Page 5

After the forced mating ceremony, I'd been ready to crawl out of my skin.

The Alpha's kiss had felt like it burned my mouth, but in the most delicious way, like warm cinnamon. His touch was wonderfully addictive and made me forget to breathe. I'd told myself it was just the bond between us, that it was just instinct, but something dark and treacherous whispered to me that maybe it was more than just my biology.

After all, Samson hadn't been wrong. The night we'd spent together in my room had been one of the most beautiful, perfect things I'd ever experienced. There were parts of my memory that were blurred from the heat of the moment, but the one thing I would always remember clearly was the way his blue eyes had looked in the darkness of my bedroom that night. They had burned hot, but there had been a softness there as well, as if he had looked at me and seen me as someone he had known forever and never wanted to look away from again.

He was different now, of course. When Alpha Zeke had fallen unexpectedly ill, and Samson had to take his place sooner than planned, he had overcorrected with how harsh and borderline cruel he was with his pack. The dynamics in all packs were similar—the men ruled with one Alpha at the head of the pack, and the women were beneath them in the hierarchy unless they were married, in which case they'd rank the same as their husbands. Omegas like me could manifest at any time, and they could be mated to Alphas, but it was ultimately the Alpha's choice.

For his part, Kit didn't seem to mind much of anything. The boy was oblivious to how much of my freedom I was losing, or how dangerous pack dynamics could be, and I would do everything I could to protect him. Even if I was mated to a man that I both feared and felt an unwanted pull toward, the fact still remained that Kit and I would always be a team.

There had been a small celebration after the mating ceremony, mostly just grilled meats and beer, but I had little stomach for it. Samson showed me my room, which was directly across from Kit's, and as soon as the Alpha and his council had started their little get-together, I'd fled there to be alone.

Kit had wanted to stay with his newly-found father, mesmerized by all the new things happening, and as much as I wanted to tell him no, I couldn't exactly force him to sit in his room all day. I could see the backyard from my window to keep an eye on him, and that was enough.

My sweet son brought me a burger as the sun set, and I forced it down while Kit showered for bed. He'd had a million things to say about his new room, but once he finally wound down and climbed under the covers, my son became more solemn.

I tucked the blankets around his small frame, smoothing his hair back from his face. His eyes, so much like his father's, were thoughtful and sleepy as they looked up at me. He was exhausted from the strange day, spending time with Samson and the other pack members, but it was clear to me that he still had a lot of questions about what was going on.

"Mama?" he murmured, voice slurred from sleepiness, "Are we gonna stay here forever?"

My heart clenched even as I forced a smile, "For now, sweetheart. We'll see how things go."

Kit yawned, face scrunching up before he nestled deeper into the pillows. The bed was bigger than the one at home, made of heavy wood that had been carved ages ago. The rest of the room reflected the rustic tone of Samson's home—lots of deer antler decor, woodland art, and warm green colors.

"I like this house, but I liked our old house, too. Will we ever go back?"

The lump immediately appeared in my throat, and it was a struggle to swallow it. "Maybe one day," I lied, unsure if Samson would ever let us go. "For now, this is our home."

He hummed softly in response, already slipping into sleep. It was a blessing because I didn't think I could answer any more heartbreaking questions. It'd only been a day, and I missed my little cottage so much. I stayed beside him for some time, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest, reassuring myself that he was safe. As long as I drew breath, he'd always be safe.

Finally, I stood, steeling myself for spending my first night in Saltfang territory after so long. I crept towards the door, hoping to make it to my room in silence, leaving Kit's door cracked like he preferred. Taking one last look at my boy, I turned into the hallway—

And ran straight into a wall of muscle.

I gasped, hands shooting out to steady myself, finding nothing but warm, bare skin under my palms. Without even looking up, I knew it was Samson. Our bond thrummed, and my scent gland ached.

I jerked my hands back like I'd been burned, but there was nowhere to run. Slowly, I looked up to see his face. Samson's arms were crossed, his expression unreadable. The light overhead casts shadows across his sculpted torso, the ridges of his abs, and the sharp cut of his shoulders. He has always been strong, but time has hardened him, refined him into something even more intimidating. More intensely attractive.

Before I could stop myself, I inhaled deeply, savoring his scent of black pepper and cedar as it filled my lungs. Inside of me, two things stirred—my wolf, restless and yearning, and my witch magic, angry and volatile. The dichotomy was staggering, and I pressed a hand to my chest to try and stop the chaos. It was, of course, a futile gesture.

"You're a good liar," Samson mused, looking down at me. Had he always been so stupidly tall?

Then, his words hit me. "Liar? Excuse me?"

He nodded towards Kit's room. "Making all of this sound normal. Making him feel safe when we both know you'd rather be anywhere in the world but here."

I bristled, crossing my arms and mimicking his gesture. "You're not wrong about that. But I'm only lying because you're forcing me to. Everything I do is for Kit."

"Everything, huh? Does that include running, hiding, and keeping him from his father?"

His words stung, but again, he wasn't wrong, "I did what I had to."

"Did you? Or were you just upset that I wouldn't accept you as a mate back then?"

"You're a bully, Samson. You always have been." I knew I should be treading lightly, that the Alpha of an entire wolf pack wasn't the best person to have on your shitlist, but I couldn't help it.

My emotions had been bottled up for far too long, and the urge to tell Samson off for the things that he had done to me was too strong. The bond that was pulling us together didn't make any of this easier, because I was angry at myself for still being attracted to him after all these years.

His lips pressed into a hard line, and he looked at me from beneath heavy lashes. "Is that so?" he asked, voice deceptively quiet.

I nodded. "It's no wonder that I never shifted. Your bullying and the bullying of your pack drove my wolf into submission. The only thing that ever kept me strong was my son and the hope of a future somewhere outside this God-forsaken pack."

He leaned down, bringing our faces even closer together, reminding me at the worst possible time of how good it had felt to kiss him earlier. "If that's the case, why don't you run again, Kiera? It's what you're good at."

I scoffed, trying to step back but only finding the wall behind me. "I'm not stupid, Samson, I know you have your wolves watching every exit."

His smirk was slow, predatory, and his hands came up on either side of my head against the wall, fingers splayed out, trapping me. "Good. Although I wouldn't hate the idea of hunting you through the forest, mate . Maybe we'd get to see once and for all if there's a wolf in there or not."

I swallowed hard, heat blooming low in my stomach, even as anger filled me, "That's never happening. And I'm not your mate, not by my choice."

"The pack ceremony says you are. What we both felt says that you are. Mate, wife, whatever you want me to call you…you belong to me.”

My hands curled at my sides, magic prickling and whirling beneath my skin, eager to lash out. But as soon as I reached for it, the power slipped through my fingers like sand. I couldn't hold on to it no matter how hard I tried.

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut—my magic, my only real defense against Samson, was useless around him because of him. Somehow, it knew that he was my mate and refused to answer me when I wanted to strike out against him.

I was helpless, pinned there while his scent curled around me, the closeness of his body igniting something deep in my core. I felt a surge of warmth as he moved closer, eyes on my face, drinking in every flicker of emotion like I was his prey.

My magic crackled once inside my chest, like a firework going off before fizzling out.

His grin was wicked, and I was fascinated as his tongue darted out to wet his lower lip.

I'd been cornered, trapped by his sheer size and proximity, and all I could do was breathe. I couldn't stop looking at his face, those eyes, and the lips that had pressed against mine. Samson was like the moon, and I was caught in his gravity. Part of me would do anything to get closer to him.

But that didn't mean that I wanted to.

I swallowed hard and pushed down the bond. It was all biology. That was all. He made a noise in the back of his throat, and I was sure he would devour me.

"Say the word, and I'll back off."

"The word," I hissed.

He smirked, but for a brief second, I thought I saw disappointment on his face, too. His scent was making me crawl out of my skin, an unwelcome throb coming to life between my legs. Finally, just as I was sure my will wouldn't hold much longer, Samson stepped back. I was grateful to have the space to breathe and to push the bond down again.

There were a million things I wanted to say, but with Samson so close, I knew that I needed to be alone. He only watched me as I bolted across the hall to my room, slamming the door behind me before sliding down it till I was on the floor with my head in my hands.

How in the world was I supposed to get out of this situation? Even more important, how the hell was I supposed to get out of this situation without ending up in my worst enemy’s bed?