Chapter 3 The Price of Choice

Theron didn't flinch. He only tilted his head, his silver-blue gaze narrowing. "You're foolish, Dominic. She doesn't belong to you."

Scarlett's heart twisted at his words, even though she knew they were meant to cut deep. She wasn't Dominic's to claim. She was no one.

But the bond... the heat... it wasn't that simple, was it?

"Enough," Scarlett said, her voice trembling with a power she couldn't explain. "Stop it!" "Both of you."

They both turned to her, their eyes filled with raw emotion. Dominic's face softened, his guard lowering for just a moment. Theron, however, smiled again-like a predator enjoying the chase.

"You're scared, aren't you?" Theron asked, his voice as smooth as silk. Scared of what you'll find out about yourself. About your bloodline. About the truth that's been hidden from you."

Scarlett swallowed hard, her pulse quickening. "I don't want to know."

Theron took a slow step closer, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that felt like he could see straight through her. "But you will, Scarlett. Whether you want to or not. Your blood calls to something much older than you realize. And Dominic"-he glanced over at him, his smile widening-"he can't protect you from that."

Dominic stepped forward, his body a shield between Scarlett and Theron. His expression was a mixture of fury and something deeper. Something desperate.

"I will protect her," Dominic said, his voice low and unwavering. "I'll burn everything down if I have to."

Theron's laughter was cold, but there was no amusement in it. "You don't understand, Dominic. This isn't just about power. It's about a bond deeper than either of you can fathom. You can't stop it. None of you can."

Scarlett's breath caught in her throat. "What bond?"

Theron's eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a whisper. "The bond between you and your bloodline. The truth, Scarlett... it's been buried for centuries. And now, it's waking up."

He turned toward the door, his silhouette dark against the moonlight that spilled into the room. "You have a choice, Scarlett. Join me. And together, we'll unlock the power that's been hidden within you. Or stay with Dominic. But know this: I will come for you. And when I do, you won't have a choice."

With that, he was gone, leaving behind only the lingering chill of his presence.

Scarlett stood there, her body trembling, her mind spinning. The heat inside her hadn't subsided, and the pull of the bond was stronger than ever. She could feel it, deep inside, calling to something far darker than she was ready to face.

Dominic stepped toward her, his eyes softening with concern. But it was more than concern. It was fear-fear of losing her, fear of the truth she hadn't yet uncovered.

"Scarlett..." His voice was rough, like he didn't know what to say. "I... I'll never let him have you."

Scarlett's eyes were wide, her chest tight with the weight of everything she was learning, everything she was being forced to face. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her tongue. What could she say? She didn't even know what she was anymore.

The door slammed open behind them, and both their heads snapped around.

Standing in the doorway was a figure, cloaked in darkness. A woman. Her eyes gleamed a violent shade of red.

"We need to talk," she said, her voice ice-cold and filled with a warning Scarlett couldn't ignore.

The woman's voice still echoed in the room long after she disappeared-like smoke, like a warning. But neither Dominic nor Scarlett moved. The silence between them wasn't peace. It was pressure. Thick. Electric.

Scarlett couldn't stop shaking.

The heat burned like wildfire in her veins now, curling beneath her skin, teasing every nerve until her breath came in shallow gasps. She tried to hold herself together, to hold on to the rage she felt at being lied to, hunted, cornered by bloodlines and bonds she never asked for.

But then there was Dominic.

His presence had weight. Command. Safety wrapped in danger.

He stepped closer, and her heart stuttered.

"I meant what I said," he murmured, his voice low, rough. "I won't let him have you." I don't care what kind of blood runs in your veins. I only care that it's yours.

She clenched her jaw. "You say that like it changes everything. Like you didn't keep things from me either."

Dominic's eyes flickered with guilt-but also fire. "Because the truth would've broken you."

No. "You wanted to own me first," she hissed, her chest rising and falling with the force of her anger. "Before the blood, before Theron showed up, you just wanted to mark me. Like some possession."

He moved fast.

One moment she was seething-next, she was pinned against the wall, his body pressed against hers, heat radiating from him like he'd caught fire too.

"You think I won't fight it?" he snarled, his voice trembling with restraint. Every night I've told myself to stay away. That you weren't ready. That I didn't deserve you. But now... you're in heat, Scarlett. You're in pain. And it's killing me not to touch you."

His hands trembled where they held her wrists. Not from dominance. From control.

From holding back.

Scarlett's breath hitched. The bond between them throbbed, wild and alive, drawing her to him like gravity. His scent surrounded her, dark and primal. Her wolf clawed beneath the surface, begging to submit.

But she wouldn't.

"I'm not yours," she whispered, even as her body betrayed her, arching closer.

Dominic leaned in, his lips brushing her cheek, just close enough to threaten her resolve.

"No," he said softly. "But I'm yours."

The admission slammed into her harder than any kiss could.

Her eyes widened, and before she could process the chaos unraveling inside her, Dominic's hands slid to her waist-firm, reverent. He didn't push. He just held her like she was something sacred. Something breakable.

"I'll never touch you without your choice," he said, his voice thick. But if you want me to ease the pain... say it. One word.

Scarlett's heart pounded so hard it drowned out every other sound.

She hated this.

Wanted this.

Needed him.

But something inside her whispered no.

Not yet.

Not like that.

"I don't want to be claimed," she choked out, closing her eyes against the ache in her chest. "I want answers."

Dominic's jaw clenched. He stepped back, barely.

But it hurt like hell.

"Then I'll give them to you," he said. Every secret. Every truth. But you need to stay here. Stay close. Let me protect you while we figure out what the hell Theron really wants.

Scarlett nodded slowly, fighting every instinct screaming to run.

Then she asked, quietly, "Who was that woman?"

Dominic's expression darkened. "Someone I hoped you'd never meet."

She stepped toward him now, something cold settling in her bones. "Tell me."

He hesitated, just a beat too long.

"She's the one who trained me to kill Alphas," he said finally. "And she knows exactly what kind of monster you're meant to become."

Scarlett's breath caught in her throat.

"What... kind?"

Dominic's voice was a whisper of dread.

"The kind that even fate fears."

The storm outside had quieted.

Inside, it hadn't.

Scarlett sat on the edge of the bed, Dominic pacing near the door like a caged beast. The scent of her heat still lingered in the room-sweet, sharp, maddening-but they both pretended not to notice.

"We need to talk about what she said," Scarlett finally murmured.

Dominic didn't stop pacing. "Which part? The part where you're supposedly cursed, or the part where Theron thinks he has a right to you?"

"Either," she said. "Both."

His eyes snapped to hers. "Then brace yourself. Because there's more you don't know. And it's darker than you think.

A low growl echoed from somewhere outside.

Scarlett stood slowly. "Did you hear that?"

Dominic had already moved to the door. His body went tense.

"It's not one of mine," he said under his breath.

Another growl.

Then silence.

Then-boom.

The explosion rocked the far side of the packhouse. Windows shattered. Flames licked the sky outside.

"Get back!" Dominic roared, yanking Scarlett behind him just as the door blew open. Smoke rushed in-thick, choking.