The Alpha had come earlier, needing signatures, finalizing papers regarding her future with the brothers. The four—Kael, Rian, Loran, and Thorne—had gone with him to his office, leaving her alone in the pack house. Sena knew she was safe; she felt it in the steady, unyielding presence she could sense just beyond the shadows. Deacon was there. Somewhere. Watching. Waiting.
She didn't know where he was exactly, and that uncertainty made her pulse quicken. Her hands trembled as she slipped into her quarters, clutching the small box tucked at the back of her dresser. Inside, the photograph she had carried for years—the only thing connecting her to a mother she never met and a father she had only imagined—waited for her. She traced the faded edges with fingers that shook, remembering the faces she'd never truly known. Her mother, gentle and kind. Her real father, strong and proud. She had never held them, never been held by them. And now, this was hers.
Photo clutched to her chest, she made her way back to the main hall, heart pounding. But as she stepped into the corridor, four men emerged from the crowd of pack members—her bullies, her tormentors, and men who had once held her in contempt.
"Well, well... little wolf thinks she belongs somewhere?" one sneered, moving in close.
Sena froze. The hallway, crowded with gossiping pack members, suddenly felt stifling, every eye watching, every whisper slicing the air. The men circled her like predators, their intentions clear—they wanted to humiliate her, to touch her, to trap her in a lie that would make the brothers doubt her.
"You think the brothers would approve of this?" another hissed, stepping forward with a malicious grin. "We'll make sure everyone knows what you've been up to."
Panic and fury surged through Sena, but the crowd did nothing. Whispers carried, some chuckling, some sneering—no one dared intervene, waiting instead to see how the scene would unfold. Her chest tightened, and she gripped the photo closer.
Then the air shifted. A low, resonant rumble vibrated through the hall, setting every nerve on edge. The crowd went still.
From the shadows, a figure emerged. The bullies' smirks faltered.
Deacon.
He stepped fully into the light, and the corridor seemed to contract around his presence. Every eye in the room felt the force of his amber gaze, burning with lethal intent. Every movement carried weight, every step a warning.
"Hands off," he growled, voice deep and resonant, filling the hall with a vibration that made everyone freeze.
The bullies stumbled backward, eyes wide with terror. Their bravado crumbled under the raw intensity of his presence. Deacon didn't need to raise a hand—the space itself protected her. His warning left no doubt: Sena was his. He claimed her silently, and anyone who dared challenge that would pay dearly.
"Try anything. Touch anything. Say anything." His growl rolled through the room. "And you will regret it for the rest of your lives."
The crowd gasped and murmured as they watched, unable to look away. Sena felt her chest heave, pulse racing, heat thrumming through her veins. She had never felt protection so absolute, power so raw, and yet intimately tied to her.
Just then, Kael, Rian, Loran, and Thorne returned from the office, flanking her. Protective, sharp, silent—but it was Deacon's arrival that had shattered the tension, claiming her in front of every pack member, and left no room for doubt.
The bullies backed away, defeated and humiliated, their whispers drowned by the awe-struck murmurs of the pack. Sena's fingers tightened around the photograph. For the first time in her life, she felt wholly claimed, untouchable, and undeniably seen.
Though her wolf remained dormant, her instincts knew the truth: this was only the beginning of her awakening.