Chapter Five

The Dark Alpha’s Claim

Freya’s POV

Godric’s hand burned through the silk of my dress like a brand, and chandeliers dripped crystal shadows onto the marble floor as I followed him into the grand ballroom. The eyes of every vampire in the hall followed our progress as he led me to the center of the dance floor, and whispers like smoke trailed in our wake.

“You’re either very brave or very foolish, little wolf,” his voice rumbled against my ear, sending shivers down my spine that had nothing to do with fear. Our eyes met, and my breath stuttered.

“Maybe both,” I managed to gasp, though my voice was far more tremulous than I’d meant it to be. As I turned in the emerald liquid fire of my dress, the man I’d come to seduce for revenge watched me with eyes as inescapable as fate. I wanted to hate him. I wanted to spit on him. But all I could do was melt.

“You smell like jasmine and rebellion,” he murmured, spinning me suddenly and pulling me back against his chest. “What does a Luna want with a monster like me?”

His question was a strike, and I tasted blood. When I glanced out at the crowd, the dark and furious glare Ryan shot back burnt a hole in my throat. Shirley trembled beside him, red hair pinned high on her head, hand clutching his forearm. Her blue eyes, so like her father’s, were wide with terror.

“Maybe monsters are exactly what some of us need,” I replied, chin high even as my wolf tugged impatiently at my skin. There was something about this man… something that pulled at hidden pieces of me I’d kept buried under layers of duty and devotion.

Godric’s grin sharpened but he didn’t look any less dangerous for it. “Careful what you wish for, sweetheart. I don’t waste my time on games I don’t intend to win.”

Every movement sent another wave of awareness crashing through me. I was acutely aware of every point of contact, the way his hand splayed on my lower back sent heat swirling in my gut and his other hand was nearly gentle where it pressed against mine.

“This is how you danced before you claimed your first mate?” I was surprised at my boldness. He shook his head, growling. My skin prickled. “I’ve never had a mate. I’ve never met a woman worth claiming. Until now.”

My chest constricted. The dancers gave us a wide berth as the air crackled with an unseen current between us. I barely noticed them. All I was aware of was the way Godric’s focus never wavered from me – not even when the bond snapped open. The world shifted, Godric blurred with a dozen different faces until my eyes watered with the agony of the moment. Something deep within my chest snapped audibly and then there was glass shattering as my wolf responded and everything went back into place. The world sharpened into place, but the scent of Godric had changed. It was richer, more intoxicating—pine and cedar and something uniquely him that stung my throat from want of it.

“No,” I whispered as I stumbled in our dance, “no, this can’t... no...” But his grip tightened and he was growling now, his eyes burning gold as his own Wolf responded to mine.

“Little mate.” The word was a prayer and a curse in one, Godric’s voice low and lethal. “You are mine.” The bond slid into place between us like molten gold, a wildfire flowing along my nerves as it bound us in ways that went far beyond physical desires or human politics. His emotions bled into my own—they were possessive, and they were Want, and they were something more, something I could hardly allow myself to name. My walls began to crumble.

“This wasn’t my plan!” I gasped as my hands fisted into his jacket, as my Wolf begged and screamed and sobbed in delight. Revenge was meaningless now, nothing more than a sheen of dust and ash when contrasted with this cosmic shift.

“The moon goddess has her own plans,” he murmured, his thumb brushing across my knuckles in a touch that was almost tender even though his reputation was anything but. “And I’ve learned not to question her wisdom.”

Godric’s daughter was across the room and his horrified expression made it clear he had heard and understood exactly what his father meant, her face had gone pale and her wide violet eyes were fixed on us with dawning shock. She knew, somehow she could see what was between us.

“Your daughter won’t approve,” I said, forcing the words out even though speaking felt like trying to move through hot honey with the bond humming between us.

The Alpha King laughed and spun me again. “My daughter’s approval was never required for any of my choices,” he replied cheerfully. “Besides, I believe she’s learned by now that trying to manipulate me has consequences.”

For the first time since I’d first seen the man, I saw the music, revelry, diamonds and prestige in the room as blurred around the edges while maintaining a sharp focus on him, the music of the orchestra was lost for sheer of the sound of my own racing heart and his ragged breathing. This dangerous, dominating man, the Alpha who’d built an empire on fear and respect And he was mine. If the thought should have frightened me, instead it filled a place inside of me that hadn’t existed.

Godric pulled me closer and I allowed myself to lean into the heat and strength in him. “What do we do now?” I whispered, too enthralled with the closeness to care how vulnerable I sounded.

“Now?” His smile went predatory, but there was a heated promise behind it that sent the relentless fire into my core and made me tremble in response. “Now, I claim what’s mine.” The music crashed to a stop.

Godric raised his hand, and the guests instantly silenced, their eyes on us as the chandeliers seemed to dim, the weight of their attention was a physical force in the air.

“Distinguished Alphas, Lunas, and honored guests,” his voice carried across the room as if among a current, every word like a blade. “Tonight, you’ll witness something that hasn’t happened in over two decades.”

As I realized what he was about to do, my heart began to beat wildly against my chest. This wasn’t just a dance. This was a public declaration, and Godric’s voice was so calm and sure that it made everyone stop speaking. Ryan made as if to hurry toward us; however, two other Alphas held him by the arms.

“I,” Godric Nathaniel, Alpha of the Obsidian pack, Inquisitor of the Dark Moon Covenation, claim this woman as my true mate. Freya Khan. My mate by birth under the moonlight, and I’ll gladly lay down all my lives to shield her.”

The room went silent. Ryan’s arms buckled, and he would have fallen to the ground if he hadn’t caught Shirley. His face, and mine too, for that matter, reflected the same mix of confusion and rage. The council members whispered among themselves, and the Alphas began to growl and chatter in their language. Some of the guests gasped, some began to talk, and some, Alpha, bared their teeth as the moon helped then. Through it all, Godric looked at me. Waiting. Here it is. My decision. I would tell Godric he was mistaken. That this strange pull and bond between us were only coincidental and that I wished to live my life as I had before. Or, I could admit defeat.

“Alpha Nathaniel.” My voice won over all the others. “My true mate.”

The formal words sealed our bond entirely, and I felt the change sweep through the gathering like a wave of force. I’d cut Lifeline strings to my previous life in seconds, but as Godric drew me to him, his kiss whispering over my brow almost like he was staking his privilege over me, I noticed I proclaiming. Ryan’s bellow of rage shook the ballroom, but I never gazed backward.