MARKED BY THE ALPHA'S HATE

Victor Crane didn't knock.

The door to Darius's estate groaned open like it feared the man stepping through it.

Selene stood behind the bedroom door, chest heaving, blood still drying on her lips. She could feel the shift in the air from here. It wasn't just dominance it was something colder. Something ancient.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Heavy. Measured. A king walking through his conquered land.

"You've kept her hidden long enough," came Victor's voice. Deep. Rich. And terrifyingly calm.

Selene pressed her ear to the crack in the door.

I told you I would bring her in when the time was right, Darius answered, low and tight.

Victor laughed, and even that sounded rehearsed. "And I told you I don't like being kept waiting. Is the mate bond softening your spine?"

Darius didn't respond.

Victor's voice dropped to a whisper too quiet for human ears but Selene could still feel the weight of it.

"She's a Moonblood, boy. She's not yours to keep. She's a weapon. Just like you."

Selene's pulse roared in her ears.

Moonblood.

The word echoed. Sharp. Familiar. Like something buried in her bones had been yanked to the surface.

She didn't know what it meant only that it mattered. That her mother had died for it.

Victor's footsteps drew closer. Each step dragged shadows with it.

I want to see her.

No, Darius growled.

That single word halted everything.

Silence. For three full seconds.

Then Victor's voice lowered now, like a wolf before the strike.

You forget who made you.

No, Darius said. "I remember exactly who you are. That's why I won't let you near her."

Selene's heart pounded. Darius… was defying him?

"Cute," Victor said coolly. But useless. Do you really think I came here alone?

A crash rang out, glass shattering, furniture breaking somewhere on the floor below. Shouts. Growls. The unmistakable sound of claws tearing into flesh.

Selene spun toward the window.

Soldiers. Dozens of them. Dark uniforms. Not pack. Syndicate.

They were storming the house.

They came for her.

She turned back to the door just as it slammed open.

But it wasn't Darius standing there.

It was a woman. Dark-skinned, sharp-eyed, and wearing a blood-stained black dress. Her energy buzzed like static. Not wolf. Not human.

Selene, she said. I'm Neris Dae. And you're leaving. Now.

Before Selene could move, the floor trembled with the force of an explosion downstairs. Smoke curled under the door. Neris grabbed her wrist.

They'll burn this place down to get to you.

Selene hesitated.

"My mother," she whispered.

She died to keep you alive, Neris said. Don't waste it.

Behind them, Darius roared a sound so primal it rattled the glass. Neris flinched but didn't stop. She pulled Selene toward a hidden door in the wall.

They won't just kill you, she said. They'll use you.

Selene glanced back once.

I won't run forever.

Neris's eyes gleamed. Good.