The car ride back was suffocating.
Dante sat beside me, his body rigid with barely contained rage. His jaw was clenched so tight I thought his teeth would crack. His hands were fisted on his thighs, knuckles white.
The mate bond was pulsing between us, chaotic and violent. I could feel his fury like it was my own. It pressed against my skin, making it hard to breathe.
No one spoke. Not Luca in the front seat. Not the driver. Not me.
We just drove through the dark streets of Milan while Dante's wolf clawed at the surface, desperate for blood.
When we finally reached the estate, Dante was out of the car before it fully stopped.
Lock it down, he barked at the guards. No one in or out without my direct approval. Double the perimeter. I want eyes on every entrance.
Yes, Alpha.
He turned to Luca. Get me a full report on the damage. Names of the dead. Everything we lost. I want it in an hour.
Luca nodded and disappeared.
Then Dante's eyes found me. He stalked over and grabbed my wrist. You are coming with me.
Wher
Now.
He dragged me inside and up the stairs. Not to my room. To his.
I had never been in his bedroom before. It was massive. Dark furniture. Floor to ceiling windows overlooking the estate. A bed that could fit five people.
It smelled like him. Pine and smoke and danger.
He released my wrist and walked to the window, his back to me.
The silence stretched.
Say something, I finally demanded.
What do you want me to say? His voice was cold. Controlled.
You are angry.
Of course I am angry. He spun around to face me. Viktor just declared war. He destroyed three of my warehouses. Killed fifteen of my men. And he did it all because he knows you are my weakness.
I did not ask for this.
I know. He ran a hand through his hair. That is what makes it worse.
Then let me go.
No.
Why not? I stepped toward him. You said it yourself. I am a weakness. A liability. So let me go and—
And what? He closed the distance between us in two strides. You think you would survive five minutes out there without my protection? Viktor wants you now. He sees you as a weapon to use against me. And he will take you and break you just to prove he can.
So I am a prisoner.
You are mine. His hands gripped my arms, firm but not painful. And I will not let anyone take you from me. Not Viktor. Not fate. Not even you.
You cannot control everything.
Watch me.
The mate bond flared, hot and demanding. His touch was burning through the thin fabric of my dress. My body was responding to his proximity despite my anger.
Let go of me, I said.
No.
Dante
I almost lost control tonight. His voice dropped to a growl. When he looked at you. When he said your name. I wanted to rip his throat out in front of everyone. Consequences be damned.
Then why did you not?
Because that would have started a war I am not ready to fight. His grip tightened. But I am ready now. And I will burn his entire empire to ash before I let him touch you.
I am not some prize to fight over.
You are everything. The words came out raw. Honest. And it terrifies me.
The admission hung in the air between us.
I stared at him, this dangerous, brutal man who had bought me at an auction and turned my entire world upside down.
And I realized something terrible.
I felt the same way.
I hate you, I whispered.
I know. His hand came up to cup my face. His thumb brushed across my cheek. But you also want me.
Yes.
Say it again.
I want you. The words felt like a confession. A surrender. I hate that I want you. I hate what you are. What you do. But I cannot stop wanting you.
Something broke in his eyes.
He kissed me.
Not like before. Not controlled or calculated. This was desperation. Need. The mate bond roaring to life and demanding to be satisfied.
I kissed him back with equal hunger. My hands found his shirt and I pulled, buttons scattering across the floor. I needed his skin. Needed to feel him.
His hands were on me immediately, unzipping my dress with practiced efficiency. The red fabric pooled at my feet, leaving me in nothing but the diamond necklace and black lace.
He pulled back to look at me, his eyes pure gold.
Beautiful, he breathed. And mine.
Then he lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me to the bed and laid me down like I was something precious.
For a moment, he just stared at me. Drinking me in.
Then he was on me.
His mouth found my throat, my collarbone, lower. His hands mapped every curve, every scar, every piece of me that I had kept hidden.
I arched into his touch, gasping when his mouth closed over my breast. His teeth grazed sensitive skin, and I felt the mate bond pulse with approval.
Dante, I breathed.
He looked up at me, his eyes dark with desire. Tell me to stop.
I cannot.
Good. Because I do not think I could.
His hands slid lower, hooking into the lace and pulling it down my legs. Cool air hit heated skin, and I shivered.
He kissed his way back up, slow and deliberate. When he reached my core, his eyes met mine.
Mine, he said again.
Then his mouth was on me.
I cried out, my hands fisting in his hair. Pleasure crashed through me in waves. He was relentless, using his tongue and teeth and fingers until I was trembling and begging.
Dante, please
Not yet. He pulled back, leaving me aching. I want to feel you come apart around me.
He stripped off his remaining clothes, and I finally saw all of him. Powerful. Scarred. Magnificent.
He settled between my thighs, the weight of him grounding me. His hand cupped my face, gentle despite the hunger in his eyes.
This will change everything, he said.
I know.
Are you sure?
No. I pulled him down to kiss me. But I want you anyway.
That was all the permission he needed.
He pushed inside me slowly, giving me time to adjust. The stretch was intense, almost too much. But the mate bond sang with completion, with rightness.
When he was fully seated, he stopped. His forehead rested against mine, his breathing ragged.
You feel, he started, then seemed unable to finish. Perfect. You feel perfect.
Then he moved.
Slow at first. Deep, controlled thrusts that had me gasping. But as the pleasure built, as the mate bond wrapped tighter around us, he lost control.
His pace increased. Harder. Faster. Desperate.
I met him thrust for thrust, my nails raking down his back. The pleasure was overwhelming. All-consuming. I could feel what he felt, the connection between us complete.
Look at me, he demanded.
I forced my eyes open. Met his gold gaze.
Mine, he growled. Say it.
Yours, I gasped. Only yours.
He kissed me as the orgasm crashed through us both. Wave after wave of pleasure that seemed to go on forever. I felt him release inside me, felt the mate bond snap completely into place.
Complete.
Unbreakable.
Terrifying.
Afterward, we lay tangled together. His arm was around my waist, holding me against his chest. Our breathing gradually slowed.
For a moment, there was peace.
I did not plan for this, he said quietly. Any of it.
Neither did I.
But I am not sorry. He pressed a kiss to my shoulder. Even knowing the danger. Even knowing what is coming. I am not sorry.
I turned in his arms to face him. What happens now?
Now, he said, we prepare for war. Viktor will come for you. And when he does, I will be ready.
What if you cannot stop him?
I will. His hand tightened on my hip. I would burn the world down before I let him take you.
That is insane.
Yes. He smiled, but there was no humor in it. But you are mine. And I protect what is mine.
I wanted to argue. To tell him that possessiveness was not love. That claiming me did not mean he knew me.
But I was too tired. Too overwhelmed by everything that had happened.
So I just closed my eyes and let myself rest against him.
Just for a moment.
Just until morning.
When I woke up, I was alone.
The sheets beside me were cold. Dante was gone.
I sat up and looked around the room. His clothes from last night were gone. Everything was neat and organized, like nothing had happened.
Like he had not just claimed me completely.
I found my dress folded on a chair. Beside it was a note in sharp, precise handwriting.
Stay in the estate today. Do not leave without guards. I will return tonight. - D
That was it. No affection. No warmth. Just orders.
I crushed the note in my fist.
What had I expected? That one night would change who he was? That sex would somehow make him less of a monster?
I was an idiot.
I got dressed and left his room. The hallways were crowded with guards. More than usual. The entire estate felt like a fortress preparing for siege.
Isabella found me on the stairs.
You look like hell, she observed.
Thank you.
She studied me for a moment. You slept with him.
It was not a question.
That is none of your business.
It is my business when it affects my brother. She crossed her arms. Did he hurt you?
No.
Did you want to?
I did not answer.
Isabella's expression softened slightly. For what it is worth, I have never seen him like this. Losing control. Showing weakness. You have done something to him that no one else ever has.
Is that supposed to make me feel better?
I do not know. She shrugged. But you should know that Dante does not let people in. Ever. So if he let you in, even a little, that means something.
Or it just means the mate bond is forcing him to.
Maybe. She started to walk away, then paused. But I do not think so.
Before I could respond, Luca appeared at the end of the hall.
Bianca, he called. You need to come with me. Now.
What is wrong?
Just come.
I followed him to Dante's office. The door was already open.
Inside, Dante stood behind his desk, his expression carved from stone. In his hand was a letter.
What is it? I asked.
He looked at me, and for the first time since I had met him, I saw fear in his eyes.
Viktor knows about your past, he said quietly. About Lorenzo. About what happened to you.
My blood turned to ice. How?
Because Lorenzo told him. Dante set the letter down. They have formed an alliance. Viktor and your former Alpha. And they are coming for you.
The room tilted.
When?
Soon. Dante walked around the desk. We do not have much time.
What do they want?
Viktor wants to use you to destroy me. And Lorenzo... He paused. Lorenzo wants revenge. For the humiliation of losing his property to me.
I am not his property.
I know. But he does not. And now he has allied with the one man powerful enough to challenge me.
So what do we do?
Dante's hand cupped my face, his thumb brushing my cheek.
We fight, he said. And we win. Because I will not let them take you from me.
His phone buzzed. He looked at it and his expression darkened further.
What? I whispered.
They are already here. Viktor and Lorenzo just crossed into my territory.
He looked at me, and I saw the truth in his eyes.
The war had begun.
And I was the prize they were all fighting for.