“Damn,” Tessa muttered as she appeared at Kaelani’s side, wiping her hands on a flour-dusted rag. She craned her neck toward the door, where the bell had only just stopped swaying. “Did you see him? He was hot. Like—unfairly hot. The suit, the shoulders, the whole smoldering ‘I eat interns for breakfast’ vibe…”

Kaelani shot her a look and turned back to her tray of pastries. “He ordered a cake and coffee. That’s all.”

Tessa groaned. “That’s all? Girl, you’re impossible. A man like that walks in here, drops cash without blinking, and you don’t even think about—” She made a vague gesture with her hands that Kaelani refused to interpret.

“He’s not my type.” Kaelani’s voice was flat, but her chest still felt too tight, her pulse uneven. She hated that she could still feel the weight of his presence even though he was gone.

Tessa smirked, undeterred. “Please. A man like that is everyone’s type.”

Kaelani rolled her eyes, lining the pastries into neat rows. “Get your hormones under control and get back to work,” she said, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

Tessa gasped theatrically, hand pressed to her chest. “Excuse me? See, that’s why you’re so tense all the time. You need to get fucked—good.”

“My vibrator does just fine,” Kaelani shot back dryly.

Tessa barked out a laugh. “Please. That’s nothing compared to a man jackhammering his way to glory.”

Kaelani shook her head, biting back a laugh as she turned away. “You’re too much.”

The afternoon wore on in a steady blur of customers, flour, and baking. By late day, the rush had thinned, leaving only the hum of ovens and the soft scrape of Kaelani’s spatula against the mixing bowl.

She paused, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. Warm. Too warm. The bakery ovens always kept the place toasty, but this was different — a slow heat crawling under her skin, blooming low in her belly.

“Ugh, it’s like a sauna in here,” Tessa groaned from the front, fanning herself with a menu. “I swear, if we get one more order of triple fudge brownies, I’m staging a revolt.”

Kaelani forced a small smile, though her throat felt dry. “Maybe you’re just hungover.”

“Rude,” Tessa shot back, but her grin was easy.

Kaelani wiped her palms on her apron. No, this wasn’t the ovens. Or the day. Or anything she could name. A restless hum buzzed in her veins, making her heart beat too fast, her hands unsteady as she reached for another tray. She pushed through it, ignoring the unease gnawing at her chest.

By the time the sun dipped lower, streaking the shop windows with gold, Kaelani felt sweat prick at the back of her neck. She tied her hair up with quick, frustrated fingers, pretending not to notice the way her body was betraying her.

Something was wrong.

“Hey,” Tessa called from the front, eyeing her closely. “Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

“I’m fine,” Kaelani said quickly, forcing her hands to keep moving as she wiped down the counter. But deep down, she knew she wasn’t fine at all.

“Bullshit,” Tessa said flatly, planting her hands on her hips. “Your face is flushed. Like, really flushed.”

Kaelani tugged at the collar of her shirt, the fabric clinging uncomfortably to her damp skin. Her flush wasn’t just in her face — heat spread everywhere, pooling in places that made her thighs press together instinctively. Her hand drifted to her stomach, only to realize the strange pressure wasn’t in her belly at all. It was lower. Sharp. Gnawing.

What’s happening to me?

Tessa’s brow creased with worry. “Hey, maybe you should go home. I can close up tonight. Seriously, you look like you’re about to keel over.”

Kaelani hesitated, wiping her palms against her apron. “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“Of course,” Tessa said, waving her off. “Go home and rest. Honestly, I knew your workaholic tendencies were going to finally catch up to you. Now go, I’ll handle everything here.”

Kaelani managed a small, grateful smile, though inside the pressure was coiling tighter, demanding, insistent. She untied her apron, hung it on the hook by the door, and stepped out into the cooling evening air.

—-

Julian sat at the long polished table, posture composed, voice even as he addressed the council. Maps and charts lay spread before them, arguments over borders and highways bouncing from Alpha to Alpha like restless sparks.

“Expansion north is inevitable,” one of them insisted. “Better to profit than fight.”

Julian’s mouth tightened. “Profit won’t matter if control is lost. Humans don’t share. They consume.” His tone was crisp, confident, the kind that usually silenced a room.

And it did. For a moment.

But then a strange pulse stirred low in his chest, faint but insistent. Heat, like an ember catching flame, spread beneath his collar. He shifted in his chair, willing it away.

Jace’s sharp gaze cut to him from across the table. The Beta tilted his head slightly, a silent question in his eyes. Julian ignored it, lifting his glass of water and taking a measured sip.

Minutes passed, voices droning on about highways and parcel sales. The ember didn’t fade. It grew. His jaw flexed, a bead of sweat breaking at his temple despite the cool hum of the air conditioning.

“Alpha Julian?” One of the older Alphas prompted, brows raised. “You seem… distracted. Are you well?”

Every eye turned toward him.

Julian’s fingers curled into a fist against the table, nails biting into his palm. His wolf prowled, restless, a growl rumbling faint in the back of his mind.

“I’m fine,” he said flatly, though the words grated against his teeth.

But Jace’s frown deepened. He wasn’t fine. Not at all.

The ember had grown into a slow burn, coiling tight in Julian’s gut. His wolf clawed at him, restless, snarling to be set loose.

“Alpha?” Jace’s voice cut through the noise, low but firm. “You don’t look too well.”

Julian’s jaw ticked. “I’m fine.”

But murmurs stirred around the table. Another Alpha leaned forward, frowning. “He’s pale. Fevered. Has he been exposed to wolfsbane?”

Julian’s head snapped toward him, insult flashing hot. “I am not poisoned.”

“Perhaps we should call in a physician,” another suggested, tone carefully neutral.

The air in the room tightened, eyes circling him like vultures. An Alpha, sick at the table — weakness laid bare for all to see. His wolf bristled at the insult, demanding he prove them wrong.

“Perhaps we should continue this tomorrow,” Jace said quickly, cutting across the whispers. “My Alpha should rest.”

Julian turned sharply. “That’s ridiculous. I said I’m fine.”

“Julian…” Jace’s tone sharpened, the Beta’s authority breaking through years of loyalty.

Across the table, one of the older Alphas inclined his head. “It has been a long morning. I’m perfectly fine with reconvening tomorrow.”

Julian’s hand tightened into a fist, knuckles whitening against the table. His wolf snarled, but the heat flooding his body gave him no ground to stand on. Reluctantly, he gave a sharp nod.

The meeting adjourned.

But Julian already knew — no physician, no fever, no wolfsbane explained this. This was something else.

Jace’s hand lingered briefly on the doorframe before he stepped back. “Rest. I’ll get you some water and ice. Maybe call the pack physician—just in case.”

“I said I don’t need a physician.” Julian’s growl was sharp, but Jace didn’t flinch. He only inclined his head once, obedient as always, before closing the door behind him.

Silence pressed in. Julian exhaled hard, dragging a hand through his hair. Heat crawled over his skin like wildfire, his pulse hammering. He yanked off his jacket, then tore at the buttons of his shirt until it hung open. His boots hit the carpet with a heavy thud, socks following.

But the heat didn’t ease. It thickened, crawling lower, curling hot and urgent between his thighs. His cock surged, hard and unyielding, pressing against the line of his slacks until he had to bite down a curse.

Julian froze. His eyes cut to the small paper bag sitting on the desk — the one holding the honey cake he’d bought without thinking.

The scent rolled across the room, sweet and spiced, clinging to him like it had the moment he stepped inside that bakery. He grabbed the bag, tearing it open, lifting the cake to his face. The aroma hit harder, sharp and intoxicating.

His cock twitched, straining painfully against his pants.

Julian swore under his breath, knuckles white around the bag. “What the hell are you doing?” He snarled at his wolf. “You want to fuck a pastry now?”

But his wolf didn’t answer with words. It surged forward, hungry and unrelenting, dragging him to his feet, every nerve alive with a single demand: find the source.

The cake wasn’t enough. It was only a thread — a trail. And his wolf would follow it.

The door clicked open a short while later, Jace stepping inside with a bucket of ice balanced in one hand and his phone in the other. “Alright, Julian, I’ve got—”

He stopped cold.

The suite was empty. Julian’s shirt and trousers lay in shreds across the carpet, boots kicked halfway beneath the desk. The paper bag sat torn open on the floor, honey cake smashed against the edge of the table.

Jace’s gaze snapped to the window. The curtains swayed, pulled by the evening breeze through a gaping hole. The glass was shattered, glittering across the carpet like spilled diamonds.

He crossed the room in two strides, leaning out to scan the street below. No wolf. No Alpha. Just the faintest shadow where the bushes had been crushed near the curb.

“Fuck,” Jace muttered, shoving a hand through his hair. His pulse kicked up, sharp and fast. “This is not good.”

Meanwhile, Kaelani shoved her key into the lock, her hands trembling, and pushed the door open. The moment she stepped inside, the warmth hit her like a wall. Not the cozy kind she’d built here over the years. This was suffocating, burning from the inside out.

She tore at her clothes as she stumbled down the hall — blouse, boots, jeans — leaving them in a trail behind her. Her nails dug into her own skin as though pressure alone might ease it, dragging across her arms, her stomach, her thighs. But the itch wasn’t on the surface. It was deeper, gnawing, primal.

By the time she hit the bathroom, she was naked, breath ragged, her body flushed pink with heat. She twisted the shower knob hard, water crashing down in a freezing spray. She stepped beneath it, gasping at the shock.

But it wasn’t enough.

The cold slid over her burning skin, raising goosebumps, but the fire inside her only roared hotter. It curled low in her belly, tightening, demanding, pulsing in places she had never felt so raw, so desperate. Her hands braced against the tile, forehead pressed forward as she choked back a sound that was half-whimper, half-growl.

No relief. No escape.

The water poured colder, sharper, and still it couldn’t put out the fire consuming her from the inside.

Kaelani shut off the water with a sharp twist, stumbling back against the cool tile. Droplets clung to her skin, trickling down her flushed body, but the fire inside only burned hotter. She dragged in a breath, pacing barefoot across the bathroom floor, leaving wet footprints in her wake.

It was cooler outside. She’d felt it when she left the bakery. Maybe if she could just get to the open air, the heat wouldn’t smother her so completely. But she couldn’t step out naked.

With clumsy fingers she yanked a thin tank top over her head, the fabric plastering to her damp skin. A pair of panties followed, flimsy, offering no protection from the ache tearing through her.

She shoved the back door open and staggered into her small garden. The evening breeze swept over her, cool and sharp, and for a moment she almost wept in relief. She dropped to her knees in the grass, palms sinking into the earth, forehead tipped back to the sky.

But the burn didn’t fade.

It raged on in her belly, in her skin, coiling tighter, demanding. Her thighs pressed together as if she could cage it, but the ache only worsened. A sound tore from her throat, desperate and broken.

Her hands moved without thought, sliding over her damp skin, slipping beneath the thin band of her panties. Fingers pressed against her aching core, but the relief was fleeting, hollow. The slick heat of her body only magnified how empty she felt, how sharp and relentless the need had become.

She gasped, hips rocking into her own touch, but the sensation was wrong — shallow, unsatisfying. The fire inside demanded more, clawed for something she couldn’t give herself.

A whimper caught in her throat as she pressed harder, faster, chasing even a shred of release. But no matter how she moved, it only stoked the blaze raging through her. Nothing eased it. Nothing would.

Then a low, guttural growl rippled through the night.

Kaelani’s head snapped up, her breath catching. From the darkest corner of her garden, two burning eyes gleamed, unblinking, predatory. The shape shifted forward, muscle and fur moving with lethal grace until the moonlight revealed him fully.

A massive black wolf.

Her heart lurched into her throat. She stumbled back onto her heels, scrambling, grass slick beneath her feet. “No,” she whispered, terror clawing through the haze of heat. She tried to push herself backward, palms digging into the earth, but the beast prowled closer, steps deliberate, certain.

It lowered its head, nostrils flaring, pulling in her scent. A deep, rumbling growl vibrated from its chest as it closed the distance, circling her, sniffing along her skin. When its muzzle pressed lower, toward the heat flooding between her thighs, a choked cry escaped her lips.

Finally. The source of the scent it had been hunting.

The wolf’s hunger was palpable, its intent undeniable. Kaelani’s entire body shook, torn between fear and the unbearable need writhing inside her. She wanted to scream, to run, but the fire in her veins left her weak and trembling.

Kaelani braced her palms against the ground, heart pounding, and forced her body to move. She shoved herself upright, desperate to reach the back door, to get inside where she could lock this nightmare out.

But the wolf was faster.

It lunged low, pressing its muzzle between her trembling thighs. A cry tore from her throat — mortified, furious, undone — yet the molten rush that answered the touch stole the strength from her legs. Her body betrayed her, trembling with need she didn’t want to feel.

“No—stop—” she gasped, but the word dissolved into a whimper as heat clawed through her again. She should have pushed it away. She should have fought. But she couldn’t move. Couldn’t think.

And then, before her wide eyes, fur dissolved into skin. Muscle shifted, bones snapping and reshaping, until it was no longer the massive wolf between her legs — it was him.

That Alpha from her bakery.

His mouth replaced the muzzle, his tongue tasting her with feral hunger. His hands gripped her thighs, holding her open, anchoring her as if she might vanish if he let go.

Kaelani’s entire body shook, horror and heat colliding until she no longer knew which was which. She wanted to scream. She wanted to surrender. She couldn’t do either.

Kaelani’s breath came in broken gasps, her body rigid as the Alpha’s mouth replaced the muzzle, his tongue parting her with feral hunger. Her hands shoved weakly at his shoulders, but he didn’t move — he couldn’t. The sound rumbling from his chest was half-growl, half-moan, vibrating against her most sensitive flesh.

“Stop—” she tried, the word a ragged plea. But her hips betrayed her, jerking forward as the fire inside twisted sharper. His tongue slid deeper, circling, devouring, until the denial in her throat dissolved into a desperate cry.

Julian’s grip on her thighs tightened, holding her open for him to taste every drop of her. Heat pulsed low in her belly, every nerve burning, every inch of her body begging for more even as her mind screamed against it.

She squeezed her eyes shut, nails clawing at the grass beneath her, trying to anchor herself. But the wave crested too fast, too hard. Pleasure tore through her like lightning, white-hot, wracking her body until her cry shattered into the night air.

Julian groaned against her, drinking down every sound, every shudder, his wolf triumphant. He had found the source. He had claimed it.

Kaelani collapsed back into the grass, trembling, wet strands of hair plastered to her flushed face. Shame warred with the raw, aching release still pulsing through her, leaving her breathless.

And Julian wasn’t done.

He rose above her, his chest heaving, his mouth slick with her release. The moonlight caught his face, but it wasn’t the polished Alpha from the bakery staring down at her — it was something far darker. His eyes glowed, wild, his expression twisted with pure, primal desire.

Her breath hitched as her gaze dropped. His cock jutted hard and heavy between them, the sight alone enough to make her pulse stutter. She knew exactly what he intended.

“No…” Her whisper barely carried, trembling as she tried to scuttle backward, the grass damp and slick between her fingers.

But Julian followed, crawling closer, his body radiating heat like a furnace. He loomed, closing the space between them, the thick length of him pressing against her thigh as if his body refused to wait for permission.

Panic flared. Kaelani twisted, forcing herself to her feet. Somehow, she found the strength to tear free, bolting for the door. Her bare feet slapped against the cool earth, heart hammering in her throat.

She almost made it.

Something clamped around her ankle, yanking her off balance. She hit the ground hard, a cry tearing from her lips as she was dragged backward through the grass. Her nails clawed at the earth, desperate, but his grip was impliable.

And then it came — sharp fangs sank deep into the tender curve of her neck, right where a wolf claimed his mate. Pain and fire exploded through her veins, stealing her breath, her will, her strength.

“Mine,” he growled against her skin, the word guttural, final.

The bite still burned hot on her neck when Julian shoved her onto her stomach, his weight pinning her down. She kicked, twisted, but his grip was iron. His chest pressed against her back, his growl vibrating through her bones.

Fabric tore, the sound sharp in the night. Her thin top split down the middle, her panties shredded away in his hands until there was nothing left between her and the brutal heat of his body. She gasped, vulnerable, exposed, her nails clawing uselessly at the earth.

Then she felt him — hard, thick, pressing insistently against her entrance.

“No,” she gasped, tears pricking her eyes. “Don’t—”

But her body betrayed her. The fire raging inside twisted sharper, clawing for the very thing she feared. Her hips arched without her permission, seeking what her mind rejected. Heat made her desperate, trembling, helpless.

Julian drove into her, hard and merciless. Her scream tore through the dark, high and broken, as fire ripped through her core. Agony flared red-hot like a burner on the stove, her body locking against the intrusion, trembling and slick but impossibly tight. His breath rasped hot against her neck, his jaw locking harder into her flesh as he dragged back—only to slam forward again, forcing her body to stretch around him like molten fire.

Her scream splintered into ragged gasps as he buried himself to the hilt, the fierce clutch of her body gripping him so tightly it stole his breath. For a heartbeat, he stilled—chest heaving, sweat beading his brow—feeling every tremor, every spasm as his cock nestled deep in the scorching heat of her tight pussy.

A growl rumbled low from his chest—part triumph, part hunger, part something darker. Then his hips snapped forward in punishing blows, the brutal rhythm wrenching another cry from her lips. Each thrust drove him deeper, stretching her raw and unrelenting, until her body had no choice but to yield beneath his will.

Kaelani sobbed, torn between agony and the desperate, unbearable relief flooding her body. The fire dulled where he filled her, every inch easing what nothing else could touch. Her walls clenched around him, traitorous, needing more, even as her heart screamed denial.

She hated him. She needed him. She couldn’t stop trembling as the word echoed in her skull, burning into her blood with every savage thrust:

Mine.

Julian’s hips continued to slam into her, her cries breaking against the night, muffled where her cheek pressed into the grass. Every stroke tore at her, stretching, burning — yet each time he filled her, the unbearable fire inside dimmed, replaced by a pulsing relief that made her shudder.

Her nails clawed at the ground, leaving streaks of dirt in her wake. “Please—” she begged, though she didn’t know if she meant for him to stop or not.

He didn’t. He couldn’t.

His grunts rumbled against her skin, savage, claiming, the sound vibrating through her as his fangs stayed buried in her neck. The bite anchored them, bound them. Every movement of his cock inside her synced with the deep pull of his wolf: take, claim, keep.

Tears streaked down her cheeks, but so did heat — sharp, coiling, insistent. The ache shifted from pain into something heavier, deeper, pleasure threading through it until her sobs dissolved into broken moans.

Her body arched back into him, perfidious, desperate. She hated herself for it — hated him for making her feel it. But she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t breathe without him inside her, couldn’t ease the fire unless he drove into her again and again.

Julian’s voice tore against her ear, husky and raw. “Mine.”

And in that brutal rhythm, with every savage thrust, he made sure she knew it.

Julian’s thrusts grew harder, faster, the rhythm wild and iron-willed. Each stroke drove her deeper into the grass, his weight crushing her into the earth as though nothing could separate them. The sound of their bodies colliding filled the night — wet, frantic, feral.

Kaelani bit her lip until she tasted blood, fighting the sounds rising in her throat. But when his cock buried deep and ground against the spot that made the fire explode inside her, a strangled moan broke free, intense and helpless.

Her body clenched around him, pulsing, betraying her again. The fire that had tormented her all night blazed higher, but now it had an outlet — now it was being fed. Every thrust tore her apart and put her back together, until she was nothing but heat and need and the man consuming her.

Julian’s thrusts faltered, hips grinding deeper, slower, desperate. She felt the thick swell of him at her entrance, stretching, locking — the wolf’s knot, sealing them together.

Kaelani gasped, clawing at the grass, her eyes wide with shock. The pressure, the fullness, was unbearable. “No—no, no, please—”

But her plea dissolved into a scream as her climax ripped through her, violent and unstoppable. Her body convulsed, squeezing him tight, milking him as wave after wave shattered her.

Julian roared against her skin, the sound shaking her to her core. His release surged hot and heavy inside her, his body locked to hers, claiming her in the most primal way a wolf could.

She collapsed beneath him, trembling, sobbing, shattered. Claimed.

And still, his teeth stayed in her neck, his wolf’s voice echoing inside his head:

“Mine.”