Chapter 2

The shift in the air wasn’t subtle.

It was pressure.

Raw. Dominant. Heavy enough to press against my ribs.

Victoria stepped closer, her scent sharp and metallic, like blood on steel.

“You don’t understand where you’re standing,” she said quietly. “This isn’t your little college fantasy. This is Bloodfang territory tonight.”

Beta warriors tightened their circle around me.

Some of them were already half-shifted—claws extended, eyes glowing faintly in the torchlight.

The pack watched.

No one intervened.

In our world, power decides who speaks.

Leonardo’s jaw tightened.

“Victoria,” he said low. “It’s a ceremony. Don’t make it messy.”

“Messy?” She laughed softly. “She walked into my mating ceremony claiming a bond with my future Alpha.”

Her gaze snapped to me.

“Did you really think instinct outranks bloodline?”

I held her stare.

“I didn’t come for your bloodline.”

I looked past her—to him.

“I came for an answer.”

Leonardo didn’t move.

Victoria’s smile thinned.

“Answer?” she echoed. “Fine. I’ll give you one.”

She stepped even closer until our shoulders nearly touched.

“You were never his Luna.”

Her voice dropped.

“You were practice.”

A few wolves in the crowd chuckled.

My wolf stirred inside me—not in panic.

In warning.

Leonardo’s scent spiked.

Anger.

Guilt.

Conflict.

“Enough,” he said sharply.

Victoria turned to him.

“Why?” she challenged. “You already ended it.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Or are you hesitating?”

Silence.

Leonardo didn’t deny it.

That was all she needed.

Her aura flared violently.

Several lower-ranking wolves instinctively lowered their heads.

“Since you’re here,” she said, eyes still on me, “stay.”

She raised her voice so the entire pack could hear.

“Let her witness what a real alliance looks like.”

Two Beta warriors grabbed my arms.

Hard.

I didn’t resist.

If I broke their grip now, I would expose too much.

And tonight wasn’t the night for that.

They dragged me to the front row, directly facing the altar.

Close enough to see the pulse in Leonardo’s throat.

Close enough to smell the uncertainty beneath his Alpha control.

The elder began chanting again.

Ancient words. Formal vows.

Victoria took Leonardo’s hand.

“Seal it,” the crowd repeated.

He hesitated.

Just half a second.

Then he leaned down.

Victoria lifted her face, triumphant.

Their lips met.

The courtyard erupted in howls.

I sat still.

The pain didn’t come the way I expected.

It wasn’t sharp.

It was cold.

Precise.

Like something cleanly cut away.

Leonardo pulled back first.

Victoria noticed.

Her fingers tightened around his.

“Don’t embarrass me,” she whispered.

His expression hardened.

He masked it well.

But I saw the crack.

The ritual concluded.

Applause echoed across the territory.

I rose from my seat.

This time, I intended to leave.

Victoria’s hand shot out, gripping my wrist.

“You don’t get to walk away that easily.”

Her nails bit into my skin.

“You came to disrupt my ceremony.”

Her smile returned, slow and cruel.

“So let’s make this entertaining.”

She turned to the crowd.

“Bloodfang tradition,” she announced. “When a rogue challenges an Alpha’s mate, she earns trial by fang.”

Murmurs rippled outward.

Trial by fang.

A combat rite.

Usually reserved for trespassing wolves.

Or rogues.

Leonardo’s head snapped toward her.

“She’s not rogue.”

“She entered uninvited,” Victoria replied smoothly. “That qualifies.”

Her eyes glittered.

“Unless,” she added lightly, “you’d like to claim her publicly?”

The entire pack went silent.

A challenge.

Clear. Direct.

Claim her—

And risk insulting Bloodfang.

Reject her—

And she stands alone.

Leonardo looked at me.

Just for a second.

And in that second, I understood.

He was calculating.

Politics.

Council recognition.

Territorial security.

He wasn’t choosing with his heart.

He was choosing with strategy.

“I won’t claim her,” he said finally.

The words were even.

Controlled.

Like a verdict.

Something inside me settled completely.

Victoria smiled.

“Then she fights.”

Two warriors stepped forward, removing their jackets.

The torches burned brighter.

The circle widened.

The scent of anticipation thickened the air.

Victoria leaned close to my ear.

“Let’s see how long you last without your Alpha.”

And for the first time that night—

My wolf lifted her head.