"Mate."
The word didn't sound like love coming from Emin Fernwhistle. It sounded like a death sentence from a judge already disgusted by the verdict.
"No."
Ravenna barely breathed the word. It was a desperate whisper in the charged silence of the alley.
Emin didn't move.
He loomed over her, his golden eyes blazing with conflict. His fury wasn't aimed at the explosion she'd caused. It was aimed at her. At what she was.
"You will not speak," he commanded. His voice vibrated with absolute Alpha authority. "You will not move. You will simply—"
He cut himself off. He was struggling to breathe through her scent.
Fire. Raw power. Destiny.
A searing pain ripped through Ravenna's torso. It wasn't physical. It was the agony of his rejection, amplified by the connection he had just named.
The primal part of her, the wolf she never asked for—howled in despair.
She doubled over, clutching her stomach. "What are you doing?"
"I am rejecting the poison," Emin snarled.
The words made the pain spike. Nausea washed over her.
"You are an abomination," he spat. "Half-breed trash. You smell of unstable magic and the Grey Zone's filth. You cannot be the Luna of the Ironwood Pack."
He took a violent step forward.
He forced her back against the cold, grimy brick wall. His hand shot out, clamping around her arm.
It wasn't gentle. It was painful. A possessive claim.
"The bond demands I claim you," he grated out, his breath hot against her ear. "But my discipline demands I purify you."
He leaned closer.
"You are mine now, witch. And I will burn the chaos out of you. Or I will break us both."
He didn't give her a chance to respond.
He hauled her forward, ignoring her whimpers, dragging her out of the shadows.
A massive, armored SUV sat idling at the alley's end. Blacked-out windows. It reeked of expensive leather and old money, a stark contrast to the garbage surrounding them.
Emin threw open the back door. "Get in."
Ravenna dug her heels into the pavement. "I am not going anywhere with you."
He didn't argue.
He simply lifted her, shoved her into the back seat, and slid in beside her.
Slam.
The heavy door shut out the world. The vehicle moved instantly, accelerating away from the burning diner.
The space was suffocating. His presence, that overwhelming scent of pine and sheer dominance—stole the air from her lungs.
"You have no choice," Emin said. His voice was calmer now, but no less terrifying.
He ran a finger down the side of her face.
Despite his cruelty, the touch sent a shocking jolt of heat through her skin. It was the undeniable, terrifying pull of the bond.
"You exposed yourself," he said, eyes fixed on the blur of the Grey Zone passing by. "That blast of energy? It wasn't just magic. It was the fusion point of both species."
He turned to her.
"It was a signal. Every Elder, every powerful Alpha, and certainly Nyzor's hunters are now searching for the source."
Ravenna swallowed hard. "Nyzor is behind the assassination, isn't he?"
Emin's jaw tightened.
"The Lord of Blood exploits chaos. And you, Ravenna, are chaos incarnate. I am the only shield you have against the entire supernatural world."
A shield that hates half of me, she thought bitterly.
"You will be brought to the Ironwood fortress," he stated. "You will be placed in isolation. The coven blood will be suppressed. The Lycan power will be disciplined."
He looked at her, his face devoid of warmth.
"Only then, if you survive the purification, will you be deemed fit to serve as my Luna. Until then... you are merely a problem that destiny forced into my lap."
His words sliced deep.
She was a defect. A possession. A problem.
Tears stung her eyes, but she fought them back. She wouldn't cry for a man who claimed to own her soul but rejected her identity.
They drove for what felt like an eternity. The grime of the city faded, replaced by the deep, dark pines of the Ironwood Wilds.
The atmosphere in the car was thick. Heavy.
Suddenly, Emin's head snapped up.
His eyes narrowed. His golden pupils dilated.
He slammed his hand against the roof. "Stop the car!"
The vehicle screeched to a halt on a deserted logging road.
"Scent," Emin hissed. His hand dropped to a holster under his seat. "Something is here. Something powerful."
He opened his door, movements smooth and predatory. He circled the SUV, nose lifted to the wind.
Ravenna watched through the tinted window, heart pounding. His senses were in overdrive.
"It's magic," he confirmed, voice laced with disgust. "Old, cold magic. Not a witch. A Warlock."
Pain.
A sharp, stabbing sensation pierced Ravenna's left temple. It wasn't like Emin's rage. It was clear. Cold. Like an icicle pressing against her brain.
Emin spun back toward the car. "He was waiting for me."
Boom.
A thick, invisible force slammed into the vehicle. It rocked violently on its suspension.
Emin roared, lunging back inside to grab a heavy, silver-edged gun. "Get down, witch!"
He never got to fire.
A flash of dark, ancient blue light erupted across the road.
It formed a shimmering barrier. Impenetrable. Perfect. Measurable. Utterly silent.
It cut off any escape.
Emin threw open his door. He charged the barrier, slamming into it with the force of a battering ram.
It didn't budge.
He howled in frustration, the sound shaking the trees.
Then, the air directly above the barrier rippled. It didn't crackle. It didn't burn. It simply... reformed. Drawing the light into a single, sharp point.
A figure stepped out of the light.
He walked as if stepping through a curtain of silk.
Tall. Flawlessly dressed in tailored black. He made the Alpha look savage by comparison.
His dark hair was pulled back severely. His face was angular, almost too beautiful. His energy felt like a frozen river, It was powerful, but controlled.
He looked upon the chaos with complete disdain.
This was no ordinary witch. This was a Warlock.
The figure's eyes was a chilling shade of pale grey, locked onto Ravenna through the car window. He ignored Emin's sputtering rage entirely.
Damaris the Black. The Scholar Warlock.
He spoke.
But his voice didn't come from his mouth. It came from inside Ravenna's mind. A silver needle of sound piercing the Alpha's roar.
Release my property, Alpha. I believe you have something that belongs to the Coven.
A new pain hit her. Immediate. Sickening.
It wasn't the Alpha's primal ache. It was a pull on her spirit, stretching her between two poles. Two despotic owners.
Ravenna choked on a gasp.
The terrifying truth settled in her chest like a stone.
The mate bond she feared had just secured its second claim.