Alpha Leo's POV
I fought against the wild storm in my chest, battling my wolf's rage as I clawed my way back to control. The raw power slowly ebbed, giving way to cold clarity. My breathing steadied, and I blinked the haze from my vision. Across from me, Rex had also managed to suppress his beast—his eyes were no longer glowing, his chest rising and falling in heavy breaths.
"Let me out," my wolf growled inside my head. "I need to hold our mate. She needs us."
"No," I growled back silently. "You'll disgrace me. Not now."
Then it hit me—I was still holding her. Ava. My mate. Her scent, her softness, the heat from her body. It was intoxicating and maddening all at once. I released her abruptly, taking three long strides back, trying to create space before I lost control again.
A sudden movement to my left caught my attention. I turned just in time to see Rex shove Emma aside. She stumbled and fell hard on her backside.
"Hey, you freak!" Emma snapped as she looked up at him, her eyes blazing with fury. "Is that how you treat a lady?"
Rex's expression twisted with disgust. He stalked toward her, his voice dangerously low. "Know your lane, bitch. Don't ever talk to me like that. Speak to me with respect."
Emma scoffed and pushed herself up. "Respect? If you and your guards hadn't kidnapped us, I might have shown you some respect, young man!"
"Hey, that's enough! Shut up, brat!" Rex snarled, his voice booming with Alpha command.
I looked at him, annoyed but composed. "What are we going to do with them?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest. "They're a distraction. And pathetic. I say we kill them. We've got no use for them."
Rex shrugged, his tone as cold as ice. "I agree. They're dead weight."
"What?!" Ava and Emma gasped in unison. Ava stepped forward, her eyes wide with fear and desperation. "You can't just kill us! I swear, we're useful!"
"Useful? Like what, little brats?" I asked, raising a brow as I stared Ava down. She froze, her lips parting, but no words came.
"Umm…" she stuttered.
Emma jumped in, her voice hurried and sharp. "If you kill us now, your wolves will weaken! They might die! Your wolf needs his mate beside him or else—there will be consequences!"
I glanced at Rex, silently asking if she could be telling the truth. He nodded solemnly.
"Yes," Rex said. "That's why I'm an orphan. My father didn't mark his mate. And I've heard—if you consummate and mark your mate, your strength increases. Your mate gets their wolf, too."
Ava looked at Emma, then back at me. "But you can't just force us to have sex… knowing that you hate us."
"Does it look like I care?" I snapped. The tension in the room crackled like lightning. "You don't get to choose what happens now."
"At least give us time," Ava cried. "To know you… to understand who you are. Something!"
I snapped.
In a flash, I was in front of her. I grabbed her chin roughly, my nails digging into her delicate skin. Her breath hitched as I stared down into her eyes, my teeth clenched.
"You don't get to talk to your Alpha like that," I growled. She lowered her head in submission, but the fire in her eyes didn't fade. No, it burned brighter—fierce and angry.
"What's your name?" Rex suddenly asked Emma.
She stammered. "E-Emm…"
"I didn't stutter when I asked you a question!" Rex snapped. "What's your name?!"
"My name is Emma!" she cried out. "And my best friend here is Ava Richard."
The name Richard echoed in my head like a gunshot.
Everything stopped.
That name.
That cursed name.
I stared at Ava, fury rising like a tide I couldn't hold back.
"What's your name?" I asked again, slowly, deliberately.
"Ava," she whispered.
"Your father's name?" I demanded, my voice like a blade.
"Richard," she said, confused by my sudden intensity.
Richard. The name struck me like a bolt of lightning. My blood turned to fire. My claws slid out from beneath my fingernails, sharp and ready to tear.
"Your parents…" I growled, "killed my parents."
"That's the past!" Ava cried, backing away. "What does that have to do with me?! I was a child! I didn't even know—"
"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CARE?!" I roared.
Rex stepped forward. "Leo… calm down—"
"Don't tell me to calm down!" I barked. "Not when this has to do with the woman fated to be mine!"
Rex fell silent, bowing his head respectfully.
"I'm sorry for what her parents did, but please," Emma tried to intervene, reaching for me, "don't hurt her—"
Rex shoved her back violently. "Mind your business, bitch. This doesn't concern you!"
Emma fell to the ground, tears spilling as she held her cheek where he slapped her. Her eyes, full of pain and betrayal, locked on Rex.
"Emma!" I shouted, stepping toward her, but she recoiled, shaking her head.
Ava dropped to her knees, trembling. "Please… I've done nothing wrong. It wasn't me. My parents are dead, too. I was just a child. I didn't even understand what they did. Please, let it go. Let the past die with them."
I stared at her, my rage boiling.
"And who gave you the right to speak to me like that?!" I growled, raising my hand.
I was inches from striking her when one of my guards burst into the room, dropping to one knee.
"Alpha," he said, panting. "We have company. A man has arrived. He claims to be Steve—the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack."
A slow, dangerous smirk spread across my face.
"There's more?" I muttered.
I shoved Ava away roughly and turned toward the door.
"Let him in," I ordered, my voice dripping with anticipation. "Let's see what the Alpha of Silver Moon wants… and what kind of game he's playing by showing up uninvited