Chapter 3

Alessia's POV:

I drove until the pack compound was just a tiny black dot in my rearview mirror.

I ended up at "The Rusty Claw," a neutral bar located on the edge of the territory. Wolves from different packs, and even humans, mingled there.

I went into the bathroom to change clothes. I pulled out a dress. It was red, skintight, and featured a slit that went all the way up my thigh.

It wasn't a dress for a submissive Luna; it was a dress for a goddess of the hunt.

I walked out into the bar and ordered a neat whiskey.

The burning liquid felt good, just like the fire igniting in my blood.

With the suppressants wearing off, my senses exploded. The music was louder, the lights were brighter. I could smell the sweat, the cheap beer, the lust, and the fear of everyone in the room.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in three years.

When the call connected, I said, "Damian."

"Princess?" the deep, gravelly voice on the other end asked. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm at The Rusty Claw. Come pick me up."

"I'm five minutes away. Don't move."

I hung up. I should have known he'd be so close. The Royal Guard had never truly left my side; they just stayed in the shadows, respecting my wish to live a "normal" life.

The bar door swung open.

The wind rushed in, carrying the scent of rain, damp earth, and cedar.

A man stood in the doorway. He was massive, towering a full head above everyone else. He wore a black tactical vest pulled tight across his solid chest. His dark hair was messy, as if he'd run his hands through it countless times.

But what caught my attention first were his eyes. They shone like molten gold.

Thump. Thump.

My heart wasn't just pounding; it was slamming against my ribs like a trapped bird. The air in the room seemed to vanish, leaving only him.

A jolt of electricity shot down my spine. The wolf inside me, who had been growling furiously all morning, suddenly threw her head back and howled.

"Mine!" she roared. "Mate!"

It was Damian.

I had known Damian since childhood. He was my father's Gamma, the Captain of the Royal Guard.

He had always been my shadow, my protector.

But I had never smelled this scent, and I had never felt this spark.

"Alessia?" Damian asked softly. He took a step toward me, his nostrils flaring.

He smelled it too. That bond. It hit us both like a runaway train.

The suppressant pills hadn't just masked my wolf; they had dulled my ability to recognize my fated mate.

Damian closed the distance between us in two strides. He stopped mere inches from my face. He reached out, his hand trembling slightly, and cupped my cheek.

"Damian," I whispered.

When his skin touched mine, it wasn't just warmth; it was an electric shock. An intoxicating, addictive tingle flooded from his fingertips into my skin, instantly healing the cracks deep within my soul.

"I found you," his voice was thick with emotion. "Moon Goddess, it's you. It was always you."

He leaned in close, the tip of his nose brushing against my neck as he took a deep breath. "You smell like home."

In that moment, the world was perfectly flawless.

Then, the door banged open again.

"Get your hands off my wife!"

Santino stood there, his chest heaving. He must have tracked my scent. Behind him stood two of his enforcers.

Damian didn't back away; instead, he stepped in front of me. His posture shifted instantly from a lover to a lethal weapon. A menacing growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating through the floorboards.

"She is not your wife," Damian said, his tone chillingly calm. "Not anymore."

"She bears my mark!" Santino yelled, pointing at the faint bite mark on my neck-the mark he had left was already fading because the love was gone.

"Alessia, get in the car. Now."

"No," I said, stepping out from behind Damian.

Santino looked at Damian, then at me, and sneered. "Is that it? You abandon me to run to your bodyguard? Are you sleeping with him?"

"He is my fated mate," I said.

Santino froze, and then he laughed. "Him? A Gamma? Don't make me laugh. You are a Luna; you belong to an Alpha."

He lunged at me.

It all happened so fast. Damian moved to intercept, his claws already extended, ready to rip Santino's throat out.

But Santino wasn't aiming to fight; he just wanted to possess. He grabbed my arm, his claws extending as well.

"You are mine!" Santino roared.

His claws dug deeply into my flesh. A sharp pain shot up my arm.

Damian let out a furious roar, grabbing Santino by the collar and slamming him brutally against the bar. The wood splintered upon impact.

"I'm going to kill you," Damian snarled, his eyes glowing gold.

"Damian, stop!" I commanded, placing a hand on his taut bicep.

"He hurt you," Damian growled low.

"If you kill an Alpha in neutral territory without a formal challenge, you will start a war," I said, my voice remaining remarkably calm despite the blood trickling down my arm. "Let him go."

Damian hesitated, his chest heaving violently, but he shoved Santino back.

"I'm taking her home," Santino spat, straightening his coat. "That's pack law, Gamma. Until the divorce is finalized, she is still under my jurisdiction."

Damian took another step forward, radiating murderous intent. "Touch her one more time, and I won't give a damn about pack law."

I looked at Santino, then at my arm.

Then I remembered. My mother's necklace was still in the guest room. If I left now, Valentina would steal it or sell it.

"I'm going back," I said.

"Alessia, no," Damian argued instantly.

"Damian, I need my mother's necklace. I left it on the dresser. I will not leave my treasure to that woman, in that house."

I walked past a shocked Santino.

Follow us, I mind-linked Damian. But do not cross the ward line. I will get my things and walk out the front door.

Conflicted fire burned in Damian's golden eyes, but he nodded. "I'll be watching. Just one scream, Alessia. Just one, and I'll level the place."

Santino shoved me toward his car. "Get in."

I climbed into the passenger seat and looked down at my arm, marked with three deep gashes.

But as I watched...

Normally, a wound like this would take days to heal.

But now, off the pills, and having found my fated mate, my magic was surging.

Right before my eyes, the skin began to knit back together, and the bleeding stopped.

My wolf was fully awake, and she said she was thirsty for blood.