"She's a wolf, Darius. She can't possibly be your mate."
One of the soldier's voice cut through the night air, harsh and defiant, but it barely registered to me. My pulse was roaring in my ears, louder than the crackle of the campfire, louder than the rattle of my cage.
Mate.
That was what he'd said. The word still hung in the air like a brand, burning through me. My heart lurched painfully inside my chest, and my wolf, the weak, broken thing that she was—stirred restlessly against my ribs, as though answering some silent call.
Darius didn't flinch. His eyes, molten gold under the firelight, stayed locked on me. He didn't even look at the soldier who had dared to question him. He just inhaled again, sharp, deliberate, and the air around us shifted.
"She is mine," he growled, each syllable vibrating with a dangerous certainty.
The two soldiers exchanged looks. One of them, the taller one with scars running down his jaw, probably his Beta from the looks of the fort name calling,stepped forward, his tone cautious but insistent. "Alpha, think. She's weak. A half-breed. Probably cast out from whatever pack didn't want her. She's not worthy of you. Not worthy of your bloodline."
A low sound rolled from Darius's chest, something primal and terrifying. The kind of sound that made the hair on my arms rise and my stomach twist with dread.
"Are you questioning me?" he asked softly, too softly.
The scarred soldier stiffened, bowing his head at once. "Never, Alpha. I just—"
"Enough." Darius's voice cracked like a whip. "Do you think I do not know my own mate when I scent her?"
Silence fell over the camp. Even the night seemed to hold its breath.
"Forgive me Alpha," the man muttered bowing his head.
I wanted to speak, to deny it, to tell him he was wrong. That I couldn't be his mate. That he must have made a mistake. But the words lodged in my throat, strangled by the weight of his stare.
Darius crouched low before my cage, bringing himself eye-level with me. Up close, the sheer force of him was suffocating. His scent, earth and sweat, smoke and something darker wrapped around me, filling every breath. My fingers tightened against the iron bars, more for balance than defiance.
"Your name?" he demanded.
As much as I didn't want to respond I found myself opening up upon one his commanding tone.
My lips trembled, my voice hoarse. "Rain."
Something flickered in his eyes. Not softness no, never that, but something fierce, something dominant. "Rain," he repeated, tasting the sound of it on his tongue.
And by the gods my insides turned, I felt hot all over.
The second soldier shifted uncomfortably. "Alpha, what do you want us to do with her?"
Darius still on his knees inspecting like I was some animal that his trap caught. "She comes with me."
"But—"
The growl that ripped from his chest was so violent, so sharp, the wolves around the camp instantly lowered their heads, baring their throats in submission. Even the scarred soldier dropped to one knee.
"I said," Darius snarled, "she comes with me."
The finality in his tone left no room for argument.
My stomach dropped. My breath hitched in terror. He didn't even know me, and yet he now owned me just like that. Claimed me in a way Caius never had, not with this kind of unshakable certainty.
I curled into myself, pressing back against the cold bars, wishing they could swallow me whole. I'd already been betrayed, humiliated, cast aside. Now I was caged and caught in the grip of another Alpha, a stranger, a danger, a wolf or worse a Lycan Alpha whose very presence rattled the deepest part of me.
And he called me mate.
He rose to his full height, cloak shifting around him like a shadow come alive. His gaze swept the soldiers before landing back on me. "We leave at dawn for my brothers' territory. The royal summit waits for no one." His tone brooked no hesitation. "Clean her. Dress her. She will be brought to my tent before we ride."
Shock rippled through the soldiers. One dared to mutter, "Alpha—"
"Do you intend to defy me twice in one night?" Darius's voice cut like a blade, and the man dropped to his knees, throat bared in instant submission.
Darius turned away, dismissing them as though they were insects, his focus already moving elsewhere. "See to it now," he ordered.
The cage jolted, chains rattling as they dragged me again, this time not deeper into the woods but toward the campfire where crude tents circled like teeth around prey. My heart thudded erratically, every step making my stomach twist tighter.
I squeezed my eyes shut, teeth gritted against the wave of helplessness rising inside me. I'd been cast out once already, stripped of my place and dignity. Now, it seemed, I had fallen straight into another snare.
But this one… this one was far more dangerous.
Because Darius didn't just want me near him. I could instantly feeling him almost rejecting the pull between us.
Not that I minded, because I never expected to be mates to anyone let alone an alpha.
The tent smelled of fire-roasted meat, leather, and
Him.
His scent was intoxicating and draining, like being high from wine on a full moon.
It was addictive
Across from me, he reclined in his chair, broad shoulders stretched beneath the dark leather of his cloak. A small table separated us, set with plates of roasted meat, bread, and fruit. He ate in silence at first, the scrape of his knife and the occasional crackle from the fire filling the tent. Every now and then, I felt his gaze flick to me, sharp and assessing, before he returned to his food.
Finally, he set his knife down. "Eat."
The command startled me. My lips parted, but no words came out. I shook my head.
Golden eyes pinned me in place. "You will need strength for the road. Tomorrow is not a short journey."
Still, my throat refused to work. My stomach twisted too tightly to even think of food.
"I said—eat." This time, his voice dropped lower, carrying that same unyielding Alpha tone that made his soldiers drop to their knees earlier.
My trembling hand reached out. I tore a small piece of bread and forced it into my mouth. It tasted like ash on my tongue, but it was enough to make him look away again, satisfied for now.
For a while, the silence stretched. Too heavy. Too unbearable.
Then his voice came again, low and even. "What is your name?"
I hesitated confused, he had just asked me my name minutes ago. But instead of remaining silent I answered with my voice barely audible. "Rain."
"Rain," he repeated,
And yet again I was a pool of heat and moist. If he could smell me from there he definitely hid it too well
"Strange name for someone who smells like—" He paused, looking up at me with undeniable heat in his eyes.
I shifted in my seat feeling hot under his gaze.
His knife tapped lightly against the rim of his plate. "Where were you headed when my soldiers found you?"
The truth clawed at my throat, but I kept my eyes on the table. "Nowhere."
He tilted his head, studying me in a way that made my skin prickle. "No wolf runs for nothing."
I said nothing. My tongue was a stone in my mouth.
Darius leaned back in his chair, still watching me. "Do you always refuse questions?"
My jaw clenched. "Do you always expect answers?" Already regretting my response as my wolf whimpered.
The corner of his mouth curved, not quite a smile, more a flicker of interest. He drank from his cup slowly, eyes never leaving me.
"Sharp tongue for someone in your position," he murmured.
Heat flared in my cheeks, but I bit down on my lip to stop a reply.
He set the cup aside, his tone shifting, firmer now. "At dawn, we ride to my brothers' territory. The royal summit begins by midday. You will not leave my side."
My stomach churned, but I nodded, because I didn't have a choice.
"Good," he said, his voice like closing steel. Then he gestured to the food again. "Eat more. You'll need it."