Chapter 6
1079 Words
Olivia Anderson
The moment we crossed the invisible line into Black Mist territory, the air changed.
It felt thicker than anything I had ever felt. It pressed against my skin.
The forest here didn’t whisper...it growled low in its throat, claiming every breath I took. Pine, cedar, damp earth, and underneath it all, the unmistakable musk of an apex predator’s land. Benjamin’s land.
I hated how part of me wanted to bare my throat and breathe deeper.
They didn’t blindfold me. Didn’t tie my hands. Benjamin simply carried me through the trees like I was already his, one arm hooked under my knees, the other banded across my back.
Every step jolted awareness through me: the hard wall of his chest, the steady thud of his heart against my ear, the way his scent wrapped around me tighter than any rope ever could. Wild storm and charred oak and something darker—something that made Chloe claw at the inside of my ribs, restless and starving.
I kept my face turned away. Kept my jaw locked. Refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing how badly I was shaking.
The mansion rose out of the darkness like a blade forged from night itself.
Black stone. Tall arched windows glowing amber. Gargoyles crouched along the roofline, their stone eyes tracking our approach. Ivy had been allowed to crawl halfway up the walls before someone ruthlessly cut it back. Just like the man carrying me.
Two massive double doors carved with crescent moons and interlocking wolf heads swung open without anyone touching them. Power hummed in the air. Pack magic. Old magic.
He carried me across the threshold.
The foyer was obscene in its beauty.
Polished obsidian floors reflected torchlight like spilled ink. A double staircase curved upward, black iron railings shaped like twisting vines. Overhead, a chandelier made of antlers and crystal dripped soft golden light. The walls were hung with tapestries—ancient battles, moonlit hunts, wolves tearing into shadows. Everything screamed dominance. Legacy. *Mine.*
I hated that my traitor eyes lingered. Hated that some tiny, broken piece of me thought it was beautiful.
We moved deeper. Marble gave way to thick dark rugs that swallowed sound. Hallways lined with portraits of previous Alphas—all of them staring down with the same cold, unyielding gray-green eyes Benjamin had inherited. The air smelled of him here. Stronger. Concentrated. It coated my tongue.
Chloe whined.
'Stop it,' I hissed internally. 'He’s the enemy.'
'He’s ours,' she answered, shameless. 'Look at him. Smell him. Feel him.'
I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw ached.
We reached a wide corridor lined with arched windows that looked out over a moonlit courtyard. Benjamin’s stride slowed. I felt the shift in his body before I understood why his grip tightened, protective, possessive.
A heartbeat later my bare foot caught on the edge of a rug I hadn’t seen.
I pitched forward.
Time stretched.
My arms windmilled uselessly. A small, startled sound escaped my throat....humiliating.
Then steel bands snapped around me.
One arm hooked my waist. The other cradled the back of my neck. He yanked me against him so hard my breasts crushed to his chest and my breath punched out in a startled gasp.
We froze.
Faces inches apart.
His eyes..gods, those eyes were molten silver rimmed with storm...gray. Pupils blown wide. Lashes thick and dark. A thin white scar bisected the tail of his left brow, giving him a permanent look of dangerous curiosity. High cheekbones. Sharp jaw dusted with dark stubble. A mouth that looked made for cruel smiles and crueler kisses.
He was devastating up close.
And he was looking at me like I was the only thing that existed.
Chloe purred loud, rolling through every inch of me like warm honey. My thighs clenched involuntarily. Heat flooded low in my belly, sudden and vicious. My n*****s tightened against the damp, torn silk of my dress.
I couldn’t breathe.
He lifted his free hand slowly. Slowly enough that I could have stopped him. Should have stopped him.
Instead I stood there, trembling, while he caught a wet strand of raven hair that had fallen across my cheek. With aching gentleness he tucked it behind my ear. The pad of his thumb brushed the sensitive shell. I shivered hard.
His head dipped.
Nose brushed mine.
Just once. Barely a touch.
But it felt like lightning striking the base of my spine.
My lips parted on a silent gasp. His gaze dropped to my mouth—hungry, furious, conflicted. The bond between us sang, bright and vicious, demanding I close the last inch of distance. Demanding I taste him. Let him taste me.
He exhaled roughly against my lips.
Then suddenly he jerked back.
The spell shattered.
He cleared his throat, harsh, almost painful. His eyes darted away from mine like looking at me burned. The arm around my waist loosened, but didn’t release. Not completely.
He took one deliberate step back.
Then another.
The cold rushed in where his heat had been.
I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly freezing. My cheeks flamed. Humiliation and want and rage twisted together until I couldn’t tell them apart.
He dragged a hand over his face, once, hard.
“Guest wing is this way,” he said, voice gravel and iron. No trace of the man who’d just held me like I was breakable. “You’ll stay there until I decide what to do with you.”
I forced my chin up, forced my voice to stop shaking.
“I already told you what I’m going to do,” I said. “I reject you.”
His head snapped back to me.
Those silver eyes narrowed.
A slow, dangerous smile curled the corner of his mouth.
“You can try, princess.”
He turned and started walking again, clearly expecting me to follow.
I stayed rooted for three furious heartbeats.
Then because I had nowhere else to go, because the bond was already tightening like a noose, because some sick part of me wanted to see how far he would push this ...I followed.
But every step echoed with Chloe’s smug little purr.
He tilted his head lightly, and smiled when he saw my little feet steadily following him behind. He proceeded to walk, so did I.
But I felt a strong mind link from him.
"If you keep looking at me with those eyes, we may end up f*****g. Tame yourself, princess."
- Writer
