The forest had fallen silent, but Sena's body still throbbed with the echoes of what had unfolded beneath the trees. Her lips tingled from too many kisses, her skin burned where their hands had lingered, and her wolf paced restlessly inside her—wild, hungry, yet contained.
Deacon had caught her first, his strength leaving no room to resist. He carried her most of the way back, arm firm around her waist, heat searing into her. Behind him, the others—Kael, Rian, Loran, and Thorne—followed silently, eyes sharp, predatory, protective.
Every step along the winding path reminded her: she hadn't escaped them. She had been claimed.
The packhouse loomed ahead, familiar yet suffocating. Her stepfather's face drained of color at the sight of all five Alphas. Lips tight, jaw rigid—he hadn't expected her return like this.
Sena stopped just outside the doorway, clutching the edges of her torn dress. "What... what's going on?" she whispered, voice raw.
Her stepfather's eyes were cold, calculating. "You... were the price," he muttered almost to himself, then louder: "I made a deal. For the pack. For peace."
Ice water hit her stomach. "You... gave me... to them?" Her voice barely rose above a hiss, disbelief and rage knotting her throat.
"Yes," he said flatly, devoid of warmth. "It's the only way to keep the pack stable."
Her mind raced through every cruelty she had endured—the stepmother, the stepsisters, sneers, taunts—and now her supposed protector had handed her over to five men whose power made her skin ache and her body betray every instinct.
Kael's silver-gray eyes softened just enough to calm the sting of betrayal. "It's not about him," he said. "It's about you. You belong to us, not them."
Rian smirked, leaning casually against the wall, stormy eyes flashing. "They don't get a say. They never did. You're ours." Sharp, playful, full of fire—and despite the chaos in her mind, her body trembled in anticipation.
Thorne stood closest, silent, a predator in perfect control. His dark eyes burned into hers. Even through fear, she leaned slightly toward him, craving the touch that promised both danger and protection.
Loran lingered at the edge of the room, calm but impossible to ignore. His green eyes pierced her soul, reading confusion, fear, and something deeper, hidden within her, that she had yet to understand.
And then there was Deacon. He said nothing. He stayed at the edge, silent, a shadow of power that sent shivers down her spine. Most of the pack had only heard stories of him—ruthless, terrifying, nearly mythical. His presence alone radiated danger, a warning to anyone who dared cross them. Sena could feel him, though she couldn't see him. The hair along her arms prickled, her pulse spiking.
Sena took a trembling breath, sweeping her gaze over the five men. They weren't just dangerous—they were magnetic, intoxicating, terrifying, and hers in a way no one else could claim. Even as desire pulsed through her veins, her mind raced.
I'm different. I've always been different.
That thought sparked something raw inside her. Flashes of her mother—someone she barely remembered—flickered through her mind. Whispers she had dismissed as dreams now felt real, tangible, powerful. Her mother hadn't been ordinary. And neither was she.
Her senses flared; a pulse of raw energy hummed under her skin. She could feel the brothers' presence more intensely than ever, their territorial heat pressing into her, claiming her without words. She closed her eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath.
I'm theirs. And I'm not powerless.
Her stepfather's lips pressed into a thin line. "Do you understand what this means? For the pack? For you?"
"Yes," she said finally, voice low, steadying herself against the quake of her own revelation. "I understand... that I'm not theirs to give. I'm mine. And now, I'm theirs."
The brothers reacted instantly. Kael's hand brushed the small of her back, steadying her, asserting claim without words. Rian's smirk deepened, stormy eyes gleaming with triumph. Thorne's fingers tightened subtly at her waist, anchoring her to him, to them, to a reality she could no longer deny. Loran stepped forward slightly, calm dominance wrapping around her like a shield.
Deacon remained at the edge, silent but fierce, a living warning to anyone who dared cross them. His presence was a storm contained, impossible to ignore. Sena could feel the air hum with the weight of him, though his form remained in shadow.
She inhaled sharply—the air thick with pine, sweat, and the magnetic pull of their combined power. Her body, her mind, her instincts—they all knew one thing: she wasn't invisible anymore. She wasn't weak. She wasn't alone.
And for the first time in her life, she felt something she had never felt before: right.
But even in that realization, one thought lingered in her mind, cold and thrilling:
Deacon was waiting. Watching. And when he chose to move... everything would change.