The first woman lasted nine minutes.
The second didn’t even make it five.
By the time the third was carried out on a stretcher, barely breathing, the entire Blackwood territory understood one thing.
Dylan Vance was not a man meant to love.
He was a weapon.
Seven foot four.
Built like something engineered for war, not life.
His body ran too hot, his strength too violent, his presence too heavy.
Wolves submitted without thinking when he walked into a room.
Not out of respect.
Out of survival.
The council called him Alpha King.
Behind closed doors, they called him a liability.
Dylan knew both were true.
That was why he lived alone now.
The Spire rose above the cliffs like a warning sign, all steel and glass and silence.
No laughter.
No warmth.
Just empty rooms built too large for any normal life.
Even the furniture looked afraid of him.
He preferred it that way.
Because anything smaller than him eventually broke.
The memory of Lydia still sat heavy in his chest.
He had tried to be careful.
He had tried to be gentle.
It hadn’t mattered.
Her ribs cracked under his hands.
Her wolf vanished after that night.
Locked away by trauma it couldn’t survive.
He had not touched another woman since.
And yet the council still demanded an heir.
They gave him six months.
Find a mate or lose everything.
Lose his title.
Lose his pack.
Lose his life.
Dylan had laughed when he read the order.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was inevitable.
There was no woman on earth who could survive him.
Still, his Beta had insisted on one last attempt.
A public selection.
Open to anyone.
Dylan agreed for one reason only.
He wanted the world to see the truth.
No one would come.
On the night of the selection, the grand hall filled with spectators dressed in silk and diamonds.
Wealthy families.
Power players.
Predators pretending to be civilized.
They whispered as they waited.
Some came to witness history.
Most came to watch a failure.
Dylan sat on his throne, bored and distant, his massive frame making the carved wood look fragile beneath him.
His eyes glowed faint amber as they scanned the empty floor.
An hour passed.
Then another.
No one stepped forward.
Of course.
Dylan leaned back, voice low and final.
This is over.
The council elder stood, dry voice cutting through the silence.
We wait until midnight.
Dylan exhaled sharply, irritation flickering through him.
A waste of time.
Then the doors opened.
The sound echoed like a gunshot.
Every head turned.
And the whispers started immediately.
She wasn’t what anyone expected.
No silk.
No jewels.
No power in her stance.
Just a small girl in a worn gray dress.
Five foot three at most.
Thin.
Tired.
Ordinary.
Except for one thing.
She didn’t stop walking.
Avery Miles moved down the long red carpet with steady steps, even as hundreds of eyes burned into her.
Her hands trembled slightly at her sides, but her gaze never dropped.
She walked straight toward the most dangerous man alive.
Dylan leaned forward, narrowing his eyes.
This had to be a joke.
She looked like the wind could snap her in half.
When she stopped in front of him, the difference in size was almost absurd.
He could crush her without effort.
Name.
His voice hit her like pressure.
Avery Miles.
No hesitation.
No fear in her tone.
That alone caught his attention.
Dylan stood.
The room held its breath.
At full height, he blocked the light behind him.
His shadow swallowed her whole as he stepped closer.
Do you want to die.
Avery swallowed, heart pounding hard enough to hurt.
I want the contract.
The room shifted.
Murmurs spread.
Dylan’s gaze sharpened.
You’re here for money.
My brother is dying.
Simple.
Honest.
Brutal.
Something in her voice made him pause.
He stepped closer, lowering his head until his face hovered inches from hers.
He expected desperation.
Greed.
Fear.
Instead, he smelled rain.
And something steady beneath it.
Resolve.
I broke the last woman who tried this.
His voice dropped low, meant only for her.
I will break you too.
Avery held his gaze.
Then I’ll break after I get what I came for.
Silence crashed over the room.
Dylan felt something strange twist in his chest.
Not attraction.
Not yet.
Something sharper.
Curiosity.
He reached out.
His hand wrapped around her arm, completely engulfing it.
He expected the usual reaction.
Pain.
Panic.
Collapse.
Nothing happened.
No scream.
No fracture.
No burn.
Just a faint crackle of energy between their skin.
Dylan froze.
Avery blinked down at his hand, confused.
You’re not hurting me.
For the first time in years, Dylan didn’t know what to say.
Behind them, the council elder stepped forward quickly, voice eager.
Contact confirmed.
Proceed with the bond.
Dylan released her immediately.
This is wrong.
His tone turned cold.
Take her to medical.
Test everything.
No one survives my touch.
No one.
Avery stood alone as guards escorted her away.
She had survived the first test.
But something in Dylan’s expression said the real danger had just begun.
The medical wing felt more like a lab than a hospital.
Cold.
Sterile.
Unforgiving.
Avery sat on the edge of a metal table, her legs dangling, trying to steady her breathing.
Her body still tingled from the contact.
He touched me.
And I didn’t break.
Behind the glass, Dylan watched in silence.
Beside him, the pack doctor studied the monitors with growing fascination.
Her vitals are stable.
That shouldn’t be possible.
Dylan didn’t respond.
He was replaying the moment in his mind.
The spark.
The quiet in his head.
For the first time in his life, the constant noise of dominance, pressure, instinct had gone still.
Because of her.
Run the stress test.
Dylan’s jaw tightened.
That test kills people.
If she’s lying, she dies.
If she’s not, she adapts.
Dylan stared at Avery again.
She looked small.
Fragile.
Human.
And somehow untouched by him.
Do it.
Inside the room, the needle descended.
Avery struggled as restraints locked her in place, panic finally breaking through her control.
Please.
Her voice cracked.
I don’t want to die.
The injection hit her bloodstream.
Her body reacted instantly.
Heart racing.
Breath failing.
Dylan stepped forward.
Stop this.
Wait.
The doctor pointed to the thermal screen.
Dylan looked.
And went still.
Instead of overheating, Avery’s body cooled.
Absorbing the energy.
Balancing it.
Her breathing slowed.
Her panic faded.
When her eyes opened again, they were calm.
Almost glowing.
Dylan felt something dangerous rise inside him.
Hope.
He turned away sharply.
Bring her to the Spire.
Tonight.
The drive up the cliffs was silent.
Avery sat curled in the corner of the backseat, exhausted, trying to understand what had just happened.
Dylan watched her from the side.
She didn’t make sense.
And things that didn’t make sense were dangerous.
My brother.
Her voice broke the silence.
When does the money transfer.
If you survive the night.
She looked at him.
I already survived.
You survived a test.
His eyes hardened.
You haven’t survived me.
The Spire rose ahead of them, dark against the storm.
Avery felt it before she stepped inside.
This place wasn’t a home.
It was a cage.
Dylan led her through massive halls built for someone his size, every step echoing.
You stay in your room.
You do not wander.
You do not ask questions.
She nodded.
Too tired to argue.
He opened the door to her room.
It was warm.
Comfortable.
Safe.
A lie.
Sleep.
His voice softened just slightly.
Tomorrow decides everything.
He turned to leave.
Avery stepped forward.
Why me.
Dylan paused.
For a long moment, he didn’t answer.
Then he looked back at her.
Because you didn’t break.
The door closed.
Locked.
Avery stood there, alone, listening to the storm outside.
Tomorrow decides everything.
She just didn’t know yet.
It would decide who survived.
And who didn’t.
Dylan did not sleep.
He walked the length of the West Wing like a caged animal, glass crunching under his boots where something had already shattered.
The storm outside slammed rain against the windows, but it was nothing compared to the storm inside him.
She didn’t break.
That single fact refused to leave his mind.
For years, his touch had meant destruction.
Pain.
Ruin.
But when he touched Avery Miles, the noise in his head went silent.
No pressure.
No violent instinct clawing at his spine.
Just quiet.
It felt wrong.
It felt addictive.
He stopped in front of the security monitor, watching her room.
Avery lay curled in the center of the oversized bed, still wearing the clothes he had given her.
She looked impossibly small, swallowed by the blankets.
She didn’t belong here.
And yet…
His chest tightened.
Dylan turned away, gripping the edge of the table until the wood cracked beneath his fingers.
She is a liability.
She is a risk.
She is the only one who makes you feel human.
That last thought made him angrier than anything else.
Before he realized it, he was already walking toward her room.
The door unlocked with a soft click.
Inside, the fire had burned low.
Shadows flickered across the walls.
Avery shifted in her sleep, her breathing uneven.
Dylan stepped closer.
Slow.
Careful.
Like approaching something fragile.
His hand hovered over her face.
He hesitated.
Then touched her.
The spark returned instantly.
A soft crackle of energy, warm and alive, spreading up his arm and into his chest.
Avery stirred.
Her fingers moved, brushing against his wrist.
The connection surged stronger.
Her eyes flew open.
For a second, neither of them moved.
She stared up at him, fear and something else tangled in her gaze.
Dylan didn’t pull away.
He couldn’t.
What are you doing.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Checking something.
His thumb brushed her cheek.
The sensation hit her like lightning.
She sucked in a breath.
He felt it too.
Not pain.
Not control.
Something deeper.
Something dangerous.
You’re not hurting me.
She said it like she still couldn’t believe it.
Dylan’s eyes darkened.
That’s the problem.
He stepped back abruptly, breaking the connection.
The room felt colder instantly.
Tomorrow, we test your limits.
His voice hardened again.
You need to prove you can survive my world.
Avery pushed herself up, heart racing.
What does that mean.
Dylan turned toward the door.
It means you run.
Dawn came gray and heavy.
Fog swallowed the cliffs around the Spire, thick and suffocating.
Avery stood on the stone terrace, wrapped in one of Dylan’s coats.
It hung off her shoulders, sleeves too long, smelling faintly of him.
She clutched it tighter.
Across from her, Dylan looked like something carved from stone.
Unmoving.
Focused.
Cold.
You have five minutes.
His voice cut through the mist.
Then I hunt you.
Avery blinked.
You’re serious.
If you can’t survive me chasing you, you won’t survive anything else.
His eyes locked onto hers.
Make it to the river marker.
Three miles north.
If I catch you first, you leave.
No money.
No help for your brother.
Her stomach dropped.
And if I make it.
His jaw tightened.
Then you stay.
That was all she needed.
Avery turned and ran.
The forest swallowed her immediately.
Branches tore at her clothes.
Roots threatened to trip her with every step.
The ground was slick, unforgiving.
Her lungs burned within minutes.
But she didn’t stop.
Toby’s face flashed in her mind.
Pale.
Weak.
Fading.
Keep moving.
One mile.
Her legs screamed.
Two miles.
The fog thickened.
Then she felt it.
Not heard.
Felt.
A low, vibrating presence in the air.
Predatory.
Close.
Too close.
A howl ripped through the forest.
Avery stumbled, panic slamming into her chest.
He was coming.
She pushed harder, scrambling over rocks, slipping in the mud.
The river had to be close.
She burst through the trees onto a ridge.
Below her, white water crashed violently against black stone.
The marker stood just ahead.
Fifty yards.
Relief hit her so fast it almost made her laugh.
She was going to make it.
A tree exploded to her left.
Avery screamed, spinning around.
Dylan stood there.
Not fully human.
Not fully wolf.
Something in between.
Bigger.
Faster.
Deadlier.
His eyes glowed, locked onto her like prey.
You’re slow.
His voice came out distorted, layered with something feral.
Avery backed toward the edge, heart slamming.
He lunged.
She dropped, rolling as his claws tore through the air where her head had been.
Mud soaked her clothes as she scrambled backward.
There was no escape.
He was faster.
Stronger.
Unstoppable.
Her eyes flicked to the river below.
Thirty feet down.
Certain impact.
Possible death.
Behind her, Dylan advanced.
Expecting her to freeze.
To surrender.
Avery’s breathing steadied.
No.
She wasn’t leaving empty-handed.
I’m not going back without saving him.
She said it under her breath.
Then she jumped.
For a split second, Dylan froze.
Shock broke through the predator.
She jumped.
He moved instantly.
Diving after her.
He caught her midair just before they hit the water.
The impact slammed into him like a truck.
Cold.
Violent.
Crushing.
He twisted, taking the brunt as they smashed against submerged rocks.
The current dragged at them, trying to rip them apart.
Dylan anchored himself, claws digging into the riverbed.
With a brutal pull, he hauled them both onto the bank.
They lay there, gasping.
Soaked.
Shaking.
Alive.
Dylan shifted back, chest heaving, blood running down his temple.
You jumped.
Disbelief filled his voice.
Avery coughed, pushing herself up.
You said the river.
I made it.
For a second, silence.
Then Dylan laughed.
Rough.
Disbelieving.
He reached out, placing a warm hand on her head.
You’re insane.
Do I get the money.
Her voice was steady.
Even now.
Dylan stared at her.
Really looked at her.
Not fragile.
Not weak.
Unbreakable.
Yeah.
You get the money.
He lifted her effortlessly into his arms.
And for the first time, it didn’t feel like he was holding something that would shatter.
It felt like holding something that could survive him.
Maybe even stand beside him.
But back at the estate, something else was already unraveling.
In the lab, Dr.
Carter Kane stared at the blood sample under the microscope.
What he saw made his hands shake.
Her cells weren’t just resisting Dylan’s.
They were absorbing them.
Transforming them.
Balancing them.
He ran the database.
A match appeared.
Ancient.
Buried.
Impossible.
The Valerius line.
Thought extinct for centuries.
Kane leaned back, mind racing.
If Dylan bonded with her, he wouldn’t need control anymore.
He wouldn’t need the council.
He wouldn’t need Kane.
Everything Kane had built would collapse.
He made his decision in that moment.
He deleted the truth.
And replaced it with a lie.
Back at the Spire, Dylan sat across from Avery as she warmed herself by the fire.
Your brother’s treatment is already paid for.
Avery froze.
Then the relief hit her all at once.
She broke down, tears falling freely.
Dylan moved without thinking.
His hands cupped her face, wiping them away.
You saved him.
His voice was rough.
You walked into hell for him.
I’d do it again.
She whispered.
He leaned closer.
Drawn by something he couldn’t fight anymore.
For the first time, he wanted more than survival.
He wanted her.
Their breaths mixed.
The space between them vanished.
Then the phone rang.
Sharp.
Jarring.
Dylan pulled back with a growl, grabbing it.
What.
The doctor’s voice came through.
Cold.
Serious.
She’s dying.
The words hit like a bullet.
Dylan’s world tilted.
Your power is killing her.
Every second she’s near you, it gets worse.
Dylan looked at Avery.
Small.
Warm.
Alive.
And suddenly fragile again.
The only way to save her… is to let her go.
Silence.
Then something inside him broke.
When he turned back to her, the monster had returned.
Get out.
His voice turned ice cold.
Avery blinked.
What.
You’re sick.
He forced the words out.
Defective.
Weak.
I don’t want you.
Her face crumpled.
Dylan didn’t stop.
Take the money and leave.
Before I throw you out.
She stood there, shattered.
Then she ran.
The door slammed.
And Dylan collapsed to his knees.
Because saving her…
Meant destroying himself.
