The chains around her wrists stung, digging into the raw skin with every jolt of the truck. Scarlett had stopped crying days ago. Tears were wasted in the dark.

She could hear the wolves-laughing, snickering, calling her "rogue," "whore," "witch's bitch."

Scarlett didn't respond. She didn't flinch.

Because she knew where they were taking her.

Hellridge Pack.

The place she escaped.

The Alpha she swore to kill.

And the bastard wanted her back alive.

Scarlett's blood ran cold. Not because of fear-because of hate. Hate so deep, it burned hotter than anything they'd done to her.

The truck screeched to a halt. Gravel crunched. The back doors opened, and sunlight hit her eyes like a slap.

"Get up," one of the warriors barked.

Scarlett stepped down slowly, her chin high despite the bruises painting her throat. Her gown was torn, soaked in blood. Her hair clung to her face. She looked like prey.

But her eyes said otherwise.

They dragged her through the gates, past snarling pack members and sneering females, until the scent of power hit her like a wall.

Dominic.

Alpha Dominic Kade stood at the top of the stairs. Arms crossed. Muscles tight beneath a black shirt. Golden eyes are sharp as blades. His expression was unreadable. His presence was unbearable.

Scarlett wanted to scream.

Instead, she smiled.

"Still hiding behind guards, Alpha?" she taunted, her voice raw but steady.

He didn't blink. "Still running your mouth, Omega?"

The air between them crackled. She felt it. So did he. The guards looked confused, shifting uncomfortably.

Dominic stepped forward. Slowly. Deliberately. The crowd silenced.

He stopped inches from her.

"You smell like fire and death," he murmured, his voice low, dangerous. "And yet my wolf wants to bite you instead of bury you."

Scarlett's heart skipped. Then they stuttered.

No. No, no, no.

It couldn't be.

He inhaled again, eyes darkening. Then they growled.

"You're my mate."

The words hit her harder than any blow.

Scarlett slapped him.

Hard.

Gasps echoed. The guards moved. But Dominic didn't flinch. His face turned slowly back to her, a wicked smile playing at his lips.

"Oh, sweetheart," he murmured. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you."

Scarlett's lips curled. "Try."

"You want to play dangerous, Omega?"

Dominic's voice was calm. Too calm.

Scarlett stood her ground. Her cheek burned more than her pride. She'd struck an Alpha. Not just any Alpha-the brutal one. The kind who didn't punish with words, but with power. Still, she didn't flinch.

"I'm not afraid of you," she said.

He stepped closer.

"That's your first mistake."

Before she could react, he grabbed her by the arm, spun her around, and yanked her into the packhouse. Doors slammed behind them. Gasps from the wolves outside faded as silence swallowed the hall.

Scarlett fought him. Clawed at him. He didn't budge.

She was tossed into a room-dark, cold, private. A massive office with locked windows and heavy furniture. His scent marked every inch of it. Cedar. Smoke. Fury.

Dominic kicked the door shut and turned the lock.

Her pulse thudded in her ears.

"You think that slap made you strong?" he asked, eyes glowing gold.

"It made me free," she hissed.

His jaw tightened.

"No. It made you mine to break."

He grabbed her wrist, pulled her to the desk, bent her over the edge in one swift move. Her breath caught-rage and heat colliding in her veins.

"This is punishment?" she snarled. "Or foreplay?"

Dominic's growl vibrated against her spine. "Be careful, Scarlett. I can do both."

She felt the warmth of his body press behind hers. The crackle of the mate bond flared between them-infuriating, intoxicating, inescapable.

His hand slid around her throat-not tight, just enough to remind her who held the reins.

"I should whip you," he murmured. "I should leave your back raw like the last time they brought you in."

Scarlett turned her head just enough to glare at him. "But you won't."

He smirked.

"Because your scent is driving me insane. Because you're my curse. And because, deep down, you want me to lose control."

Then he dragged his mouth dangerously close to her neck. Not biting. Not kissing. Just breathing her in. And it made her entire body tremble-between resistance and need.

"I will break you," he whispered. But not with pain. With pleasure, you don't deserve it.

He stepped back.

Just like that.

Leaving her breathless. Shaken. And aching in ways she didn't understand.

Dominic unlocked the door, eyes cold again.

"Clean yourself up. You'll be sleeping in the Alpha wing tonight. Not because you earned it-because I want you close when the heat hits."

He didn't wait for her response.

He left.

And Scarlett, still bent over the desk, wasn't sure if she hated him more-or herself.

Scarlett waited until midnight.

The Alpha wing was quiet, lit only by faint sconces and the silver of moonlight slicing through the glass. She stood in the far corner of the room he'd locked her in-spacious, richly furnished, and suffocating.

She hadn't touched the bed.

She hadn't slept.

Because she felt it.

The pull. The heat. The madness.

Her wolf was waking up. Reaching out.

Reaching for him.

No. She wouldn't give in.

Scarlett moved like a shadow, barefoot and silent, testing the doors and windows. Everything was locked-magically, too. Silver lined the windows, and the air shimmered where the wards had been placed. But wards could be cracked. She knew that much.

Her fingers brushed the corner of the mirror etched with runes. Her mind raced. If she could find a weakness...

"Going somewhere, Omega?"

His voice was a blade in the dark.

Scarlett spun around.

Dominic stood in the doorway, shirtless, chest bare, a towel slung around his hips like he hadn't just walked in on a criminal. His body was sculpted, scarred, and infuriatingly calm.

Her heart thundered.

Her scent spiked.

He noticed.

"Get out of my room," she snapped.

He didn't move. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, golden eyes watching her with unbearable amusement.

"Correction," he said. My wing. My room. My mate."

"I didn't ask to be your mate."

He pushed off the door and walked toward her, each step measured, every movement laced with dangerous energy.

"You think I asked?" he said lowly.

She backed up until the mirror was cold against her spine.

The air between them buzzed-wild, feral. The bond was pulsing now. The scent of arousal and resistance tangling in the space between them.

Scarlett's breath came shallow. Her wolf clawed inside her. Not out of fear-out of want.

Dominic stopped inches away. He didn't touch her. He just looked at her like he was fighting a war with himself.

"You tried to escape," he said. "What were you going to do? Run barefoot into the forest? Shift and bleed out from the silver wards?"

"I'd rather die free than live caged by you."

His eyes darkened.

"You're not in a cage, Scarlett. You're in heat."

His hand slammed against the mirror beside her head. Not touching. Just close. Just enough to make her feel caged by his presence.

"You think you hate me now?" he whispered. "Wait until your wolf begs to be marked."

"I will never beg you."

He leaned in closer, his lips brushing her jaw but never quite touching. "We'll see."

Then he stepped back. Turned. Walked away.

Just before leaving the room, he paused.

"If you want out so badly," he said, then break the mirror. Cut your way through the ward. But remember this, Scarlett-if you survive the pain, you'll still feel me inside you when the moon rises. And no magic can stop that."

He closed the door behind him.

Scarlett stood there, trembling not from fear, not from rage but from the war brewing inside her chest.

She wanted out.

She wanted him.

And when the full moon rose in two nights, she knew it would break more than her will