The water is scalding.
I let it pound against my back like punishment, like it might burn the stench of blood from my skin the way she wanted it to.
And her voice echoes in my head.
You’re covered in blood. Take a shower.
I grind my jaw.
No one tells me what to do.
No one ever has.
I am Kai—Alpha of the strongest pack on this continent. Alphas listen when I speak. They move when I decide they move… or kneel. Warriors bleed when I say they bleed. Entire packs bow simply because I exist. Enemies die.
Women… obey.
And yet—
She looks me straight in the eye when she says it. Like she has every right.
Not pleading, frightened or submissive.
Commanding.
As if she expects obedience.
The audacity coils heat low in my gut.
I slam my palm against the tiled wall, water splashing violen
