3
I was sure I heard him wrong.
“What?!”
He didn’t pause. His hand slid up, tugging the thin gown off one shoulder until my breast was bare.
Cold air brushed my nipple and I gasped, clutching the fabric, trying to pull it back over myself.
The door burst open.
I froze as a woman stepped in, the most ethereal looking human I had ever seen.
She had soft blond hair, delicate features, and a calmness about her that made her seem out of place in this nightmare.
“Damien,” she said firmly. “She’s human. You can’t just go in like this. You’re scaring her.”
His jaw clenched, and his eyes were dark with anger. “We don’t have fucking time.” His voice rumbled so deep it seemed to vibrate in my chest.
Fear shot through me all over again. Even the woman stiffened at his tone, and for a second I thought she was as afraid of him as I was.
“Let me get her ready and explain,” she said quickly.
Damien didn’t argue. He stared at me with so much disdain but he let her do her thing.
The woman crossed to me and touched my arm gently. “Come with me.”
Still holding the slipping gown against my chest, I let her guide me out through a side door into a tiled bathroom that smelled faintly of lavender.
She closed the door behind us and turned back to me.
“My name is Linda,” she said softly.
Linda didn’t waste a second once we were in the bathroom.
She tugged the thin gown off me with practiced hands, folding it away as if my panic and shame weren’t burning me alive.
Steam rose from the wide marble tub where water shimmered with scattered rose petals.
She guided me down until I sank into it.
I tried to curl in on myself, my arms wrapped around my chest, but she gently pried them away. “Relax,” she said softly, dipping a sponge and brushing it over my shoulder, down to my chest.
Her touch was clinical but caring, like she’d done this a hundred times before.
My voice broke as I whispered, “Why are you doing this? Why am I here?”
“I know you’re scared,” she said, running water through my hair, smoothing it back from my face. “I know it’s hard to understand. I’d like to explain more, but we don’t have time.”
I looked up at her, water dripping into my eyes. “Time for what?”
Her mouth tightened. “Damien is the Alpha of our pack. The Storm Blood Pack. The hospital was supposed to keep his sample locked under the highest protection. If it ever fell into the wrong hands, entire bloodlines could be targeted, assassinated, wiped out. You weren’t supposed to be the one carrying it.”
A chill ran through me even though the water was hot. “So it’s a mistake. You can fix it. I don’t have to be here.”
Linda shook her head slowly. “It’s not that simple. The moment you were inseminated, everyone felt the bond snap into place. The pack knows it. The world knows it. If Damien doesn’t introduce you as his Luna tonight, there will be chaos. His hold will weaken. Alphas from other territories will challenge him and a war that’s already brewing will erupt faster than anyone can stop it.”
My fingers dug into the edge of the tub. “War?”
She rinsed the sponge, pressing it against my chest again. “You carry his pup. To us, that means hope. A symbol of unity. Without it, without you, his enemies will tear this pack apart.”
My throat was dry. “I didn’t ask for this.”
“I know.” Her tone softened. “Even if he won’t show it, Damien knows too. He’s scared as well. Scared of losing everything and he’ll explain later but you need to meet the pack tonight.”
I stared at the ripples in the water, my chest rising too fast, “meet them how?”
Linda paused, her eyes searching mine. “The only way it will be believable is if he scent marks you.”
The words meant nothing. My brows furrowed. “What does that even mean?”
“It’s intimate,” she admitted. “He has to rub his scent into you. You’ll do the same. Skin to skin, body to body. To everyone else, it will look and smell like you’re his true mate. It’s the only thing that will keep you safe tonight.”
My mouth opened but no words came. I was dizzy, my heart rattling against my ribs.
Naked in a tub while a stranger explained that I had to pretend to be mated to a man I barely knew, a man whose claws I’d seen only moments before.
Linda touched my arm gently. “I know it’s overwhelming but there’s no other way.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing my breath steady. My whole body shook from everything she was telling me.
Finally, I swallowed hard. “Fine. I’ll do it but only for tonight.”
Her lips pressed into a small line, half sadness, half relief. “That’s all he needs.”
When I stepped back into the room Damien was already there, his shoulders rigid, his face still hard with anger. My stomach twisted, every nerve alive with fear.
“Take it easy on me,” I said quietly, hugging my arms across my chest.
He didn’t soften. He moved in close, his hand gripping my chin, tilting my face up. The sharp tips of his nails pressed into my skin, not enough to cut, but enough to sting.
“This means nothing at all,” he said coldly. “You’ll be compensated for it. But for tonight…”
His claws slashed. The dress slid off me in one rip, pooling at my feet. My breath caught as I realized I was bare in front of him.
My eyes flicked down without meaning to. His shirt was open, exposing a chest covered in black ink, tattoos crawling over muscle and carved abs. My throat tightened. Lower still and I froze, heat rushing to my face. I had never seen anything like his cock in my life, thick and heavy under his pants.
Before I could even breathe, he closed the distance. His mouth brushed my neck as he inhaled slowly, deeply, his nose dragging along my skin.
“Wait…” My words broke as a shiver ran down me. Goosebumps prickled everywhere.
“This isn’t so bad, is it?” His voice was low.
I didn’t answer.
His hands took mine, pulling them up and guiding them around his neck. My chest pressed into his as he leaned closer, his breath hot on my throat.
It means nothing, I told myself. Nothing.
His nose slid lower, tracing down from my neck to the top of my chest. My head tipped back without me meaning to, eyes fluttering shut as heat pooled low in my stomach.
I gasped when his hand locked around my waist, dragging me against him, my bare body flush to his.
“When I say I need to scent mark every part of you,” he whispered at my ear, voice so deep and sinful it sent another shiver racing through me, “I mean every part.”
Before I could understand, before I could even breathe, his mouth closed over my nipple.
