Chapter 3

Ana POV

I woke up in a puddle of my own black vomit.

The Wolfsbane had done its job. I felt... light. But not in a good way. Like a kite with its string cut, drifting aimlessly. I was just human now. A broken human.

I was lying on a cot in the Omega quarters. It was a damp basement room.

"Get up, murderer."

A female servant, a young Omega named Sarah, threw a bundle of fabric at me.

"The Alpha is hosting a banquet for a visiting Rogue Leader. He requires entertainment."

I unfolded the fabric. It was a dancer's outfit. Sheer red silk, barely covering anything. It was degrading.

"I can't," I rasped. "I'm sick."

"Alpha's Command," Sarah said simply.

My body moved on its own. Even without my wolf, the Alpha's authority was hardwired into my biology. I dressed, my shaking fingers struggling with the clasps. The silk rubbed against my silver burns, sending sharp stings of pain through me.

I was dragged upstairs to the Grand Hall.

Music was playing. The tables were piled high with roasted meats. At the head table sat Courtland. To his right sat a man who looked like a walking oil slick-Harrison, a notorious Rogue leader.

Rogues were wolves without packs. Usually criminals.

Harrison was tearing into a leg of lamb, grease running down his chin. He stopped when he saw me.

I stood there, shivering in the red silk. I tried to cover my scars, but there was nowhere to hide.

Harrison sniffed the air. "Well, well. What do we have here?"

He stood up and walked toward me. He circled me, sniffing loudly.

"Smells like... old magic," Harrison grunted. "And high blood. Is this a fallen princess, Alpha Courtland?"

Courtland swirled his wine glass. He didn't look at me. "She is a traitor. She is nothing."

"One man's trash," Harrison leered. He reached out and ran a greasy hand down my bare arm.

I flinched, pulling away.

"Feisty," Harrison laughed. He looked at Courtland. "I like her. Let me take her. As part of our trade deal."

My blood froze. To be given to a Rogue was a fate worse than death. They would pass me around until I broke.

"Courtland, please," I begged, forgetting protocol. "Don't."

Courtland looked at me then. His eyes were dead. "You wanted to see your brother? This is how you earn it. Be useful."

He nodded to Harrison. "She's yours for the night."

Harrison grinned, revealing yellow teeth. He grabbed my hair and yanked my head back, exposing my neck.

"Let's seal the deal," Harrison growled. He opened his mouth, aiming for my Scent Gland-the spot where Mates mark each other.

If he bit me there, it was a claim. A violation.

Panic exploded in my chest. I couldn't let him. I belonged to Courtland, even if he didn't want me.

I couldn't fight him physically. So I did the only thing I could.

I bit down hard on my own tongue.

My teeth sliced through the muscle. Warm, metallic blood filled my mouth.

The scent of my blood hit the air instantly.

It wasn't just blood. It was Mate Blood. Even with the bond rejected, even with the Wolfsbane, the biology remained.

Crash!

The high table overturned.

Before I could even blink, a blur of motion slammed into Harrison.

It was Courtland.

His eyes were glowing a furious, neon blue. His canines had extended. He didn't look human. He looked like a monster possessed.

He ripped Harrison off me and threw him across the room. Harrison smashed into a stone pillar, bones crunching.

The entire hall went silent.

Courtland stood over me, his chest heaving. He was growling, a low, rumbling sound that shook the floorboards. Mine. Mine. Mine.

He reached out, his hand trembling, to touch the blood on my lip.

Then, clarity returned to his eyes.

The blue faded. He blinked, looking at his own hand, then at Harrison's unconscious body, then at me.

He looked horrified. Not at what he did to Harrison, but that he had protected me.

He grabbed me by the throat, lifting me off the ground.

"What did you do?" he roared. "What witchery is this?"

"I... I didn't..." I gurgled, blood dripping from my mouth.

"You cast a spell!" He threw me to the ground. "You made me attack a guest!"

He was panting, fighting his own instincts. His wolf wanted to lick my wounds. His human side wanted to kill me.

"Get her out of my sight!" Courtland bellowed to the guards. "Throw her in the scullery. If she dies, she dies. But she does not belong to anyone else. She is my prisoner."