Chapter 4 The alpha's claim

I didn't sleep that night.

How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Alpha Lucian's silver gaze. I felt his finger tracing my jaw. I heard his voice: You'll be mine. Completely and utterly mine.

"This is wrong," I whispered to the darkness of my bedroom. "This is all wrong."

My wolf disagreed. She'd been restless all night, pacing inside my mind, wanting to go back to him.

He wants us, she purred. The Alpha wants us.

"He wants to control us. There's a difference."

Is there?

I threw off my blankets and got out of bed. It was five in the morning, still dark outside. I needed to run. I needed to clear my head.

I stripped off my pajamas and shifted, letting my white wolf burst free. The change was painful-it always was now, after the broken bond-but I gritted my teeth through it.

Once in wolf form, I slipped out through the back door and into the woods.

The forest was quiet this early, peaceful. I ran hard, pushing my body to its limits, trying to outrun my thoughts.

It didn't work.

He's been watching us for two years, my wolf reminded me. Wanting us. Waiting.

"That doesn't make it right. He's Jude's father."

Jude betrayed us. Jude deserves whatever pain we cause him.

She had a point. But this thing with Alpha Lucian was getting complicated. I'd wanted simple revenge-seduce the Alpha, make Jude jealous, break his heart the way he'd broken mine.

But the Alpha had turned the tables on me. He'd made it clear that if I pursued this, he would be the one in control. Not me.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice the other wolf until it was too late.

A massive black wolf stepped out of the shadows in front of me, blocking my path.

I skidded to a halt, my hackles rising. But then I caught the scent.

Alpha Lucian.

Of course it was him.

He shifted to human form in a fluid motion that spoke of centuries of practice. He stood before me, completely naked and utterly unashamed, his silver eyes glowing in the pre-dawn darkness.

"Shift," he commanded.

I hesitated. I was naked under my fur, and shifting would leave me just as exposed as he was.

"Shift, Hailey. Now."

The Alpha command in his voice left me no choice. My wolf couldn't disobey. I shifted back to human form, immediately wrapping my arms around myself to cover my nakedness.

"You were right to run," he said, taking a step closer. "But you can't outrun this. Whatever this is between us."

"There's nothing between us. This was a mistake. I shouldn't have come to your office last night. I'm sorry."

"Liar." He closed the distance between us in two long strides. "You feel it, just like I do. This pull. This... need."

"It's not real. It's just-"

"Just what? Just revenge? Just a game?" He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Tell me you don't feel anything when I touch you. Tell me your wolf isn't begging you to submit right now."

I couldn't tell him that. Because it would be a lie.

My wolf was practically howling inside me, wanting him to touch us more, to claim us, to-

"I can't do this," I whispered, pulling away from him. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because it's wrong! You're Jude's father!"

"And Jude is the one who betrayed you. The one who broke your bond. The one who chose your sister over you." His voice softened slightly. "Why do you still care what he thinks?"

"I don't care what he thinks. I care about-" I stopped, frustrated. "I don't know what I care about anymore. Everything is so confused."

He was quiet for a moment, studying me. Then he did something unexpected. He took off his jacket-where had that come from?-and wrapped it around my shoulders.

"You're cold," he said simply.

The gesture was so tender, so unexpected, that tears sprang to my eyes. I blinked them back furiously.

"Go home, Hailey," he said, his voice gentler now. "Get some rest. Clear your head. And when you've decided what you really want, come find me."

"What if I decide I don't want this? Don't want... you?"

A smile tugged at his lips. "Then I'll accept that. I won't force you into anything you don't want."

"Really?"

"Really." He paused. "But I don't think that's what you'll decide."

"You're very sure of yourself."

"I'm an Alpha. It comes with the territory." He stepped back, giving me space. "Now go. Before I change my mind about being a gentleman."

I turned to shift back into my wolf form, then stopped. "Alpha Lucian?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. For the jacket. And for... everything else."

"You're welcome, little wolf."

I shifted and ran, his jacket clutched in my jaws. I didn't look back, even though I could feel his eyes on me the whole way.

When I got back to my cabin, the sun was just starting to rise. I shifted back to human form and went inside, wrapping his jacket tighter around me.

It smelled like him. Pine and earth and power.

My phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. I picked it up and saw seventeen missed calls. Most were from my mother. Three were from Lucy.

There was also a text from Petra: Are you okay? I heard you went to talk to the Alpha last night. CALL ME.

And one from a number I didn't recognize: This is Alpha Lucian. Yes, I have your number. I've had it for two years. Sleep well, little wolf.

My heart did a strange flip in my chest.

This man was dangerous. Dangerous to my plans, dangerous to my heart, dangerous to everything.

But Moon Goddess help me, I wanted him anyway.

"You slept with him, didn't you?"

Petra stared at me across her kitchen table, her eyes wide with shock and maybe a little bit of awe.

"What? No! I didn't sleep with him!" I protested, nearly spilling my coffee. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you're wearing his jacket. And you have that look on your face."

I glanced down at the jacket I was still wearing. I'd meant to take it off before coming to Petra's house, but somehow I'd forgotten.

"What look?"

"The 'I got thoroughly seduced by an Alpha' look."

"That's not a real look."

"It is, and you have it." Petra leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper even though we were alone. "Tell me everything. What happened?"

I told her about the meeting, about going to his office, about our conversation. I left out some of the more intimate details, but I told her enough.

When I finished, Petra sat back in her chair, looking stunned.

"So he's been watching you for two years? That's..."

"Creepy? Obsessive? Wrong?"

"I was going to say romantic, actually."

I blinked at her. "How is that romantic?"

"Hailey, the Alpha-the most powerful wolf in our pack-has been pining after you for two years. He wanted you but couldn't have you because of the mate bond. And now that you're free, he's making his move. That's like something out of a story."

"It's not romantic. It's complicated."

"Love is always complicated."

"This isn't love. This is revenge. And lust. And... I don't know what else, but it's definitely not love."

Petra gave me a knowing look. "Keep telling yourself that."

Before I could argue, there was a knock at the door. Petra went to answer it and came back looking worried.

"It's your mother," she whispered. "She says she needs to talk to you."

My stomach dropped. "Tell her I'm not here."

"Hailey, I can't lie to..."

"Hailey, I know you're in there." My mother's voice came from the doorway. "Please. I just want to talk."

I closed my eyes, trying to find the strength to face her. Then I nodded to Petra.

My mother walked into the kitchen, and my heart clenched. She looked tired. Older than I remembered. Her dark hair..the same shade as mine and Lucy's...had more gray in it now.

"Sweetheart," she said softly.

"Don't call me that."

She flinched but didn't back down. "I know you're angry. You have every right to be."

"I'm not angry. I'm done. With Lucy. With you. With all of it."

"Lucy made a terrible mistake"

"A mistake?" I stood up, fury rushing through me. "A mistake is forgetting someone's birthday or burning dinner. What Lucy did wasn't a mistake. It was a choice. A choice she made every day for six months."

"She's your sister. Your twin. You two have always been so close-"

"We're not close anymore. She's dead to me."

My mother's eyes filled with tears. "Don't say that. Please. Family is everything."

"Family?" I laughed bitterly. "Family doesn't sleep with your mate. Family doesn't betray you in the worst possible way. Family doesn't choose a man over their own blood."

"She loves him, Hailey. She really does. She's in love with Jude...."

"Get out."

"Hailey....."

"Get. Out." I was shaking now, my wolf pushing at my control. "Get out before I shift and throw you out."

Petra stepped forward, her voice gentle but firm. "I think you should leave, Mrs. Moreno."

My mother looked between us, then nodded slowly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry for everything."

She left.

I sat back down, my hands trembling. Petra put her hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

"No. But I will be."

My phone buzzed. Another text from the Alpha: Training grounds. Noon. Don't be late.

"What is it?" Petra asked.

"The Alpha wants to see me."

"Are you going to go?"

I looked at his jacket, still wrapped around me. At the text message. At the choice in front of me.

"Yes," I said finally. "I'm going to go."

Because if I was going to burn, I might as well burn bright.