Elara Thorne POV:
A look of profound relief washed over Zane’s face as he saw the spark of fight return to my eyes. He began to explain the ritual, his voice low and urgent. It had to be done in person, he said, with both parties speaking the words of severing, willingly and with clear intent.
Suddenly, his head snapped up, his body going tense. He looked toward the door, his eyes narrowing. “Someone’s coming,” he hissed. “A powerful Alpha.”
Ryker.
My heart leaped into my throat, a frantic, panicked bird beating against my ribs. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to face him.
Zane was already on his feet, moving to place himself between me and the door.
“I have to go,” he whispered, his voice tight. “If he finds me here, it will only make things worse for you. Remember what I said. Find the right moment. Talk to him.”
He moved to the balcony, as swift and silent as a predator. With one last, worried look, he swung himself over the railing and disappeared into the rainy night.
He was gone not a second too soon.
The bedroom door wasn’t opened. It was kicked in, slamming against the interior wall with a deafening crack.
Ryker stood in the doorway, framed like a nightmare. He was soaked from the rain, his black hair plastered to his head, and his glacial eyes were burning with a terrifying, wild rage.
He stalked into the room, grabbed my arm, and hauled me from the bed. My weak body stumbled, and I crashed against his chest, which was as hard and unyielding as a slab of rock.
His head lowered, his nose brushing against the sensitive skin of my neck. He inhaled sharply.
The rage in his eyes intensified into a full-blown inferno. “You have the scent of another Alpha on you,” he snarled, his voice a low, guttural growl. “A stranger.”
He thought Zane’s lingering scent was from a lover.
“It’s not what you think,” I gasped, trying to pull away.
His grip tightened, his fingers digging into my arm like steel bands. “Not what I think?” he roared, his face contorting into a mask of fury. “You couldn’t even wait a day? I reject you, and you immediately run into the arms of another male? I underestimated you, Elara. I didn’t realize you were such a whore.”
The insult was a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs.
Before I could react, he unleashed his Alpha’s Command.
It was a tangible force, an invisible, crushing weight that slammed into my soul. It demanded submission, absolute and unconditional. My knees buckled, my body folding under the immense pressure. Lyra, what was left of her, shrieked in silent agony.
Ryker loomed over me, his voice a blade of ice. “Look at me. Tell me who he was.”
The Command made it impossible to lie. But I couldn't betray Zane. I wouldn't.
I fought back, summoning every last shred of my will to resist the overwhelming power. My teeth ground together, and I tasted the coppery tang of blood as I bit my lip.
“There… was… no one,” I forced the words out through clenched teeth.
My defiance only fueled his rage. He saw it as proof of my guilt.
He intensified the Command. The pressure increased tenfold. I felt my bones groan, my vision blurring at the edges as black spots danced before my eyes. I was being crushed from the inside out.
Just as I felt my consciousness begin to shatter, the pressure vanished.
He released the Command.
I collapsed to the floor in a heap, gasping for air like a drowning woman.
Ryker stared down at my pathetic, trembling form, his expression one of pure, undiluted disgust.
“You will remember your place,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “Even though I have rejected you, you are still in my territory. You are still a member of the Blackwood Pack until I decide otherwise. If I ever catch you with another male again, I will kill him. And I will throw you in the dungeons to rot.”
