Chapter 3 - chapter 2

### Chapter 2: Chains of Vengeance 🐾🔥🌙

**Dorian's POV**

My wolf is a storm inside me, clawing at my ribs, howling for blood. Lia's blood. Her defiance, her *hate*—it's like a blade twisting in my gut, and I can't decide if I want to crush her or claim her.

I sit in the war room, the firelight spitting shadows across the stone walls, each flicker feeding the rage burning through me.

She stabbed Rick. Again. After everything, she still thinks she can fight us. Fight *me*. The mate bond pulses in my chest, a sick reminder that she's ours, whether she likes it or not. And I hate how much I like it. 🐺

The pack house reeks of ale and smoke, the air thick with the scent of Lycans—my kind, my brothers.

The war room's packed with them, their laughter and boasts bouncing off the walls, but it's all noise to me.

My eyes are fixed on Eric, who's kneeling by Rick, wrapping a bandage around his shoulder where Lia's knife struck. Blood stains the cloth, dark and wet, and my jaw clenches.

Rick's head is bowed, his hazel eyes glued to the floor like he's ashamed to exist. Pathetic. He's always been the soft one, the one who looks at her like she's more than an omega. Like she's not the enemy who's tried to kill us twice now.

I shove my chair back, the screech cutting through the room's din. Every eye turns to me, but I don't care.

I stalk toward Rick, my boots heavy on the stone floor, my wolf snarling louder with every step. He flinches as I approach, but he doesn't look up. Weak. Too damn weak.

I grab his chin, my fingers rough, forcing his face up until his eyes meet mine. They're wide, pleading, like a pup caught in a trap.

"Why the hell are you soft on her?" I snap, my voice low, a growl edging every word. "She tried to kill you before, Rick. Sliced you open like you were nothing. And now? This is the second time she's drawn your blood. You think she gives a damn about you?"

He swallows hard, his voice barely a whisper. "Can't we… forgive her?"

I laugh, sharp and cold, the sound slicing through the room like a whip. The other Lycans fall silent, watching, waiting. They know better than to interrupt me when I'm like this.

"Forgive her?" I say, my grip tightening on his chin, making him wince. "We're Lycan brothers, Rick. We don't do forgiveness. Not for an omega who thinks she can take us down."

My wolf surges, urging me to make him understand, to make them all understand.

"We're not bound by blood, but by something stronger. The bond we share—the one that makes us Alphas. And Lia? She's gonna pay for every drop of pain she's caused. Every. Single. One."

I lean closer, my face inches from his, and I can smell his fear, his hesitation. It's maddening. But he's my brother, bond or not, and I need him to be strong.

I press a kiss to his cheek, slow and deliberate, letting my breath linger against his skin. His eyes stared, his breath hitching, and I hold his gaze, my voice dropping to a murmur.

"Be a good boy, Rick," I say, my words soft but laced with steel. "Stay away from her. You're too soft, and she'll use that to gut you again. Don't make me clean up your mess."

I glance at Eric, who's watching us with that cold, unreadable stare of his. His hands are still, the bandage tied off, but I can see the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw ticks.

He gets it. He knows Lia's a threat, even if Rick's too blind to see it.

"Take him to his room," I tell Eric, my voice flat. "Keep him away from Lia. He's gotten too weak for her games."

Eric nods, his eyes narrowing as he hauls Rick to his feet. Rick stumbles, his shoulder still bleeding under the bandage, but he doesn't argue. Good. At least one of them listens.

Rick's voice pipes up as I turn to leave, small and hesitant, like he's afraid of the answer. "Where are you going, Dorian?"

I pause, a smirk tugging at my lips. I glance back, letting my eyes glint with the promise of what's coming.

"To see our beloved mate," I say, my voice dripping with mockery, each word a taunt.

Rick's face falls, his eyes flickering with something like pain, but I don't care. I walk out, my boots echoing on the stone floor, each step stoking the fire in my chest. Lia thinks she can run, thinks she can fight. She's about to learn how wrong she is. 🌑

The pack house is a fortress of cold stone and flickering torches, the halls narrow and suffocating. The air grows heavier as I descend to the cellar, the iron door creaking under my hand.

This is where we keep the troublemakers, the ones who think they can defy us. And Lia? She's the worst of them. I push the door open, the sound loud in the silence, and there she is.

Curled against the damp stone wall, her dark hair a tangled mess, her eyes blazing with defiance even as her body trembles.

The chains around her wrists clink as she shifts, pressing herself closer to the wall when she sees me, like she can hide from me. Like she's *scared*. It's almost enough to make me laugh. Almost. 🩸✨

I step closer, my shadow swallowing her, and crouch until we're eye to eye. Her scent hits me—wildflowers and fury, mixed with the faint tang of fear.

It's intoxicating, and I hate how it pulls at me, how the mate bond twists my insides even when I want to break her.

"What's this? The brave Lia's scared now?" I taunt, my voice low, teasing, but there's an edge to it I can't hide.

"Where's the fire, huh? The one who tried to kill me, who thought she could take on three Alphas?"

Her eyes snap to mine, burning with hate, and it's like a spark igniting something dangerous in me.

"I'll make you suffer," she spits, her voice shaking but sharp as a blade. "For everything you've done. For killing my parents."

I laugh again, the sound harsh, echoing off the cellar walls. She's got nerve, I'll give her that.

I grab her arm, yanking her to her feet, my fingers digging into her skin. She gasps, but she doesn't back down, her eyes locked on mine.

I slide my hand to her neck, holding her just tight enough to feel her pulse race under my thumb. It's fast, wild, and it makes my wolf howl.

"You're so sure I killed them?" I growl, leaning in until my breath brushes her lips, close enough to taste her defiance. "You think you saw me, omega? Even with those weak little eyes of yours?"

"I'm not blind," she hisses, her voice raw with fury, her body trembling under my grip. "I saw you. I know what you did. Even an omega can see a monster."

Her words hit like a punch, but I don't let it show. My wolf snarls, wanting to shut her up, to make her feel the bond she's fighting. Instead, I tighten my grip, just enough to make her wince.

"You're weak, Lia," I say, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Keep fighting like this, and you'll die. That fire of yours? It's nothing but a spark now."

She glares up at me, her chest heaving, her eyes glinting with defiance that makes my blood burn. "I'd rather die than be mated to you," she says, her words cutting like a blade. "To any of you."

A growl rumbles in my chest, my wolf roaring at her rejection. I want to shake her, to make her feel the weight of the bond she's spitting on.

But I let go, stepping back, my eyes locked on hers. "Suit yourself," I say, my voice cold as ice. "But don't come crying when it gets worse."

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