Chapter 5 Sienna

I don't see the car.

One second, I'm laughing at something the barista said through the window, stepping off the curb without looking. The next—headlights flare, engine roaring, and the world tilting sideways.

Then there's heat. An arm locking around my waist like a steel band, dragging me backward with inhuman speed.

My body collides with his. Hard. All that predatory strength, all that controlled violence, pressed against my back. This is so...surreal!

But Kieran doesn't let go.

My heart hammers against my ribs, adrenaline flooding my system. I should step away. Thank him. Create distance between myself and the wolf who warned me to run.

Instead, I turn in his arms.

Up close, he's overwhelming. The heat rolling off his body, the way his chest rises and falls with controlled breaths, the faint gold bleeding through his irises as his wolf surfaces. His scent wraps around me, which shouldn't smell this good but does.

God, he smells incredible.

The thought slips out before I can stop it. "You smell so good..."

I feel his whole body go rigid. His grip on my waist tightens, fingers splaying possessively across my lower back, pulling me impossibly closer. His other hand comes up, catching my chin, tilting my face up to his.

"Careful, little human." His voice is rough, dangerous, vibrating with barely contained control. His mouth dips close to my ear, breath hot against my skin. "Say that again, and I won't let you go."

It's a warning. A threat.

It feels like a promise.

My pulse kicks wildly. I should be scared. I should remember that this is Kieran Byrne, the Alpha who hates humans, who swore never to trust my kind after his father died. I should remember the body at The Den, the note from The Architects, every reason this is a terrible idea.

But all I can think about is how perfectly I fit against him. How his thumb is stroking slowly across my jaw, leaving trails of heat. How his eyes have dropped to my mouth and stayed there.

"Maybe," I breathe, tilting my chin up in deliberate challenge, "I don't want you to let go."

The growl that rumbles through his chest is pure wolf. Possessive. Hungry.

For one heartbeat, I think he's going to kiss me. Right here, in the middle of the street, with humans and wolves watching. I think he's going to throw away every rule, every vow, every reason we're supposed to stay apart.

His hand slides from my jaw to the back of my neck, fingers tangling in my hair. The touch is gentle but firm, holding me exactly where he wants me. His forehead dips, almost touching mine, and I can feel every breath he takes.

"You have no idea what you're asking for," he murmurs, voice dropping to something darker, rougher. "What does it mean when a wolf wants something?"

"Then show me." The words escape before my brain can filter them.

His pupils dilate, gold swallowing the dark. His grip tightens—not enough to hurt, just enough to remind me exactly how much stronger he is. How easily he could break me.

How carefully he's choosing not to.

"I can hear your heartbeat," he says softly, dangerously. "Feel your pulse jumping under my fingers. Smell the adrenaline, the fear..." His thumb traces my racing pulse point. "And something else."

Heat floods my face. Because he's right. This isn't just fear. It's arousal, sharp and undeniable, mixing with the danger until I can't separate them.

"You're your mother's daughter," he continues, voice barely above a whisper. "Smart enough to know better. Reckless enough not to care." His hand slides down my spine, settling at the small of my back, burning through the thin fabric of my dress. "She walked into danger with her eyes wide open, too. Look where it got her."

The mention of my mother should break the spell. Should remind me why I'm here, what I'm really after.

Instead, it makes everything sharper.

"You knew her," I breathe. "You knew my mother."

Something shifts in his expression. Pain, maybe. Or guilt. "My father did. They worked together. Trusted each other." His jaw locks. "Right up until The Architects killed them both."

"The same ones leaving me notes," I whisper.

His eyes flash. "What notes?"

"Last night. On my pillow. 'We see you.' Signed by The Architects."

The growl that tears from his throat makes everyone within twenty feet freeze and look our way. Pure Alpha dominance, rolling out in waves that make the air heavy.

"You didn't think to mention this?" His voice is deadly calm now, which is somehow worse than the growl.

"I'm mentioning it now."

"After walking around campus alone. After standing on street corners without looking." His fingers dig into my waist. "After making yourself the easiest target in Harrowgate."

"I didn't know they were actually watching—"

"They're always watching." He leans closer, voice dropping to something barely human. "They watched your mother until they decided she knew too much. They watched my father until he became inconvenient. And now they're watching you." His thumb traces my cheekbone with devastating gentleness. "Which means you're coming with me."

"Excuse me?"

"You're not safe. Not here, not at home, not anywhere outside pack territory." His hand slides from my waist to catch my wrist, his grip unbreakable. "So you're going to get in my car, come back to Revenant territory, and let me figure out how to keep you alive."

It should sound like kidnapping. Instead, it sounds like protection.

Like claiming.

"And if I say no?"

His smile is slow, dark, and absolutely predatory. "Then I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you. Your choice, little human. Walk with me, or make this difficult."

Heat coils low in my stomach. Because the way he's looking at me—like I'm already his, like the decision was made the second he touched me—makes every rational thought scatter.

"This is insane," I whisper.

"Probably." His thumb strokes across my wrist, finding my racing pulse. "But you stopped being safe the moment you walked into my club wearing silver and smiling like you wanted to be devoured."

"Maybe I did."

The confession hangs between us, raw and reckless.

Kieran goes very still. His eyes search mine, looking for hesitation, for doubt. Finding none.

"Then you're about to get your wish," he murmurs. "Because once I get you into my territory, onto my land, under my protection?" His mouth brushes my ear, voice dropping to pure sin. "I'm not letting you leave until I'm sure you're safe."

"How long will that take?"

His smile is wicked. "However long I decide."

Before I can respond—before I can even process what I'm agreeing to—the cafe door bangs open.

Tabitha practically skips out, perfect hair bouncing, phone already out to document this moment for posterity. She takes one look at us—Kieran's arm around me, my face flushed, the way we're pressed together—and her squeal could shatter glass.

"O, H MY GOD!" She's vibrating with excitement. "Did you two just—? Are you—? SIENNA, YOU LUCKY B*TCH!"

"Tabitha—"

"No, no, let me get this. Alpha saves girl from traffic, sweeps her into his arms, gazes deeply into her eyes..." She's narrating like a sports commentator. "And now he's probably going to carry her off into the sunset and—"

"Get in the car, Tabitha," Kieran says flatly, not taking his eyes off me.

She blinks. "Wait, what?"

"You're her friend. Which means you're coming too. I'm not leaving loose ends for The Architects to tie up."

Tabitha's face goes pale. "The who?"

"The people who killed Sienna's mother." His voice is casual, but his eyes are deadly serious. "And will kill anyone close to her if they think it'll draw her out."

The joy drains from Tabitha's face. "Oh. Sh*t."

"Yeah." Kieran finally steps back, but his hand stays locked around my wrist. Possessive. Protective. "So you have two choices. Come with us now, or I station a guard outside your apartment, and you don't leave without a pack escort until this is over."

Tabitha looks at me, eyes wide. "Take me home. I won't follow you. "I challenge him.

I expect he acts dominantly over me, and I'm desperate to see it, but what he says shocks me.

"Fine. Whatever fuck. GET. IN."