Kat POV:
I retreated to the shadows, watching. Alex cornered Aria against the stone wall near the wine cellar. He thought the oak barrels hid them.
His nostrils flared.
"You smell intoxicating," I heard him growl through enhanced hearing. "Like sugar and heat."
"Is the 'Luna' watching?" Aria giggled.
"Forget her," Alex sneered. "She's a broken vessel. A useless human. Once you give me this son, I'll buy you a collar of pure gold. You'll be the real queen."
I gripped my champagne glass until it cracked. A shard sliced my palm.
Blood welled up.
My blood had always smelled strange. Sweet. Like honey and ozone. Like the air right before a lightning strike.
The scent drifted. Heads turned. Wolves stopped eating.
Aria pulled back, face twisting. "Ugh! What is that smell? It's overpowering!"
She marched toward me. The crowd parted.
"You!" Aria pointed. "You're ruining the mood. Leaking that... stench."
She grabbed a bottle from a waiter. "Clean it up. Pour this for me. Now."
She wanted me to serve her.
I looked at my bleeding hand. The blood sizzled slightly on the stone floor.
"No," I whispered.
"Excuse me?" Aria's eyes widened. "I am carrying the Alpha's heir! You will submit!"
She stepped forward to shove me.
Instinct took over. Not wolf, but something older. A wave of pressure exploded from my body. Sharp, like ice needles.
Aria shrieked, stumbling back as if physically pushed. She crashed into the champagne tower.
Crash!
Glass exploded. Aria fell, screaming, though the shards barely grazed her.
"Aria!"
Alex moved with blurring speed, scooping her up. He checked her frantically.
"Are you hurt?"
"She pushed me!" Aria sobbed. "She tried to kill the baby!"
Alex turned to me, eyes glowing a furious, demonic red.
I stood there, bleeding. His mate.
But he looked at me with hatred.
"SUBMIT!"
The Alpha Command slammed into me like a freight train.
My knees buckled, hitting the stone with a sickening crack. Head forced down. Lungs seized.
"You are pathetic," Alex spat. "You attack a pregnant female? A defenseless Omega?"
"I... didn't..." I gasped.
"Silence!" he roared. "Get out of my sight. Go to the infirmary. Stay there."
The Command released me just enough to move. I scrambled up, humiliation burning hotter than my hand.
I ran.
At the infirmary, I ran cold water over the cut. Through the window, I saw the courtyard.
Alex sat on a bench, Aria on his lap. He held an ice pack to her ankle—where there wasn't even a scratch.
He lowered his head and licked her skin.
A grooming gesture. Only for mates.
I slid down the wall. The tears finally came. Cold tears.
"I accept it," I whispered. "I accept that I am nothing to you."
My phone vibrated.
Donato: The bird is ready to fly. Hangar 4. 48 hours.
I wiped my eyes. 48 hours.
