Claimed by The Alpha King

Closer Then I Want To Be

Amara

The clinic felt too small.

Too hot.

Too full of him.

Even after he left, Lucian’s scent lingered-powerful, clean, laced with cedarwood and something darker. It clung to the walls, the floor, my skin. Every time I inhaled, it made my pulse jump like I’d been startled.

I hated that.

I’d faced worse than Beta Daniel’s venom. Worse than the Alpha King’s presence. I was no stranger to pain or dominance or pressure. But none of it made my chest clench the way he did.

I couldn’t stop replaying the way he’d stood between me and Daniel, ready to rip the man’s throat out. The way he said “my omega” like it was a fact. Like it was already written in stone.

But what scared me more than his words... was the way part of me wanted to believe them.

I dropped a tray of scalpels.

The clatter echoed far too loud, jolting me from my thoughts. I knelt down to pick them up, hands shaking, cursing under my breath.

I didn’t ask for this.

I didn’t ask for HIM.

The bond was a lie. A trick of biology meant to chain us to the wolves we couldn’t trust. I’d already learned that lesson once.

So why did my body hum when I thought of him?

Why did my wolf stir whenever I remembered the way his eyes burned for me?

No.

I wasn’t going down that road again.

Lucian

I stayed longer than I should have.

Not because I didn’t have places to be-meetings, strategy sessions, reports piling up. No, I stayed because the idea of leaving her alone in the clinic, where he might return, made my wolf growl in warning.

Daniel was dangerous, but not in the way warriors usually are. He knew her. Knew how to cut her down with words instead of claws. And I’d seen the flicker in his eyes-he wasn’t finished trying.

So I made myself comfortable.

The clinic’s front room was quiet now. I sat near the window, arms folded, watching the pack bustle outside. Amara was in the back, pretending I wasn’t here.

She hadn’t told me to leave. That was something.

The door creaked open, and my instincts tensed instantly. I didn’t have to look to know who it was.

“Still here, King?” Daniel’s voice oozed comtempt.

I stood slowly; my posture relaxed but ready. “Still lurking Daniel?”

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Just checking in on the clinic. Making sure everything’s... secure.”

Liar.

His eyes darted past me, toward the closed door behind which Amara worked.

“You should go,” I said, stepping into his line of sight.

He chuckled. “Why? Afraid she might realize who really knows her?”

That almost did it. My wolf surged so hard I saw black for a second.

“She already knows,” I said, my voice low. “She knows who threw her away like she was trash. And she knows I’m not him.”

Daniel’s expression twisted. “You think claiming her makes you a savior? She doesn’t want you. She doesn’t trust you. She’s damaged goods, Lucian.”

I stepped in close, my aura flaring. “You call her that again, and I’ll break your jaw.”

The door behind us opened.

Both of our heads snapped toward it.

Amara stood there with her arms crossed, eyes unreadable. “Daniel. Get out.”

He hesitated. I could see it-he wanted to say more. Do more. He wanted her afraid again.

But she stood tall, and for a moment, something in his posture faltered.

He left without another word.

I turned to her.

She didn’t thank me. Didn't speak.

Just looked at me like I was the next enemy waiting to be judged.

Then the knock at the door came.

I opened it.

Alpha Marcus stood there in full ceremonial uniform, two guards flanking him. His smile was tight and smooth.

“My King,” he said. “Might I have a word privately.”

I stepped out, closing the door behind me. “Make it quick.”

He walked a few paces away and turned to face me.

“I see you’ve taken a liking to our little omega healer.”

I said nothing.

“I wouldn’t blame you. She’s rather... captivating. And rare.”

My patience was already thin. “Say what you mean Marcus.”

He leaned in. “You want her. I want your support. Cooperation. A favorable alliance.”

There it was.

The angle. The leverage.

He smiled. “I’m willing to make things... easier for you. If you make it easier for me.”

My jaw clenched.

“You’re offering her like a bargaining chip?”

He spread his hands. “You want her, don’t you? Claim her. Make her yours. I’ll give you the blessing of the pack-and you give me what I want.”

I stared at him, silent.

What I wanted was to rip out his throat.

But Amara wasn’t mine to trade.

And no one-NO ONE-would ever use her again.

Not while I was breathing.

Amara

Lena found me in the supple room, sitting on the floor with my knees pulled to my chest, staring at a wall I didn’t even remember walking toward.

She didn’t speak at first. Just dropped down beside me and leaned against the opposite shelf.

I swallowed hard, my throat raw from holding too much in.

“He won’t stop,” I said quietly. “Daniel. He’s not finished trying to break me.”

She nodded once. “No, he won’t. But he’s stupid if he thinks you’re still that silly girl.”

“I feel like I am,” I whispered.

“No Amara,” She said firmly, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “That girl survived. You’ve already won. You just don’t know it yet.”

I let my head fall back against the shelves. “I can’t think straight when Lucian is around. He makes everything louder.”

“Because your wolf is screaming for him,” she said with a soft smile. “You’ve kept her buried so long, she doesn’t know what to do.”

“She wants to trust him.”

“And you don’t?”

I didn’t answer.

She sighed. “You don’t have to make a choice right now. But you can’t keep pretending you don’t care.”

Footsteps outside the door caught my attention.

Idris appeared in the doorway, leaning on the frame with a casual confidence that screamed Alpha-in-training.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

Lena turned to him and raised a brow. “She’s been better.”

His eyes flickered to mine, then back to her. “I was looking for Lucian. Heard he was here.”

“Back room,” I said hoarsely.

He lingered another second. “You need anything... let me know.”

He didn’t look at me when he said it. He looked at Lena.

Her mouth twitched. “Noted.”

When he left, she blinked slowly. “Did Idris just flirt with me?”

“I think so.”

She smirked. “Not bad.”

I shook my head, the tiniest thread of warmth curling in my chest. It was short-lived.

Because when I stepped out of the supply room, Lucian was still here.

Leaning against my desk, arms crossed, watching me like I was made of fire and he couldn’t decide whether to touch or run.

“I told you I could handle him.” I said quietly.

“I know,” he replied. “But I couldn’t watch it.”

I swallowed. “You keep saying things like I belong to you.”

“You do.”

My chest tightened. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough.”

“That’s not how this works.”

He pushed off the desk, slowly closing the distance between us.

His voice dropped, low and rough. “I know that your hands shake when you're angry. I know your scent changes when you’re trying to hide something. I know that every time I get too close, you hold your breath like you’re waiting for pain.”

I backed into the table behind me, breath caught.

“And I know,” he continued, “that you want to let me in. But your terrified that I’ll ruin you.”

His hand brushed mine-barely.

Not enough to hurt.

Just enough to make me feel everything.

“Amara.” he murmured.

I looked up into his eyes.

And for the briefest moment, I hated how much I wanted to fall into them.

Lucian

I should’ve walked away when she looked at me like that.

Like she was caught between wanting and fleeing. Like I was the last thing she wanted to want.

But I couldn’t leave.

Not when her body had gone still the moment my fingers brushed hers. Not when her lips parted with a breath, she didn’t even know she was holding. And not when her wolf had stirred so close to the surface I could practically hear it calling mine.

She didn’t push me away.

Not this time.

I didn’t touch her again. Didn’t press. I just let the moment pass, let her step away on her own.

Because I needed her to choose me-not because of the bond, but in spite of it.

Now, I stood on the balcony of the packhouse guest quarter, staring out at the woods while Idris filled me in.

“Security around the borders is holding for now, but there’s movement near the east line-rouge activity. Scouts aren’t being taken seriously, and Alpha Marcus is brushing it off.”

I clenched my jaw. “Of course he is.”

“He’s acting like nothing matters as long as you're kept... content.”

I turned towards Idris. “He’s trying to use Amara to get what he wants.”

“She’s leverage. Too him.”

Not to me.

To me, she was the storm and the calm. The fire and the wound.

I would never let Marcus use her as a pawn in some twisted game.

“Keep eyes on him,” I said. “On Daniel, too. They’re planning something.”

Idris nodded, then paused. “Lena asked if I’d teach her how to use a dagger.”

I raised a brow. “That sounded personal.”

He smirked. “She’s sharp. I like that.”

I gave him a look. “You know how protective Amara is of her. If you break her heart, you might have two angry she-wolves after you.”

Idris grinned wider. “I like a challenge.”

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the woods.

But deep down, I was glad.

If anyone deserved someone who didn’t look at her like she was a burden, it was Amara’s only real friend.

Elsewhere in the pack house Daniel

“I told you he’d bite,” Daniel said, pacing the study while Marcus sipped from a glass of scotch. “One look at her and he lost focus. I’ve seen him hesitate before.”

Marcus set the glass down and leaned back in his chair. “We’ll use that. She’s the key.”

“To what?”

Marcus smiled coldly. “To making him vulnerable. And when the rogues strike, Lucian will be too distracted to see it coming.”

Daniel clenched his fists. “And her?”

“She’ll serve her purpose,” Marcus said swirling the scotch. “Then she’ll be expendable.”

Daniel didn’t respond.

Because deep down, he didn’t like hearing that-even if he’d said worse himself.