The Possessive Alpha's Claim

d have access to his network of allies. That means more wolves to call on when the battle comes. Maybe it'll make my uncl

n your own, so why even bother with me?" But deep down, she already knew the answer. Her dad was ruthless, a master at exploiting weaknesses. If Darius went directly to him, he'd see how desperate he wa

eans to mate with me, and what it means to m

s that?" D

doesn't have

r words-he wouldn't hurt her, unlike Magnus. Rhea's eyes fl

for life,"

e wasn't capable of feeling the kind of bond that would sustain a lifetime mating. "I'll need everyone to bel

ctually need me to mate with you. You ju

'd have to mark you. The second I do, you'll be recog

rstand that it was meant to be temporary. It wouldn't be easy to sever the bond later, and b

and Magnus already have a deal, and my dad's

is. "Unless you make him

. "I've told you. My mate is dead.

e mating bond," he said, choosing his words carefully. "All yo

emotion. "I couldn't do that to Soren. I

en would want you to stay in a mating with someone you don't want? Would

en clear in her gaze. "It still d

first sight. We don't have time for that, and given my reputation, it wouldn't be believab

But your pack? Won't

"It's a messy story, but the basics are simple: I never ackn

A few weeks ago, I told my pack I was planning to mate, and that my true mate died long ago. That

est of his pack. "They'll play along i

in the pack, but we're not talking about them. We'

ed to mate her, yet neither cared about her-she was simply a means to an end. It stung more than she expected. She'd never planned on taking a mate; the idea

take a mate, especially after losing Soren. He had been the one person in the worl

like betrayal. Yet, here she was, caught between th

pped in a mating she didn't want. Dariuswas right; Soren would have expected her to do w

her head. "Mates are intimate, they can't spend a minute apart. They smell of each other, wear ea

be often," Darius replied, his tone smooth. "Knowing that your free

wasn't in her nature to back down from a challenge, no matter how risky. Proving herself had always been a way to

t want to be mated to Magnus. If I go to him and say, 'Hey, turns out my true mat

ther," Darius said, an idea forming. "Maybe at one of the shifte

he slightest. Her wolf was primal, driven by instincts, and right now, those instincts liked Darius. She admired his confiden

you to claim me, even temporarily?" Rhea ask

r true mate, but those details won't matter much to h

ll be..." Rhea trailed off,

hed for her. "But it'll help sell the act. Besides, his und

r own wolf's assertiveness and dominance, and the attraction wasn't just physical. His wolf admired her strength, her loyalty, an

ing you a way out. If I were you, I'd take it. Unless you

en," she replied immed

steady. "But right now, it see

was planning to go

to know what he was thinking. "You trust his Alpha to take you in? To p

n trust you either," she said, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "I know Magnus won't just back off. He

this mating as much as you do. You can still contact your uncl

. The offer was tempting, but the consequences were too big to ignore. It was a ga