Chapter 4

Kian POV

My senses were entirely hijacked. The heavy bass of the club faded into a dull hum, drowned out by an intoxicating, irresistible scent-night-blooming tuberose, rich vanilla, and crisp moonlight.

It hit me with the force of a physical blow. My inner wolf clawed frantically at the edges of my mind, roaring with a violent, primal desperation I had never felt before. *"Mate! Find her! Mine!"*

I followed that blood-boiling aroma through the suffocating crowd, my eyes scanning the strobe-lit dance floor until they locked onto her.

Adella.

But this wasn't the drab, scentless shadow of a woman who had kept her head bowed in my house for six years. She was glowing in a backless emerald silk dress that clung to every curve, radiating an aura that was driving me absolutely insane. And some death-wish-having stranger had his hand resting casually on her waist, swaying with her to the music.

A dark, primitive rage consumed me. I didn't think; I just moved. I strode across the floor, grabbed her bare arm roughly, and yanked her out of the man's embrace.

The second my skin made contact with hers, a violent, electric jolt surged through my entire body. It was a blinding spark of pure pleasure and possession that nearly buckled my knees.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I demanded, a possessive, guttural growl tearing from my throat that barely sounded like my own voice.

Adella didn't cower. Her icy blue eyes, usually so submissive, blazed with pure fury. She yanked her arm, trying to shake off my grip, her sudden strength catching me off guard.

I needed to regain control. I needed to force her back into the weak Omega box I understood. "Have you no shame?" I snarled, my Alpha ego fighting the chaotic satisfaction of my wolf. "Fraternizing with a stranger in public? Are you trying to ruin the Blackwood Pack's reputation?"

She let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Shame? You have no right to speak to me about that word, Kian. Who was shamelessly parading his mistress around days ago, even threatening me with rejection? Keep your hypocritical preaching to yourself."

Her sharp retort left me momentarily speechless. My wolf swelled with pride at her fire, but my pride as an Alpha was deeply offended by her public defiance.

Before I could formulate a response, Ember appeared, pressing her body against my side. "Adella?" she asked, her voice dripping with sweet, manufactured surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Adella didn't even spare her a glance. She kept her piercing gaze on me. "Keep your Rogue mistress in check, Kian. Don't let her bother me."

The word *Rogue* hung in the air like a physical slap. The atmosphere around us froze. Ember's face drained of all color, her eyes widening in humiliation.

Tears immediately welled in Ember's eyes. She looked up at me, her voice trembling. "Kian, don't blame her. She must be terrified. She knows she'll have nothing once you reject her, so she's hysterical, desperately looking for the next Alpha to provide for her."

Her words acted like a key, unlocking the chaotic mess in my head. Yes. That made sense. That was the Adella I knew-weak, dependent, desperate for money. I ruthlessly shoved down the agonizing whines of my inner wolf and chose the logic I was comfortable with.

I looked at Adella coldly. "I won't tolerate you dragging my name through the mud."

A profound, heavy disappointment washed over Adella's features. She looked at me as if I were the most pathetic creature she had ever seen, then shifted her gaze to Ember.

"Slut," Adella spat.

My temper snapped. I grabbed her arm again, towering over her with absolute arrogance. "Apologize to me and Ember. Right now. I'll give you fifty million."

I expected her to break. I expected her to hesitate at the mention of the money.

She didn't. She just smirked, stepping closer until her intoxicating scent completely suffocated me. She looked dead into my eyes, her voice terrifyingly calm.

"Keep your blood money, Kian. I've already submitted the Rejection application."

The world stopped spinning.

*Rejection?* Submitted by her? An Omega-a woman I thought was a wolfless nobody-initiating a rejection against me, an Alpha? It defied every rule of our world.

Before my paralyzed brain could process the magnitude of what she had just said, she ripped her arm from my loosened grip. She turned her back on me and walked out of the club without a single ounce of hesitation, leaving me standing frozen in the flashing lights, drowning in her lethal scent and the shattering reality of her words.