Warning

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The words hung between us, sharp and heavy, filling the room with a silence so taut it felt like it could snap at any second.

I couldn’t look away from him — from the blood streaking his collar, from the storm brewing in those silver eyes that seemed to see right through me.

My voice was a whisper, barely holding steady.

“What do you mean… he won’t be the one choosing?”

He stepped closer, closing the distance until the shadows bent around him, until his presence filled every inch of the room. His scent — smoke, pine, and something darker — curled around me, tightening the knot in my chest.

“Because,” his voice dropped, rough and low, “you were never his to claim.”

My heart skipped, a tremor running through my veins. “I don’t belong to anyone,” I shot back, though it came out weaker than I intended, betraying the fear and the pull I refused to name.

His lips curved, not in a smile, but something far more dangerous — a promise, a threat. “Not yet.”

The fire cracked, a sharp pop that jolted me, breaking the moment, but not the heat threading through the air.

And then, in the distance, the valley roared to life — the howl of the pack rising in unison, sharp and urgent. A warning.

His head tilted, muscles tensing. “They’re coming,” he muttered, more to himself than to me. His eyes found mine again, sharper now, urgent. “We don’t have much time.”

Fear coiled in my stomach like a living thing. “Time for what?”

“To make sure they never touch you again.”

I swallowed hard, words caught in my throat, but before I could speak, he was in motion — pulling a cloak from a carved wooden chest, tossing it toward me.

“Put this on. Keep the hood up. No one can see you until I say so.”

Every instinct screamed at me to run, to fight, to do something, but my hands moved on their own, gripping the heavy fabric and draping it around my shoulders. It smelled like him — sharp, wild, electric.

His fingers brushed against mine as he adjusted the clasp, a fleeting touch that sent a rush of heat spiraling through me.

“You’re trembling,” he said quietly, and for the first time, there was no command in his voice. Just… something softer. Something that made my chest ache.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” I admitted, my voice cracking under the weight of it all. “I don’t know who you are, or why—”

“You don’t need to,” he interrupted, his tone final, but his eyes — gods, his eyes — burned with something I didn’t dare name. “Not yet. Just trust me.”

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the tunnels, growing louder with every passing second. He turned, his entire body coiled, ready, dangerous.

When he spoke again, it was a whisper meant only for me, but it sank into my bones like a vow.

“No one will take you from me. Not him. Not anyone.”

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Outside, the howls grew louder, more frenzied.

The ceremony was beginning.

And somewhere deep in the valley, the alpha prince — the one everyone said was destined to choose me — was coming.

But for the first time, I wasn’t sure if my fate was mine to decide… or if it had already been rewritten by the man standing in front of me.

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