The Alpha in the Dark

The night air wrapped around me like an icy shroud, my lungs burning as I ran. My heart pounded, each beat echoing the pain Cedric had left in its place. My legs felt weak, but I refused to stop. I couldn't stop. If I did, the weight of his rejection would crush me, and I would never rise again.

The forest loomed ahead, dark and endless, its shadows stretching like clawed fingers in the darkened undergrowth. I stumbled over roots and branches, my vision blurred by unshed tears. My body still trembled from the aftershock of the severed bond, my Omega instincts screaming for something—someone—to anchor me, to replace the chunk of my heart that had been torn away.

But there was no one.

I was alone.

A sharp gust of wind carried the scent of rain and earth, chilling me to the bone. My ceremonial dress, once a symbol of hope, was now tattered and clinging to my damp skin. The golden embroidery that had shimmered under the moonlight was now torn, meaningless.

Then, I felt it.

A presence.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. A scent curled around me, rich and deep—smoke, spice, and something darkly intoxicating. It was unlike anything I had ever known, unlike any Alpha I had ever encountered.

A shiver ran down my spine, but this time, it wasn't from fear.

Slowly, I turned.

He stood at the edge of the clearing, bathed in shadows yet impossible to ignore. The moonlight barely touched him, as if the darkness itself refused to let him go. He was tall—towering—with broad shoulders and a presence that seemed to consume the very air around him. His features were sharp, and chiseled from stone, but it was his eyes that held me captive.

Golden. Fierce. Unyielding.

They gleamed like molten fire in the night, locked onto me with a focus that made my breath hitch. There was something predatory in the way he watched me, something that sent a rush of heat through my exhausted body.

I should have run. I had just been rejected, discarded like I was nothing, and yet... this Alpha's gaze made me feel like I was everything.

He took a slow step forward, the sound of his boots crunching against the earth sending shivers down my spine. My instincts screamed at me to lower my head, to submit, but I fought against it, lifting my chin even as my legs threatened to give out beneath me.

Then, he spoke.

"Your mate was a fool."

His voice was deep, rough, like thunder rolling through the sky. It was the kind of voice that didn't ask for attention—it commanded it.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "Who are you?"

A slow, knowing smirk tugged at his lips, but there was no kindness in it. Only possession.

"Dante Nightbane."

My heart stopped.

The name alone sent a chill down my spine. The Tyrant King of the Shadowfang Empire. The man whose name was whispered in fear across kingdoms. Ruthless. Unforgiving. The Alpha who had torn through battlefields with bloodstained hands and taken the throne through sheer force.

And now he stood before me, watching me like I belonged to him.

I took a shaky step back, my instincts screaming to run. "What do you want from me?"

Dante tilted his head slightly, studying me with the slow, measured patience of a predator cornering his prey. "What do I want?" His voice was a dark caress, sending shivers down my spine. "That's the wrong question, little Omega."

He moved closer, each step deliberate, controlled. I should have retreated further, but my body betrayed me, frozen under the weight of his presence. He stopped just close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him, his scent coiling around me like an invisible chain.

He reached out, his fingers brushing a loose strand of hair from my face. The touch was barely there, yet it sent a wildfire of sensation through my skin. My breath caught in my throat.

His golden eyes locked onto mine, unblinking. "The real question is… what do you want from me?"

My lips parted, but no words came. Because for the first time since my rejection, I felt something other than pain.

I felt wanted.