All Chapters of Violet CLAW: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"Really, Blake?" I let out a dry, jagged laugh that cut through the tension in the room. "I remember you saying you’d rather exile yourself to the frozen wastes than share a den with Talia. What changed? Did her family’s territory suddenly make her scent more bearable?"Talia’s face flushed a blotchy, angry red. She snarled, her upper lip curling to reveal small, sharp canines. "You bitter bitch! How dare you speak to the future Luna of this pack like that?"I didn't blink. "Future Luna? I didn't realize the Ryder pack had lowered its standards to 'whoever is left standing after the bankruptcy.' Good for you, Talia. You finally found a way to be wanted—by being a consolation prize.""Cora, enough!" Blake snapped, though he looked more humiliated than angry. "Don't take your bitterness out on her. Talia’s family is loyal, which is more than I can say for yours."Diane Ryder stepped forward, her presence heavy and suffocating. "I thought you were a lady of the High Pack, Ivy. It seems l

It was Monday. I raced toward Pacific Heights Medical Center. While the Ryder world thrived on power and territory, I spent my days as a low-level healer-in-training, an intern in the frantic chaos of the Emergency Ward. My stipend was barely enough to keep me in wolf-kibble, let alone pay for elite life support.Sally Gray, my fellow intern and the only one who hadn't abandoned me when my father, Richard, was imprisoned, handed me a breakfast wrap."You're late, Ivy. Oversleep?""Something like that," I muttered, pulling on my white medical coat.Sally leaned in, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You're glowing, though. Did you finally let a certain someone past your scent-guard?"My face burned. I could almost feel the weight of Cole’s hands on my waist from the night before. "Don't be ridiculous.""Liar. I’ve seen enough mating marks to know that flush. And girl... pull up your collar. You’ve got a shadow on your neck that looks suspiciously like a high-ranking bite."I yanked the

My pride was already a jagged mess, but I wasn't about to let the lie stand."She claimed my bloodline was a curse and said my mother deserved to burn," I snapped, the words tasting like copper. "That’s why I struck her."I don't know why I felt the need to justify myself to Cole. We were barely more than strangers bound by a night of heat and a whiskey contract, yet I didn't want him seeing me as some feral, unhinged omega. But as the silence stretched, I realized how futile it was. Blake had known me for years, and he’d chosen the lie. Why would the Ice King of the West Coast be any different?Frustrated and blinking back stinging heat in my eyes, I turned and bolted toward the hospital elevators. I didn't see Cole's expression shift into something dark and tectonic."Did you hear her?" Cole’s voice drifted after me, cold enough to crack bone. "The girl spoke the truth. Your little scavenger deserved the blow." He shoved Blake’s hand away with enough force to make the younger wolf s

I stood frozen as I caught his silhouette through the glass of the SkyDeck 71 boutique. Across the rain-slicked road, Cole Ryder sat in the shadows of his sleek transport, his golden eyes tracking my every move.In the fractured light of the city, he looked less like a tycoon and more like a mythic predator carved from obsidian. My heart did a frantic, stuttering dance against my ribs. Since my father’s imprisonment and our pack’s ruin, I had been treated like a stray. Even Blake, the man who had promised me a lifetime of loyalty, had turned his back on my suffering. Yet Cole—the "Ice King" who should have looked down on a fallen socialite like me—had stepped into the fray to shield me time and again.My heart wasn't made of silver; it could be melted. But I forced myself to look away. A man of his standing, an Alpha of his pedigree, could claim any Luna on the West Coast. A disgraced Mercer was a fleeting distraction, not a mate.While I struggled with my pride, Noah Pierce stepped u

On the terrace, I finally reached my breaking point. I looked at Blake—the man I’d once thought I’d lead a pack with—and saw only a stranger."I’m done, Sally," I whispered as we stepped back into the gilded chaos of the Great Hall. "Let’s just go home.""What? Did that spineless mutt say something to you?" Sally’s eyes darted around, ready to snap at anyone who looked at me sideways. She saw the redness in my eyes and her hackles rose."No. I’m just... finished. With all of it."I realized then that even if Blake crawled back on his knees, it was over. But more than that, the realization hit me like a silver bullet: Cole Ryder was never meant for me. He was the High Alpha, the king of Ryder Global, and the uncle of my ex. We were two different species of the same race. My infatuation was a fever dream, fueled by a few moments of cold care that I’d mistaken for something real."Fine," Sally said, squeezing my hand. "Let’s get out of this den of vipers."We turned to leave, but Talia’s