Shattered Crown

Chapter 5

"Again."

I'm flat on my back on the training mat, gasping for air. Dante stands over me, not even breathing hard.

"I can't—"

"Again."

It's been two days since the challenge was issued. Two days of Dante insisting I learn to defend myself. "Just in case," he says, though he won't tell me in case of what.

I drag myself to my feet, raising my fists. He's barely teaching me to fight—more like teaching me to survive.

"Your stance is wrong." He moves behind me, his chest against my back, adjusting my arms. "Like this."

His proximity makes it hard to think. The cedar and gunpowder scent, the heat of his body, the way his hands linger just a second too long.

"Focus, little wolf."

"I am focused."

"No, you're distracted." His breath tickles my ear. "In a real fight, distraction means death."

"Good thing I'm not planning any real fights."

"Plans change."

He spins me around, and suddenly we're face to face, barely inches apart.

"Your heart is racing," he observes.

"We've been training for two hours."

"That's not why."

Before I can respond, the door bursts open. Julian enters, his usual easy demeanor replaced with tension.

"We have a problem."

Dante steps back, immediately all business. "What kind of problem?"

"Victoria Sterling is here."

My blood freezes. "Here? Why?"

"She says she wants to talk to Selene. Alone."

"Absolutely not," Dante says.

"I'll talk to her."

Both men turn to stare at me.

"You sure that's wise?" Julian asks.

"She came here. To enemy territory. She's either brave or desperate." I grab a towel, wiping the sweat from my face. "I want to know which."

"I'm coming with you," Dante says.

"She said alone."

"I don't care what she said."

"Dante." I put my hand on his arm, feeling the tension thrumming through him. "I can handle Victoria Sterling."

He studies me for a long moment. "Fine. But Marcus stays within earshot."

Victoria is waiting in the lobby, looking perfect as always. Designer dress, designer shoes, not a hair out of place. But there's something different—dark circles under carefully concealed eyes, a tremor in her manicured hands.

"Selene." She stands when she sees me. "Thank you for seeing me."

"What do you want, Victoria?"

"To talk. Please."

I lead her to a private room, one with large windows where Dante's security can see us. She sits delicately, like she might break.

"You look good," she says. "Happy."

"Get to the point."

"I need your help."

I actually laugh. "You need my help? After what you did?"

"I didn't know he was going to reject you. Not like that. He told me it would be private, mutual—"

"Bullshit."

"It's true!" Tears fill her eyes. "I loved him, Selene. I've loved him since we were kids. When my father told me about the arrangement, I thought... I thought he wanted me too."

"And now?"

"Now I know the truth." She pulls out her phone, showing me a video.

It's Maddox, obviously drunk, talking to Simon. "I f****d up. I f****d up so bad. She's mine, she's supposed to be mine. Not his, never his."

"You have Victoria," Simon says in the video.

"I don't want Victoria!" Maddox roars. "I want my mate. I want Selene."

Victoria closes the phone, tears streaming down her face now. "He calls your name in his sleep. Did you know that? Every night since the rejection, he calls for you."

Part of me—a small, pathetic part—feels vindicated. But mostly, I feel nothing.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Call off the fight."

"I can't do that. Dante accepted—"

"Then run away with him. Leave. Both of you, just go."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because if Maddox wins, he'll force you to mate with him. The traditional way."

The words hit like ice water. The traditional way—an ancient, barbaric practice where an Alpha can claim an unwilling mate through force.

"He wouldn't."

"He would. He's already had the ceremony grounds prepared." She leans forward. "My father supports it. Says it's the only way to salvage the alliance now that you've publicly chosen Dante."

"The alliance you mean? The one you bought with my humiliation?"

"I didn't know the price!" She's sobbing now. "I thought he wanted me. I thought if I could just get him away from you, he'd see me. Love me. But he doesn't even look at me. I'm nothing to him. A business deal. A breeding contract."

"You got what you wanted."

"I got a man who will never love me, who might kill your new fiancé, and who plans to force you into a mating bond." She stands. "I'm leaving. Tonight. Running. I wanted to warn you first."

"Why?"

"Because despite what you think, I never hated you. I envied you. You had his love without even trying." She moves to the door. "Run, Selene. Take Dante and run. Please."

She leaves, and I sit there, mind spinning.

Marcus enters. "You okay?"

"Did you hear?"

"Every word. The Alpha needs to know."

I follow him to Dante's office, where he's on a call. He ends it immediately when he sees my face.

"What did she say?"

I tell him everything. His expression grows darker with each word.

"He's planning to force a mating bond?"

"According to Victoria."

"That changes things." He stands, pacing. "The fight can't be to submission anymore. It has to be to the death."

"What? No!"

"If I let him live and he's planning this, he'll never stop coming for you."

"You can't kill him. His father will declare war."

"Let him."

"Dante—"

"You think I care about war? You think I care about anything beyond keeping you safe?"

The intensity in his voice stops me cold. "This is a business arrangement."

"Is it?" He's in front of me now, caging me against the wall. "Is that all this is to you?"

"You said—"

"I know what I said. But things change." His hand comes up, cupping my face. "You've changed them."

"Dante—"

"Tell me you feel nothing. Tell me your wolf doesn't call for mine. Tell me you don't think about what it would be like if this were real."

I can't. Because I do feel something. Luna does call for his wolf. And I think about it constantly.

"It doesn't matter," I whisper.

"It's the only thing that matters."

His lips are so close. All I'd have to do is lean forward—

"Alpha!" Julian bursts in. "The Sterlings are here. The whole pack. They're demanding Victoria."

Dante snarls. "She left?"

"An hour ago. But they're saying we took her."

"This is a setup," I say. "They're trying to start a war before the fight."

"Let them come," Dante says.

"No. Let me talk to them."

"Absolutely not."

"I'm going to be your Luna. This is what Lunas do—prevent wars."

He looks like he wants to argue, but finally nods. "Not alone."

The Sterling pack fills the street outside—at least a hundred wolves, all shifted, all snarling. At their head is Victoria's father, Robert Sterling.

"Where is my daughter?" he demands.

"She left," I say, stepping forward. "She came to warn me about something, then left. We didn't take her."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I expect you to use your nose. Her scent leaves through the front door. No struggle. No fear. Just determination."

He sniffs the air, and I see the moment he realizes I'm right.

"This is your fault," he snarls at me. "If you had stayed in your place—"

"My place?" The rage is back, hot and bright. "You mean rejected and broken? Sorry to disappoint."

"You little—"

Dante steps forward, and the entire Sterling pack takes a step back. The power rolling off him is suffocating.

"Finish that sentence. Please. Give me a reason."

"The alliance is broken," Robert spits. "When Maddox wins Friday, don't expect our support."

"When he loses, don't expect mercy."

They leave, but the tension remains.

"This is escalating," Julian says.

"It was always going to escalate," Dante replies. "The moment Maddox rejected her publicly, war became inevitable."

"Why?" I ask.

"Because you're mine now. And I protect what's mine."

That night, I can't sleep. Tomorrow is Thursday. The fight is in twenty-four hours.

I find Dante on the roof, staring out at the city.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

He doesn't turn. "I've been thinking about what Victoria said."

"About running?"

"About the traditional claiming." He faces me. "If something happens to me—"

"Nothing will happen."

"If it does, I need you to promise me something."

"What?"

"Don't let him take you. Fight. Run. Die if you have to. But don't let him force you."

"You're going to win."

"Promise me."

"I promise. But you're going to win."

He pulls me against him, and I don't resist. His arms feel safe, which is insane because he's the most dangerous man I know.

"What are we doing, Dante?"

"I don't know." His chin rests on my head. "I thought I did. This was supposed to be simple. Fake marriage, destroy Maddox, everyone walks away."

"And now?"

"Now I can't imagine walking away from you."

I pull back to look at him. "This is just the stress—"

"No." His hand tangles in my hair. "This is real. More real than anything I've planned."

"The fight is tomorrow."

"I know."

"You could die."

"I won't."

"But if you do—"

He kisses me.

It's not gentle. It's desperate, hungry, fifteen years of loneliness and rage and need poured into the connection. I kiss him back with equal fervor, my hands fisting in his shirt.

When we break apart, we're both breathing hard.

"After," he says. "After I win, after we're married, after everything—we'll figure out what this is."

"And if there is no after?"

"There will be." He kisses my forehead. "I promise."

But promises are just words, and tomorrow, blood will determine which ones we keep.