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“Exactly what he called you. His prize. I’m glad you know your place,” I bite back.

She doesn’t respond. I watch as she disappears into the adjoining bathroom. The door slams shut, rattling in its frame.

My wolf growls, restless and agitated. Her scent lingers in the air. Wildflowers. Berries. Earth. Intoxication tinged with defiance.

I clench my fists, pacing the room. She’s a tool to use against Eldon.

That’s what I tell myself, over and over, even as I imagine her sliding out of the soft cotton pants she has on.

I imagine the fabric rolling over the smooth curve of her gorgeous ass, the slight jiggle as it makes its way down her gorgeous legs.

I don’t notice my growling until I hear the Omega whimper in the corner. The bathroom door creaks open. I turn, my breath catching despite myself.

The dress clings to her like a second skin, the deep green fabric highlighting the curve of her waist, the strength in her shoulders. Her long dark brown hair tumbles down her back, wild and untamed, and her stormy eyes meet mine with a challenge.

She looks like she’s stepped out of a dream—one I’ve been reaching for ever since she turned and walked away from me. Ever since I rejected her. And one I’ve been trying to forget ever since I learned of her recent engagement with Eldon.

Heat surges through me, unbidden and unwanted. My wolf growls again, his desire pressing against my control.

Claim her. Sink into her. Mark her. Take her.

No. My thoughts war with my wolf’s.

I shove the thought down, suppressing this weakness she triggers in me.

But I haven’t had enough of her. I want to see how she turns these flimsy dresses into something surreal.

I’m punishing myself with this. But looking at her glaring daggers at me, her brows scrunched in a petulant resistance, I can’t help myself.

I step closer, the tension between us crackling like a live wire.

Her scent, stronger than any perfume manufactured on this plane, her presence—Goddess, it’s all too much, too close.

I hold back from touching her even though every fiber of my being wants to grab her face and close the distance between us.

“Another,” I say coldly, though the words feel like ash on my tongue.

The Omega rifles through the rack, her movements jerky, her anxiety palpable.

“That one,” I say, pointing to a deep crimson dress. The color reminds me of fire and blood, of the heat that simmers between me and Hazel no matter how much I try to deny it.

Hazel glares at me before she turns in the direction of the bathroom. My wolf paces restlessly, his agitation matching my own. If she didn’t think twice of disrespecting our bond, I might as well tap into her shamelessness.

“Don’t take another step,” I order, and Hazel stops in her steps.

“What now?” she turns to glare at me.

I turn to the Omega who is waiting for her next command, though her fear shows in her eyes, wide and surprised. “Dress her…” Hazel tries to protest, but I cut her off and finish my instructions. “Here.”

The Omega bows and proceeds to peel the green dress off of Hazel.

I watch as the dress reveals her body to me.

My attention is glued to every inch of her skin, how her perfectly round breasts fall when the dress leaves them.

Her puffy, hardened nipples are begging to be sucked, the curve of her under boob resting on the toned muscles of her abdomen.

I admire the dark, peach beauty spots down her belly, her slit of her belly button.

The curve of her waist right before it flares where her hips widen. I imagine my hands grabbing onto them.

My cock starts to harden, and I know she can see the bulge through my pants as it pulses and twitches in response to her body sliding into that fiery dress. My fist tightens when the lace is pulled taught and secured behind her. The air leaves my lungs in a rush.

The dress clings to her curves, the rich fabric accentuating every line of her body. Her dark brown hair falls in loose waves over her shoulders, and her gray eyes seem brighter, sharper against the crimson.

My wolf growls low, his desire crashing through me like a tidal wave.

“Happy now?” she asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm, but I can hear the breathlessness in her voice. The increase in her heart rate. How she avoids my eyes. I can smell her. And it is torture not being able to touch her.

I swallow hard, my throat dry. The pull between us is almost unbearable. My wolf wants to close the distance, to claim her, to erase the space that separates us. But anger rears its head, sharp and blinding.

I shouldn’t want her. Not after everything. Not after she betrayed me.

“You’ll do,” I say, my voice colder than I intended.

Hazel’s lips press into a thin line, her hands curling into fists at her sides. “Do you even hear yourself?” she snaps. “You treat me like something you can dress up and parade around. And for what? To prove to Eldon that you have a bigger dick?”

Her words ignite something raw and volatile.

I know it’s my fault. I know I'm the one who rejected her and made her go through horrible things, eventually putting her in Eldon's path.

The Mate-shaped hole throbbed painfully in my heart, unrelenting until I began to investigate.

Ever since I learned the truth, the fact that I let my Mate go over a false accusation has haunted me every day.

Now, along with my guilt, I have to deal with how she had to process it.

I have completely lost her trust. But my anger flares knowing that Mating with Eldon, betraying our bond, was her way of coping with it.

If she had only stayed put, let me find her, make things right with her. If she had let me welcome her to where she belongs: by my side, as my warrior Luna, we would have defeated Eldon together. We would have been unstoppable.

I walk to her in two easy strides and my hand wraps around her neck, holding her right. I lift her so that her toes are barely on the floor. My grip around her neck tightens, and I watch her face grow pink.

“If you’d stayed out of Broadstone—”

“I was trying to survive!” she shouts in my face clawing at my hand, cutting me off. The Omega scampers to the corner. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to live every day looking over your shoulder? To know that no matter where you go, someone’s hunting you? To toil just to feed yourself?”

Her voice cracks, and for a moment, the anger between us gives way to something else. Something heavier.

“I didn’t ask for this,” she says, her voice quieter now, not struggling as much, but her eyes flare just the same. “I didn’t ask to be caught between you and Eldon. But here we are.”

The weight of her words settles over me, my wolf growling softly in the back of my mind.

“Eldon will kill me.” Her gray eyes lock onto mine, her voice getting light and wheezy. “Because I dared to exist outside his control. I dared to refuse him. And if you hand me over to him, you’ll be no better than he is.”

Her words sting and I can feel the hatred blooming in her chest. It sears through mine like a glowing blade. I drop her and she crumples to the floor.

“Get her ready.” I suppress the uncontrollable doubts in my heart and nod to the Omega. “We leave in an hour.”

I turn and leave the room.

My wolf is restless, his frustration bleeding into my thoughts.

She’s lying.

The thought comes unbidden, sharp and bitter. I don’t trust her. I can’t. Not after everything that’s happened.

But there’s a part of me—a part I’ve been trying to ignore—that believes her.

I make my way to the control room. If she’s telling the truth, then Eldon’s claims don’t add up.

“Damon,” I say as I step inside, my voice sharp.

He looks up from the monitor, his expression wary but alert on my command. “Yes, Alpha. ”

“Dig deeper into Eldon’s movements,” I say. “I want to know exactly who’s been near his base. Every name, every detail.” There’s something going on, and I’ll find out just what it is.