Damon POV
Aiden staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth, but his posture was still Alpha - chin high, shoulders squared, as if sheer arrogance could make up for the wounds tearing him apart.
“You think you can stand against me, rogue?” Aiden spat, his words cracking with fury. “ You’re nothing. A stray mutt gathering the broken and the weak. You’ll never be Alpha. You’ll never be more than a thief playing king in the dirt.”
A growl ripped from my chest, low and vicious. My wolf surged forward, demanding blood.
I circled him, shoulders rolled forward, ready to tear him apart. “Better a king of rogues than an Alpha who chains his pack with fear,” I snapped back. “Better be a man who protects than the one who throws his mate away when she doesn’t match to his perfect life .
