Chapter 3

Estelle's POV

Night had settled over Blackstone Bar.

It was one of the clan's preferred gathering spots—a place where pack members could meet away from prying eyes. Low, sensual music pulsed through the room, while the scent of alcohol mingled with a haze of pheromones beneath the dim lighting. Unlike the Council Chamber, there was nothing formal about this place. It was far easier to let your guard down here.

I no longer felt like drinking.

Picking up my coat, I rose from my seat and headed for the elevators at the far end of the bar.

I pressed the button. The metal doors slid shut, sealing off the noise, laughter, and whispered conversations behind me.

When the elevator doors opened again, a powerful unfamiliar scent reached me before its owner did.

Clean. Deep. Commanding.

The man who stepped inside was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a dark trench coat. His movements were controlled, his expression unreadable. He didn't carry the scent of my pack, yet his presence was so overwhelming that my wolf instantly snapped to attention.

An Alpha.

And a dangerous one.

The elevator began its descent.

Inside the confined metal box, the outside world seemed to disappear. Harsh white light illuminated every detail with unsettling clarity. I stood against one wall, my posture straight and composed, but I couldn't ignore the presence standing only a few feet away.

The man remained across from me.

The distance between us wasn't intimate, but it wasn't safe either.

His pheromones drifted through the small space—cold and profound, like the depths of a midnight ocean. There was danger in them, but no recklessness, no impatience.

That restraint was somehow more intimidating than open aggression.

The elevator gave a slight jolt.

His gaze settled on me.

Steady. Unflinching.

"You're holding yourself together by sheer willpower," he said.

I froze.

"It's not fear," he continued, his voice low and measured. "You just don't want anyone to realize you've reached your limit."

It didn't sound like an accusation.

It sounded like a diagnosis.

I lifted my head and met his eyes.

The wolf inside me stirred instantly.

The realization tightened something painfully in my chest.

"You pay too much attention," I said evenly.

A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth.

"Occupational hazard," he replied. "And survival instinct."

The air in the elevator seemed to thicken.

Almost imperceptibly, he leaned closer.

Not enough to invade my space.

Just enough to ensure I noticed.

The gesture wasn't territorial.

It was deliberate.

Provocative.

I know you'll feel this, and I'm doing it anyway.

My breath hitched.

I didn't step back.

"You shouldn't stand this close," I murmured.

His eyes darkened slightly.

"But you didn't move away."

Silence settled between us.

The elevator continued its slow descent, the only sound the soft rhythm of our breathing.

His gaze never left me.

"You smell like a Bond," he said at last. "An old one. And it's breaking."

My chest tightened.

"That's none of your business."

A low chuckle escaped him.

The deep sound seemed even more dangerous in the confined space.

"Perhaps," he said. "But your wolf appears to disagree."

I frowned.

Then he lifted his hand.

His fingers hovered near my wrist.

He never touched me.

Yet every muscle in my body tensed.

Instinct.

Pure wolf instinct.

His eyes dropped to the Bond mark.

Something sharpened in his expression, as though he'd discovered something unexpectedly fascinating.

"Interesting."

My heartbeat stumbled.

"What does that mean?"

His gaze rose to mine.

Slowly, deliberately, he smiled.

The expression sent a chill down my spine.

"Your wolf," he said softly, "just reacted to me."

The words struck with surgical precision.

Right where I was weakest.

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open.

Bright light flooded inside.

At the same moment, a familiar wave of pheromones crashed into me.

Powerful.

Aggressive.

Charged with barely restrained fury.

I looked up.

Cassius stood outside the elevator.

Beside him was the girl, glaring at me with a smug, defiant look.

The instant Cassius saw me, his expression darkened. Then his gaze shifted to the Alpha standing across from me.

It wasn't simple anger.

It was the primal reaction of one Alpha recognizing another as a threat.

The tension in the air became suffocating.

"What exactly is going on here?"

His voice was cold enough to freeze the room, though a dangerous edge lurked beneath the surface.

His eyes locked on the distance between us.

Pheromones rolled off him unchecked, possessive and territorial.

The Alpha beside me didn't move.

Didn't retreat.

If anything, he stepped half a pace forward, placing himself subtly between us.

His gaze met Cassius's.

Calm.

Steady.

Unyielding.

"If you're speaking to me," he said coolly, "that tone is inappropriate."

The next second, Cassius seized my wrist and tried to pull me out of the elevator.

I immediately jerked free.

Smiling brightly, I said, "Why don't you get back to entertaining your little darling? I don't need a babysitter."

The look on Cassius's face turned murderous.

Without another word, he scooped me up, threw me over his shoulder, and strode away.

I struggled furiously.

As we left the elevator, I glanced back.

The Alpha was still standing there.

His eyes were dark and sharp as concealed blades.

Watching me.

Heat flooded my face.

I quickly looked away and buried my head.

Moments later, I was unceremoniously dumped into the back seat of a black SUV.

Darkness swam across my vision.

Too much blood had rushed to my head while hanging upside down. My wolf's balance hadn't fully recovered yet.

Bracing myself against the seat, I slowly sat upright, fighting a wave of nausea.

The scent inside the vehicle made things worse.

A woman's pheromones lingered throughout the cabin.

Sweet.

Cloying.

Far too intimate.

As though someone had intentionally left their mark behind.

I frowned.

Then my gaze landed on the storage compartment behind the center console.

An unopened condom lay inside.

Even in the dim light, the foil wrapper seemed impossibly conspicuous.

For a moment, I couldn't breathe.

Not from jealousy.

From disgust.

The instinctive revulsion of a wolf recognizing a place that felt contaminated.

Without thinking, I reached for the door handle.

"I'm not staying in here."

A hand clamped around my wrist.

Hard.

"Estelle."

Cassius's voice was colder than I'd ever heard it.

He wasn't squeezing yet.

He didn't need to.

The weight of his control was already there.

"How long are you planning to keep this up?"

My fingers curled into fists.

"Let go."

"Get back inside," he said flatly.

The command left no room for argument.

The doors locked.

I stopped fighting and sank back into the seat.

My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin.

Not out of fear.

But because the Bond connecting us was weakening, leaving even my instincts uncertain.

By the time we returned to the villa, night had fully fallen.

The moment the SUV stopped, I climbed out.

The familiar scent of pack territory helped steady my breathing, if only slightly.

I walked straight into the living room.

Cassius was already there.

Waiting.

The cold white light cast sharp shadows across his features as he sat rigidly in his chair.

As soon as I entered, he spoke.

"You've been quite a handful today."

I looked at him.

"Don't tell me you went to Blackstone Bar just to follow me around." His voice remained calm, but the criticism beneath it was unmistakable. "You look terrible."

I said nothing.

He continued.

"Like a she-wolf who can't control her emotions."

Silence stretched between us.

I met his gaze.

"Is that all?"

A slight frown appeared between his brows.

"If you want this relationship to continue," he said, "you need to stop inventing problems where none exist. I don't have time for—"

"Is that all?"

His eyes darkened.

"Estelle," he said quietly, "you're really starting to get on my nerves."