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ProvokingaPantherisintended for mature audiences as it weaves an enthralling romance with a daring twist—the villain claims the heart of the protagonist. This enemies-to-lovers story is fueled by heated tension and sizzling encounters that ignite the pages. However, it is essential to note that this story delves into morally gray territory, where love is entangled with darker elements.
Within these pages, you will encounter scattered instances of dark themes, including mentions of murder and threats of violence. For those into kink, some breath play is featured, as well as those spicy dominating attitudes from the love interest I know many of us crave.
Chapter One
Beneath Moonlit Shadows
Evangeline
The last slivers of sunlight peeked over the horizon, casting dancing shadows within the evergreen jungle brimming with life. My snow leopard shuddered within my mind, becoming antsy, and causing me to pace within the four walls of the expansive palace. After the general called the initiation of an infiltration of enemy lines, I eagerly seized the opportunity, bracing myself for action. My excitement quickly waned as I was summoned to the desolate palace just before our forces commenced their maneuver.
The untamed part of me longed for a run, to feel the snow-kissed wind brushing against my pelt, to expel energy as I mindlessly slaughtered, succumbing to a frenzy. For weeks now, I’d been denied the privilege of a hunt. Everyone held me in their lowest regard, just because I was born the runt of a litter and never awakened with power coursing through my veins. I strived to prove them wrong, to show them I was more than what I appeared.
Coming to a stop in front of a broad window, the group of felines with heavy gaits beckoned my attention just beyond. The world teetered on the brink of war. The call to arms echoed throughout the land, summoning warriors to take up arms and face the encroaching darkness. Like a wild tempest, the billowing storm within me yearned to join the fray, to unleash my primal instincts upon the enemy.
I could sense them, almost taste the soil they kicked up, pick up snippets of conversation carried by the wind. I terribly wished to join them into the heart of war, but the one person who could grant my participation faced me with her enigmatic glare.
“I assume you’re aware of why I summoned you here.” The panther’s voice enraptured me. I turned to face her, determined to hold my ground, to continue in defiance of whatever she’ll throw at me, hoping to keep me from the battlefield.
Clad in a form-fitting bodysuit, it melded to her lithe physique, accentuating her graceful movements as she came to a halt on the other end of the room. Her attire reflected her commanding aura and emphasized her fierce nature.
Zara Nightshade, a name whispered like a forbidden secret, was the war Manehunter—officers skilled in the art of ambush—in charge of the night’s warfare. She was also the same feline that had become the bane of my existence. She believed I belonged in the safety of the heat nests, where the vulnerable sought solace and protection from the impending storm. The moment I was recruited to join the ranks, entering as a Whiskerling, she sought to make it her mission to undermine me. To remind me of the omega blood rushing through my veins, bidding me to her command as she was an alpha. The only alpha I’ll ever defy.
She stood at the base of the hall, the epitome of commanding authority and hidden desires, surveying me with an aura of displeasure. I gaped at her, almost enthralled as the twilight sky cast shadows upon her figure. Her locks fell in luscious waves down her back, a few of the intricately woven braids adorned with silver ornaments. The mesmerizing interplay of light and shadow against her dark tresses highlighted her captivating beauty. As I faced her, lifting my chin even as my instincts shouted at me to curl into myself, frustration blossomed in my chest like a storm.
The tension in the atmosphere crackled between us like the rumble of an impending avalanche as I took a step toward her. Nostrils flaring, Zara clenched her jaw and peered at me through her lashes as I approached. The air around her crackled with restrained power, which drew me in with enigmatic charm.
“Zara, I’ve done more than enough to prove myself in training. I’m ready to go out there and face this battle with the rest of you.” I spoke with determination lacing my tone, and I wouldn’t allow her unrelenting gaze to pull me into submission. Defiance ran hot through my veins. “You can’t keep me confined to the heat nests simply because of my cursed rank.”
“Know your place,omega.” She closed the distance between us, making me swallow thickly as the warmth of her seeped into the front of my shirt. Her intoxicating scent, fresh rainfall with a hint of petrichor, filled my senses and clouded my mind, causing me to take a step back from her. The panther seized the opportunity, pleased with the dent in my spirit. “You have no right to call me by my name. In public or in enclosed spaces, you’ll refer to me as your Sergeant, lead Manehunter. Unless you wish for me to take you outside and set you in your place, I suggest you follow my orders. Are we in understanding?”
Goddess, every instinct within me was telling me to test her limits, to defy this alpha. Not for the sake of joining the battle, but to see if she could crack.
The clash of our wills resonated in the stillness of the twilight, desires intermingling like a dance on the edge of passion and surrender.
“I won’t be confined to a life of submission,” I gritted.
“I commend your enthusiasm, snow princess.” She chuckled, a sound that vibrated through me like a muse. “But the heat nests are where you belong, away from the dangers of the battlefield. I’ve been more than lenient allowing you into the courtyard to train beside betas.” Zara’s piercing gaze bore into me, her expression unmoved by my pleas. “Now is the time to face reality. Your status as omega speaks volumes about your capabilities.”
“I will prove you wrong in this decision,Sergeant.” My lip twitched from the growing irritation and angry tears brimmed in my eyes. “I’m more than my rank, more than a submissive little omega begging for an alpha’s rut.” A growl vibrated from her chest as the words left my lips, and for just a moment, I was witness to the beast lurking within the shadows she expelled. Her eyes flicked to golden, like fiery embers, exuding a magnetic allure. “I’m useful to the army and I refuse to be trampled on by you.”
Zara took my chin into her grip, forcing me to crane my neck to meet her looming stature and gaze into her serpent-green eyes that bore into me. My hand reached out to rip her off of me, but she seized my wrist effortlessly, unleashing a wave of energy that stilled me to my core as she tugged me forward so I’m pressed flush to her chest.
The breath rushed out of me, and all I could hone my senses on was the consuming presence of this alpha. The intensity—the weight of her gaze pinned me, and I couldn’t fight the rush of titillation through my veins at the sensation of having her touch upon my skin. It’s so much more than a connection between an alpha and an omega; it’s more than duty. This transcended those boundaries. There was a darkness concealed within her, one I craved to taste and become consumed by. As much as I’d grown to despise this panther, it was undeniable she ignited a passion within me, stirring my emotions.
“If you desperately wish to safeguard the kingdom, do it from within the veil.” Her tone dropped an octave, and I was enamored by the silkiness of her sultry voice. It was laced with an edge that held power, bidding me to obey. “We’ll need protection from within.”
“You leave me with no choice but to submit to your command, alpha.” My gaze narrowed, and instead of the chuckle I expected from her, Zara purred. Her hand shifted from the death grip on my chin to gently caress my jaw down to the collar of my jugular. I shuddered, my lids fluttering shut as I became consumed by that singular sound she emitted.
“Do as you’re told, Evangeline,” she whispered. “If I find you in the field,” she leaned in close, her lips grazing the shell of my ear as a warm blush painted my skin, “I won’t hesitate to kill you.”
The night air hung heavy with both tension and resignation. My mother’s hand resting on my knee kept me in place, preventing me from pacing. Upon hearing the general’s plan, the witches got to work securing the omegas into an enchanted building they conjured around our heat nests.
“Evie, you must relax,” my mother whispered to me, giving my knee a squeeze. “You’ll fall into a heat stroke at this rate.”
I wiped the bead of sweat from my forehead frustratingly. The nests were suffocating me in heat, my body not used to the climate of the jungle. Snow leopards like me were built for dense weather—snowfall and frost, not this heated, sunny oasis bullshit. My growing vexation didn’t help, and my animal craved to set foot on a blanket of snow, rub my pelt into the cushion of the delicious icy blanket.
“I know, Mom,” I grumbled. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
