CHAPTER FIVE
1021 Words
The scent of blood and iron clung to the air long before the Gamma stepped into the clearing.
He came alone this time, but the weight of his presence was as suffocating as a hundred warriors. A predator enjoying the slow torment of his prey.
My body went rigid as I fought the urge to take a step back.
No. I wouldn’t show fear. Not to him. Not ever again.
Aiden stood a few feet ahead, his expression carved from stone. He hadn’t spoken a word yet, hadn’t moved, but the energy rolling off him was barely restrained violence.
Good.
Let him unleash it.
Let him tear the Gamma apart the way I dreamed of doing.
Because if Aiden didn’t, I would.
Even if it killed me.
"She is still mine, Blackwood," the Gamma sneered, his gaze sliding to me like I was something rotting in the dirt.
"You might have delayed the inevitable, but we both know how this ends."
Aiden’s fingers twitched at his side, but he didn’t take the bait.
The Gamma's grin widened.
"Two moons, girl," he said, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Two moons to win the Alpha’s heart. Fail, and you return to me—disgraced, Worthless. Nothing but a discarded breeder with nowhere left to run."
The words hit like a blow to the ribs.
I had always known this was a game to him. A cruel, twisted amusement. But hearing it aloud, hearing him confirm that my suffering was nothing more than entertainment sent something cold and dark slithering through my veins.
He wanted me to fail. Expected me to fail.
Because once I did, there would be no power left in me. No fight. No will to resist.
And when that day came, he would break me completely.
My stomach curled with nausea, but I met his gaze, forcing steel into my voice.
"I’d rather die than crawl back to you."
His smile never wavered.
"Oh, you’ll crawl, Caitlyn. And when you do, it’ll be on your hands and knees."
A growl tore through the air.
Aiden.
I had never heard his wolf rise like that before.
Deep. Threatening. Deadly.
The Gamma turned back to him, his expression twisting with cruel amusement.
"You’re hiding behind a mask, Blackwood. But I see your weakness." His voice dipped lower, more taunting.
"You act as if she means nothing. That she’s just another body in your pack."
His eyes gleamed.
"But you hesitate. You hold back. And that tells me everything I need to know."
A thick silence fell between them.
Aiden said nothing.
He didn’t need to.
The tension crackling in the air spoke volumes.
The Gamma chuckled. "The girl will be mine, one way or another."
He took a slow step forward. Then another.
I tensed, every muscle screaming to move.
But Aiden got there first.
A blur of motion.
One second, the Gamma was standing, the next, he was pinned.
Aiden’s hand was at his throat, slamming him against a tree with enough force to crack the bark.
The shift in power was instant.
The air grew thick, charged with the undeniable authority of an Alpha on the brink of violence.
"Speak another word," Aiden murmured, voice low, dangerous, "and I’ll rip your tongue out."
The Gamma’s lips curled, but for the first time, his eyes flickered with something close to caution.
Good. Let him fear.
I wanted him to choke on it.
Aiden leaned in, his voice a whisper of pure death.
"Touch her, and I will tear you apart piece by piece. Slowly. So you feel every. Single. Cut."
The Gamma chuckled, though there was a strain to it now.
He wasn’t unafraid.
Just reckless enough to pretend otherwise.
"Two moons, Blackwood," he rasped. "And then she’s mine."
Aiden’s grip tightened. just enough to make the Gamma’s breath hitch before he released him.
The Gamma landed on his feet, rubbing his throat as he gave me one last look.
I met his gaze with ice.
He grinned.
Then, just as quickly as he had come, he vanished into the trees.
The Silence That Followed
The second he was gone, my breath came fast and uneven.
Not from fear but from rage.
From the need to do something, to tear, to fight, to prove that I would never be his again.
But what could I do?
Aiden turned to me, his eyes still dark, his wolf still lingering beneath the surface.
"You knew he’d come back," I accused.
"Yes."
"And you let him?"
"I needed to see how far he’d go."
My stomach twisted. How far he’d go? He had just declared ownership over me like I was some object.
"And?" I pressed.
Aiden’s jaw clenched.
"He’s waiting." His voice was quieter now. "Waiting for you to fail. For me to cast you aside."
I swallowed hard.
Because no matter how much I hated the Gamma, he was right about one thing.
I wasn’t truly safe here.
Not yet.
Not until Aiden made a choice.
Not until he either claimed me or let me go.
My fingers curled into fists.
I wouldn’t let that bastard win.
I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of watching me break.
But Aiden…
Aiden was a different kind of problem.
Because I had been trying to seduce him, to manipulate him into wanting me.
But now?
Now, I wasn’t sure if it was manipulation anymore.
Because I had seen it, the flicker of something in his eyes when the Gamma threatened to take me.
He cared. Even if he didn’t want to.
And if I could just push him enough—
If I could force him to feel—
Then maybe I had a chance.
A chance to survive.
A chance to win.
But what if… what if I wanted more than just survival?
What if I wanted him?
The thought sent a shiver down my spine.
Aiden wasn’t safe.
And neither was I.
Not anymore.
As the Blood Moon crept closer, two things became clear.
I had two moons to make Aiden mine.
And if I failed…
The Gamma would take me back in chains.
- Writer
