CHAPTER 11
Here's the next chapter. Let me know what you think!
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Daniel's POV
The first light of dawn cut through the heavy curtains of his chamber, a thin blade of gold slicing across the bed where she slept.
Mia lay curled on her side, dark hair spilling over the pillow, lips parted in a quiet breath.
The mark he had burned into her skin glowed faintly against her throat, a reminder of the bond he had sworn to reject.
Daniel stood at the edge of the room, fists clenched at his sides.
His wolf purred at the sight of her - soft and warm. She's Mine.
His human side recoiled.
He had held her through the night, her body trembling in fevered heat until exhaustion claimed her.
He had fought every instinct to claim her again, to sink his fangs deeper, to make her scent scream of him.
Weakness.
With a low curse, Daniel turned away.
He left without a sound, shutting the door behind him like sealing a cage.
Let her wake alone. Let her feel the cold he needed to become.
Mia's POV
When Mia stirred, the sheets were already cold.
For a moment, she thought last night had been a fever dream; his arms, his voice, the trembling restraint in his breath.
But the faint ache at her neck and the scent of pine and smoke clinging to the room proved it was real.
Her heart thudded once, hard.
Then she sat up and breathed out the pain.
So, he left.
Good.
She refused to chase a man who used her body but feared her soul.
Instead, she washed, dressed in the plain gray tunic of a servant, and stepped into the corridor with her chin just a fraction higher than yesterday.
The warriors who passed gave their usual sneers, but she felt their eyes linger longer than before.
She met no one's gaze, yet inside her wolf stirred - restless, awake.
Her senses were sharper.
Her heartbeat is steadier.
The bond burned in her blood, but instead of shackling her, it hummed like a secret weapon.
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By midday, Mia carried water across the training yard.
The clang of blades and the bark of commands filled the air.
Sweat and steel scented the wind.
She slowed, watching the warriors spar.
Their movements were swift, deadly and yet something inside her whispered that she could learn.
Perhaps she should learn.
"Move faster, servant, before the Alpha smells your laziness," a young warrior called, smirking.
Mia stopped.
For months, she would have bowed her head and scurried away.
Today, she turned, meeting his eyes with quiet steel.
"Careful," she said evenly. "It's not my scent you should worry about. It's your own fear."
A ripple of surprise moved through the circle.
The warrior's grin faltered.
Before he could reply, a deeper growl rolled across the yard.
Daniel.
He stood at the edge of the ring, shirt damp from sparring, golden eyes locked on her.
The warriors immediately dropped their gazes, but Mia refused to look away.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
Then he turned sharply to his Beta.
"Double the patrols. No mistakes."
Not a glance.
Not a word.
Yet the muscle in his jaw twitched as she walked past him, spine straight.
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That night, the pack gathered in the great hall to discuss new patrol routes.
Daniel sat on the high chair, the firelight catching the gold in his eyes.
Mia entered quietly to deliver a tray of wine.
Conversation faltered.
She wore a simple dress of deep blue where she borrowed from the laundry, clean but plain and yet the color set her apart from the gray-clad servants.
Her steps were calm, sure, unhurried.
When a warrior questioned a patrol order, Mia's voice slipped into the silence before she could stop it.
"The northern trail floods during heavy rain," she said softly. "It might slow the hunters if you send them that way tonight."
Every head turned.
Daniel's gaze sharpened like a drawn blade.
"Did I ask for your opinion, little wolf?"
Mia set the tray down, meeting his eyes.
"No, Alpha.But a wise leader listens before blood is spilt."
A stunned hush swept through the hall.
Some wolves gaped.
Others hid smirks behind their hands.
Daniel's stare burned hotter, but Mia lowered her head only slightly, just enough to keep her neck unbowed.
"Dismissed," he said at last, each syllable cutting the air.
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The meeting ended.
Mia carried the empty tray toward the kitchen, her pulse steady despite the storm she felt stalking behind her.
A hand slammed against the stone beside her head.
Daniel.
His body boxed her against the wall, heat radiating through the cold air.
His eyes blazed, gold shot through with black.
"Do you enjoy testing me?" His voice was a low snarl. "You belong to me, yet you defy me at every turn."
Mia forced herself to meet his gaze.
"I belong to no one," she said, her voice steady despite the thunder of her heart. "Not even my mate."
A growl vibrated through his chest.
He stepped closer until his breath brushed her cheek.
"Careful, little wolf. I could remind you exactly who you're speaking to."
"Then do it," she whispered, refusing to flinch. "If you have to cage me to feel powerful, you're not the Alpha everyone fears, then you're just a man hiding behind teeth."
His pupils blew wide.
For a heartbeat, the world narrowed to the heat between them.
His hand hovered at her waist, trembling with the urge to claim, to punish, to surrender.
Then he ripped it away as though it had been burned.
"One day," he rasped, his voice hoarse with frustration, "you'll beg for me."
Mia tilted her chin, eyes gleaming like moonlight on steel.
"Don't wait too long."
Daniel's jaw clenched.
He turned sharply and stalked down the corridor, the echo of his boots a thunderous retreat.
Closing
Mia exhaled the breath she hadn't realised she held.
Her legs trembled, but it wasn't fear.
It was a victory.
For the first time since she entered this pack, she had faced the Lycan King and did not break.
She smiled faintly, her heart pounding with new resolve.
Let him grow colder.
She was only getting stronger.