Chapter 13
Alpha Jack.
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I watch her my mate–the woman I have spent my life impatiently waiting for. She lifts her chin, those fierce emerald eyes locking onto mine without a trace of submission. Her lips curl into a smirk, sharp and teasing–almost daring.
“I’m not one to be broken, Jack.”
Fuck. The way she says my name ignites something dark inside me.
“But I’d love to see you try.”
Her words slither through the space between us like a challenge–bold, reckless. No woman has ever dared to look me in the eyes, much less speak back to me with such confidence. But this one? My mate? She has no fear.
I should be furious, but instead, I’m intrigued. My fingers twitch with the urge to grab her by the throat, force her to kneel, and make her understand who she belongs to. But I won’t.
When I imagined my mate, I pictured a soft, delicate woman–one who would bow at my command, whisper my name with reverence. A woman I could shield, one who would seek comfort in my strength, who would let me protect her without question. A woman like my mother, my sisters, like every other female in my pack who knows her place beneath me.
Instead, I got her.
She stands tall, her athletic frame honed from years of training–nothing like the women of my pack, who are small, dainty creatures bred for submission. Herraven–black hair cascades down her back, framing a face that should belong to a Luna, not a woman thrown into a pit like an animal. And her eyes… they burn with an inner fire that dares me to strike her down.
Every part of her is a challenge.
I don’t know whether to crush her or keep her. For the first time in my life, i don’t know what to feel. But one thing is certain–my life will never be boring again.
My fingers flex unconsciously before I release my grip, careful not to bruise her smooth, perfect skin beneath them. It infuriates me that I even care. I
don’t do soft. I don’t do careful.
Just then, my warriors step forward, ready to escort her to the mating chamber as I ordered. But before they can lay a hand on her, she growls–low, dangerous.
“Don’t put your filthy hands on me. I will walk on my own. Lead the way.”
Her command rings with such authority that even my seasoned warriors freeze, hesitant. They are used to silent, obedient women, not one who gives orders like she belongs here.
A slow, dark smile spreads across my lips as I watch them step back. They fear my wrath more than hers, yet still, they obey. Interesting.
Just as she strides past me, one of my warriors clears his throat and bows his head, his voice uncertain.
“Alpha…”
“Speak.” My voice is edged with impatience.
He swallows hard. “She… she clawed out the general’s eye. That’s why he threw her into the Black Hole. His ego was wounded.”
I tilt my head, studying her anew. A woman who tore apart a man twice her size? I almost want to laugh.
In my world, women don’t fight. They exist to serve. To please. To obey. They are born into submission, raised to know their place beneath men like me.
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Chapter 13
They do not raise their voices. They are possessions–meant to be controlled, protected, used. They are either mated to strong males or sold off to forge alliances.
My mother had been the embodiment of that tradition. Even after my father’s death, she remained by his grave, faithful until her last breath, as was expected of a mate. I had built a house for her beside his tomb, a monument to her devotion.
My sisters, Alpha–born, were no different. Despite their lineage, they had bowed to the customs, marrying strong warriors and remaining unwaveringly loyal to their mates.
But my mate?
She is chaos. She is wild. She is everything a woman in my pack is not.
She isn’t like them. She isn’t like anyone I’ve ever known.
And that is going to be a problem.
I don’t like what that means for me.
My fingers tighten behind my back as I watch her shadow disappear, my expression unreadable.
I hadn’t killed the commander for throwing my mate into the pit. No, I had killed him because he dared to insult her in my presence, even after learning who she was–my mate, his Luna. That was an insult to me as Alpha, a direct challenge to my authority. And no man–not even my own blood–could be allowed to question my power.
My uncle will rage when he learns of his son’s death.
Good.
He has hated me for years. Our history is drenched in blood. He ambushed my father when he was weak and sick, hoping to claim the Alpha position for himself. But even at fourteen, I was stronger. I defeated him and took my rightful place.
Killing his son only makes us even. After all, he took my father’s life.
My uncle can do nothing. He knows better than to challenge me. My rule is law, my word absolute. I built this pack on fear and dominance, and I will not tolerate disrespect–not even from my own kin.
But my mate… she is testing me in ways no one ever has.
She had pleaded for the life of that weak, fragile man who had been thrown into the pit before her. Even in the face of her own danger, she had fought for someone else. I had seen the fire in her eyes when I signalled my warriors to throw him back into the abyss. She had moved before she could think, instinct driving her forward to save him.
But I had stopped her. My hand curled around her wrist, holding her back as the sparks of the mate bond surged between us. She gasped, eyes snapping to mine in shock. And in that moment, as my warriors obeyed my silent command and tossed the man into the darkness below, I saw something in her gaze that made me breathless.
Horror.
She looked at me as if I were a monster.
She doesn’t know I am worse than a monster.
She doesn’t know the man she risked her life for was an assassin sent to kill me. That I couldn’t let him walk free. That I had used her refusal to accept my
deal as an excuse to do what had to be done.
She will learn.
In time, she will understand the world she has been thrust into. And I will enjoy breaking her–piece by piece–until she accepts it. Until she submits to
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Chapter 13
me, as a Luna should.
This should be interesting.
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