Ashen's POV
The second the fight started, Adam came at me fast,too fast for someone who just got his ass kicked yesterday.
I dodged his first swing, countering with a sharp jab to his ribs. He grunted but barely flinched, his smirk still in place.
Cocky bastard.
He swung again, aiming for my face, but I ducked, moving swiftly to his side. Before he could react, I slammed my foot into the back of his knee, making him stumble.
"Still standing?" I taunted, cracking my knuckles.
Adam snarled, wiping sweat from his brow. "You're dead, little wolf."
I grinned. "Come and try."
He lunged,this time, his movements wilder, fueled by frustration. I let him come closer, let him think he had the upper hand.
Then, just as he threw another punch—
I caught his wrist and twisted.
Adam cried out, but I wasn't done. I kicked his legs out from under him, slamming him onto the ground.
Hard.
The impact sent a sharp echo through the training ground. Warriors stopped what they were doing, eyes turning toward us.
Adam groaned, but I didn't let go. I pressed my knee against his chest, keeping him pinned.
"You should've learned your lesson yesterday," I muttered.
His glare burned into me, but I could see it—the slight flicker of unease in his eyes.
Good.
I was about to get up when—
"Enough."
The command came sharp, deep, and absolute.
My entire body tensed before my brain even caught up.
I knew that voice.
The scent that followed intoxicating, suffocating made my chest tighten.
Dominic.
Slowly, I turned my head.
He stood a few feet away, arms crossed, golden eyes locked onto me.
I swallowed hard.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
"You just got here, and you're already starting fights?" His voice was calm, but there was something beneath it a quiet, simmering anger.
I forced myself to look unaffected. "It wasn't my fault."
Dominic's jaw ticked. "I don't care.My office. Now."
Something in me shivered at the command.
Not out of fear.
Out of something much worse.
I clenched my fists and got off Adam, stepping back. I didn't look at Dominic as I walked past him.
I stormed into Dominic's office, my pulse still hammering from the fight and maybe from something else I refused to acknowledge.
The room was dimly lit, the scent of leather and something deeply masculine clinging to the air.
I refused to sit. I refused to even look at him properly as he stepped in behind me, closing the door with a quiet click.
"Are you always this reckless?" His voice was calmer now, but there was a dangerous edge beneath it.
I crossed my arms, keeping my back straight. "I handled it."
"You nearly broke his ribs."
"He deserved it."
Silence. A heavy, charged silence.
Then, a low exhale.
Dominic took a step closer. I felt it before I saw it,the warmth of his body, the weight of his presence.
I still didn't look at him.
"You fight too hard," he said, voice lower now. Too close. "Like you have something to prove."
I stiffened. "I fight to win."
Dominic hummed, like he was amused. "No. You fight to bury something."
My jaw clenched. I kept my eyes on the wall. "You don't know anything about me."
Wrong thing to say.
Because in a blink, Dominic moved.
Before I could react, before I could even think to move—
I was pinned against the wall.
The air rushed out of my lungs as his strength caged me in, his hands gripping my wrists, holding me still.
My heartbeat slammed against my ribs.
Dominic leaned in, his breath brushing against my jaw.
And I—I hated the way my instincts screamed at me to submit.
"Where's all that fight now?" he murmured.
I swallowed hard, struggling against his grip. "Let me go."
His fingers tightened slightly. "You don't really want that, do you?"
I did. I should have.
But my body was betraying me.
A flicker of something deep and terrifying coiled in my stomach as his golden eyes burned into mine.
I wasn't used to this. Feeling small.
A slight smirk tugged at his lips. "Look at you," he murmured. "For a second there… you looked a little scared."
My breath hitched.
But then his smirk widened. Amusement danced in his gaze.
"You're cute when you try to act tough."
My body flushed with heat,not just from anger, but from something far more dangerous.
Dominic's grip loosened slightly, but he didn't move away.
And the worst part?
Neither did I.
But I could feel his gaze burning into my back.
I hated this.
The way my body felt caged, the way his scent wrapped around me like a trap I couldn't escape.
Dominic was too close, too solid, his golden eyes too knowing.
I needed to move.
I had to move.
I twisted in his grip, trying to shove him off. "Get the hell off me."
Dominic didn't budge. If anything, his hold on my wrists tightened just enough to remind me of his strength.
His smirk was infuriating.
"Feisty," he mused, his voice dipping lower, almost like he was enjoying this. "I like that."
I bared my teeth. "And I hate you."
Dominic just chuckled. "No, you don't."
I struggled harder, twisting my body to break free. It was useless,his sheer size made escape impossible.
He watched me fight, like a predator amused by prey that didn't know it had already lost.
Then, just to be an ass, he leaned in even closer, his lips ghosting near my ear.
"Careful, little wolf," he murmured, mocking. "Struggling like that? You might make me think you like being handled."
My entire body flushed hot.
I froze for half a second
just half a second
but it was enough.
His smirk widened. "Oh? Got nothing to say now?"
I growled and yanked with everything I had.
Dominic let me go.
Too easily.
I stumbled back a step, breath coming too fast, hands curling into fists.
He just stood there, completely unbothered, watching me with lazy amusement.
I should've left.
I should've walked out that door and never looked back.
But instead, I stood there, chest heaving, glaring at him like I had something to prove.
Dominic tilted his head. "You done?"
I swallowed the burning frustration in my throat.
This was dangerous.
He was dangerous.
I forced my voice to stay steady. "We done here?"
He looked at me for a long moment.
Then, with a slow smirk,a knowing, taunting smirk,he leaned back against his desk.
"For now."
I turned on my heel and stormed out of Dominic's office, slamming the door behind me.
My pulse was still pounding, my skin still burning from where he had pinned me.
I hated him. I did.
The way he smirked like he knew every damn thing about me. The way his voice coiled around my spine like a command I wanted to ignore but couldn't.
And worse?
The way my body had frozen for just a second under his touch.
I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. No. No dominant will ever top me.
I walked quickly, needing to put as much distance between myself and his suffocating presence as possible.
I needed air. I needed to train.
I forced my legs to move toward the training grounds, but my mind wouldn't shut up.
Why had I reacted like that?
Why did I—
I cut off the thought before it could take root.
It was the suppressants. It had to be. The drugs had side effects, and maybe they were messing with my head, making me weak, making me—
I growled under my breath. It was nothing.
Dominic was just another arrogant Alpha. I'd dealt with his kind before.
I wouldn't let him get under my skin. Ever.
With that, I forced the memory of his grip, his teasing words, his scent out of my head—
And threw myself into training, hitting the punching bag like it was the only thing keeping me sane.