she wouldn’t be alone. She had her Alpha sitting inches away
Marcus gave the hotel one last scan. The venue wasn’t as prestigious as Dominick Chambers’ hotel, but it would do. And it wasn’t fucking glass, which counted as a win. Each delegation had its own floor with its people, and the Elders had insisted on staying at the hotel, too. A show of confidence, they’d claimed. Proof to the Council that the attack on the previous hotel had been a one-off.They hadn’t listened to him. Again. As if his decisions hadn’t been the reason they’d won the war in the first place. He wasn’t taking chances with their lives. A two-mile radius around the hotel had been cleared. The League was positioned strategically, patrols doubled, and access locked down. No one and nothing would get near the area without authorisation. There were still issues at the outer checkpoints, but Gray would shut that down. At least for the next few days, while the Council remained. After the delegates left, firmer action would follow.Everyone in the vicinity had been vetted—th
A fancy black SUV with tinted windows waited outside for Dani the following morning at an ungodly hour. Dani paused in the doorway, one hand still on the handle, and stared at it. A massive Hunter stood by the rear door, already watching her. Waiting. He straightened the moment she stepped onto the porch, his body language stiff and formal, like she was already Ethan’s property instead of a daughter standing outside her father’s home. She sighed and pulled the door shut behind her. The lock clicked loudly in her head, like it was a bad omen. The Hunter opened the back door without a word, and she slid inside, bracing herself. A woman was already seated there. Angela. She sat with a laptop balanced neatly on her lap, fingers moving briskly, her eyes fixed on the screen. The Alpha’s assistant. Of all the females Ethan could have sent, he’d chosen her. Over the years, they clashed many times.She shut the door and leaned back, deliberately claiming space. Angela flicked her gaze up, a







