My pack took all this from me.
And I’m taking it all back now.
I cling to the branch as Tieran roars. One of the wolves has a hold of his scruff, his black eyes mad with a hint of unhinged savagery.
My heart stutters.
It’s another Alpha.
No, they’re all Alphas.
And they’re fighting to claim me.
It’s an inherent understanding of the process that I don’t fully understand. My wolf is the one who grasps the scene more than me. She’s the one who wanted to test Tieran, Volt, and Caius. She’s the one hoping they’ll win.
Seeing the mad wolf on Tieran’s back has me—the woman—hoping Tieran wins, too.
Because I don’t want to be anywhere near that crazed animal.
Tieran flips him off and goes right for his neck, ripping it out in a show of violence that seems appropriate here on Carnage Island.
He doesn’t celebrate the victory or lord over his kill.
Instead he focuses on the remaining two Alphas, his growl underlined in furious power that has the other males taking a step back.
Tieran howls then, the sound making me nearly lose my grip on the branch.
I feel compelled to kneel. To submit. To do whatever he desires so long as I gain his favor.
It hurts to hold on.
But if I fall…
No. Fight it, I command myself. Don’t. Let. Go.
My fingers strain to hold on, my limbs shaking with the effort as he unleashes another howl, this one even more powerful than before.
An Alpha taking hold of his pack.
An Alpha telling the others that enough is enough.
An Alpha reminding his wolves who is in charge here.
The fact I want to bend says so much about my shifting allegiances. It says I consider myself a member of his world. And not just that, part of me is already his to command.
I whimper, my grip slipping.
A third howl bites into the air and I can no longer hold myself steady. My fingers refuse to listen to reason, my hands releasing the branch and causing me to tip off my perch.
From over twenty feet up in the air.
Moons.
Wind rushes by my ears, my body tumbling from the sky to the earth below.
Only to be caught in a pair of waiting arms.
I yelp, the strong bands bruising my skin from the force of my fall. The air whooshes from my lungs, a moan echoing deep inside me that can’t be heard because of the lack of oxygen.
A soft purr rumbles in my ear, my head immediately cradled against a muscular chest. “You’re like a sweet little angel falling from the sky,” a familiar voice murmurs.
Volt.
“Too bad I have to give you to the devil,” he continues, gently setting me on the ground.
I inhale sharply, my lungs burning from the loss of air.
It’s a mistake.
I’m immediately inundated with a mixture of alluring scents.
Pine trees.
Ash and copper.
Peppermint and spice.
All underlined by a mixture of feral masculine deliciousness.
A low moan escapes my throat, my insides clenching with a foreign need that feels so much more intense than before. It… it hurts.
I curl into a ball, only for a snout to press into my neck, the pressure freezing me in my prone form.
The huge wolf growls, causing my animal to perk up with immediate interest. Tieran. I recognize his presence, his Alpha energy the source of my fall.
I go limp beneath his touch, aware that he’s very much the superior predator on this island.
It seems everyone else has conceded as well, his howl bringing all the others to their proverbial knees.
Or maybe he slaughtered them all.
I’m really not sure, and I’m too focused on his snout to ask.
He inhales deeply, the sound reverberating against my neck as he draws his snout along my throat. I swallow, making him growl again.
I can feel the man beneath the fur, controlling the desire radiating from his beast.
His restraint is addictive. It makes my wolf want to push him. I’m not sure why or what she’s hoping to accomplish, so I ignore the urge and remain still as he draws his nose down to my breasts.
My nipples bead for him, begging for his mouth, his teeth, his hands.
But all he does is take in my scent, his low grumble telling me he doesn’t appreciate the mud marring my skin.
He nudges me to my back, his lethal mouth trailing down to the apex between my thighs.
My legs part for him, my skin damp from the water and mud and the desire that seems to be pouring out of me. I’ve heard about the mating process, how it can make females react in wanton and animalistic ways. But no one warned me about this agonizing ache or the abundance of fluids.