“Let go!” I tried to dig my heels in, but the marble floor and stilettos weren’t exactly made for resistance. “This is insane. You’re supposed to be accepting your position right now, not…”
“Not what?” He navigated through the crowd like a heat-seeking missile aimed at the exit. “Not claiming what’s mine?”
“I’m not yours!” I hissed, still trying to wrench free without turning this into more of a spectacle. His grip only tightened, not painful but absolutely unbreakable. “We’ve literally never had a conversation before tonight!”
“Your body doesn’t seem to care about conversation.”
God, I hated that he was right. My body was staging a full revolt against my brain, flooding me with hormones that made me want to climb him like a tree. In public. In front of everyone who mattered in our world. The omega inside me purred at his touch, at his scent, at the sheer dominance he radiated.
We passed the refreshment table where Laziel stood frozen with a champagne flute halfway to his lips. His eyes tracked our movement, something dark and calculating in his expression. Great. Another complication I’d have to deal with later. If there was a later. If I survived whatever Damon planned once he got me alone.
“You’re hurting me.” It was a lie. His hold was firm but careful, like he was aware of his strength even through the territorialhaze. But I hoped it might snap him out of whatever alpha breakdown was happening.
Instead of loosening his grip, he stopped dead. The sudden halt made me stumble, my heels catching on the hem of my dress. Before I could process the movement, the world flipped. He threw me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing, my face suddenly pressed against his back while my ass pointed at the ceiling.
“Put me down!” I pounded on his back with both fists, mortification burning almost as hot as the heat. “This is kidnapping! I’ll press charges! My father will…”
“You’re in heat in a room full of unmated alphas.” He started walking again, faster now that he didn’t have to drag me. “I’m saving you.”
From them or from yourself?The thought flashed through my mind as his scent surrounded me. This position put my nose right against his jacket, and every breath brought more of that cedar smoke alpha cocktail that made my insides clench. My fists kept hitting his back, but with less conviction each time. The expensive fabric of his suit felt soft under my palms, and I could feel the muscles beneath flexing with each stride.
He turned sharply, leaving the main ballroom behind. The sounds of the ceremony faded as he carried me through what must have been service corridors. These weren’t the marble and crystal passages meant for guests. These were practical hallways with fluorescent lighting and industrial carpet. The kind of passages the help used to stay invisible.
Staff members pressed themselves against walls as we passed. A server dropped an entire tray of champagne rather than risk getting too close. The crystal shattered against the floor in a symphony of destruction that seemed appropriate for the moment. Smart man. Even I could feel the danger rolling off Damon in waves. This wasn’t the controlled Lycan King who ran board meetings and negotiated territory disputes. This was an alpha whose wolf had taken the wheel.
“Where are you taking me?” My voice bounced with each of his steps. Blood rushed to my head, making everything spin. Or maybe that was the heat making everything spin. Hard to tell anymore when my body felt like it was burning from the inside out.
“Somewhere safe.”
“Safe from what?”
“From me doing this in front of five hundred witnesses.”
Doing what? I wanted to ask, but my mouth had gone dry. Because I knew what. My body knew what. Every omega instinct passed down through generations knew exactly what an alpha in this state intended. Theclaiming. The marking. The violent possession that would bind us forever.
Another turn, another hallway. This one was carpeted in rich burgundy, with actual art on the walls instead of industrial paint. We were in the private wings now, where the Kildare family actually lived. Where normal people weren’t allowed without explicit invitation.
A door burst open under his boot. He literally kicked it in rather than fumbling for keys. The wood cracked against the wall with enough force to leave a dent. Then I was flying through the air, the world spinning again before I landed on something soft. A bed.
His bed, judging by how the entire room reeked of his scent.
The space screamed alpha male. Dark furniture, minimal decoration, everything in shades of black and gray except for the midnight blue bedding I was currently sprawled across. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the lights of the city below, but I barely noticed the view. I was too busy scrambling backward, trying to put distance between us.
He was already there. His big body caged mine, hands planted on either side of my head, knees bracketing my hips. No escape. Not that my wolf wanted to escape anymore. She wanted to roll over and present. Wanted to bare her throat and beg.
“No.” The word came out as barely a whisper. My body arched toward him even as I said it, seeking contact my mind rejected. “This isn’t... we can’t...”
His hands moved to frame my face, holding me still with surprising gentleness. The contrast to his earlier roughness made my breath catch. His palms were warm against my cheeks, callused from whatever alphas did to get hands like that. When I finally met his eyes, what I saw there stopped my struggles entirely.
Raw need, yes. Possessive hunger that should have terrified me.
“You’re mine.” His thumbs stroked my cheekbones, the gentle touch at odds with his commanding tone. “Say it.”
“I’m not...” My voice cracked. Started again. “I don’t belong to anyone.”
“Liar.” He leaned closer, his breath mingling with mine. “Your body knows better. It chose me the moment you walked in.”
He’s right. God help me, he’s right. The thought crystallized as his scent wrapped around me, as my heat recognized its match. My body had known from that first wall of alpha pheromones in the ballroom. Had known and had tried to run, to escape before my wolf’s needs overrode my senses.
