The square was chaos.
Gasps, whispers, and growls spread through the crowd like wildfire. Kneeling wolves dared to lift their heads, eyes darting between their trembling Alpha, Dorian, and the terrifying figure of the Alpha King who stood tall, radiating dominance.
Evelyn felt the weight of every stare pierce her skin. Her hands shook, her throat dry, her chest burning from the force of the bond that wrapped her like iron chains. She wanted to vanish, to melt into the shadows where she had always hidden, but the Alpha King's grip on her chin held her anchored.
"Release her!" Dorian's voice cracked, sharp with desperation.
Darius Blackthorn didn't move. His golden eyes narrowed, his presence expanding like a storm swallowing the night. "You dare order me?"
The air thickened. Wolves whimpered. Even the strongest warriors bowed lower to the ground, unable to withstand the crushing aura of the King.
Dorian's face paled. He faltered, stepping back, yet he didn't stop. "My King, she's… she's a servant. A weakling. She cannot be."
"She is mine," Darius cut him off, his voice calm but lethal, every word sharp as a blade.
The crowd fell silent again. Evelyn's stomach twisted, bile rising in her throat. Mine. He said it so easily, so absolutely, as though the Goddess herself had carved it in stone.
But she wasn't his. She couldn't be.
"No," she whispered, her voice breaking. "You're wrong." I'm not yours.
His eyes flashed, molten gold pinning her in place. "Do not deny me."
Her body betrayed her, trembling at the command. Heat seared her veins, her wolf pressing against her ribs, whimpering, begging her to yield. She clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms, fighting the pull.
"I don't belong to you," she forced out, though her knees shook beneath the weight of him.
Gasps rippled through the crowd again. No one defied the Alpha King. No one.
For a moment, Darius said nothing. His gaze roamed over her face, her trembling lips, her wild, defiant eyes. Then slowly, dangerously, he smiled.
"Fire," he murmured, his thumb brushing her jaw. "The little wolf has fire after all."
Evelyn flinched at his touch, her chest rising and falling too fast. "I'm not yours," she repeated, softer now, as though she were trying to convince herself more than him.
His smile widened, dark and knowing. "You'll learn, little one. They always do."
The King straightened and turned back to the Blackmoon wolves, his voice booming with authority.
"She is mine. My fated mate. Chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. If any wolf touches her, they defy me. If any Alpha questions her place, they question the throne."
A shudder rolled through the crowd. Even Dorian bowed his head, fists clenched in fury.
Darius turned back to Evelyn, his gaze hardening. "Come."
It wasn't a request. His hand closed firmly around her wrist, and her body jolted at the contact. Sparks shot through her veins, hot and undeniable, her wolf whimpering with need. She dug her heels into the dirt, resisting, but his strength was unyielding. He pulled, and she followed, helpless against the force of his dominance.
"No…. Wait" Evelyn tried to yank free, panic rising in her chest. "I couldn't just leave. This is my home!"
"Home?" He glanced back at her with a scoff. "These people treat you like dirt." They hide you in the shadows. That is not a home. His grip tightened, his eyes flaring with gold. "You belong to me now."
Her breath caught. The words weren't just a claim; they were a sentence.
He led her through the stunned crowd, his warriors forming a wall around them. Wolves scrambled out of his path, lowering their heads, too terrified to look directly at him.
Whispers followed.
"She's doomed."
"The King will break her."
"Lucky bitch."
Lucky. Evelyn's stomach churned. Was this luck? To be dragged into chains of gold instead of chains of iron? To be claimed by a man every wolf feared, desired, and obeyed without question?
Her pulse raced, her skin prickling under his touch. She hated it, the way her body responded, the way her wolf leaned into him while her mind screamed to run.
Darius led her beyond the square, toward the massive black stallion tethered at the edge of the forest. His warriors mounted their horses in silence, disciplined and deadly. He swung onto his stallion effortlessly, then extended a hand down to her.
Evelyn froze.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not going with you."
His eyes burned, his patience thinning. "You will."
She stepped back, heart hammering. "You can't just drag me from my life! I didn't choose this, I didn't choose you!"
Something flickered in his gaze, sharp and dangerous, before vanishing beneath cold amusement. "Fate does not ask for your choice, little one. It demands obedience."
"I won't obey you."
For a heartbeat, silence fell. Then, to her shock, he laughed low, dark, and filled with promise. "Defiant. Good. I prefer mates with spirit. It makes the claim sweeter."
Her cheeks flamed, her stomach tightening with both fury and something else she didn't want to name.
He extended his hand again, this time his voice carrying the weight of an Alpha's command. "Come here."
Her wolf whimpered, her body moving against her will, step by step, until her hand was in his. Sparks exploded where their skin touched, fire racing up her arm, into her chest, her very soul.
With a swift pull, he lifted her onto the horse in front of him, his arm caging her against his chest. The world tilted, heat and scent overwhelmed her pine, smoke, and something primal that made her blood thrum.
"You'll learn," he murmured in her ear as the stallion surged forward. "You'll fight me." You'll hate me. But in the end, little wolf… His lips brushed the shell of her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "You'll beg for me."
Evelyn's breath shattered, her heart caught between terror and the heat his voice ignited.
The horse thundered into the forest, the pack's bonfire fading into the distance. Her old life disappeared with it, swallowed by shadows.
And as the Alpha King carried her into the unknown, Evelyn knew two truths.
One, her fate was no longer her own.
Two, whatever awaited her at the end of this road would either destroy her or set her on fire.