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Chapter 1

Elena

The music is loud in the club, and my blood is buzzing with the copious amount of alcohol running through my system. I am going to regret drinking that many Amaretto Sours in the morning, but for now, I will let the booze dull my pain and loosen my body up enough to enjoy the night. I dressed to kill in a skin-tight bodycon dress that left little to the imagination and shows off all my curves.

My best friend let out a giggle as I grab her hips, pulling her body flush against mine and swaying my hips to the beat. Alisha’s ass is grinding against me, and I laugh. I hardly go out, but after my father declared he was not standing down and handing the pack over to me, I decided to give Dad a big “fuck you” by missing the pack meeting and instead escaping to the club. Possibly to hook up with some random stranger.

I am going to make sure that he hears all about it. I want him just as mad as I am, so I know his wrath will make it worth it.

I am fuming and want to get back at him, which I have now done by directly defying him and going clubbing. I know it will get me in trouble, and he will claim I have caused him shame. Knowing he will struggle at the meeting without me managing presentations will be worth the punishment.

He’s had every excuse for not allowing me to take over the pack for the past two years.

It was the same argument today when I brought it up. However, he told me why this time: “You’re a woman, not an Alpha.” I just blinked at him.

All my life, I’ve trained and been a model daughter. I’ve done everything asked of me, and it’s been all for nothing. So, when he told me not to be late for the pack meeting, I boycotted it to go dancing instead.

Yet, despite the liquor I’ve consumed, I feel like I am being watched; that odd sensation of having eyes on me has me glancing around the club to see whose attention I have stolen. My eyes scan the room where bodies are mashed together, bobbing, and moving to the beat, yet I find no one directly staring at me.

Not until I look at the landing above the dance floor. Silver eyes peer back at me from a man leaning against the railing. He watches me for a few seconds and takes a sip of his drink. Then he turns away, shrinking back into the shadows, and I shrug, thinking it’s nothing. Yet why does something tug deep inside me, causing me to keep peering up at the landing? I can’t explain it, but something about the man has me nervous.

“Are you alright, babe?” Alisha turns to me, brushing her lavender-colored hair out of her eyes before leaning closer. She calls out next to my ear, her voice barely audible over the loud music.

I nod, returning my attention to her, her tan face flushed and glistening with sweat from the heat of us jammed close on the dance floor under the strobing lights. For some strange reason, my eyes return to the landing after only a few moments, but I can no longer see the mysterious man.

After about another hour, I finish my drink, and my feet are killing me when I tap Alisha on the shoulder.

“I need to get a drink,” I call out to her over the loud music. I nod toward the bar area, and she gives me a thumbs-up, yet as I turn around to weave out of the bodies crowding me in, I slam against a chest. Strong hands grip my hips, and his scent invades my nose, making my entire body tense when I feel his breath sweep over my neck.

“Found you, little mate,” he purrs next to my ear.

I swallow, pulling back to see who he is, only to meet the eyes belonging to the stranger from the balcony. Only down here, I realize he isn’t any stranger at all but Alpha Axton from the Nightfall pack. I have seen plenty of stories and articles about the man in the media, but I have never met him in person. Dad’s kept me far from this monster of a man. I gasp, stepping away from him. And for a good reason; he is one of my father’s enemies.

He flew into the city and bought out half of it. He has been trying to get my father kicked off the council for months, so he can buy out the only quarter left that is unclaimed, giving him control of half the city. When he doesn’t get his way, he plays dirty and rains hell on them until they give in or suddenly go missing. The city has lived in fear ever since his arrival.

“Don’t touch me!” I snap at him.

Tears prick my eyes at the outrage of him being my mate while my stupid wolf is trying to come forward, excited to see this monster. Of all the people who could be my fated one, it has to be this asshole. My father will kill me if he finds out. No one wants to be associated with the man who destroyed our peaceful city and turned it into sanctioned sections because the packs living here could suddenly no longer get along.

They blamed each other because of this prick in front of me. Alpha Axton swept into the city and divided the packs with his lies and almost cost my father his pack—my pack! Yet as soon as I think the words, I cringe. Dad made it very clear that I was born the wrong gender and that he would never give me my birthright. Instead, he’s been holding off on retiring until my little brother—who is ten!—comes of age. It’s insulting.

“Now, don’t be like that. You don’t want to piss me off, not when everyone is having so much fun,” he says, glancing around.

I do know, knowing the lives that are at stake if I make a scene. Alpha Axton grabs my hips. I shove his hands off and look around for Alisha. Only to find her curled around some man as they make out in the middle of the dance floor.

“Your friend is a little distracted with my Beta,” he purrs, burying his face in my neck.

“Get off me!” I snap at him, and he spins me around, pressing his chest against my back. His breath sweeps over my neck, and I suck in a breath, fighting back a moan as sparks rush over my skin when he presses his teeth against my neck, his hands gripping my hips and holding me against him.

“Don’t tempt me, or I will mark you where you stand if you cause a scene,” he purrs, and I feel his lips move against my skin, heating under his touch.

“Now, behave. I had other intentions being here tonight, and finding my mate wasn’t one of them, yet my wolf insists on keeping you. So, you will come willingly, or I will toss you over my shoulder and carry you out,” he growls.

A shiver runs up my spine, and his grip on my hips tightens, and Lexa, my horny hussy of a wolf, urges me to do as he says.

“What will it be? Am I carrying you out kicking and screaming?”

I turn in his grip to face him.

After the scolding I received from my father today, I needed to burn off some of this fury boiling in my veins, so what would it matter if I fooled around with the Alpha? Tomorrow I would just reject him and be done with him, and no one here has to die because I refused him.

No one has to know, and despite my better judgment, I want to get back at my father more than I want to escape this man. I’ve wasted my entire life training for a position that will never be mine. So, what better way to say “fuck you” than to screw his most prominent rival?

“You will do no such thing. He is ours,” Lexa growls in my head at the mere thought of me rejecting him.

Alpha Axton leans into me, and instead of cringing away, I enjoy the sparks that rush across my skin, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing closer to him.

“I knew you couldn’t resist the pull,” he purrs, dipping his face closer.

His lips brush mine, and for a second, I am overwhelmed by his scent; my entire body clenches as he pulls me flush against him, his tongue delving between my lips as he grinds himself against me. Time stops, and I fight the urge to tug him back to me when he finally pulls away.

Stupid bond! I curse at myself.

“Let’s get out of here?” he says, squeezing my ass.

His fingers slip under the hem of the short dress I am wearing. It is so short, my father would choke on his spit if he saw the scandalous outfit I’m wearing. I grab his hand from off my backside before his fingers explore further, and I hold his hand; his eyes flicker dangerously to his wolf at the notion.

“Come on then, I have a room upstairs,” he tells me, and I chew my lip, yet the pull to follow my mate, no matter how much I know I should run from this man, is too overwhelming. My wolf wants him, even if I don’t. Her hunger for her mate urges me to keep following him.

She is frenzied and wild with the need to claim and mark him. Whining in my head loudly and trying to force control. My skin itches with her need to be set free, and it appears he is struggling with his own wolf because the moment we step into the elevator and the doors close, his hands are on me.

Alpha Axton pushes me against the cool metal wall, his lips crashing hard and hungrily against mine. A breathy moan escapes me as his tongue delves between my lips, tasting every inch of my mouth as if he is trying to possess me.

His fingers tangle in my hair, tugging it hard, forcing my head back as his lips nip and lick down my neck, his canines grazing my skin, causing my skin to prickle with heat, stopping at the base of my neck. He sucks on the spot where his mark should lie.

“Axton,” I breathe, my voice coming out more of a whiny moan than a demand for him not to sink his teeth into my tender flesh.

He ignores me, running his tongue across the spot, and I grip his hair, tugging his face away, only to see his wolf’s dark, demonic, cold eyes staring back at me.

Axton smirks, his tongue poking out between his perfect teeth as his eyes return to their normal glowing silver. He smiles seductively, leaning closer and pressing his entire body flush against mine.

“You can’t mark me,” I whisper, trying to fight my wolf from coming forward. She isn’t having it. Lexa wants her mate, and she doesn’t care who he is; she certainly doesn’t care that Father will kill us for such a betrayal.

Axton growls. “I’m not scared of your father, Elena. I will be claiming you. You’re mine,” he purrs, pressing closer until there is no room left between us, nowhere for me to escape.

His hand moves from my hip up to my throat. His fingers grip my jaw, turning my face to the side. He runs his tongue across my skin.

“You will be mine, and mine only,” he whispers, nipping at my neck. “Mine in every way. No one will dare take you from me, not even your father. And I will kill them if they try.”

Yet telling him no would do me no good. He clearly doesn’t care who my father is, and I know my wolf will allow it. So, instead, I run my hands up his broad chest beneath his shirt. Marveling at the feel of the hard lines of muscle my fingertips trace. He purrs, licking my skin, and I pray the elevator hurries up. My prayer is answered when the elevator pings and the doors open.

Axton groans, annoyed, looking at the doors before looking back at me, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he tugs me out toward his hotel room.

Chapter 2

My head is pounding as I groggily wake up to the sound of clicking, fragmented memories from last night’s return, the way his hands touched and caressed my skin, his lips everywhere, tasting and devouring me.

Heat rushes to my face, and I roll over on the hotel bed, praying I haven’t just screwed my father’s enemy, yet I clearly have by the throbbing ache between my thighs. I stare up at the ceiling. My mouth feels dry as the events of the night before come back to me. Instantly, I regret the stupid decision and poor choice I made.

Click. Click. Click.

That noise again. Rolling over, I find my mate standing in nothing but his boxer shorts. My eyes trail down his abs to the deep V-line before looking up at him. My wolf stirs, waking inside me, and she nudges forward with me, eye-fucking our mate.

Axton smirks, and I know he can sense her, just as I could feel his wolf coming forward last night. He walks over to the bed, stopping at the edge with his phone in his hand, and I eye it suspiciously. Did he just take photos of me naked?

“What are you doing?” I groan while sitting up before falling back down, making my headache ten times worse. Every part of me hurts, especially between my legs. With effort, I force myself to sit up and look around, vigilant.

“What’s your wolf’s name?” he asks, and she perks up at his interest in wanting to know. I growl at him.

“None of your business.”

He bristles at my tone as I look around, finding my clothes scattered on the floor, when another thought occurs.

“Did you use protection?” I ask, glancing over at him.

“No, you said you were on the pill.” He shrugs, uncaring as I try to recall that memory.

“You better not have given me some disease,” I snap at him, furious at him and myself for being so careless.

“Whoa, chill out. I’m clean,” the Alpha says, falling onto the edge of the bed with his phone in his hand.

He crawls up the bed toward the headboard. He tugs me toward him, making me shriek when I crash against his hard chest. His phone takes a photo of us together while I push off his chest.

“What are you doing? Give me that!” I snarl, reaching for his phone.

He pulls it away from me and raises an eyebrow at me.

“Delete it and the others I heard you taking,” I demand.

Axton growls at me, but I growl back, straddling his waist to snatch the phone from his hand as he tries to hold it out of my reach. I jab the screen with my finger, only to find he has locked it.

“Tell me the password. Now, Axton!” I panic. If that photo gets out, my father will murder me.

“It’s a bit early in the relationship to be checking my phone, don’t you think? Doesn’t the whole psycho girlfriend thing start after at least a few months in?” He laughs.

“Password. Now,” I repeat.

Axton sighs and holds up his index finger, and I stare at him for a few seconds before looking at the back of the phone to find it has a fingerprint passcode.

I press the phone to his finger while he watches me with a smirk. I scroll through his camera roll, deleting them, and growl when I find he has been taking photos of me while I slept naked.

“Why are you getting so upset? I’m your mate,” he purrs, walking his fingers up my thigh.

I slap his hand, but he just laughs, gripping my hips and sliding me lower so I am sitting directly over his crotch.

“Do you have any idea who I am?” I ask him.

He scratches his chin, appearing thoughtful for a second before he smiles.

“Yes, Elena Hale. I know exactly whose daughter you are,” he answers.

“And you don’t have a problem with that?” I ask, a little shocked.

“Nope, but I can’t wait to see the look on your father’s face when he learns I fucked his daughter until she was screaming my name and begging for more,” he taunts.

My hand connects with his face, and the impact stings my hand. He rubs his cheek, a taunting smile on his lips.

“You dare mention last night to anyone, and you’ll live to regret it, Axton.”

He laughs, reaching for me. He sits up before I can climb off him, then rolls, forcing me beneath him, and rocks his hips against me.

“That sounds more like a challenge, Elena. Yet I don’t think fucking you will ever be a regret. And your father? He has no say in what I do with my mate,” he says, rocking his hips against me.

I turn my face away from him as he leans down to kiss me, instead focusing back on the phone in my hand. I quickly delete the photos, double-checking I got rid of them while trying to ignore how hot and tingly my body is getting from him being pressed between my thighs.

“No one can fight the mate bond, so why are you pretending you aren’t affected by it?” he asks, dipping his face into my neck. He inhales my scent and groans lewdly. My wolf purrs loudly like a damn chainsaw in my head.

I drop his phone onto the bed, tucking my chin so he can’t reach my unmarked flesh. I push on his chest.

“Off, now. Before I make you,” I warn him.

He doesn’t budge, and I try to shove him off, but he catches both of my wrists in his hands, shoving them above my head before holding them in one of his. His other hand squeezes my breast before he brushes his thumb over my nipple, making it harden. I grit my teeth and glare at him.

“Fight it all you want, Elena. It won’t change that I am your mate. It certainly won’t stop me from claiming you,” he says, leaning down and covering my mouth with his.

I thrash beneath him, which only makes him chuckle against my lips. Giving up on that, I bite his lip hard enough that it draws blood. He hisses, jerking back, and I sit up, shoving him off. I climb off the bed and start looking for my clothes, snatching them up, tugging the dress over my head, and stepping into my heels.

“Where are you going?” he snaps, and I glance at him to find him looking at his thumb—the same one he’s just brushed across his lips. His thumb is smeared in blood, and some dribbles down his chin.

“Home!” I tell him.

“You want to tell your father already?” he asks in a mocking voice that has me glancing over at him.

I think I must have imagined the tone as he sweeps his fingers through his hair, looking like some Greek god of perfection. I watch as he stands, his silver eyes watching me move around the room while I look for my clutch. Finding it, I snatch it off the nightstand.

“Elena!” Axton calls out just as I reach for the door handle in my rush to get out of there.

“You leave, and my wolf will hunt you down, Elena,” he says, passing me my phone that I forgot to grab.

I take it, turning to face him and pointing my finger at him. My wolf howls in my head, knowing what I intend to do, but I ignore her, knowing nothing good will come of being mated to this man.

“No, you won’t because I, Elena Hale, reject you, Alpha Axton Levin of the Nightfall pack,” I snap at him.

He growls furiously, snatching my wrist and yanking me toward him. “You just made a big mistake,” he snarls, and his eyes flicker as I feel the tether binding me to him dissolve.

“The only mistake I made was last night,” I snarl back.

He laughs and shakes his head. “You will come crawling back to me. I will make sure of it, Elena. Because I reject your rejection,” he snarls before shoving me back.

“You can’t reject my rejection! I felt the bond sever,” I snap while my wolf’s cries for her mate echo in my head.

“Severed for you, not me. You don’t want to accept it, but you will. You will accept me, Elena, if you know what’s good for you.” His eyes flicker black, and his wolf comes forward, his canines slipping out between his parted lips as he presses me against the door with his arms caging me in.

“You will come back to me, little mate,” his wolf growls, his voice harsher and colder than Axton’s. I wondered what his wolf’s name was, but refused to give him the satisfaction of asking. Instead, when he speaks over me, I glare at him, about to tell him to fuck off.

“Don’t make me hunt you down. Come back, and I may forgive you. You make me chase you, and I will make sure you never run from me again,” he growls before shoving off the door.

I swallow, reaching for the handle.

“You have two weeks. After that, I will come for you,” his wolf tells me.

“Ask for forgiveness, Elena. Please don’t do this,” my wolf begs, but I ignore her.

With a huff, I turn, opening the door and slamming it behind me. Fucking Alphas!

I catch a taxi home before trying to sneak into the house like a thief in the night. However, nothing escapes my father, and the moment I step through the door and into the foyer, I spot him sitting in an armchair in the living room, glaring at me.

“Where were you?” he demands, and I cringe at the rough sound of his voice grating through my head.

“Out!” I answer while rubbing my temples, about to walk off when he rises from his chair. I gasp, attempting to pick up my pace but am not quick enough. His huge hand seizes my arm, twirling me around to face him.

“I asked, where were you?” he growls before sniffing me. “Whose scent is that?” His grip tightens on my arm.

“Nobody’s. Alisha and I went out,” I tell him.

“Why can I smell a male scent on you? Who did you spend the night with?” he snaps, and I gulp, thinking of the first name that pops into my head.

“Jake’s. We went to a club,” I lie.

He sniffs me again, his nose almost in my hair, and I pray to the moon goddess that he doesn’t recognize the scent of Alpha Axton.

“That isn’t a human scent,” he snaps.

Jake is human—my father knows that—and gay. Despite his disgust for humans, Jake is the only man my father lets me be around because he is safe and not a threat. Every boyfriend or man that steps near me, Dad will scare off, eventually.

“You’re lying. I know Jake’s scent. Who were you with?” he growls, his claws slipping out and into my arm.

I hiss and try to jerk my arm out of his grasp.

“It’s probably someone from the club. I was wearing Alisha’s jumper earlier,” I tell him, knowing that, if put on the spot, she will lie for me as she has done in the past.

He lets go, eyeing me suspiciously. “You don’t miss pack meetings. You are an Alpha’s daughter.”

“Yet never to be an Alpha,” I retort. “Therefore, fuck your meetings. Take Luke with you. Apparently, being the eldest and rightful heir means nothing. He is the one you chose in my place. Make him attend and do your job for you!”

Not that I want that for Luke, but I am hungover, angry, and my wolf has not stopped howling since rejecting Axton.

Dad raises his hand as if to slap me, but I harden my glare when Mom walks out in her robe and slippers, her blonde hair a mess.

“Everything alright?” she asks.

Dad looks over at her. His eyes soften, and his shoulders drop slightly. “Everything is fine, love,” he tells her, walking over to her.

Mom looks at me with worry, and Dad shoots me a glare. I watch them leave before heading to my room.

Chapter 3

Axton

Three weeks later

I can barely contain my wolf. He wants to drag Elena back here, mark, and punish her. It has been three weeks, and my wolf is becoming extremely restless. I am not sure how much longer I can hold him off from hunting her down.

This was never supposed to happen. We meant to find her at the club, get provocative photos I could use to blackmail her father or destroy him with if he didn’t agree to my demands. Instead, I learned his daughter was my mate, and Khan wanted her.

“You aren’t still pining over her, are you?” Eli, my Beta, asks me as he plops onto the lounge beside my feet.

Once again, I’ve lost track of time. How long have I been staring at the light fixture on the ceiling? Probably for some time because my eyes are aching. I watch Eli fix his cuff links, and I remember we are supposed to be meeting the developer across the city to go over plans.

“Axton!” Eli calls, snapping his fingers in front of my face. “Pull yourself together,” he snaps, and I sit up. “What about our plans? This was your idea all along. Find her. Take some scandalous pictures. Destroy her father, and get him off the council. You should be rejoicing that she rejected you,” he says, slapping my leg.

Khan snarls in my head at his words.

“It’s not that. I’m just pissed off that she beat me to it,” I growl, annoyed that she rejected me, and then instead of rejecting her back and accepting it, my damn wolf took control and decided we were keeping her. I shake my head at the memory. Now the bond is only severed on her side, not mine.

“You can’t go through with it, can you?” Eli says, sweeping his ash-blond hair from his eyes and watching me.

I exhale and press my lips in a line. If I do find and reject her, Khan will lose it and go on another killing spree. The last one was hard enough to cover up.

“It was fine until I realized she was my mate,” I mutter.

Eli rests his head back, staring up at the ceiling. “If you don’t want to do it, fine. But at least call her and stop moping about her. If you want her, go get her. I hold no judgment!”

I sigh.

“Seriously, bro, just call her. At least then you can decide to reject her or not.” He shrugs, standing up and heading for the door.

I watch him leave before pulling my phone from my pocket and scrolling through my contacts. I call the number I received after calling around while drunk the other night.

Hitting the call button, I listen to it ring a few times before her father answers. I pause, glancing at the screen, double-checking I didn’t call his number instead. Nope, it was definitely hers.

“I need to speak to Elena,” I tell him, trying to keep my tone light.

“Who is this?” Derrick demands.

I roll my eyes at his angry tone; this man is an insufferable prick.

“Alpha Axton, Derrick. Now, put your daughter on,” I snap at him.

“You have no reason to be calling my daughter. What do you want?” he demands. “Answer me. My daughter holds no rights over my pack. If you’re thinking of trying to get her to persuade me to change my mind, I can assure you my daughter hates you as much as I do.”

“Where is Elena, Derrick?” I ask, bored with him already.

“You stay the fuck away from my daughter!”

“No can do, Derrick. Elena is my mate. So, when my mate gets home, tell her to ring me,” I tell him before hanging up on him. I stare at my phone screen angrily, only to roll my eyes when I hear movement by the door.

“Are you done eavesdropping?” I ask Eli.

“Do you think that was wise talking to her father like that?” he questions, and I rub my eyes.

I have barely slept since she rejected me. In fact, I have hardly left the damn packhouse, worried Khan would hunt her down and start a war between our packs.

“If she doesn’t ring by tonight or come find me, we leak the video and the photos I sent you,” I tell him.

Khan growls in my head at the thought of others seeing her naked and vulnerable. “Do you want her back?” I ask Khan. My wolf continues to growl, and Eli watches me warily, feeling my aura rush out while I try to calm my wolf.

“You gave her a chance. If she doesn’t call back, we leak them, Khan. She will come back then. Elena will have nowhere else to go,” I tell him, and he stops snarling at me.

“Are you sure?” Eli asks.

I get to my feet, walk to the far corner of the room toward the bar, and grab a glass and bottle of whiskey. I hold the bottle up to Eli, and he nods, falling back onto the lounge. I grab another glass, pouring us both a drink.

“If she doesn’t ring, we go through with our original plans,” I tell him. She has one more chance to make up for her mistake, or I will make her regret rejecting me.

“You leak those photos, it will destroy her. I don’t think it is the winning move you think it is, Alpha,” Eli tells me, and I sip my drink, watching him over my glass.

“She had her chance,” I tell him, and he nods, pressing his lips in a line. I know her father, and I know he will banish her. No pack will dare take her in; Alpha Derrick is a prominent figure and owns the second-largest pack in this city.

This will be a significant blow to his reputation. One I know will have him removed from the council. Big enough to start a war if he is stupid enough to challenge me. But with that in mind, Elena will have nowhere else to go but to me or leave the city.

Chapter 4

Elena

Pulling into the driveway after finishing work, my little brother is playing on the grass with his soccer ball. I am supposed to be meeting Alisha for training but am now considering canceling because I have felt terribly ill all day.

Usually, after training, we head out of town to meet up with Jake, so I sigh, wanting to see him because I haven’t seen him in a week. I have been struck down with some violent stomach bug that has had me racing for the toilet for the last couple of days to upturn my stomach.

Climbing out of the car, Luke rushes over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I mess his hair, and he unwraps his little arms from around my waist, looking up at me.

“Come play with me, Elena,” he whines, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the grass.

“I have to get ready to go meet Alisha. And I don’t feel too good.”

“Please, please, twenty minutes,” he pouts, and I roll my eyes before sighing.

“Fine. Twenty minutes, and that’s it,” I tell him, tossing my handbag on the step. I kick my heels off and am about to follow him when the front door bursts open.

“Elena!” my father bellows, making me jump.

I peer over my shoulder at him.

“My office. Now!” he growls before stalking off into the house.

I look back at Luke, holding his soccer ball. He drops it, and I frown at his disappointment.

“I’m sorry, buddy. I’ll be right back,” I tell him, but it’s clear he doesn’t believe me.

Usually, when Dad calls for me, I am stuck at his side for fucking hours. Leaning down, I grab my heels and handbag before walking up the porch steps of the packhouse. I slip inside, shutting the screen door behind me.

I place my keys in the bowl on the hall stand, my handbag next to it, and put my shoes by the door. With a sigh, I make my way to the back of the house toward his office, wondering how long this will take because I promised to meet Alisha and Jake. He is our best friend and human, a pleasant change from the assholes I have to deal with in the packs daily.

Unfortunately for me, he is also gay because, damn, that man is fine. We are meeting him at the store he owns just outside the city before heading to the movies. Since my father declared I would never be handed the pack, I have avoided him at all costs except for dinner.

Pushing the heavy door open, I find my father sitting at his enormous oak desk. He has been glaring at the door before I even walked in, with his arms folded across his chest.

Great, what have I done now?

“Shut the door,” he snarls, and I do before taking a seat at his desk.

The moment I sit down, he slides my phone across the desk to me. I grab it, relief flooding me. I’ve spent all morning looking for the thing before work.

“Where did you find it?” I ask him, unlocking the screen.

“Doesn’t matter. What I want to know is why Alpha Axton is calling you,” he says, and my blood runs cold.

I glance at him, only to avert my gaze when he growls at me.

“Had an interesting chat with him. He claims you are his mate. Is that true?”

I swallow before opening my mouth, only to snap it closed when his aura washes over me.

“Don’t lie to me. Is he your mate?” he demands, and I grit my teeth, glaring daggers at him.

“Yes, he is.”

My father drops his aura and goes to say something, but I hold my hand up.

“He was probably calling because I rejected him. I don’t think he was too happy about that,” I tell him, and my father lets out a breath.

“Thank god you have some wits about you,” he says, looking relieved while I just stare at him.

“Okay, well, if you have already taken care of it, I don’t have to then,” he says.

I nod, getting out of my seat when he speaks again, making me pause.

“Where did you meet him, anyway? I have never taken you to any of his functions.”

“The night of the pack meeting,” I answer, knowing I am caught now.

“He’s the reason you didn’t show up. I thought you were with Alisha?” he snaps, and I shake my head.

“No, I was angry with you, so I went out with Alisha and saw him at the club we went to.”

My father growls, his eyes glowing fluorescent. He presses his lips in a line and looks away.

“Women are not Alphas,” he says.

“My blood says otherwise,” I tell him before storming off toward the door.

“You don’t leave pack territory. You’re grounded until I say otherwise. I can’t believe you would miss an important meeting for that prick,” he says, and I stop before laughing.

“I am twenty years old. You can’t ground me. I am not some disobedient child, Father.”

“I just did. I won’t have you gallivanting around the city like some whore, making our pack look bad, especially with the likes of him,” Dad snarls.

Did he not hear a word I said? I fucking rejected him, and my wolf has been giving me the silent treatment for weeks now because of it. She won’t even let me shift! I rejected my mate for him, and he dares call me a whore!

“Wow, really, Dad? A whore? I have done everything you asked of me. Everything!” I scream at him furiously.

“Watch your tone with me. I will not tolerate it,” he snarls.

“And I won’t tolerate you treating me like a fucking child!”

“You know where the door is. If you want to go, go. But if you remain under my roof, it will be on my terms. Now, get out of my sight,” he sneers.

Tears prick my eyes, and I stop myself from making things worse by closing my mouth and leaving.

I won’t get anywhere with this man, and I am done trying, so I walk out, shutting the door behind me.

I make it halfway down the hall before my walk turns into a run, and I race toward my bathroom, feeling my stomach turn. Dropping to my knees, I throw up. Maybe it won’t be so bad getting grounded, after all. I haul myself to my feet and rinse my mouth.

I glance at my pale reflection in the mirror. I look like crap. My hair is flat on my head, and I am sweating. With a groan, I peel off my clothes. I need to clean myself up. The last thing I need is to give Dad any more reason to be angry at me.

Chapter 5

The following night

Sitting on the floor in the living room, we are waiting for Dad’s game to finish so we can have our usual Friday movie night. Luke and I are both arguing over which movie to watch.

“Quiet, you two,” Dad snaps.

I roll my eyes at him, and Luke chuckles at the face I make, mimicking Dad. I poke him in the ribs, and he giggles before Dad sends us a glare, making him fall quiet.

“I’ll go make popcorn,” I whisper to him.

“And grab the chocolate,” he whispers and winks at me.

“We are out. I forgot to grab more today,” Mom tells him, and he pouts.

I roll my eyes and poke him in the ribs as I get up off the floor where I am lying next to him. He giggles and rolls onto his back, looking up at me with a cheeky smile.

“Chocolate stash in the shoebox under my bed,” I tell him, and he jumps up, taking off for the door. I chuckle as he races up the hallway in his Avenger pajamas.

“Really, Elena? You know how hyper he gets,” Mom groans while brushing her fingers through Dad’s hair as he sits on the lounge, staring at the TV.

“Grab me a beer, El,” he calls, and I roll my eyes but move toward the kitchen.

I place the popcorn in the microwave before rummaging through the fridge and grabbing him a beer. I walk back out and hand it to him, and he thanks me, popping the top and swigging from it.

Shaking my head, I hear the microwave beep and walk back to the kitchen just as Luke comes tearing past me with my chocolate stash tucked under his arms. He slides along the tiled floor in his red socks, skidding and giving a war cry that turns into an oomph when he slides straight into the wall with a thud. I snicker, and he sticks his tongue out at me.

“No running in the halls!” Dad yells out, and Luke’s shoulders straighten as he heads back into the living room.

While in the kitchen, I use my father’s charger and plug my phone in to charge, leaving it on the counter before retrieving a bowl, pouring the freshly popped popcorn into it, and adding extra salt.

Popping some into my mouth, I wander back down the hall when I hear the news break come on. Then, I hear Dad telling Luke he can put his movie on, only for him to grunt.

“Wait, Luke, I want to hear this news on Alpha Axton,” Dad tells him, and my brows pinch together.

“Love, turn that up!” he snaps, and I hear the TV volume rise as I reach the entryway.

I glance at the TV screen for a second when my phone starts ringing. I groan, turning back to retrieve it when I hear my name mentioned, and I pause in the hallway, turning back to the living room.

“What?” I gasp, stepping into the living room. I stop beside the couch when I see what’s on, and the bowl of popcorn slips out of my hands. The glass bowl shatters on the floor at my feet, glass splinters cut my legs, and my mother gasps, covering my brother’s eyes, as a video from the hotel room where I spent the night plays.

My mother looks at me in horror, and my blood runs cold. My heartbeat thumps loudly in my ears while my stomach drops somewhere dark and cold inside me at what is playing for the entire city to see. Some parts of us are blurred out, too rude to show, yet my face is easy to see. He filmed us together. That startling realization rips through my chest, and I hear Lexa whimper at what our mate has done to us.

Horror washes through me. When the brief film clip finishes, it only gets worse when the naked photos of me cover the screen, and I shriek, racing toward the TV to rip it from the wall. Then, my father stands, and I freeze. His entire body ripples with tension, and I look at Mom, who stares wide-eyed at him before her terrified gaze falls on me.

He turns toward me, and I back up, petrified by the murderous look on his face.

“Dad, I am sorry... I...” I am gasping for air, looking for a good enough explanation, but I have none.

His canines slip out and his claws slide out of his fingertips as he snarls at me.

Mom shrieks, jumping to her feet, and my eyes dart to her fleetingly to see the panic in her eyes when my father’s fist connects with the side of my face. I stumble back, clutching my face. My vision goes black when I feel my cheek and eye swell. I look up only to his fist flying toward my face again, connecting with my nose. Blood gushes out of my nose when he grabs my hair, flinging me down the hallway. I roll across the tiled floor.

I can hear my mother yelling in the distance and Luke’s wailing screams, telling him to stop when his foot kicks me, making my back arch. Yet I can’t see a thing as my eyes swell shut, and the moment I get some recognition back, I am kicked again, the brutal hit stealing the air from my lungs.

“You fucking slut! I will kill you!” my father roars when he stumbles over the top of me.

I blink, gasping for air, and the floor is slick with my blood as I try to get up, wondering why Lexa won’t let me shift and help me.

“Derrick! No, no!” Mom shrieks.

I realize it must have been her that pushed him, her voice closer than before. I look desperately for her.

“Lexa?” I mumble, my hands slipping on my blood as she screams in my head.

“Protect your stomach!” Lexa screams at me.

“Shift,” I gasp at her, choking on my own blood.

“We can’t,” she whimpers, just as Dad’s foot connects with my face, and everything goes black.

Chapter 6

Axton

I watch as the news plays out across every channel, my wolf snarling in my head at the display. I feel sick knowing everyone can see her in such a vulnerable state, yet I made sure the essential parts were blurred a little.

However, the images leave little to the imagination. I warned her; I messaged her, telling her she had to call me or else. So, she can hardly complain if “or else” happens. She’s been warned, and now she has to pay for the consequences of her actions.

Smug satisfaction washes through me. My mate will be begging at my feet to take her in when she has nowhere else to go, and I’ll handle the issue with her father, too. Her father will kick her out of the pack and remove her titles, forcing her back to me or into going rogue. I scoff at the idea.

His spot on the werewolf council will be removed, and I know I will win the majority vote ruling. Everything is falling into place. Soon, I will have my mate, and soon, I will have acquired over half of the city, giving me ultimate control over all the packs that reside in it.

Eli pats my shoulder triumphantly as I shut the TV off.

“Well, you told him you would find a way to ruin him. I am pretty sure you just did.” He laughs, walking toward the bar.

My phone starts going off. The mind link fills with excited chatter from the pack at our victory. Excited for the future is an understatement. My pack has successfully found its place. This city now belongs to us.

“You’re not the least bit worried about our mate?” Khan asks me as I watch the few pack members who’ve come over to celebrate dance and fool around in the rumpus room.

“No, why would I be? It is only a matter of time before she calls or knocks on our door,” I tell him, and he growls, sauntering off to the back of my mind where I can no longer feel him.

He has been in a terrible mood for the past few hours. He is dampening my excitement. Putting my troubled thoughts about my wolf aside, we continue to celebrate until, eventually, everyone passes out drunk or has gone home.

It isn’t until the early hours of the morning, when I hear laughter and the sounds of voices talking that I wake up on the couch. I can hear the TV playing in the background, and I rub my eyes, staring up at the ceiling. Man, why did I drink so much?

My head develops its own pulse as the headache following last night’s excitement decides to take its place in the forefront of my mind. With a groan, I sit up, putting my head in my hands, when I hear the door leading into the room burst open, making me flinch at the loud noise that’s rattled my already scrambled brain. I feel sick, and Khan snarls in my head angrily, picking up on my agony.

“Everyone out, now!” Eli bellows, and I lift my head to watch my pack members rush out of the room while he storms toward me.

I wonder what has upset him when he stops in front of me.

“You can’t answer your fucking phone?” he snarls, grabbing the remote from beside me and turning the TV up.

“What is it?” I groan, rubbing my temples to ease the throb of my head.

“Your mate!” he snaps, which has my head snapping up at the mention of her.

Khan comes forward, pressing beneath my skin at the mention of her while Eli flicks through the channels, stopping on the news. The title flashes across the screen:

Alpha’s daughter rushed to Nightfall Hospital

I blink, trying to make sense of the heading. It could be any Alpha daughter in the city. Yet when her face pops up on the screen, I am already racing toward the door. Khan comes forward to take control. He forces my legs to move faster as we run toward the garage, and I try to take control back from him. He can control my human form just fine. That doesn’t mean I trust him to drive in it, though.

My hands grip the door handle, and I yank the door open, only to nearly break the door handle off when I hear footsteps approaching quickly behind me. The lights beep on my car as my Beta hits the key fob, unlocking the doors. Khan is about to toss my body in the driver’s seat when Eli’s menacing growl behind me challenges my wolf.

“Khan, passenger seat. You can’t drive,” he snarls at my wolf.

My body turns sharply to face him at the challenge before reason settles over my wolf.

“Listen to him, Khan. Or give me control back,” I snap at my wolf.

Unwilling to relinquish his control, he moves to the passenger side and drops into the seat while my Beta climbs into the driver’s seat and starts the car.

“Khan, you need to hand control back to Axton,” Eli tells him calmly.

I am anything but calm, I am worried and anxious, wanting to know why she is in the hospital. Yet as we reach the hospital and I get out of the car, I feel Khan recede and hand the reins back to me. I let out a breath as we make our way to reception. I let Eli handle speaking with the woman at the front desk. She makes a few phone calls upstairs. When she hangs up, I glance at the desk before turning my attention back to the doors leading to the wards.

“Sorry. You aren’t on her list of visitors, and she doesn’t want to see you,” the woman says.

I growl and move toward the desk, my hands slapping down on the laminated wood.

“I am her fucking mate,” I snap at the elderly woman.

She flinches, and her chair squeaks on the linoleum floor as she sits back further. The only thing separating us is the plexiglass. Lucky for her because Khan wants to rip her to shreds.

“I’m sorry, but unless you—”

Her words cut off when the double doors bang wide open, and a woman about my mate’s age comes storming out in a blaze of fury, her hazel eyes pinned on me as she lifts an accusing finger. I recognize her as the girl from the nightclub. She was with Elena that night, so I know she’s her friend, but for the life of me, I can’t remember her name.

“You fucking bastard! How could you!” she screams at me.

Yet my eyes only see the open doors behind her, and I run for them, barging past her and letting Khan forward to pick up her scent. The only smells I can trace are disinfectants, hand sanitizer, and bleach, so instead, I race up corridors and check rooms as I pass each one while being screamed at to leave or get out. One snarl from Khan has them backing up when they recognize whom they are talking to. He demands to know where she is before a startled doctor points us in the direction.

As we stalk the corridors, unease fills me, and I stop at a blue door. My heart races as I grip the handle and twist it, shoving it open and stepping into the small room. Elena lies on the bed in a hospital gown, IV drips hanging out of her and blood caked in her hair, one side of her face so swollen she can’t even open her eye on that side. Her face is covered in black and purple bruises. From what I can see, the rest of her not covered by the blanket is the same.

Moving to her side, I grip her hand, and she looks at me before recognizing me and jerking her hand from my grip.

“Who did this to you?” I ask, ignoring the pang of hurt when she wiggles over on the bed, trying to get away from me.

“You did!” she snaps, looking away and reaching for the emergency button on the remote.

Just as she does, her friend rushes in behind me. Reaching for her hand again, she jerks away, her eyes going to her friend behind me.

“Get security to get him out here,” she tells her friend.

“Elena, I am your mate,” I whisper when she turns her wounded gaze back to me.

“You are nothing to me. Now, get out!” she growls before wincing.

I press my lips in a line and fist my hands at my sides before hearing the security guards, who no doubt will use tranquilizers if I refuse to leave.

“Tell me who did this. I will make it up to you,” I tell her.

She laughs, shaking her head. “Pack business is dealt with inside the pack. You have done enough. I’m not part of your pack, or any pack now. You knew what leaking that video meant, and still, you did it. Now, get out of my room. You are not my Alpha, and you are definitely not my mate!”

Hearing the footsteps outside the hall, Eli pops his head into the room. “Axton, we gotta go,” he says and nods.

“I’ll make it up to you,” I tell her, turning on my heel before my ass gets shot with wolfsbane darts.

“Did she say who did it?” Eli asks.

“No, but my best guess is her father. No one else would dare touch Alpha Derrick’s daughter,” I tell him, and Khan growls loudly in my head. He wants blood.

Chapter 7

Elena

Alisha paces the room; I don’t even remember coming here. I only know what she’s told me. She told me that my mother had called an ambulance, and Alisha raced to meet me here, and she hadn’t left my side since. My father banished me from the pack, and Alisha was not taking that news well. At the same time, I felt nothing but numb despite the pain coursing through me.

“We can join another pack,” she mutters, and I know she will for me.

She is that kind of friend. The ride-or-die sort. We have been best friends since first grade, and I know that won’t change.

“And leave your family behind?” I ask her.

It sounds ridiculous. She shouldn’t suffer because of my foolish actions. She isn’t the one that jumped into bed with Alpha Axton.

“No, I will think of something,” I tell her, shaking my head.

“Jake is on his way. I rang him already. He should be here soon,” she tells me, finally sitting down and no longer pacing. She has been pacing that spot for so long now, I am worried she will wear a track into it.

“Did my mother try to contact the hospital?” I ask, hopeful.

My mother apparently attacked my father to stop him from killing me. Alisha’s eyes crinkle in the corners as she smiles sadly. She doesn’t have to answer. I know the answer instantly by the look on her face. Mom would never go against Dad by calling me. She’s risked enough attacking him. Apparently, she got pretty banged up for it, too. He is her mate. Her motherly duty is done now. She’s done that by saving me and calling an ambulance. I am a grown woman. She is no longer required to hold my hand, and after last night, I doubt I will ever feel her motherly embrace again. She will be ashamed of me, just like my father is. I’ve made a fool of him in front of the entire city.

Swallowing, I nod, wiping a stray tear.

“It will be okay. We will figure out something,” Alisha whispers, clutching my fingers and squeezing them just as the doctor walks into the room.

He is an older gentleman. He has a worried look on his face as he enters, glancing from his notes to me. I can hardly look anyone in the eye here. No doubt they’ve all seen the video; it shows by the way their eyes nervously dart away when they meet mine.

He clears his throat, setting his pen in the lab coat pocket and tucking the notepad under his arm. “Elena, your father has informed us you are no longer a pack member. Which means we can’t treat you if you aren’t covered by the pack insurance.”

I swallow, taking in what he is telling me. No doubt he canceled my trust fund, too. Tears spring in my eyes, and I nod. Of course. He would be that petty.

I tug the blanket back and throw my legs out over the side, wincing with each movement when the doctor grabs my arm to steady me as I try to rise to my feet before wincing and falling back on the bed.

“Alpha Axton said he would cover the costs. I just wanted to inform you that your mate has taken over, and you are under his pack’s protection and no longer your father’s,” he says, and my brows pinch together.

“What’s that mean?” Alisha snaps at him.

“You are his mate, aren’t you?” he states, looking at me.

I shake my head. “No, I rejected him.”

The doctor clears his throat awkwardly.

“Well, you might want to reconsider that, Elena.”

“After everything he has done, why would I do that?” I ask, horrified by his suggestion.

The old man looks uncomfortable. His eyes dart from side to side as if Alisha could get him out of this. He coughs and looks down at his notepad.

“Because you’re pregnant,” he blurts. He raps on the sheet with his knuckle. “I just got the lab results back.”

I stare at him as if he’s some alien talking in a language I’ve never heard.

Pregnant? How could that even be possible? We only had sex once.

My lips part, and I peer over at Alisha. She cups her mouth with her hands, shaking her head and taking a step back. She’s in as much shock as I am.

There has to be a mistake.

I blink at his words, unable to comprehend what he is telling me. “No, I can’t be,” I tell him.

How could any child survive after the beating I had just endured?

“We were just as shocked, given your state. That is why we want to take you for an ultrasound to make sure everything is alright,” the doctor explains.

Panic courses through me at the thought of being rogue and packless. But it’s still not as terrifying as being forced to accept Alpha Axton’s help.

“Have you told Alpha Axton?” I ask the doctor.

“No. We figured we would get a scan and confirm whether the pregnancy is viable. Once you have told him, we could call him and answer any of his questions,” he tells me, and I nod, exhaling with relief.

Moments later, a nurse comes in with a wheelchair before helping me into it. We are taken down a couple of floors to an examination room.

Alisha remains by my side as I try to process everything and how my life has turned into this spectacle. Everything is falling apart, and that weight really smashes into me when I tune back into my surroundings. I don’t even remember climbing onto the table or feeling the gel on my stomach. I remember nothing, only coming back to what is going on when the tech taps my shoulder and points to the screen above my head.

“Your babies are fine. Strong heartbeats,” she tells me with a sad smile, as if this news was good and might cheer me up. It does the complete opposite.

“Babies?” Alisha asks.

“Yes, she is pregnant with twins,” the woman says, turning the screen so that Alisha can see.

My entire world stops and turns on its axis, and I feel as if I am falling, that everything is crashing down around me.

“I will print you a picture to show your mate. He will be so excited about this news,” the woman tells me, yet my horrified stare is on Alisha.

I need to get out of here. I am not staying with the man responsible for destroying my life, and I am sure as shit not letting him have access to my children. Alisha, seemingly knowing where my mind is going, nods once. I swear that girl understands me better than I do myself.

“The scans are being sent to the Alpha?” she asks innocently, and the woman turns to face her.

“Of course. We will send them off right away.” She smiles, and Alisha holds up a hand.

“Can we perhaps hold off? Elena would rather be the one to tell him this wonderful news. She would rather do it in person,” Alisha says enthusiastically, embodying the excitement I can’t seem to muster and playing her part.

The woman seems unsure, but after a few minutes, Alisha convinces her of some fake surprise plan for him.

Yeah, he is going to get a surprise, alright. Because I won’t be here when he gets back.

I have no idea where I will go, but being far away from this city and my mate is my only intention at this point. Because being forced to accept that monster after what he’s done is not a pill I can swallow. And for once, my wolf and I are in agreement.