The scent of iron and burning sage filled the air as Lira was dragged forward, her bare knees scraping against the stone floor of the Bloodmoon Pack's ceremonial hall. The torches flickered, casting monstrous shadows of the watching wolves along the walls. At the center of it all stood Killian, Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack, his golden eyes gleaming with cold triumph.
"You don't have to do this," Lira spat, wrenching against the guards' grip. Her wolf snarled inside her, a trapped storm of fury and fear.
Killian didn't even blink. "I don't ask for things, little wolf. I take them."
The elders began chanting, their voices a low, guttural hum that made the air vibrate. Lira's pulse pounded in her ears. She had heard stories of forced bonds—of wolves who went mad, whose wills were shattered under the weight of an Alpha's dominance.
And now it was happening to her.
Killian stepped forward, his presence suffocating. He gripped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Look at me when I claim you."
"I'd rather rot," she hissed.
A flicker of something dark passed through his eyes, amusement. Then, without another word, he bit down on her mating gland.
Pain.
White-hot and searing, like a brand pressed into her soul. Lira screamed, her back arching as the bond snapped into place, a chain of fire wrapping around her ribs, tying her to him. The pack howled in approval, but all she could hear was the rush of blood in her ears, the echo of Killian's voice in her mind:
"Mine."
Then, just as suddenly as it began, it was over.
Lira collapsed forward, gasping, her vision swimming. Killian straightened, wiping her blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. His expression was unreadable.
"Take her to my chambers,"he ordered the guards. "She stays there until I decide what to do with her."
Lira bared her teeth, even as her limbs trembled from the bond's aftershocks. "I'll slit your throat the first chance I get."
Killian smirked. "I'd like to see you try "
The door slammed shut behind her, the lock clicking an evidence of her captivity.
Amber's fingers trembled as they traced the burning mark on her neck—the Alpha's claim, seared into her skin against her will. The scent of leather filled the room, suffocating her. His room.
She stumbled to the center, her legs threatening to give out. The opulence mocked her—furs draped over the bed, weapons mounted on the walls, a fire crackling as if this were some kind of honor instead of a prison.
"wait here for the alpha,one of the guards had told her right before they they slammed the door against her face" She couldn't stay here this wasn't her home, the memories clawed at her, sharp as fangs.
Her pack had been strong once—loyal, peaceful. But when the Blood Moon War broke out, they were caught between two ruthless Alphas.
She remembered the screams of the members of her pack, the smoke, the way the victors dragged survivors away like spoils. She'd fought when they grabbed her. They'd laughed. "Pretty little Beta," one sneered. "The Alpha likes fire in his toys". She was thrown at the Alpha's feet, a sacrifice to buy mercy for the few packmates left alive. Lira's nails bit into her palms. She wouldn't accept this she and to escape for Kane. She looked around the room intimidated by the grandiose, she had never been in a room so grand, everything looked shimmery in the dull glow, she spotted a window too high. No ledge. But if she tore the sheets… the Guard – Only one outside. Distractible. The Mark – It ached, a constant pull toward him. Did he feel it too?
A knock. Her breath froze.
"Alpha's orders. You're to be prepared for him."
A female voice. Lira's lip curled. Prepared. Like a meal. A plaything.
"Go to hell," she snarled.
Silence. Then a sigh. "He'll break you faster if you fight."
She forced her voice into a sneer. "Tell your Alpha I'd rather rot than let him touch me."
A flicker of something—pity? Amusement?—crossed the woman's face before she turned. "As you wish." The door shut with a soft click.
The second the footsteps faded, lira moved.She ripped the fur blanket from the bed, knotting it with the silk sheets into a crude rope.The stone wall scraped her palms as she shoved the bed frame beneath the sill. Not enough. She'd have to jump the last few feet. Her skin burned where his teeth had pierced her. The bond pulled, a sickening lure toward him. She gritted her teeth. Ignore it.
Distantly, a snarl echoed—like he knew.
She swung her legs over, heart hammering. The courtyard below was dark, dotted with shadows. Guards? No time. She let go.
The impact sent pain shooting up her ankles, but she rolled, biting back a cry and ran .