The Alpha's Unwanted Mate

Chapter 5: The Alpha's Bite

The howl echoed through the forest for what felt like an eternity.

Aria fell to the ground, gasping. Her bones were still shifting, her muscles burning. The gold in her eyes flickered like a dying flame.

Damien didn't move. He just watched her. His red eyes had softened into something she couldn't name. Not anger. Not hunger. Something... protective.

"Get up." His voice was rough, but quieter now.

Aria tried. Her legs shook. She failed. She was weak. Pathetic. The unwanted omega.

"Useless." She whispered, tears burning her eyes. "I knew it. I'm not a real wolf."

Before she could react, Damien grabbed her arm and pulled her up. His touch was burning hot, his grip iron but not cruel.

"Stop talking." He growled. "You're an Alpha. Act like one."

Aria flinched. "I'm not—"

"You are." He cut her off. His face was inches from hers. She could feel his breath, smell pine and power. "I felt it. The moment you howled, the entire forest went silent. Even the rogues heard you. That's Alpha energy, Aria."

Her heart pounded. "Then why can't I control it? Why does it hurt so much?"

"Because no one ever taught you." Damien's thumb brushed her jaw, rough and unexpected. "Your pack treated you like trash. So your Wolf never learned to breathe."

Aria's chest tightened. No one had ever spoken to her like that. Like she mattered.

"Teach me then." The words left her before she could stop them. "If I'm really an Alpha... teach me."

Damien stared at her for a long, dangerous moment. Then he leaned in. His nose brushed her neck, inhaling deeply. Aria froze.

"First lesson." He whispered against her skin. "An Alpha's scent is their weapon. And their weakness."

His fangs grazed her neck. Not biting. Just... warning.

"If I bite you now, you'll be bound to me forever. Mated. Claimed." His voice dropped lower. "But if you can't handle the pain, you'll die."

Aria closed her eyes. Every instinct screamed to run. But something deeper, wilder inside her whispered: Stay.

"Do it." She breathed. "Bite me, Damien."

Silence.

Then his fangs sank into her neck.

Pain exploded through her body. White-hot, blinding, endless. She screamed, but it turned into a howl.

And in that moment, she felt it. A second presence inside her mind. Powerful. Ancient. Female.

Her Wolf.

I am awake now, little one. The voice was silk and steel. And we are not unwanted anymore.

Aria's eyes snapped open. Pure gold. No fear left.

Damien pulled back, blood on his lips. His eyes were wide. Shocked.

"Impossible..." He whispered. "You didn't break. You didn't submit. You... accepted."

Aria smiled. Her first real smile in years. Sharp, feral, Alpha.

"No, Damien." She licked the blood from her own lips. "I claimed you back."

The forest trembled.