ALPHA KING DOMINIC'S DARKEST CLAIM

Lyra stepped out of the bathroom and tightened the towel around herself as steam drifted through her bedroom.Her gaze fell on the outfit spread across her bed, and a nervous smile tugged at her lips.Tonight was finally the night she was losing her virginity..For months, she and her boyfriend Caelan had talked about completing their chosen bond during the Mating Festival. They had planned everything together. After years of loving each other, years of promising that they would choose one another no matter what fate decided, tonight they would finally take the next step.The thought sent warmth rushing through her chest.After a moment's hesitation, she opened the top drawer of her dresser and pulled out the new lingerie she had hidden there weeks ago. Her cheeks immediately turned pink.She had spent an entire afternoon choosing them and another week convincing herself she wasn't being ridiculous.Now, standing alone in her room, she couldn't stop smiling."Get yourself together, Ly

Lyra didn't stop running until the forest began to thin and the familiar outline of her home appeared through the trees.The forest seemed different in the daylight.Less frightening.More familiar.Yet every step she took only made her thoughts race faster. How was she supposed to explain the mark? The mating ball was tonight.The realization made her groan aloud.Of all days for this to happen, it had to happen on the day every unmated wolf in the kingdom would gather under one roof.Lyra picked up her pace.By the time her family's house appeared through the trees, she was almost running.Relief washed through her as she climbed the porch steps and reached for the door.Unfortunately, fate seemed determined to test her patience one more time. The door opened, and Vivienne stepped out.For a moment, both sisters froze.Vivian looked as though she had just returned from the pack house. Her hair was slightly messy, and there was a softness on her face that hadn't been there the previo

Dominic had always hated the pageantry that came with his title, but the Ashbourne pack’s attempt to impress him was especially suffocating. Even the guards at the entrance stood a little too stiffly, their eyes skittering past his face as they bowed and ushered him inside. He imagined they half-expected him to tear out someone's throat on the spot just for a crooked smile.He stepped out, stretching his legs, and the cold air bit pleasantly at his face. Adrian joined him, wearing the same crisp suit he favored for council business, though he’d left the tie hanging loose around his neck. There was no need for decorum tonight, not here. Not with the council’s little errand.“Ready?” Adrian asked, voice pitched low enough to avoid the driver’s ears.Dominic’s jaw flexed. “Let’s get this over with.”They crossed the yard in silence, Adrian only half a step behind, as always. The porch loomed ahead, crowded with elders and pack dignitaries, all of them watching him with a blend of awe an