My teeth graze her inner thigh, leaving marks that will fade too quickly for my liking. But the true mark, that will last forever. When she’s trembling beneath me, skin flushed and eyes glowing silver with need, I rise above her, positioning myself at her entrance. Our bodies align perfectly, as if made for each other.
“You’re mine,” I growl, my canines lengthening as the wolf rises closer to the surface. I thrust into her, hard and deep, her wet heat enveloping me. “Say it.”
“Yours,” she gasps, her nails digging into my shoulders, her legs wrapping around my waist, urging me deeper. “Always yours.”
I pound into her, each thrust claiming her more thoroughly than the last. Her moans fill the room, a symphony of submission that spurs me on. I can feel her tightening around me, her body coiling with impending release.
I sink my teeth into the junction where her neck meets her shoulder, breaking skin. The taste of her blood ignites something ancient, something changes within me, as the mating bond flares to life betweenus, binding us eternally. Her scream of pleasure-pain mingles with my possessive growl as our bodies and souls become one.
The bond snaps into place, and every wolf in the territory feels it. She is mine. And I am hers.
15
Selena’s POV
The bond snaps into place with such force that I flinch on the bed. Power surges through my veins like liquid fire, and suddenly I can feel them all, every wolf in our territory, their emotions crashing over me in waves. Fear. Confusion. Panic.
“Something’s wrong,” I whisper, my eyes meeting Rylan’s. We dress quickly and rush down the packhouse stairs into the clearing.
A desperate howl pierces the night, followed by screams that chill my blood. Not just any howl, a warning. We’re under attack.
“Rogues at the northern border!” A warrior bursts into the clearing, blood streaming down his arm. “At least thirty of them. They’ve broken through the first line!”
Chaos erupts around me. Warriors shout over one another, some already shifting, others frozen in indecision. I feel their fear pulsing through the pack bonds, so many connections suddenly alive in my mind, overwhelming yet crystal clear.
Without thinking, I step forward. “Enough.”
I don’t raise my voice, yet everyone falls silent. The power in my single word ripples through the clearing like a physical force.
“Delta team, go south. Beta, east. Gamma, west. The rest of you come north with Rylan and me.”
I turn to Rylan’s parents, Alpha Roland and Luna Vivienne, and continue, "Move the women, children, and elderly into the packhouse safe room.”
“Healers, prepare for casualties.” The commands flow from me like instinct. “Move. Now.”
They obey instantly. Not human. Not omega. Lycan, truly Lycan, and every wolf before me recognizes it in their bones.
Rylan’s eyes meet mine with fierce pride. “Together,” he says, and it’s not a question.
We run as one toward the northern border, shifting mid-stride. My wolf emerges without pain now, she is me, I am her, and the distinction has vanished. My paws hit the earth with purpose, my white fur gleaming under the moonlight. Rylan’s massive black form runs beside me, not ahead, not behind, but at my flank where he belongs.
The scent of blood and unfamiliar wolves grows stronger. We crest the hill and see them, rogues tearing through our warriors, their eyes wild with bloodlust. Without hesitation, I launch myself into the fray.
I take down a rogue twice my size, my teeth finding his throat with deadly precision. Another lunges at me from the side, but I’m already pivoting, using the momentum to slash across his flank. These aren’t calculated human moves, this is pure Lycan instinct, ancient and powerful.
Rylan and I move like we share a single mind. When I lunge left, he covers right. When he draws three rogues toward him, I circle behind them. We don’t need words or signals; the mate bond pulses between us, stronger than any battle strategy.
A massive gray rogue slams into my side, sending me tumbling toward a ravine. Before I can regain my footing, Rylan is there, his powerful jaws clamping down on the attacker’s spine with a sickening crack. His eyes meet mine, concerned but not patronizing.
I have no time to acknowledge him before two more rogues charge us. Rylan moves to intercept both, but I’m faster. I leap over his back in a fluid arc, taking down the larger one while he handles the other. The rogue beneath me struggles, but I’m stronger than I look. When Rylan turns to help, I’ve already subdued my opponent, my jaws steady around his throat.
I don’t need saving,I project through our bond.
I never thought you did,comes his immediate reply, respect evident in every word.
Around us, the tide is turning. Our pack warriors fight with renewed vigor, drawing strength from our example. Where there was chaos, now there is coordination. Where there was fear, now there is fierce determination. The rogues begin to fall back, unprepared for such unified resistance.
When the last rogue either flees or falls, I stand tall among the battlefield, blood matting my white fur. I shift back to human form, unconcerned with my nakedness. Someone drapes a cloak over my shoulders, but I barely notice. The pack gathers around us, their expressionstransformed. They look at me differently now, not with curiosity or suspicion, but with reverence.
