The Ensnared Heart

Axel

The moment I locked eyes with her, a surge of desire unlike anything I’d ever experienced coursed through me. Her fiery spirit, her strength, stirred the beast within me. My inner animal was devoid of a moral compass. It didn’t care about right or wrong. It yearned to claim her right there in the hospital, to mark her as mine.

To brand her as mine forever. Her intoxicating scent hinted that her cycle was near. She was an omega, but damn, she was fierce. Her warrior spirit ignited a flame in me that no other female had ever sparked. No other woman had ever aroused me so quickly.

All the others were just pretenders. They only wanted to be by my side because of the power of my pack. But I wasn’t interested. I didn’t need a luna to run things, even if it did make pack life easier.

A mated pair brought balance to a wolf pack. A recognized luna kept the females’ cycles regular and improved their overall health. But I had no intention of mating or bonding with anyone who wasn’t my true mate. I had accepted that it might never happen. True mates were a rarity these days. Then she appeared, ready to fight me with all her might. She was breathtaking.

My inner animal was aggressive and dominant, typical of a lycan. It was a dangerous beast that would strike first and ask questions later. I had made a name for myself and my people through the damage I’d inflicted. But it was mostly because others tried to suppress us. For a time, other werewolves had tried to exterminate lycans. They feared us, as they should.

So, I rallied us to fight back. Over the years, I learned to control my beast. But the North Pack was crossing a line, and I wasn’t going to stand for it. I had learned control, but I wasn’t about to be trampled on.

They were stealing money and goods from me and other supernaturals. They were trying to exclude us from their lands and deny us medical treatment. They had even cornered several distributors and hoarded more than their fair share.

So, I said fuck that and took it back. I had my people, and a few others, organize and reclaim what was rightfully ours. I had people who needed those medications. The North Pack was pushing their luck, meddling with humans and political agendas. Well, they weren’t the only ones who could play that game.

I was on the verge of challenging the alpha of that pack. I was ready to take what Nate had and merge it into mine. I didn’t care who it upset. If he wanted to keep threatening and taking, I was ready to respond. If that meant my jaws around his weak little neck, then so be it.

But right now, I was distracted. My thoughts kept drifting to the fiery little female I had locked up in my room. I heard she was causing quite a stir. It made me smile. I loved a spirited female. A true mate couldn’t be ignored. I knew she felt it too.

She was just better at controlling herself, I could tell. Good, where I was weak, she would be strong, and vice versa. I was looking forward to this, to having my true mate. It was the only way I wanted it. Harper’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

“They’re calling for retaliation. We knew they would, but it seems Luna Layla is a particularly sore point. The little shit alpha claims she was supposed to be his mate. If we don’t return his mate, it’ll be open war. Borders will be closed as it’s a personal attack.”

My gaze shifted to Harper as he spoke. I didn’t turn my head from where it was resting on my hands.

“I don’t give a fuck.” I was blunt. I made it clear from the moment I arrived with Layla what this was. I hated petty bullshit. I immediately declared her as luna. Even if she wasn’t ready and I had essentially kidnapped her. We could work it out.

“I know, and the rest know she’s your true mate. Loyalty runs deep here, no one in this pack is going to betray or return her. I just need to know how you want to respond or prepare. He’s pretty pissed. Werewolves like breeding their omegas whether they want it or not.” I growled. Harper looked down. I knew he was strongly against this.

His sister was an omega, and a few wolves had tried to take her when they were young. It had just been Harper and her. Harper killed them and I found him just after. I took him in, and his sister never had to face something like that again. I made it clear no female would be treated like a breeder here. So, some might be pissed at me for technically kidnapping my mate. Well, I could only be good so much of the time. Take it or leave it.

“I want them to know why we did it. I want all the information we gathered from us and the vampires to be known. If the fae want to bury their heads in the sand, fine, but they’ll know. Tell him she’s not coming back. If Nate wants to defy a true mate, he can do as he pleases. We’ll still respect the Moon Goddess’s choice,” I told him. Harper nodded.

“Patrols?”

“Increase them,” I said, and we discussed security and our response further. Then I excused myself. I couldn’t resist the call to go to her any longer. I had never felt my beast yearn for something so much. To be a whimpering, begging creature in my head, desperate to be where Layla was. I was acutely aware I was about to face a little spitfire. It only excited me more.

I approached my room. My house was empty. We didn’t have pack houses. We didn’t force pack members to live under one roof. Everyone had their privacy and was free to live their lives as they pleased here. As long as you never betrayed anyone in this pack to the outside world, you were free to live as you wished.

I could hear her pacing on the other side of the door. I closed my eyes and inhaled her sweet cherry scent. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands to myself for long. I prayed to the Moon Goddess that she would be receptive to me. I didn’t want to be the male who couldn’t control himself with his mate and hurt her. But I was starting to fear that a little.

I unlocked the door, enchanted with fae magic so it couldn’t be opened by the mind. I was telekinetic, so I thought of these things with others too. As I stepped into the room, she stopped pacing and marched right toward me. She was wearing a plain shirt and shorts, clothes we’d brought her so she could change if she wanted to. Her clothes had gotten a bit disheveled and torn with her antics upon arrival. Besides, I was going to provide for her now that she was here.

“You! You let me out of this room damn it.” Layla marched right up to me. Not a hint of fear. She had to know who I was, and what I’d done. I was no pushover, and I was a killer. I wouldn’t bend for anyone, but as this tiny wolf put her finger in my face and demanded things of me, I felt my beast want to yield. Oh, she was dangerous to me, but it made her even more enticing.

“Don’t you smirk at me! Let me out, what kind of mate are you? I don’t deserve this. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

I could smell her even more, and the threat of her cycle was stronger than before. She had been well cared for the past couple of days, just locked in. She wasn’t running away from me.

“Depends, are you going to try and run?” I asked her straight out.

“Run? You kidnapped me,” she snapped. Fair point, but if she ran…oh, I would chase. I would pursue, and I would bring her to the ground and claim what was mine. I reined in my beast. I could feel the shift in my body. I knew my eyes were probably darker with the thought of my female running from me.

“Exactly why you might do something childish and run.” Maybe it was a poor choice of words. She wasn’t really being childish. She had every right to feel the way she did. I just wanted to see that fire in her eyes. I wasn’t disappointed. She was quick as a flash, but I had honed reflexes from years of fighting. Of defending myself alone with nothing. I caught her wrist before she could slap me.

She was fuming, and I knew she was about to make a move. I couldn’t help but provoke her—it was my fault. I managed to grab her wrists, using my strength to spin her around and pin her against the wall. Her arms were held above her head, immobilizing her. I took full advantage of the situation, pressing myself against her soft, inviting body. The moment our bodies touched, I was painfully aroused.

I held her against the wall, her hands still above her head. Her breasts pressed against me, their softness as stimulating as the rest of her body. I fought the urge to lift her up, to have her legs wrapped around me, to grind my hips into her like the primal beast I was.

“I can’t resist your fiery spirit,” I confessed, my mouth inches from hers. I saw a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. Her body responded instantly, a reaction we both acknowledged. But emotionally, she was scared. I could sense her fear, but I didn’t know how to alleviate it. What could possibly scare her about finding her true mate? This was the norm for us wolves—claiming our true mates as soon as we found them.

Unable to resist, I lowered my head and let my lips brush against her neck. I inhaled deeply at the crook of her neck, savoring her scent. This was all I could ever want. No one could understand this raw, primal urge unless they experienced it themselves.

“But it’s the sweet soul I see in your eyes that I truly crave,” I whispered, nipping at her ear. My eyes must have been dark with desire. Her breathing had quickened, her arousal palpable. I pressed myself against her a little more, wanting her to feel the effect she had on me.

“I want… I’m not sure…” She struggled to find the right words. A sense of dread washed over me at the thought of her rejecting this—rejecting us. Once you’ve seen your true mate, there’s no turning back. This was a forever kind of thing.

“I’ll spend every waking moment getting to know you, understanding your wants and needs,” I murmured into her ear, causing her to shiver. “All you have to do is let go. Stop overthinking and just be with me. I promise you’ll enjoy it.” All she had to do was say yes.

Yes to letting me mark her, yes to letting me mate her, and I’d be so wrapped up in her it would be laughable. I didn’t need to know everything about her to know this. If we bonded, we’d know each other inside and out.

I released her wrists, letting my hands slide up under her shirt. My mouth continued to explore her neck as I became more aggressive. I was waiting for her response—would she say yes or resist me?

My inner beast was growing impatient. This was who I was, and there was no point in hiding it. She needed to know, and I hoped she could accept it. The thought of her rejecting me in the next few minutes filled me with a fear I couldn’t put into words.