[Kaelen's POV]

Vivian's daughter. Stepfather.

Those words were like rusty knives stabbing my heart.

I looked at the girl.

She was too young. She looked like a college student. Her blue eyes were red from crying. Her messy blonde hair stuck to her sweaty cheeks.

She looked delicious.

She was my Mate. The only woman who could drive me mad.

But she was the damn daughter.

I looked at the red marks on her white neck, my marks. I wanted her. But I couldn't have her.

My wolf howled in mourning. He didn't want to give up. I bit my tongue until I tasted blood, using the pain to force myself back.

One second later. If she spoke one second later, I would have been burying myself inside her.

I stared at her. My voice sounded like a demon.

"Get out."

If she didn't leave right now, I would ignore every rule. I would chain her to my bed and fuck her until she forgot the word "Stepfather."

[Sia's POV]

My body betrayed me.

The taxi hit every pothole in the Valley district, but I didn't care. I was burning up.

It wasn't a fever. It was desire.

I clutched my dress, gasping. Every breath smelled like him, cedar and gunpowder. It was stuck in my hair, my skin.

He is your stepfather.

I repeated it again and again. But the image of Kaelen's golden eyes only made the ache between my legs worse.

I could still feel his hand on my hip. His tongue on my neck.

"Miss? You okay?" the driver asked.

"Just... drive faster."

When I got home, the smell of antiseptic hit me. Mom was there.

She was slumped on the sofa in her scrubs. She looked gray and exhausted. The hospital work was killing her.

Seeing her like that felt like a slap.

She worked herself to death for me. To pay my tuition. And what did I do? I went to apologize to her fiancé and almost let him claim me on the floor.

"Sia?" Mom sat up. "You're back. Was Alpha Kaelen angry?"

Guilt choked me.

I couldn't tell her. I couldn't ruin her chance at safety and status.

"I..." I swallowed the lie. "He was... scary, Mom. I apologized and left."

Mom smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, honey. He has a cold reputation. But he's powerful. Neither I nor Alpha Jacob can refuse him." She sighed. "Maybe he will protect us."

Protect us. I shivered. That man didn't want to protect me. He wanted to own me.

"I'm tired, Mom. Goodnight."

I ran to my room and locked the door.

I curled up under my duvet, trembling.

My hand slipped inside my shirt, touching my breasts. They weren't big like Mom's. But when he touched them, my nipples got so hard.

I wasn't safe. My body craved the monster. But I couldn't have him.

[Kaelen's POV]

The water was freezing.

I stood in the shower, head down. My knuckles were white.

"Fuck!"

I punched the wall. The black stone cracked.

It wasn't enough. My cock was painfully hard. It throbbed, demanding release.

But I couldn't touch it. My wolf snarled. He refused any relief that wasn't her.

Sia.

I closed my eyes. I saw her trembling body. I heard her broken whimper. I tasted her fear and sweetness.

She was mine.

But she was forbidden.

I turned off the shower and walked out naked, dripping wet. On the table lay the file my Beta compiled.

I opened it. The photo on top was a family portrait.

Vivian Bennett. Elegant. Suitable. The perfect trophy Luna.

And next to her... Sia.

In the photo, she smiled like an angel. But I knew the truth. She was a siren, dragging me to hell.

I couldn't mark her. She was 18. A fresh college student. I was the Summit Alpha, her future "father." The scandal would destroy her and humiliate her mother.

'Let her go,' my conscience whispered. 'Never', my beast roared.

If I couldn't eat the prey, I would cage it. I needed her close. I needed to ensure no other male looked at her.

If I left her in the Valley Pack, some stupid pup might try to court her.

The thought made my vision red. I would kill any male who breathed near her.

I grabbed my phone. 3,00 AM. I didn't care.

"Prepare the cars," I commanded my Beta. "We're moving Dr. Bennett and her daughter to the Estate. Today."

"Why?" Theo sounded sleepy.

"Security," I lied. But the hunger in my voice was obvious. "The Valley isn't safe. I want my... family... where I can see them."

[Sia's POV]

The next morning, loud engines woke the neighborhood.

I dragged myself out of bed and looked out the window.

My breath stopped. The street was blocked by a line of black, armored SUVs.

And leaning against the lead car was him.

Kaelen.

He wore a suit that cost more than my building. He wore sunglasses, but I felt his gaze snap to my window instantly.

He knew where I was.

"Sia! Get dressed! Alpha Kaelen is here!" Mom yelled excitedly.

[Sia's POV]

Panic choked me. I threw on a hoodie and jeans to hide my skin. To hide the scent of my arousal.

When I walked into the living room, Kaelen filled the doorway. He sucked all the air out of the room.

He took off his sunglasses. Those golden eyes pinned me down.

"Alpha Kaelen insists we move to the Summit Estate," Mom said nervously. "Because of the attacks... he wants us safe. Isn't that generous?"

No. It was a capture.

"Sia," Mom waved at me. "Come say hello. This is Alpha Kaelen Voss. We will be part of his family."

I forced my legs to move. I stared at his tie knot. I couldn't look at his face.

"Hello... Alpha Kaelen," I whispered.

"Please," his voice vibrated through the floor. "We're going to be living together. No formalities."

He extended a large hand.

I hesitated. Mom was watching. I had no choice. I put my small hand in his.

Zap.

A spark of static electricity snapped between us. Sharp. Painful.

His fingers tightened instantly. It wasn't a handshake; it was a grip. His thumb pressed against my wrist, feeling my racing pulse.

He pulled me closer, invading my space.

"It's a pleasure to officially meet you, Sia," he said smoothly.

Then, he leaned down. Only I could see the dark hunger in his eyes. A cruel, sexy smirk played on his lips.

"Although," he murmured, his thumb stroking my wrist, sending fire up my arm. "We met yesterday, didn't we?"

I froze, trapped in the wolf's grip.

***

The Summit Pack's Estate was a fortress carved out of obsidian and glass, perched on the edge of a cliff.

"Dr. Bennett, you will be in the East Wing guest suite," Theo, Kaelen's Beta, announced efficiently as we stood in the cavernous foyer. He was polite, but his eyes held no warmth. "And Miss Sia..."

He checked his tablet. "Alpha Kaelen requested you in the Master Wing. The room next to his. For... maximum security."

My stomach dropped. It sounded like maximum surveillance.

"That's very thoughtful!" Mom chirped.

Suddenly, Mom's pager beeped. "Emergency surgery. Pile-up on the interstate. I have to go."

"Go," I said quickly, though panic was already icing my veins. "I'll be fine."

"Sorry sweetie, I'll be back tomorrow." Mom hugged me hastily and rushed out. The heavy front door clicked shut.

The house fell into a suffocating silence.

The Omega servants moved like ghosts, eyes lowered, terrified to make a sound. Dinner was lonely. Kaelen never appeared.

But his presence was everywhere. The smell of cedar and gunpowder seeped into the walls.

By midnight, my throat felt like sandpaper.

I couldn't sleep. The silence was loud. I needed water.

I crept out of my room. The hallway was dark. I got lost in the massive house.

I took a wrong turn, then another, ending up in a wing I didn't recognize.

The air here was hotter. The Alpha scent was thick, smelling like storm clouds and musk. It made my belly ache.

I saw a light from a door at the end of the hall. An office.

The door was cracked open.

I raised my hand to knock, but a sound stopped me dead.

"Sia..."

It was Kaelen. He groaned my name. Low, painful, and full of need.

I froze. I should have run. Every instinct screamed at me to run. But I pressed my eye to the crack in the door.

The office was dark. He sat in a leather chair, back to the door, facing the window, looking out at the moonlit forest.

His suit jacket was gone. His white dress shirt was unbuttoned, hanging off his broad shoulders.

And he was moving.

His right arm was moving in a steady, rhythmic motion near his lap.

I couldn't see what he was holding, the high back of the chair blocked my view, but I could see the muscles in his back bunching and flexing with every jerk of his arm.

Slick. Wet. Heavy. The sound of friction filled the silence.

My breath hitched in my throat. I knew that sound. I knew what he was doing.

Heat flooded my face, my chest, my thighs.

I watched the way his head fell back, exposing the thick column of his throat. His hand moved faster, harder, as if he was trying to punish himself.

Then, he spoke again.

"Fuck... Sia... you little torment..."

The sound of my name on his lips, mixed with the wet, rhythmic sound of his pleasure, shattered my world.

[Kaelen's POV]

"Kaelen... please... I need you..." the AI voice whimpered. "Fuck me, Kaelen..."

I ripped the earbud out and threw it on the desk. My chest heaved. I was breathing hard, like I'd just run ten miles.

On my phone, the video looped.

I had paid a tech team a fortune to make it. In the video, a digital ghost with Sia's face wore a sheer black nightgown... the kind I wanted to tear off her body.

But the high faded fast.

I looked at the screen, at her fake face, and felt sick. Self-loathing crashed over me.

Pathetic.

I was the Summit Alpha. I could have any woman I wanted. Yet here I was, getting off to a fake video of an eighteen-year-old girl.

Fake. It was all fake.

I reached out to close the app. Then, my nose flared.

The scent hit me.

It was faint, drifting through the crack in the door. But to an Alpha, it was loud.

Salty sweat. Vanilla. Wild berries. And underneath... the sweet, heavy smell of an aroused female.

My hand froze.

Sia heard.

I didn't feel shame. I felt a jolt of electricity straight to my groin.

She stood outside my door. She listened to the wet, slapping sounds of my hand. She heard me groan her name.

What did she think? A dark smirk touched my lips. Did she touch herself? Are her little panties wet right now because of her 'Daddy'?

The thought made me hard again. Instantly.

I stood up and moved silently. I followed the scent trail straight to Sia's bedroom.

I turned the handle. Unlocked. Careless girl.

Moonlight filled the room. Sia was curled up in the middle of the big bed, buried under the duvet.

I walked to the edge. My footsteps made no sound.

"Sia," I whispered.

She didn't move. She was faking it.

I could hear her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her breathing was too shallow.

She was awake. And she was terrified.

I stood over her, a monster admiring his pet. My eyes traced her shoulder, the curve of her neck where her pulse jumped wildly.

I reached out. My hand hovered inches above her skin.

The heat coming off her was intoxicating.

I imagined grabbing her, pinning her to the mattress, and asking her exactly what she heard. I imagined checking those silk sheets to see if she was as wet as she smelled.

My erection throbbed against my zipper. A painful ache.

Not yet, my rational mind warned. She's scared. Take it slow.

I pulled my hand back, curling my fingers into a fist. Instead, I gently tucked the duvet higher around her shoulder.

I leaned down, lips right at her ear. I knew she could feel my hot breath.

"Good night, my mate," I murmured. A low rumble just for her and her wolf.

She shuddered under the covers.

Satisfied, I turned and walked out. I needed another ice-cold shower.

(Vivian's POV)

2,00 AM.

I collapsed onto the cheap plastic chair.

The pile-up on the interstate was a bloodbath. I had operated for six hours straight. My scrubs were stained, my back was breaking. I just wanted silence.

Click.

The lock turned. My head snapped up.

Leo stood there.

Twenty-six. Blond hair, hazel eyes, broad shoulders. The hospital's golden boy. But tonight, he wasn't smiling.

He leaned against the door, crossing his arms. His biceps strained against his blue scrubs.

"Leo, unlock the door," I sighed. "I need to rest."

"Rest?" He pushed off the door, restless and angry. "Or do you need to go back to that castle? To him?"

"Don't start," I warned, standing up. "I'm doing this for Sia's safety."

"Bullshit," Leo growled. He closed the distance in two strides, backing me up until my hips hit the desk. "You're playing house with Alpha Moneybags."

"He is my fiancé, Leo!"

"He's a statue, Vivian! He's cold and old, and he doesn't look at you the way I do."

Actually, Kaelen was a year younger than me. But before I could speak, Leo's hands grabbed my waist. He hoisted me onto the desk.

He stepped between my legs. His body heat was impossible to ignore. He smelled like antiseptic and sunshine, so different from Kaelen's dark, heavy scent.

"Leo, stop..." My protest was weak.

"Tell me to stop," he challenged, face inches from mine. "Tell me your wolf doesn't want this puppy."

He didn't wait. He crashed his lips onto mine.

It was a hungry, desperate kiss. I gasped, and his tongue tangled with mine.

My hands found his thick, golden hair, pulling him closer.

I melted.

Moon Goddess, I was so tired of being strong. For a moment, I just wanted to be wanted.

Leo's hands roamed over my body. He kneaded my breasts roughly through the scrubs. His other hand slid up my thigh, thumb pressing into my soft flesh.

His fingers thrust deep into my wetness. He shifted angles, probing me. Slick juices ran down his fingers and dripped onto the floor.

When he pulled his fingers out, I rocked my hips against the empty air, needy. He yanked down his waistband and gripped his thick, hard shaft.