WOLVES IN THE DARK

Chapter 10

Wolves in the Dark

The night pulsed with tension.

The air smelled of rain and blood, thick with the scent of something primal—something watching.

I felt it before I saw them.

A ripple in the darkness, eyes like liquid gold flickering beyond the treeline. Shadows moved—too fast, too silent. A presence both alien and familiar crawled beneath my skin, sending a shiver down my spine.

Selene was gone, vanished into the abyss to prepare for whatever dark ritual she had planned. Damien and I had fled her temple, but I knew we weren't safe.

And I was right.

The first wolf stepped into the clearing.

He was massive—easily the size of a warhorse, his black fur streaked with silver, muscles coiled with raw power. A second wolf emerged, then a third, their forms shifting as they stepped forward.

Bones cracked. Flesh twisted.

And then—

A man stood before me.

Tall. Bare-chested. His bronze skin gleamed in the moonlight, every inch of him carved with strength. Dark hair fell in messy waves around a chiseled face, his golden eyes burning as they locked onto me.

Something in my chest snapped.

Recognition.

As if my blood had known him before my mind did.

The wolf king.

He took a step forward, his voice rough, low.

"You're one of us."

My breath caught. "No," I whispered. "That's not possible."

He smiled—feral, knowing. "Isn't it?"

The others circled me, their presence thick, expectant.

The wolf king reached for me. His fingers barely brushed my skin before—

A shockwave.

Magic exploded between us, a force so violent it sent me staggering. Heat rushed through my veins, something ancient stirring awake.

The wolf king's smirk widened.

"You feel it, don't you?"

I couldn't speak.

Because, God help me, I did.

This pull—raw, undeniable—just as dangerous as the one I felt with Damien.

A new truth settled over me, thick as smoke.

I wasn't just vampire royalty.

I was also tied to the wolves.

A bridge between two warring bloodlines.

And suddenly, I knew why they had come.

Not to kill me.

To claim me.

**********The wolf king moved closer, his heat searing.

"I can break your bond with Damien," he murmured.

My pulse thundered. "Why would I want that?"

He chuckled. "Because you don't belong to him alone." His fingers traced my collarbone. "You belong to us."

A shudder rolled through me.

This was wrong.

And yet—

I didn't pull away.

His golden eyes darkened. "Let me show you."

A ripple of power spread through the clearing, the other wolves lowering their heads in silent reverence.

The wolf king leaned in. "There's an ancient ritual," he murmured against my skin. "A test of loyalty. Of pleasure."

His lips brushed my throat.

"A way to reclaim you."

I should have refused.

I should have run.

But my body betrayed me.

Because I was burning.

Not just with desire—with need.

A primal ache I had never felt before.

As if the wolf in me was clawing to be set free.

And the wolf king?

He knew.

***********He moved like a predator, stripping me bare beneath the moonlight. My breath hitched as his hands roamed my body—slow, claiming, worshipping.

"Damien has his mark on you," he murmured, his fingers grazing the place where Damien's bite had once lingered. "But I can erase it."

A chill ran through me. "How?"

His eyes gleamed.

"With this."

Then his mouth devoured mine.

It was nothing like Damien's kisses—this wasn't possession, wasn't control.

This was a challenge.

A battle of dominance, tongues clashing, bodies pressing together in an unforgiving rhythm.

The moment he laid me down, I knew—

This was different.

Where Damien was darkness, the wolf king was wildfire.

Untamed. Merciless.

And when he entered me, the world shattered.

He was everywhere—moving inside me with a force that stole my breath, his hands gripping my thighs, dragging me closer, deeper.

I gasped, pleasure ripping through me, raw and violent.

"Say my name," he growled against my skin.

I moaned, my body writhing beneath him. "Kieran—"

His name felt dangerous on my tongue.

And he liked it.

He growled, his pace turning relentless, primal. My fingers clawed down his back, his heat drowning me, his mouth finding my throat, my breasts—everywhere.

The bond with Damien quivered.

I felt it weakening.

Kieran's power coiled around me, thick and consuming, rewriting everything I had ever known.

I was losing myself.

I was letting him take me.

And then—

"What the fuck is this?"

A snarl split the night.

The air cracked with power.

Damien.

Standing at the edge of the clearing, his eyes ablaze.

He looked like a storm ready to break—his fists clenched, his body radiating pure, lethal rage.

Kieran didn't stop.

Didn't flinch.

Instead, he gripped my jaw, forcing me to look at Damien.

"She is ours," he said, his voice a dark promise. "Not just yours."

A slow, deadly smirk curled his lips.

"Unless, of course… you want to share."

Damien's eyes went black.

The sky roared.

And in that moment, I knew—

This war had just turned into something else.

Something deadly.

Something forbidden.

And I was caught between two kings.