ARIEL'S POV
My heart pounded as I pounced on the black wolf that suddenly appeared in my path, just minutes after I'd slipped out of the pack house.
It dodged my attack by a hair's breadth, but my claws still slashed across its face. It was huge. Fierce. Its red eyes burned like they were carved straight from hell.
It snarled, furious.
I lowered myself into position, ready to strike again. But then it shifted.
Right there, before my eyes.
My breath hitched.
Alpha Viktor.
In. All. His. Naked. Glory.
He was... endowed. But I didn't have the luxury to appreciate the artwork.
He knew. He caught me.
Oh Moon Goddess—I'm dead meat.
I immediately bowed my head in shame and defeat, unable to hold his deathly glare. Or ignore what his naked body was doing to my poor, rattled mind.
Blood still smeared the side of his face where I scratched him, but it was already healing.
Guilt twisted in my gut. Dread curled around my chest. I waited for him to speak, to declare my punishment—but he just turned and walked past me, heading for the pack house.
I stood frozen. In fear. In mortification. In everything awful... except for the stupid heat creeping into my chest when I caught a glimpse of his firm, bare ass.
I quickly looked down, cheeks flaming.
My escape had failed. And I had a feeling that becoming a slave was going to be the least of my worry from now. Maybe he'd sentence me to death by hanging. How could one wolf be so unlucky?
Alpha Viktor paused at the gate, and my fur prickled with sweat.
"Do I need to spread out a red carpet before you follow?" he asked, voice like razor.
I swallowed hard and followed, my legs trembling, heart thumping, each step heavier than the last. I didn't dare lift my head.
He stopped by the driveway and walked to the flowerbeds. From there, he picked up a black coat.
That's when I remembered—I'd ripped the one he gave me this afternoon when I shifted.
Goddess, why do my sins keep multiplying?
He turned to me. "Shift."
I whimpered.
How could he want me to shift now?
We'd both be naked. A nervous flutter travelled through me.
"Do I always have to repeat myself with you?" he asked, coming closer. His steps were slow. Dangerous. Like a predator. He was one.
I shook my head quickly, feeling terrified. And something else.
Something warm. Something I shouldn't dare feel.
I hated how my eyes wanted to stray, how my heart roared—not just out of fear, but something... worse. Something that made me too aware of how much heat had curled low in my belly.
It was wrong.
But I couldn't help myself, not with how close he was. How powerful. How breathtakingly male.
"If I have to tell you again, your punishment will double by morning."
Goddess, save me.
Twice. He was going to see me naked twice in one day. What offence did I commit?
Shutting my eyes, I shifted.
Immediately, my hands flew between my thighs, my head hanging low, my long hair falling like a curtain over my chest in a desperate attempt to cover whatever I could.
From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw him smirk. But it was gone in a blink.
"Now I won't be the only one who had their nakedness unjustly revealed tonight," he said, a flicker of amusement in his tone.
Wait—he had me shift for revenge?
I ground my teeth silently.
"Take."
He held out the coat. I hesitated, anger simmering beneath my skin at his pettiness before taking it.
"Wear it."
I did. Still confused. Why did he keep giving me his clothes? Why was he so cold one second and... almost kind the next?
"I'll let you return to sleep now," he said. "Meet me first thing in the morning for your punishment. 7 a.m. Anything later, and your punishment multiplies. Understood?"
I nodded quickly, desperate to get away before I lost my mind.
He turned without another glance and walked into the compound.
I rushed after, not stopping as he locked the gate behind him. Guards stood at different corners of the house now, but I didn't care. If the naked Alpha didn't, why should I?
I realized their disappearance had all been part of a twisted plan to let me think I succeeded. The Alpha's idea clearly. I was so embarrassed.
I ran as fast as I could toward Ravenna's house.
What was I going to say? Had she noticed I was gone? I hoped not. I just wanted to slip back into my room and bury my face in the pillows.
Just as I reached the door, about to grab the handle, it swung open—and there was Ravenna, her face greeting my horrified one with a sweet smile.
I froze. Could this night get any worse?
"Oh sweetie, where have you been? I was about to alert the guards," she said with concern.
I bit my lip.
"I—I just needed some air. I was suffocating inside," I stammered, hoping she'd believe me.
"Aw, it's fine," she said softly, her eyes flicking to my coat. "Though... that doesn't look like the same one you had this afternoon." Her gaze sharpened.
How did she know it was different? It looked almost the same.
"It's the same one—the one the alpha gave me earlier," I hurried to say, afraid she'd think I stole it.
"Of course it is." She hummed gently and stepped aside. Now, I couldn't tell if she believed me or not.
"Come on, get inside before you catch a cold. The alpha wouldn't like that."
"The alpha wouldn't like me catching a cold?" I asked, curiosity creeping in.
"He doesn't like any of his wolves falling sick," she said smoothly. He seemed to care so much about his pack members. That wasn't what the rumors said.
There was something too calm about Ravenna's smile, something I couldn't read. It made me nervous—but I pushed the feeling away. Maybe I was just being paranoid.
Too tired to figure out any more mysteries, I let her lead me back to my room. She stopped at the door, watching me until I sank into bed.
"The alpha said to meet him at 7 a.m. Do you know exactly where I'll find him?" I asked before she could turn around.
Her brows furrowed, thinking for a moment. "He's usually in the gym downstairs around then."
"Oh—kay."
Ravenna started to leave but paused mid-step, looking over her shoulder.
"The wolves usually have breakfast together before starting the day. I'll call you when I'm going to the dining hall."
"Okay," I whispered, a strange ache settling in my chest as the words reminded me of Moonshade.
After Ravenna finally left, I lay down, my mind drifting back to my earlier encounter with Alpha Viktor. My cheeks burned as the image of his naked body flashed through my thoughts again. The tattoos covering his chest and arms were striking. Chains. I wondered what they could possibly mean, but the thought didn't last before my mind returned to the things that mattered most.
He'd given me his coat while he went back naked. Why the care?
He could've just used it himself. Maybe he hated naked women. That had to be it.
Quit thinking about him. Quit thinking about him. Quit thinking about him.
I shouldn't be finding anything about the devil so captivating—or I just might end up burned in his hell.
I forced myself to think about something else. What kind of punishment was he planning for me?
Ravenna said he'd be in the gym. Did that mean I might see him shirtless again? My pulse stumbled, then raced.
'Goddess, that would be such a good way to start the day, Ari,' Nyra purred in my head.
I rolled my eyes.
'Shut up. Are you forgetting he's going to punish us?'
'At least we'd get to see that those killer muscles before that. He was so hot tonight, I almost worshipped him.'
Killer muscles, indeed.
I wasn't surprised though. Nyra had always been a harlot disguised as a wolf.
I shook my head and turned to face the wall, continuing to think about my pathetic fate.