Talia learned quickly that wolves did not test you outright.
They watched.
From the moment she stepped into the morning air, she felt it...eyes following her from balconies, from the training grounds, from the shadows between the trees lining the estate. No hostility. No open challenge.
Just assessment.
She dressed carefully that morning. Nothing soft. Nothing pink. No silk or lace or anything that screamed bunny. She chose thick leggings, boots Luka had insisted on buying for her, and a dark sweater that smelled faintly of his cologne.
Even then, she felt naked.
"Relax."
Luka's voice came from behind her as he fastened his coat. He was already dressed for the day...dark, powerful, Alpha down to the way he occupied space. When he moved, people moved around him.
She envied that.
"They're staring," she muttered.
"They stare at everyone new."
"I'm not new," she said. "I'm… inconvenient."
He crossed the room in three long strides and cupped her face. "You are mine," he said softly. "That makes you permanent."
That word sent a strange mix of warmth and fear through her chest.
Permanent meant responsibility.
Permanent meant consequences.
Outside, the estate was alive with activity. Wolves sparred in human form on the training grounds, their movements fluid and violent in equal measure. Others stood in small clusters, talking in low voices that stopped when Luka passed.
Talia stayed close to him without realizing it.
"This is where they'll push," Luka murmured without looking at her. "Public space. Public scrutiny."
"Do I smile?" she whispered. "Wave?"
His mouth twitched. "Don't show your throat."
She blinked. "My… what?"
"I'm joking," he said, though his eyes stayed sharp. "Mostly."
They hadn't made it ten steps before someone blocked their path.
A man...tall, broad, with scars tracing one side of his jaw...stood with his arms crossed. His gaze went straight to Talia, slow and deliberate.
"Alpha," he said, inclining his head. "Permission to speak freely?"
Luka didn't hesitate. "Granted."
The man's eyes never left her. "She smells wrong."
The words hit like ice water.
Talia stiffened, humiliation crawling up her spine.
"She's human," Luka said evenly.
"That's the problem," the man replied. "Humans don't survive here."
Luka stepped forward, his presence shifting instantly. The air around him thickened, pressure bearing down until even Talia felt it.
"She will," Luka said. "Because I will it."
Silence fell.
The man held his gaze for a long moment, then stepped back. "As you say, Alpha."
As they walked on, Talia's heart pounded.
"That's normal?" she asked quietly.
"No," Luka said. "That was restrained."
That did not make her feel better.
The test came without warning.
They were near the outer training grounds when a sharp crack echoed through the air...wood splintering, followed by a body hitting the ground hard.
Talia turned just in time to see a young wolf...barely more than a boy...scrambling backward as a larger opponent loomed over him.
The crowd murmured.
"This isn't scheduled," she said.
"No," Luka agreed. His jaw tightened.
The larger wolf shifted, bones cracking, form blurring as claws tore through skin. He didn't fully change...but enough.
Enough to kill.
"Stop!" Talia shouted.
Every head snapped toward her.
The wolf paused, nostrils flaring as he turned slowly to look at her. His eyes were wild, yellowed with aggression.
"You don't command here," he snarled.
Before Luka could move, Talia stepped forward.
She didn't know why.
Instinct, maybe. Or fear. Or the simple refusal to watch someone die.
"He's beaten," she said, her voice shaking but loud. "You've proven your strength."
Laughter rippled through the onlookers.
The wolf advanced on her instead.
"Human prey thinks she understands dominance."
Luka's growl tore through the air like thunder.
The ground seemed to vibrate as he moved...too fast, too powerful...placing himself between them in a blink.
"Kneel," Luka said.
The command was absolute.
The wolf dropped instantly, forehead pressing into the dirt.
Silence fell so hard it rang.
Luka didn't look at Talia as he spoke. "Leave. Now."
The wolf scrambled away.
Talia stood frozen, heart slamming against her ribs.
"You shouldn't have done that," Luka said quietly once they were alone again.
"I couldn't just watch," she said.
"I know."
That was the problem.
Later, in the privacy of the mansion, Luka paced like a caged animal.
"They're provoking you," he said. "Testing your reactions. Your weaknesses."
"Am I a weakness?" she asked.
He stopped.
"No," he said firmly. "You're a risk."
She laughed weakly. "That's worse."
He approached her slowly, as if she were the one who might bolt. "You don't understand how rare it is for someone like you to stand your ground."
"I was terrified," she admitted.
"I know," he said. "You did it anyway."
His hand brushed her cheek, thumb lingering just below her lip. The contact sent a shiver through her, heat pooling low in her belly despite the tension.
"They see that," he continued. "And it scares them."
Her breath caught. "Because I'm human?"
"Because you don't submit the way prey should."
Something dark flickered in his eyes then...hunger, control, restraint wound too tight.
"Do you know what they call you when you're not around?" he asked.
She swallowed. "Tell me."
"Little bunny," he said softly. "Not as an insult."
Her pulse jumped.
"As a warning."
His thumb traced her lower lip, pressure light but deliberate. "Bunnies don't survive wolves unless a wolf chooses to protect them."
"And if the wolf doesn't?" she whispered.
His voice dropped. "Then the pack will decide whether to tear her apart or lock her away."
The weight of that truth settled over her.
Outside, a horn sounded...low, ancient.
Luka's head snapped toward the window.
"That's the boundary call," he said.
Her stomach twisted. "What does that mean?"
His eyes burned gold as he looked back at her.
"It means something crossed into our territory."
Another horn sounded.
Closer this time.
And deep in her bones, Talia felt it...
not fear, not excitement...
but the unmistakable sense that whatever was coming
was coming for her.