CLAIMED BY THE ALPHA

The first thing Jasmine felt was pain. Not the sharp, physical kind that could be traced to a wound. This was deeper. It started beneath her ribs and spread through her chest as though invisible claws were tearing her apart from the inside. She jerked awake. A strangled gasp escaped her lips. Her hand flew to her chest. “What—?” The bedroom was dark. For several seconds, Jasmine couldn’t understand where she was. Moonlight slipped through the curtains, painting pale silver lines across her ceiling. Her breathing came fast and shallow. Then the pain struck again. Harder. Jasmine doubled over. A cry escaped her throat. Inside her mind, her wolf was screaming. Something’s wrong. Jasmine pressed both hands against her chest. “Damon?” The name left her mouth before she could stop it. The moment she said it, the bond answered. Or tried to. Usually, thinking of her mate felt like touching a warm thread stretched between their souls. Damon could be across the city, and Jasmine would still feel him. His mood. His warmth. Sometimes even the faintest echo of his thoughts. Tonight there was nothing. No warmth. No reassurance. Only cold. A terrifying emptiness. Jasmine froze. “No.” She closed her eyes and reached for him through the bond. Damon? Silence. Her wolf whimpered. Mate. “I know.” Something is happening. Jasmine swallowed. She had never felt the bond behave like this. It wasn’t simply weak. It was dying. “No.” She climbed out of bed so quickly that her knees nearly gave way. Her phone was on the nightstand. 12:47 a.m. There were no missed calls. No messages. Nothing. Her fingers trembled as she called Damon. One ring. Two. Three. Then voicemail. Jasmine stared at the screen. “Pick up.” She called again. Voicemail. Again. Nothing. A horrible thought entered her mind. She immediately pushed it away. Damon wouldn’t do that. Not to her. They had been together for three years. They had grown up in the same pack. Their families had known each other forever. He had kissed her beneath the moon during the mating ceremony and promised that there would never be anyone else. He had called her his Luna. He had told her she was the only woman he would ever choose. Jasmine grabbed a jacket. Her wolf growled. Go. “I am.” She didn’t bother changing properly. She shoved her feet into shoes, grabbed her keys, and rushed out of the apartment. The hallway was silent. Too silent. By the time she reached the parking garage, the pain in her chest had become unbearable. Jasmine leaned against her car and sucked in a shaky breath. Something was wrong with Damon. Something was terribly wrong. She climbed behind the wheel. The engine roared to life. Then she drove. ⸻ The city blurred around her. Jasmine barely noticed the traffic lights. She barely noticed the rain beginning to fall. All she could feel was the bond. Or what remained of it. Every few minutes, she reached for Damon. Every time, she found nothing. Her wolf became increasingly restless. Faster. “I can’t drive through walls.” Faster. Jasmine tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Her stomach twisted. She knew Damon. At least, she thought she did. He wasn’t careless. He wouldn’t simply disappear in the middle of the night without telling her. And he wouldn’t ignore her calls. Unless— “No.” She said it aloud. The word sounded weak inside the car. She refused to finish the thought. Instead, she focused on the road. Damon’s penthouse was in the heart of the city, inside one of the Kane family’s luxury towers. Jasmine had been there countless times. She knew the building’s security staff. She knew the elevator code. She knew which parking space Damon preferred. She knew where he kept his favorite whiskey. She knew how he liked his coffee. She knew the scar on his left shoulder from when he shifted too early during his first training season. She knew him. Didn’t she? Her phone buzzed. Jasmine nearly screamed. She looked down. A notification. Not Damon. Priya. PRIYA: You awake? Jasmine stared at the message. She didn’t answer. Another message arrived. PRIYA: Jasmine? She locked the phone. Not now. She couldn’t explain what was happening because she didn’t understand it herself. The Kane Tower appeared ahead. Jasmine pulled into the underground garage and slammed the car into park. She ran toward the private elevator. The security guard at the desk looked surprised. “Miss Voss?” “Where is Damon?” The man’s expression changed. Only slightly. But Jasmine noticed. “He’s upstairs.” “Did he leave tonight?” “No.” The answer came too quickly. Jasmine’s stomach dropped. “Are you sure?” “Yes, ma’am.” The elevator doors opened. She stepped inside. As they closed, her wolf suddenly went silent. Jasmine frowned. “What’s wrong?” Nothing. Her wolf didn’t answer. That scared her more than the pain. The elevator climbed. Floor thirty-eight. Thirty-nine. Forty. The doors opened. Jasmine stepped into Damon’s private hallway. She immediately noticed something strange. The apartment door wasn’t completely closed. It was slightly open. Her heart stopped. “Damon?” No answer. She pushed the door open. The apartment was dark. Only the city lights outside illuminated the enormous living room. Jasmine walked inside. “Damon?” Still nothing. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She moved farther inside. His shoes were by the entrance. His watch was lying on the console table. His jacket was thrown over the back of a chair. He was home. Then why wasn’t he answering? Jasmine followed the faintest sound down the hallway. A woman’s laugh. She stopped. Every muscle in her body locked. Her wolf lifted its head. Female. Jasmine’s mouth went dry. “No.” The sound came again. Soft. Familiar. A woman’s voice. Jasmine knew that voice. She had known it all her life. Her hand slowly rose toward the bedroom door. The bond inside her chest gave one final, violent pull. Pain exploded through her. Jasmine gasped. Then— Silence. The bond went completely cold. Dead. Her fingers closed around the bedroom handle. She didn’t want to open the door. Every instinct screamed at her to run. But some cruel part of her needed to know. Needed to see. Needed the truth. Jasmine turned the handle. The door opened. And the world she thought she knew shattered.