Violet
I took in his face. Subtle cheekbones, a strong jaw dusted with white stubble, and a mesmerizing blend of masculine and almost ethereal beauty. I had never seen anything like it.
And his icy blue eyes…
My pulse quickened. I wanted to look away, but my body wouldn't obey, especially with his fingers still gripping my chin. For a long moment, he stared at me with an unreadable expression until a flicker of surprise or suspicion, crossed his gaze.
"Out," he commanded, his deep voice low as he addressed the women without taking his eyes off me.
All three swiftly left the tent without a word. Panic knotted my stomach as heavy silence stretched between us. Suddenly, the tent felt suffocatingly small with just the two of us. The crackle of the firepit casted shadows across his face, and a faint, pleasant scent rolled off his skin.
Finally, he released my jaw. Yet instead of standing to put distance between us, he crouched down to my eye level. Even kneeling, his massive frame still towered over me.
"I…" My throat felt dry. I swallowed hard. "I don't belong to a pack anymore."
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze so intense it felt as if he were trying to consume me. "I can tell when someone is lying to me."
I clutched the blanket. "I swear, I'm not—"
"I know you aren't." He brushed the back of his knuckles against his mouth, studying me. "Which pack did you leave?"
My heart thundered in my ears. I didn't want him sending word back to Shadowpine or dragging me back to Damon, yet refusing to answer an Alpha—especially one this terrifyingly strong—was suicide.
"Shadowpine," I whispered.
"You smell like you've been out in the woods for three or four days," he said, rubbing his jaw.
How did he guess that so accurately?
"Yes," I admitted softly. "I really appreciate your help. Once I recover, I—"
Annoyance flashed across his features. "You're not going anywhere."
My stomach dropped. How did he know what I was about to say?
He leaned closer. "What makes you think I would pick up a half-dead lone omega out of nowhere and bring her to my camp for nothing?"
Before I could react, his hand moved to my neck. Every muscle in my body locked as his warm palm pressed against my skin, sending an electric jolt straight through me.
"There," he murmured, his thumb resting against my pulse point. "You were radiating power strong enough to draw in every predator for miles."
My eyes widened in horror. Had everyone nearby been able to sense it ever since I let the energy burst through my chest in the woods? If I hadn't released it, it would have killed me. Yet unleashing it had turned me into a beacon.
"I… I didn't know," I breathed, visibly shaken. "I don't know how to stop it yet."
"That much is obvious," he replied, his brows lowering as he searched my face. "But that isn't what concerns me the most."
His thumb brushed lightly across my throat.
Instantly, the force inside me thrashed. A cold, chaotic wave slammed through my veins, lighting up every nerve with terrifying intensity. My head swam, and I tried to lean back, but he didn't let go. It was too much. He was too close. I hated how overwhelming it felt, but deep down, to my utter alarm, a part of me craved it.
"When I am near you," he said slowly, his voice dropping an octave, "do you feel anything?"
My breath hitched. "I don't understand—"
"Don't lie." His eyes hardened, boring into mine. "Does this power of yours react to me? Because I can feel it."
I stayed frozen, unable to think past the roaring in my ears as the power strained against my ribs like a caged beast. His fingers spread gently across my throat, a frown tugging at his lips. "I'll take that as a yes. You can barely form a coherent thought."
As if on cue, another violent surge trembled through me. This time I jerked back hard enough to break his hold, yanking the heavy fur blanket up to cover myself. I squeezed my eyes shut beneath the fur, trembling.
"I don't know! I really don't know!" The words tumbled out in a desperate rush. "Forgive my insolence, but please, I need some distance. I don't understand why my body is reacting like this. Please…"
Silence answered me. Even through the fur, I could feel his stare pressing down on me.
"You are not leaving this camp," he said, his voice harder now, edged with something that sounded almost like frustration. "That is not a request."
Footsteps crunched softly toward the entrance, and the tent flap shifted.
"Get some rest," he added, his tone softening slightly. "Shadowpine is beyond my borders and completely outside my territory. Regardless of whatever happened there, I won't be sending you back. You will stay here until you're strong enough to travel. Then we will talk about what happens next."
The tent flap fell shut behind him.
I stayed huddled beneath the fur for several minutes until my racing heart and the chaotic energy in my veins finally subsided. When I slowly peeked out and sat up, my hands were still shaking.
Then his parting words echoed in my skull.
"Shadowpine is beyond my borders, and completely outside my territory."
My blood ran cold. Every pack had its own territory, surrounded by neutral zones, and dozens of packs across an entire region answered to a single ruler. A Supreme Alpha. Most wolves went their whole lives without ever laying eyes on one. Rumor said they were so powerful that even their inner wolves possessed a separate consciousness.
In my blind flight from Shadowpine, I had crossed a neutral zone separating two entire nations, and stumbled straight into the hands of another region's Supreme Alpha.
I rubbed my neck where his thumb had rested, shivering despite the warmth of the fire. When he had touched me, when he had merely looked at me, a tiny, terrifying part of me hadn't wanted him to let go.
It can't be…
It wasn't possible.