CLAIMED BY MY ENEMY ALPHA

The ballroom was too bright, too loud to be perfect.

Katya stood at the edge of the crowd, her fingers gripping the silver fabric of her gown. The gown hugged her waist so tight she could barely breathe. She told herself it was the gown. Not the nerves twisting in her stomach like snakes.

Around her, couples spun across the polished floor. Laughter echoed off the high ceilings. Ice sculptures shaped like wolves glittered under the crystal chandeliers, slowly melting in the warmth of too many bodies pressed together. The air smelled like pine branches and expensive wine, mixed with something else, something wild that human guests would never notice.

Hundreds of them, dressed in silk and diamonds, pretending to be civilized.

Katya scanned the crowd again, searching for one face. Aleksei. Her fiance. The man who was supposed to mark her tonight in front of everyone.

But he wasn't here.

Her heart hammered against her ribs. She smoothed her hands down the front of her dress, trying to calm down. The fabric was cold and slippery under her palms. Everything felt wrong. The dress,the room,The way people kept glancing at her and whispering behind their champagne glasses.

She'd been standing here for twenty minutes, alone, while everyone else was dancing and celebrating.

Where was he?

"There you are."

Katya turned. Her younger sister, Svetlana, glided toward her through the crowd. Svetlana looked perfect, as always. Her dark hair was pinned up with diamond clips, and her red dress clung to her curves like it was painted on. She carried two glasses of champagne, bubbles rising in golden streams.

"You look like you're about to pass out," Svetlana said, stopping in front of her. She held out one of the glasses. "Here. Drink this."

Katya shook her head. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You're pale as a ghost." Svetlana pushed the glass into her hand. "Liquid courage. You'll need it."

Katya stared down at the champagne. The bubbles popped softly against the rim. "I don't need courage. I just need Aleksei to show up."

"He'll show up." Svetlana's voice was sharp. "He always does, doesn't he? You've had him wrapped around your finger since we were kids."

Katya looked up, surprised by the bitterness in her sister's tone. "Lana-"

"Must be nice," Svetlana continued, her smile not reaching her eyes. "Having everything handed to you. The perfect match. The perfect life. Meanwhile, the rest of us just get to watch."

Katya's throat tightened. "I didn't ask for this. You know that."

"Doesn't matter, does it?" Svetlana lifted her own glass in a mock toast. "Tonight is your big night. The whole pack's watching. Don't mess it up."

Before Katya could respond, Svetlana turned and disappeared back into the crowd, her red dress flashing like blood between the dancers.

Katya stood there, holding the champagne, feeling more alone than ever.

She lifted the glass to her lips and drank.

The champagne was cold and sweet, with a bitter aftertaste she didn't recognize. She drank half of it in one long swallow, hoping it would settle her nerves. The alcohol burned going down, spreading warmth through her chest.

Maybe Svetlana was right. Maybe she did need courage.

The music plays Couples moving together like they were one person, perfectly in sync. Katya watched them and wondered what it would feel like to dance with Aleksei like that. To have him look at her the way some of these wolves looked at their mates like they were the only person in the world.

But Aleksei had never looked at her that way.

Their parents had arranged this match when they were children. It was about political marriage, about uniting the Morozova and Baranov packs. It was never about love.

Katya finished the champagne and set the empty glass on a passing waiter's tray. Her head felt lighter already. Good. She needed to stop thinking so much.

"Katerina."

The sound of her full name made her spine straighten. She turned, and there he was.

Aleksei Baranov.

He stood a few feet away, tall and broad-shouldered in a black suit that made his sea-blue eyes look even colder. His dark hair was swept back from his face, and his jaw was tight, like he was grinding his teeth.

He didn't smile.

"Aleksei." Katya's voice came out steadier than she felt. "I was looking for you."

"I'm here now." He didn't move closer. Didn't reach for her hand the way a fiance should hold . "We need to talk."

Her stomach dropped. "About what?"

"Not here." His eyes flicked to the crowd around them, then back to her face. "Later."

"But-"

"Later, Katerina."

The way he said her name felt like a door slamming shut.

Katya swallowed hard. "Everyone's waiting. Your father,My parents. They're expecting-"

"I know what they're expecting." Aleksei's voice was low, tight with something she couldn't name. Anger? Fear? "Just... give me an hour. Can you do that?"

She wanted to ask why. I wanted to demand answers. But the look in his eyes stopped her. He seemed almost... desperate.

"Okay," she whispered. "An hour."

Aleksei nodded once, then turned to walk away.

But before he took two steps, his gaze caught on something across the room. Katya followed his line of sight and saw Svetlana standing near the windows, watching them. The moment Aleksei's eyes landed on her sister, something in his expression softened.

Katya's breath caught.

No.

She must have imagined it. The champagne was making her see things that weren't there.

Aleksei disappeared into the crowd without another word, leaving Katya standing alone again.

Her head was starting to feel strange. Fuzzy. The lights seemed brighter than before, the music louder. She blinked hard, trying to clear her vision, but the room tilted slightly to the left.

That's when she saw him.

A man standing on the opposite side of the ballroom, near the entrance. Tall. Broad. Dark hair. He wasn't dancing or talking to anyone. He was just... watching.

And he was looking right at her.

Even from across the room, she could see his eyes. Amber eyes are sharp and intense.

Something jolted through Katya's chest. Recognition, maybe or Something she couldn't explain.

The man's gaze held on to her for a long moment. The noise of the gala faded. The people around her blurred. There was only him and those burning amber eyes.

Then someone stepped between them, blocking her view. When the person moved, the man was gone.

Katya shook her head. The champagne. It had to be the champagne.

But the fuzzy feeling in her head was getting worse. Her skin felt too hot, like she was standing too close to a fire. The room spun slowly, a lazy rotation that made her stomach lurch.

She pressed a hand to her forehead. Sweat dampened her palm.

Something was wrong.

Katya turned and pushed through the crowd, aiming for the doors. She needed air. I needed space. I needed to get away from all these people and their staring eyes.

A few wolves glanced at her as she stumbled past. She heard whispers.

"Is she drunk?"

"Poor thing. Probably nervous."

"Where's Baranov? Shouldn't he be with her?"

Katya ignored them. She focused on putting one foot in front of the other, on not falling in these ridiculous heels.

The doors seemed a mile away.

Finally, she burst through them into the cold night air. Snow was falling in thick, soft flakes. It landed on her bare shoulders and melted instantly, leaving cold trails down her skin.

Katya gasped, sucking in freezing air. It helped a little. The spinning slowed.

But the heat inside her didn't fade. If anything, it got worse. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Her hands trembled.

What was happening to her?

She stumbled forward, away from the doors, away from the light and music. Her heels sank into the snow with each step. The monastery grounds stretched out around her old stone buildings, frozen gardens, paths lit by flickering lanterns.

In the distance, she saw the bell tower. Old and Abandoned fully Dark.

Safe.

Katya didn't know why that word came to her, but it did. The tower felt like shelter.

She forced her legs to move, one step, then another. The snow soaked through her dress. Her teeth chattered. But she couldn't stop.

Behind her, she heard voices. Male voices. Laughing.

"Hey. Where are you going, sweetheart?"

"She's alone. No escort."

"Must be looking for company."

Footsteps crunched in the snow, Getting closer.

Katya's heart lurched. She tried to move faster, but her legs wouldn't cooperate. Everything felt heavy Slow.

The voices were right behind her now.

"Don't run, beautiful. We just want to talk."

A hand grabbed her arm.

Katya tried to scream, but no sound came out. She yanked free and stumbled forward, falling to her knees in the snow.

The bell tower was right there. So close.

She crawled forward, her hands numb, her vision blurring.

The footsteps stopped.

A low, deep growl cut through the night. Not playful, it's a roar ,growl of authority.

Pure Alpha.

The drunk wolves scattered, cursing, crashing through the snow in their hurry to get away.

Katya collapsed against a stone pillar at the base of the tower. Through the haze in her vision, she saw a figure approaching. Tall and Dark but Familiar with those Amber eyes.

"You," she whispered.

Then everything went black.

Dmitri hated these events.

He leaned against the cold monastery wall, a cigarette burning between his fingers. The smoke curled up into the night air, disappearing into the falling snow. Inside, the gala was still going strong music, laughter, the fake pleasantries of wolves pretending they weren't here for some reason.

He'd done his duty. Showed his face. Shook hands with the right people. Represented the Volkov pack as the visiting neutral party. Now he just wanted to leave.

His father was dying and Dmitri was here, wasting time at a party, when he should be home preparing to take over as Alpha.

He took another drag from the cigarette, letting the nicotine settle his restless wolf. The beast had been on edge all night, pacing beneath his skin, searching for something Dmitri couldn't name.

Then he heard it.

A fast heartbeat,Erratic and Panicked.

Dmitri's head snapped up. His wolf surged forward so violently he nearly shifted right there. Every nerve in his body lit up like someone had set him on fire.

*Mate.*

No,that wasn't possible.

He crushed the cigarette under his boot and pushed off the wall. His legs moved before his brain caught up, carrying him away from the monastery doors, into the darker parts of the grounds.

He didn't want this. I didn't want a mate. He had too much responsibility waiting for him at home. Too many problems. A mate would be a weakness, a distraction he couldn't afford.

But his wolf didn't care about logic. It only cared about one thing.

"Find her,Protect her,Keep her."

Dmitri followed the pull, his boots crunching through the snow. His senses sharpened. He could smell her now something sweet and clean, like winter air and pine trees. And underneath that, fear.

His wolf snarled.

He moved faster, rounding the corner of an old stone building. That's when he saw them.

Three wolves young, drunk, stupid circling a woman in a silver dress. She was on her knees in the snow, trying to crawl away from them. Her ash-blond hair had fallen loose from its pins, hanging around her face in messy waves.

One of them reached for her.

Dmitri's vision went red.

He crossed the distance in three strides and grabbed the wolf by the back of his neck, throwing him into the snow like he weighed nothing. The other two spun around, startled, their eyes widening when they saw who it was.

"Alpha Volkov-" one of them started.

Dmitri didn't let him finish. He let his wolf rise to the surface, just enough. His eyes flashed golden eyes .A growl rumbled deep in his chest, dangerous, unmistakably Alpha.

The three wolves scattered like rabbits, stumbling over each other in their hurry to get away.

Dmitri didn't watch them go. He was already turning toward the woman.

She was slumped against a stone pillar at the base of the old bell tower, her head tilted back, her eyes half-closed. Her lips were blue from the cold. Snow clung to her bare shoulders and the silver fabric of her dress.

"You," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Then her eyes rolled back, and she fell unconscious..

Dmitri caught her before she hit the ground.

The moment his hands touched her skin, the mate bond snapped into place like a chain wrapping around his ribs. Everything in him screamed *mine*. His wolf roared in satisfaction, finally finding what it had been searching for.

But Dmitri forced himself to focus. She was in trouble.

He scooped her up easily, cradling her against his chest. She was so light. Too light. He could feel her heart racing against his, too fast, too irregular.

Drugged. She'd been drugged.

Rage burned through him. Who would do this? And why?

He kicked open the door to the bell tower and carried her inside. The space was dark and dusty, abandoned years ago. Moonlight streamed through the broken windows, spreading a silver light across an old wooden bed against the wall.

Dmitri laid her down gently, brushing the wet hair back from her face. Her skin is too cold.

He checked her pulse fast but steady. Then her pupils. Dilated. Uneven. Definitely drugged. Probably something mixed with alcohol to make it hit faster.

His jaw clenched. When he found out who did this, they'd regret it.

But right now, she needed help.

Dmitri straightened, looking down at her. The logical thing to do was take her back inside. Find her family. Get her a doctor.

But his wolf wouldn't let him move. Every instinct he had screamed at him to stay. To guard her. To keep her close.

"Mine to Protect ,Keep her safe ".

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath.

The woman stirred. Her eyes fluttered open ice-grey, unfocused, confused. She stared up at him like she was trying to figure out if he was real.

"Where..." Her voice cracked. "Where am I?"

"You're safe," Dmitri said, keeping his voice low and calm. "I won't hurt you."

She blinked slowly, her gaze tracking across his face. Even drugged and disoriented, something in her expression shifted when she looked at him. Recognition. Not of him specifically they'd never met but of what he was to her.

The mate bond worked both ways.

"Cold," she whispered. Her whole body was trembling. "I'm so cold."

Dmitri didn't hesitate. He shrugged out of his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, tucking it close. She pulled it tight against her chest, her fingers clutching the fabric like a lifeline.

But she was still shivering so violently.

The drugs, combined with the freezing temperature and her wet dress, were sending her body into shock. She needed warmth but fast.

Dmitri sat down on the bed beside her and carefully pulled her against him. She came willingly, curling into his chest like she belonged there. Her head rested against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her, sharing his body heat.

Outside, the full moon rose above the treeline, spilling silver light through the tower windows. Dmitri felt its pull immediately stronger than usual and demanding.

The mate bond flared to life between them, hot and undeniable. It wrapped around his chest, pulling tighter with every breath she took.

Dmitri gritted his teeth, fighting for control. She was drugged. Vulnerable. He couldn't-

She tilted her face up toward his.

Their eyes met. Hers were clearer now, more focused. She stared at him like she was seeing him for the first time. Or maybe like she'd been searching for him her whole life.

"I know you," she whispered.

They'd never met before tonight. He was sure of that. But the matebond didn't care about logic. It recognized what it wanted.

"You don't," Dmitri said, his voice rough. "You're confused. The drugs-"

"No." She lifted one hand and pressed it against his chest, right over his heart. "I know you."

The touch burned through his shirt like fire. His wolf howled in approval.

Dmitri's control cracked.

He should move away. Should put distance between them before this went too far. But he couldn't. The pull was too strong. She was too close. And every instinct he had was screaming at him to claim her, to mark her, to make sure every wolf in the world knew she was *his*.

She shifted closer, her lips just inches from his.

"Please," she breathed.

That one word shattered him.

Dmitri's hand came up to cup her face, his thumb brushing across her cheekbone. Her skin was warming now, color returning to her lips. Her eyes were half-lidded, dark with something that wasn't just the drugs anymore.

"Tell me to stop," he growled. It was the last thread of his control, the last attempt to do the right thing.

She didn't tell him to stop.

Instead, she closed the distance between them and pressed her mouth to his.

The kiss was soft at first. Tentative. Like she wasn't sure what she was doing. But then the mate bond surged, and everything changed.

Dmitri's hand slid into her hair, tilting her head back as he deepened the kiss. She gasped against his mouth, and he took the opportunity to taste her sweet and sharp, like winter honey. His wolf roared in victory, finally, finally getting what it needed.

Her hands gripped his shirt, pulling him closer. She kissed him back with a desperation that matched his own, like she'd been waiting for this her whole life.

The full moon blazed outside the window.

And Dmitri Volkov, Alpha of the Volkov pack, gave in to the bond he'd been fighting from the moment he heard her heartbeat.

He pulled her into his lap, his coat falling away from her shoulders. She didn't seem to notice the cold anymore. She was burning up, just like him.

"Please," she whispered again, between kisses. "Don't stop."

Dmitri knew he should. I knew this was wrong. But when she looked at him with those grey eyes, full of trust and need..

He couldn't.

"I won't," he promised against her lips and he didn't.

Pain woke her,Katya opened her eyes to grey dawn light filtering through broken windows. Her head pounded like someone was hammering nails into her skull. Her mouth tasted like metal and something bitter she couldn't name.

Everything hurts.

She tried to sit up and gasped. Her body ached in places she'd never felt before deep, intimate places that made her freeze in confusion and growing horror.

Where was she?

The bell tower. She was still in the bell tower.

Katya pushed herself up slowly, her arms shaking. A man's coat slid off her shoulders heavy, black, smelling like pine and smoke and something else. Something masculine and familiar that made her stomach twist.

She looked down at herself.

Her silver dress was torn. The delicate fabric ripped along the side seam, hanging loose around her waist. Her stockings were gone. Her shoes were somewhere on the floor.

And there was blood.

Dark red stains on her inner thighs, dried and flaking.

Katya's breath caught in her throat. Her hands trembled as she touched the marks, confirming what her body was already telling her.

She wasn't a virgin anymore.

Her shoulder throbbed. She reached up and felt raised skin teeth marks, swollen and tender. A claiming bite.

No. No, no, no.

Fragments of memory flashed through her mind. Amber eyes. Strong hands gripping her hips. A deep voice growling her name like a prayer. The weight of a man's body covering hers. Pain that turned into something else, something overwhelming and terrifying .

She remembered begging him not to stop.

Katya pressed her hands over her face, trying to force the memories away. But they kept coming. The way he'd kissed her. The way he'd touched her like she was something precious. The way he'd whispered against her skin in a language she didn't understand but somehow felt in her bones.

And then... nothing.

She'd fallen asleep in his arms, warm and safe and complete.

Now she was alone.

Katya dropped her hands and looked around the empty tower. No note. No explanation. Just his coat and the evidence of what they'd done.

He'd left her.

Whoever he was, whatever he was to her he'd taken her virginity and disappeared like she meant nothing.

Shame burned through her chest, hot and suffocating. How could she have been so stupid? She didn't even know his name. Didn't know what pack he belonged to. Didn't know if he was married or promised to someone else.

All she knew was that he had amber eyes and he'd made her forget everything about the gala, Aleksei, her entire life for a few hours in the dark.

And now he is gone.

Katya forced herself to stand. Her legs wobbled, but she stayed upright. She couldn't fall apart. Not yet. Not here.

She found her shoes and pulled them on. The torn dress was impossible to fix, but she did her best to hold it together with one hand. She picked up the man's coat and stared at it for a long moment.

No identification. No pack insignia. Nothing.

Just the scent that made her wolf whimper in her chest.

Katya dropped the coat on the bench and turned toward the door. She couldn't take it with her. Couldn't risk anyone seeing it and asking questions.

She had to get back before anyone noticed she was missing.

The monastery grounds were quiet in the early dawn. Snow had stopped falling, leaving everything covered in a pristine white blanket. Katya's footprints from last night were already buried.

She kept to the shadows, moving as quickly as her aching body would allow. Most of the gala guests were either asleep or too drunk to notice one disheveled woman sneaking through the corridors.

Almost.

"Katerina."

Katya froze. That voice is disappointed, it was one she'd known her entire life.

She turned slowly.

Her mother stood at the end of the corridor, still dressed in her gala gown. But the elegant woman from last night was gone. Now she just looked furious.

"Where have you been?" Her mother's eyes traveled down Katya's body, taking in the torn dress, the messy hair, the marks on her skin. Her expression shifted from anger to something worse Disgust.

Katya's throat closed up. "I... I was-"

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Her mother crossed the distance between them in three sharp strides. She grabbed Katya's arm, her fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. "The wedding is supposed to be today. *Today.* And you disappear all night looking like... like..."

She couldn't even say it.

"Mama, please-" Katya tried to pull away, but her mother's grip tightened.

"Your father is waiting. And Aleksei." Her mother's voice dropped to a hiss. "Pray for it yourself katya they're more understanding than I am."

She dragged Katya down the corridor, through a side door, into a small private room Katya recognized from childhood. This was where the pack elders held their meetings. Where decisions were made.

Where punishments were given.

Her father stood by the window, his back to the door. He didn't turn when they entered.

Aleksei was there too, leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed. His black suit from last night was rumpled. His hair is messy. He looked like he hadn't slept either.

But unlike Katya, he didn't look broken.

He looked *angry*.

"Sit down," her father said without turning around.

Katya's mother shoved her toward a chair. Katya sat, her legs grateful for the support. Her whole body was shaking now.

"Father, I can explain-"

"Explain what?" Now he turned. His face was carved from stone hard, cold, unforgiving. "Explain why my daughter, the future Luna of the Baranov pack, spent the night gods know where gods know what?"

"I was drugged," Katya whispered. "Someone put something in my drink. I didn't mean-"

"Didn't mean to what?" Aleksei's voice cut across hers like a knife. He pushed off the wall and stalked toward her. "Didn't mean to spread your legs for another Alpha ?"

Katya flinched like he'd hit her.

Aleksei stopped in front of her chair. His nostrils flared. His eyes, those cold steel-blue eyes she'd known since childhood, widened slightly.

He could smell it. Smell *him* on her.

"You reek of another Alpha ." Aleksei's voice shook with barely controlled rage. "I can smell him all over you. On your skin. In your hair." He leaned down, his face inches from hers. "You let someone else touch you. The night before our wedding."

"Aleksei, please-" Tears burned behind Katya's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "I didn't know what was happening. Someone drugged me, and I got lost, and-"

"I don't care." He straightened, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I don't care if you were drugged or drunk or possessed by the moon goddess herself. You're *ruined*, Katerina. Ruined."

The word hit her like a physical blow.

"I won't have a whore as my Luna," Aleksei continued, his voice cold now. Detached. "I won't bind myself to a woman who couldn't even make it to her wedding night without betraying me."

"I didn't betray you," Katya said, her voice breaking. "We're not even mated yet. We're not-"

"We're nothing now." Aleksei looked at her father. "The wedding is off. Tell the packs whatever you want. I don't care. But I won't marry her."

Katya's father said nothing. Did nothing. Just stood there with his jaw clenched and his eyes hard.

Her mother looked away.

No one defended her. No one asked what really happened. No one cared that she'd been drugged and left alone and taken advantage of by a man whose name she didn't even know.

They just cared that she'd ruined their political alliance.

"Come," Aleksei said, walking toward the door. "You'll face the pack. Tell them yourself."

Katya's stomach dropped. "No. Please-"

"Now, Katerina."

It wasn't a request.

Katya stood on shaking legs and followed him out of the room. Her mother walked behind her, a silent guard making sure she didn't run.

The main hall was still full of wolves. Some were sleeping in chairs. Others were drinking coffee and picking at leftover food. A few were dancing to music that had turned slow and tired.

They all stopped when Aleksei walked in with Katya behind him.

The whispers started immediately.

Aleksei climbed the steps to the raised platform where the pack leaders sat during ceremonies. He didn't wait for permission. Didn't ask for silence.

He just spoke.

"The wedding is off," he announced, his voice carrying across the hall. "Katerina Morozova is no longer my intended mate. Our packs will not unite."

Shocked silence. Then chaos.

Wolves stood up, talking over each other. Her father's allies looked furious. Aleksei's family looked confused. Everyone else just looked *interested* like this was the most entertaining thing to happen all night.

Someone asked, "Why? What happened?"

Aleksei didn't answer. He didn't have to.

One look at Katya's torn dress, messy hair, marked skin told them everything.

The whispers exploded into shouts.

"She was with someone else!"

"The night before her wedding!"

"Shameful!"

"Whore!"

Katya stood in the center of it all, alone, her chin trembling but held high. She wouldn't cry. Wouldn't break. Not in front of them.

Across the room, she saw Svetlana standing near the windows. Her sister's expression was unreadable, not happy, not sad. Just... blank.

Katya looked away.

Aleksei was already leaving the platform, already walking away from her like she was nothing. Her father followed him, no doubt trying to salvage what he could from this disaster.

Her mother gripped her arm again. "Come. We're leaving."

"No," Katya said quietly.

Her mother's fingers tightened. "What?"

"I said no." Katya pulled her arm free. She looked at her mother, this woman who'd raised her, taught her, prepared her for a life she no longer had and felt nothing but emptiness.

"I'm leaving," Katya said. "Not with you. Not with Father. I'm leaving Velgorod."

"You can't-"

"Watch me."

Katya turned and walked toward the doors.Running With every ounce of dignity she had left.

Behind her, the whispers turned to shouts. Someone called her name. Someone laughed.

She didn't look back.

She pushed through the heavy wooden doors and stepped out into the morning snow. The cold air hit her face, sharp and clean, washing away the stuffiness of the hall.

Katya kept walking.

She had nothing. No mate. No family. No future.

But she had herself.

And right now, that would have to be enough.