Reluctant Bonds - Dante and Alicia

[Dante Morales]

Months had passed since Dante Morales reclaimed his freedom, but the weight of confinement still clung to him like a shadow that refused to fade. The cold stone walls of Dreadspire Keep were far removed from the prison that had held him, but the scars ran deep. Freedom didn’t come with peace... it brought more battles to fight, more rivals to crush, and more enemies eager to exploit his absence. Dante wasn’t the kind of Alpha to ease back into power. He seized it with ruthless force, reclaiming his pack, his territory, and his dominance over Obsidian Ridge with an iron will forged in blood and fury.

Twilight bled across the jagged peaks surrounding Lycanthro Vale, the sky a deep bruise of purples and blues. Dante stood atop the ancient balcony of Dreadspire Keep, overlooking the vast wilderness that belonged to him. Below, the dark forest stretched endlessly, thick with mist and secrets older than any wolf in Valtheris could remember. His mind was restless, weighed down by the endless demands of leadership... protecting the pack’s borders, securing their dominance, and keeping the fragile balance of power in check. No one crossed into Dreadspire territory without answering to him.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, shattering the silence. Dante pulled it free, irritation already tightening his jaw when he saw the name flashing across the screen... Viktor, his Gamma.

“What is it?” Dante’s voice was low and sharp, carrying the authority of an Alpha who didn’t waste time.

“We’ve got something—or someone,” Viktor’s gravelly voice responded. There was hesitation there, a beat too long for Dante’s liking.

“Someone?”

“Caught her near the western ridge. Rogue. She’s… different. Stronger than most. Not some exiled mutt scraping for survival... she fought back hard.”

Dante’s grip tightened around the phone as his wolf, Umbra, stirred beneath the surface—a low, unsettling growl rippling through his chest. Rogues were common enough, especially near the Vale’s outer borders, but this felt different. His instincts didn’t whisper danger... they screamed it.

“Bring her to the Keep,” Dante ordered, his voice like stone grinding against stone. “I’ll deal with her myself.”

An hour later, the great hall of Dreadspire Keep echoed with the heavy tread of approaching footsteps. Viktor entered first, two enforcers flanking him, dragging a figure between them. Dante’s gaze locked on her immediately, and the second her scent hit him... wild earth, rain-soaked pine, and something unfamiliar yet devastatingly magnetic... everything inside him shifted.

Umbra roared beneath his skin, claws raking at the walls of Dante’s control with savage need. A possessive, primal instinct surged through him—a recognition he didn’t want but couldn’t deny. "Mate..." he growled out inside Dante's head. 

The rogue’s appearance told a story of survival: dirt-smudged skin, tangled hair, and clothes torn by days... maybe weeks... on the run. But what caught him wasn’t her disheveled state. It was the fire burning in her eyes, fierce and unbroken. No submission. No fear. Only defiance and exhaustion carved into every sharp line of her face.

Dante’s jaw tightened, but the unsettling pull in his chest grew stronger, coiling around him like a noose. He couldn't believe this was happening... He didn't want a mate. It was the last thing he needed. Another fucking distraction. 

“Who the hell are you?” His voice cut through the tension, cold and commanding. Yet even as the words left his mouth, his pulse thundered with a realization he refused to name.

Umbra surged again... restless, insistent, hungry.

He took a step closer, the weight of his authority pressing into the space between them. “You crossed into my territory, rogue. You’ll answer for that... by my rules.”

For the first time since returning, something beyond power clawed at Dante’s focus. This wasn’t just another trespasser, another challenge to crush beneath his boot. No... this was something far more dangerous.

And deep down, some part of him knew that no amount of strength would protect him from what came next.

[Alicia Blake]

Alicia looked at him as he warned her about fighting, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes “I wouldn’t exactly call it picking fights, sparring has always been a handy way to learn where you are lacking skill, and a new opponent can help show your strengths and weaknesses” she shrugged slightly before looking at him “when you know a fighter you know how to handle them, where they slip up, with a new opponent it’s all a guessing game, you have to be able to read them and anticipate their next move” 

She sat up a little straighter as he asked for information of the Darkfrost pack, she held no loyalties to them especially after what they had done to her. But the thought of betraying her own blood still weighed heavily on her mind. 

She felt his gaze on her, there was little emotion behind his eyes but something told her it would be better for everyone if she shared everything she knew. 

She took a deep breath keeping her eyes on him in hopes he would know she was truthful “when I was there I was fairly low ranked so don’t expect me to know any pack secrets. But I do know a fair bit about their daily runnings” 

She debated with herself on how much she should share the stares from him and his men making her feel as if she was being interrogated “their Alpha is a cruel man, I mean you can see what they do when someone doesn’t meet their standards, he isn’t against harming the members of the pack for failing him” she remembered the stories of the alpha’s cruelty seeing some of his victims stumbling to the healers after their ‘punishment’ 

She sighed a little “they are all about power, the only reason they aren’t causing problems is they don’t want to yet, siding with anyone they don’t like might as well be a personal attack as far as the alpha is concerned” she shrugged a little before looking down “training starts from the time a child can walk, we are trained to handle combat both in our human and wolf form. As the runt I had to work harder to prove myself” she shrugged slightly as she mentioned the cruel name she had been given due to her small size. 

She looked into his eyes “and the most important thing you need to know is if they find out you are keeping me here they aren’t going to like it, helping me survive makes you their enemy” she looked at him wondering if he was going to take the threat seriously. 

Normally she would insist on leaving, not wanting to bring trouble to anyone else. But something told her there was little point in trying to argue that with Dante, if he wanted her to stay she would have little choice but to obey. 

She looked at him smiling “is there anything else you want to know? Because if you plan on facing them then you’ll need all the help you can get” 

Her wolf grew excited by the thought “our mate will protect us” 

Alicia pushed back against the beast “we don’t know that, if he chose his pack’s safety I wouldn’t blame him” 

She didn’t want to admit that she liked the thought of him protecting her, even if neither of them wanted to acknowledge their mate bond. But she also knew that as an alpha his pack had to come first, especially when it came to the life of a rogue like her.

[Dante Morales]

Dante listened in silence, his expression unreadable as Alicia spoke. She defended her sparring match with Duke, her reasoning sound enough, but it didn’t change the fact that she was an outsider stepping into a pack that didn’t yet trust her. He didn’t yet trust her. Still, he said nothing, letting her talk, absorbing her words the way he always did... with careful calculation and a sharp, unrelenting focus.

The Darkfrost Pack. He had expected brutality, but hearing it from someone who had lived it firsthand was different. It confirmed what he already knew: their Alpha ruled through fear and violence, training their wolves from the moment they could walk. A pack built entirely on power and submission, without room for weakness.

His fingers tapped once against the desk as he processed everything. They weren’t causing problems because they didn’t want to yet. That was the key phrase. Which meant they were waiting. For what?

Alicia’s last words hung between them, heavier than the rest.

“If they find out you are keeping me here, they aren’t going to like it. Helping me survive makes you their enemy.”

Dante smirked, but there was no humor in it. “They’d be fools to think I give a damn about what they like.”

Umbra rumbled his agreement, his presence pressing against Dante’s control. “Let them come. We’ll rip out their throats.”

Dante didn’t acknowledge his wolf, not yet. His focus remained on Alicia. He watched her carefully, noting the way she looked at him, as if trying to gauge whether or not he would take the threat seriously.

After a moment, he shifted in his chair slightly, his expression unreadable. "Tell me something," he said, his voice smooth but carrying an edge. "How does the Darkfrost Pack choose their leaders?" It was a harmless enough question on the surface, but there was calculation behind it.

Dante's expression remained unreadable as he continued, his voice steady. "And what about their alliances? Do they have any?"

Dante had no intentions on giving his plans away. Even if they were to pay back the Darkfrost for everything they did to her and made her suffer through all these years. He hated the fact that she was on her own for so long. Fighting to survive. Umbra growled low within him fighting for control. But Dante wasn't going to give it to him. He wasn't going to give him to this tether between them. 

Before she could say anything else, he turned his attention to the two wolves still in the room. “Leave us.” 

Jake and Viktor exchanged a glance. “You sure?” Jake asked, pushing off the doorframe. “Because I was just starting to enjoy this little...”

Dante gave him a look and Jake held up his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, we’re going.” He glanced at Alicia before smirking. “Try not to kill each other while we’re gone.”

Viktor, always the quieter of the two, gave a small nod before following Jake out, closing the door behind them.

Now it was just the two of them.

Dante leaned back in his chair for a moment, studying Alicia in the silence that stretched between them. Then, slowly, he pushed himself to his feet. He moved with an unhurried confidence, rounding the desk until he stood in front of her. He leaned against the desk, crossing his arms over his chest, his piercing gaze locking onto hers.

“No one is to know.”

He didn’t have to elaborate. The weight of his words, the authority in his tone, made it clear exactly what he was talking about. Their bond. Their matehood.

Alicia’s wolf might have acknowledged it. His own damn wolf had been snarling about it since the moment he laid eyes on her. But that didn’t mean he had to accept it.

Umbra growled. “You’re making a mistake.”

Dante’s jaw tightened. “I’m protecting my pack.”

“She is our mate.”

“She is a rogue. A risk.”

Umbra bared his teeth. “She belongs with us.”

Dante’s fingers curled against his biceps, his wolf’s possessiveness thrumming through him. He forced himself to breathe, to push the primal instincts down. He would not let his wolf dictate his decisions. Not when there was too much at stake.

He exhaled sharply, cutting off their argument before it could escalate further. He turned his full attention back to Alicia.

“You’re not a prisoner here,” he said finally. “You can stay as long as you need to.” His voice was steady, unwavering. “But you will follow my rules. You will not cause problems for my pack. You will not challenge my authority. And above all...” his gaze darkened slightly, his voice dropping lower, “...you will keep our bond to yourself.”

He let that settle between them before tilting his head slightly.

“Do you understand me?”

Umbra, disappointed with Dante's choice in keeping their mate a secret, turned away from him. He was not happy with not being able to claim his mate. He had waited for years to find his other half and now he was, his human wasn't allowing him to complete their bond. The wolf went silent immediately. 

[Alicia Blake]

Alicia looked at him quietly as he spoke, she could see the menacing look in his eyes almost as if he was daring the Darkfrost pack to challenge him. She wondered why he was so willing to face them though refused to even consider their bond had anything to do with it. 

As he asked about how the pack chose their leaders she laughed softly looking at him “well traditionally it’s like any other, the alpha is born into the role as the oldest son of the current alpha, but they allow challengers, if someone can beat the current alpha in a fight they assume control, their bloodline becomes the new alpha line” she shrugged a little not phased by the idea of people fighting for the role of alpha. 

When he asked about allies she thought slightly harder, she couldn’t recall any willing allies but she knew some smaller packs were afraid of them “depends do you consider allying yourself with someone out of fear an alliance?”

As the other two left the room she glanced at him quietly. His cold tone shocked her though she didn’t let it show on her face. 

Listening to him she could hear the vague threat behind his tone. She stood up and stepped towards him calmly. 

She stopped only a few feet from him, her voice calm “why not reject the bond? You say you don’t want others to know, but your men are no fools, do you really think they believe you are letting a rogue stay among them out of curiosity?”

She hoped this time she could get a straight answer, though as she mentioned rejecting the bond Diadora grew agitated.

The wolf wasn’t prepared for the pain rejecting a bond caused “Don’t say that to him, he may listen”

Alicia shook her head slightly as she responded to the beast “if he was going to he would have already, you don’t offer someone safety to tear it away”

She stepped away from him letting out a small sigh as she turned her back “I understand your hesitation, I’m a rogue, I’ve already warned you that I bring trouble in my wake. It’s only natural one would hesitate to agree to such a bond” 

She shrugged slightly before looking at him over her shoulder “if you would prefer your pack remains out of trouble I will leave in the morning, I won’t have those who are unwilling get caught in my mess” 

She may just be a rogue but one thing Alicia was sure of was that she would never let innocent people get hurt because of her. She had never had the cruelty that the Darkfrost pack prided themselves in, they considered her soft for caring about the lives of others. But she didn’t care, she would rather be soft than the reason someone lost their life. 

She bowed her head to him politely “I thank you and your men for your kindness and hospitality, but unless you are sure you want to risk a battle with the Darkfrost pack, it would be best if I didn’t stick around long enough for them to know I was here” 

Diadora was screaming inside her mind “no we can’t leave, our mate is here” 

Alicia pushed back at the wolf “I’m not staying unless he understands the risk to his people” 

Alicia had always cared little for her own safety having been raised to sacrifice herself for whatever cause her alpha wanted. 

A part of her wanted him to stop her, to tell her they will protect her from the Darkfrost pack. But she hadn’t seen any real concern in his eyes when it came to the dangers she had faced, at least not that she could read, he was good at keeping that all locked away. 

She turned away from him again taking a deep breath “I will leave you to your pack business I suppose, let me know your decision by morning” she didn’t move to leave yet wondering how he would react to her words. She knew he felt the bond just as strongly as she had, and the fact he hadn’t instantly rejected her must mean something, she just didn’t know what.

[Dante Morales]

Her words about Darkfrost had stirred something in him. The way she spoke of their traditions, the willingness to let power shift by blood and battle… it was familiar, yet reckless. He had fought for his right to lead, but he had done so out of necessity, not ambition. That kind of system bred chaos. His pack had suffered for it once; he wouldn’t let it happen again.

And their alliances? Fear-driven bonds weren’t alliances. They were shackles waiting to break. His pack stood strong on respect, not submission. The difference was what kept them alive.

He studied her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "So your pack held power not through loyalty, but by reminding others of what would happen if they stood against you." A muscle in his jaw flexed. "That kind of rule only lasts until someone stronger decides they’ve had enough." His tone wasn’t mocking, but there was an edge to it, a silent warning. "Is that what happened to them? Did someone decide they weren’t as powerful as they thought?"

Dante remained still as Alicia stepped toward him, his every muscle coiled tight, his wolf prowling just beneath the surface. She was too close. Too confident. Too damn tempting. The air between them crackled, heavy with tension, yet he refused to give an inch.

Her words landed like strikes meant to wound, yet he absorbed them without flinching. She was pushing, testing, demanding an answer he wasn’t ready to give. His jaw ticked as she spoke of the bond… his bond… as though it was something he could simply cast aside.

Umbra snarled in his mind. “She belongs to us. She is our mate.”

Dante exhaled slowly, suppressing the instinctive growl that threatened to rise. “I didn’t ask for this. I never wanted this.”

“But you need her.” Umbra growled. 

He shoved his wolf’s voice aside. It didn’t matter what Umbra wanted. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He had clawed his way back to the top, rebuilt his pack from the ashes of betrayal, and now fate thought it could just hand him a mate? He didn’t need a weakness. He didn’t need her.

But he couldn’t let her walk away either.

Alicia turned her back to him, declaring that she would leave. His chest tightened, something raw tearing through him at the thought. Let her go, reason whispered. But instinct roared in protest. His feet moved before his mind could stop them.

In an instant, he was there, his grip firm around her wrist. With controlled strength, he turned her, pressing her back against the door. His body loomed close, his breathing uneven as he met her gaze, his eyes dark with unspoken conflict.

“You think you can just walk away?” His voice was low, edged with something dangerous. “That I’ll let you leave like none of this matters?”

His fingers tightened ever so slightly on her wrist before he released her, only to cage her in with his presence alone. His scent wrapped around her, his wolf thrumming with satisfaction at how perfectly she fit against him.

“This bond is a problem,” he admitted, his tone rough, almost resentful. “I didn’t ask for it. I don’t want it.” His hand lifted, brushing against her jaw despite himself. “But that doesn’t mean I can ignore it.”

He saw her  lips parted as if to argue, but he didn’t give her the chance. With a guttural growl, he closed the distance, his mouth crashing onto hers. The kiss was raw, demanding, a silent war between his reluctance and the undeniable force pulling him to her.

Heat surged through him, the bond tightening like a vice, sealing something he wasn’t ready to name. When he pulled back, his breathing was ragged, his forehead nearly resting against hers. His fingers lingered at her waist, unwilling to let go.

His voice dropped to a near whisper, rough with finality. “You’re not leaving.”

Umbra rumbled in approval, but for once, Dante wasn’t sure if it was his wolf’s will or his own keeping her here.

[Alicia Blake]

She listened to him joke about the Darkfrost pack losing their power, his confidence stirred something inside her. She could tell that unlike most he didn’t fear their cruelty, it almost felt like he welcomed the challenge if they were to attack. She wasn’t sure if he was brave or a fool for such a thing. 

As she moved towards the door she felt his hand grip her wrist stopping her in her tracks. Before she even had the chance to react she was pressed against the door looking up at him. His closeness caused her wolf to stir as she listened to him. 

She looked up at him when he mentioned not throwing the bond away. She was surprised by his words, she had expected an alpha to see her as unworthy of being his mate. 

“He wishes to keep up” Diadora howled excitedly in her mind, but Alicia was too stunned by his words to respond to her antics. 

When she finally thought of something to say she parted her lips to speak only to be silenced by the feeling of his lips pressed against her. A small gasp escaped her lips as he kissed her. Her hands instinctively moving up his chest to wrap around his neck. She felt their bond going stronger, nothing had ever felt so right to her before. 

As he broke the kiss she looked up at him breathlessly, making no effort to remove herself from his embrace. Her usual cold and confident demeanor had been completely shattered as a small pink blush rose to her cheeks. 

She looked up at him smiling slightly as he said she wasn’t leaving “what about your pack? I can’t be the reason they are in danger” she didn’t want to leave, even if she never wanted the bond it felt right to stay with him. But she didn’t want to bring danger to his doorstep. 

Diadora let out a low growl in her mind “stop resisting, he wants us here”

This time Alicia’s mind was clear enough to respond “I want to be sure he won’t resent me for anything that might happen” 

Her wolf let out a huff but didn’t argue any further knowing Alicia had a point. 

She slowly removed herself from his arms, suddenly feeling empty now that she had put some distance between them again. But she knew they both needed to focus. 

She sat on a small couch that was in his office leaning back and looking at him curiously “if you don’t mind my asking, why are you so against finding a mate?” she looked at him raising an eyebrow “most wolves spend their lives searching, especially Alphas, but it seems to me that the fact I’m a rogue isn’t the only reason you have a problem”

She might feel the same about their bond, she had never asked for it, in fact she would have preferred to not have found her mate. But she had her own reasons that given her past she assumed would be obvious. 

She ran a hand through her hair laughing softly “I mean I’m not exactly thrilled by this turn of events either, but it just seems weird to me that you didn’t want a mate”

She remembered growing up when they were taught about mate bonds, how much they were hyped up. How people searched the globe for their mate, it all sounded like a fairytale. But her first experience with a mate bond had shattered the illusion, she wasn’t sure if she trusted the moon goddess to choose a mate for her again.

And yet here he was standing before her, just as annoyed as she is about the timing of their bond. She could tell he had a ruthless side, he wasn’t someone to be messed with, and yet even when she spoke back to him she saw no sign of it, just a gentleness he kept hidden just as she did.

The two were more alike than she cared to admit. Both hid behind cold exteriors, though part of her wondered why he had become like this. She hid her true nature out of necessity, life as a rogue left little room for compassion, but what made him lock his feelings away?

[Dante Morales]

Dante’s jaw tightened as he watched Alicia step back, putting space between them. His wolf raged at the distance, the severing of something primal between them that neither of them had asked for. His instincts demanded he close the gap, pull her back in, claim what was his, but he fought against it, fists clenched at his sides. He wouldn’t give in to this.

Her question lingered in the air between them, sharp and intrusive, digging into wounds he didn’t care to acknowledge. Why was he so against finding a mate? It should have been obvious.

Dante exhaled sharply through his nose, shaking his head. “Because I re-built my pack from nothing,” he said, his voice low, rough with old scars and hardened resolve. “Because everything I have, everything I am, was earned through blood and betrayal. A mate wasn’t part of the plan.” His gaze flickered over her, the golden glow of his wolf barely contained. “I wasn’t waiting for fate to decide my future.”

And yet, fate had done exactly that. It had bound him to a rogue.

A rogue with fire in her eyes, who stood in front of him as if she wasn’t the single biggest threat to the control he had spent years mastering.

Alicia’s soft laugh scraped against something raw inside of him, and it infuriated him that she could be so indifferent to the weight of what they had been forced into. She didn’t understand. She couldn’t.

Dante had spent his entire life clawing his way to the top, refusing to be at the mercy of anyone or anything. Now, the Moon Goddess had decided to strip him of that control, forcing a bond on him with a woman who had been exiled from her previous pack and branded a rogue all because her first mate didn’t want her. 

He didn’t want a mate. He didn’t need a mate. But he could he be as heartless as the childish Beta she was once paired with?

And yet, he could still taste her on his lips, feel the way she had fit so perfectly against him. His wolf was livid, his anger directed at Dante himself for pulling away, for fighting against the inevitable. 

“Get some sense kid and grow a pair,” Umbra growled in his mind, his voice deep and edged with dangerous hunger. “She belongs here. With us.”

Dante ignored him. He had to. Because giving in meant risking everything.

“My pack is my concern,” he said finally, his voice cold and distant, his expression unreadable. “Not yours.”

The bond ached between them, a silent protest at the dismissal, but Dante refused to acknowledge it. He needed space, distance, time to think. He couldn’t let this… thing between them consume him.

He turned away from her, his movements clipped and controlled as he walked back to his desk. His hands braced against the dark wood as he exhaled through gritted teeth, willing his wolf into submission. “I have work to do,” he said, the clear dismissal in his tone leaving no room for argument.

It was a lie. Work was the last thing on his mind. But he needed the excuse, needed something to anchor himself before he did something reckless… like dragging her back to him and making her understand exactly what this bond meant.

He mind-linked his Beta ordering him and Viktor to get back into his office at once. 

The door swung open a moment later, breaking the tense silence. His Beta, Jake, stepped inside first, his sharp gaze flicking between Dante and Alicia before narrowing slightly. Viktor followed, his broad frame filling the space as he crossed his arms over his chest, clearly sensing the tension in the room.

Jake arched a brow. “What’s the situation?”

Dante didn’t hesitate, locking the bond away in the back of his mind, forcing himself to focus on what mattered. “We take down Darkfrost,” he said, his tone steady, controlled.

Even as his wolf howled in protest, Dante forced himself to ignore the rogue in the room and do what he did best.

Lead.

[Alicia Blake]

She looked at him listening intently as he spoke of why he wasn’t after a mate. She understood his view, though it did only serve to make her more curious about why he was keeping her. 

She leant forward resting her hand on her chin “you don’t want a mate because it’s not something you can control” she smiled and nodded slightly “and as if some kind of cruel joke you were handed a rogue, not exactly known for self control and discipline” she couldn’t help but laugh a little at the absurdity of it all. 

She knew as far as rogues when she wasn’t exactly as out of control as the rest. Sure she followed her own rules but mostly it was a means of survival, though she did have to admit a part of her did enjoy resisting authority. 

So she wondered why the Moon Goddess had chosen them as a pairing, a man who fought to be able to control his own path, and a woman who was hellbent on surviving out of pure spite for the ones who thought she wouldn’t. She knew the Goddess worked in mysterious ways, but even for her this seemed to be a weird combination. 

She was brought out of her thoughts when he stated his pack was his concern. His words caused her to frown as she understood what he meant by it “your pack shouldn’t be in danger just because you decide to keep me” there was a forced coldness to her words, almost as if she was trying to convince herself that she didn’t care either way if she stayed or left. 

Diadora wasn’t pleasing with her attitude “stop trying to scare him off”

Alicia rolled her eyes slightly at the wolf “his pack shouldn’t die for us”

As he mentioned his work she nodded slightly before standing. But before she could leave the room his men had come in, she could see the distrust in their eyes. She couldn’t blame them, rogues normally meant trouble, but she hadn’t chosen to become a rogue out of defiance, she had merely lost her home and had nowhere else she could safely turn to. 

She started to slowly edge her way to the door trying to slip out of the room unnoticed, but his words stopped her in her tracks. 

“Take down Dark Frost” he had said it like it was nothing, like the pack wasn’t known for being ruthless in combat and fighting dirty. 

Alicia turned to him shaking her head slightly “are you insane? You are going to start a war against the Dark Frost pack?” 

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, she had spoken of nothing but the pack’s cruelty when mentioning them, there were few happy memories there. For someone to hear of how they treat their own blood and decide they wanted to fight them sounded like madness to her. 

Looking at Dante she wondered what could provoke him to go after them. She didn’t even think to consider that she would be part of his motivation, after all he didn’t want their bond anymore than she did. 

She looked between the men wondering if his Beta or Gamma would try to talk sense into him. She knew they were just as aware of the Dark Frost pack’s cruelty as anyone else. She knew first hand just how bad that pack could be. 

Alicia stepped towards Dante not caring that the others would see “you can’t go after them, there is no reason for it, all you’ll do is harm your own men in the process” she looked at him, her face serious. She stayed true to her promise not to speak of their bond in front of the others, which is how she knew that if that did somehow play a part in this he would likely never admit it. He seemed far too prideful to her to admit that the unwanted bond influenced his decisions.

[Dante Morales]

Dante’s jaw remained tight as Alicia spoke, her words poking at wounds he didn’t care to acknowledge. He hated how easily she saw through him, how she dared to name the thing he had spent years mastering… control. And now, the Moon Goddess had bound him to a rogue, someone who had spent years without living by a pack’s rules, someone who in his mind had no place in his world.

His expression didn’t shift when she said his pack shouldn’t suffer just because he was keeping her. As if she were some kind of possession. As if this was a choice. The bond ached between them, whispering lies of fate and destiny, but Dante ignored it. He had to.

He exhaled slowly, forcing his wolf back when Umbra pushed against his control. “She cares.” The wolf’s voice was a deep rumble in his mind. “She doesn’t want our pack harmed. That means something.”

Dante didn’t respond, unwilling to acknowledge the truth in his wolf’s words. Instead, he turned his focus back to his Beta and Gamma as they stepped into the room, their presence a grounding force against the chaos in his mind.

Jake arched a brow, standing at ease but ever ready. “What’s the move?”

Viktor, his Gamma, crossed his arms over his chest, his sharp gaze flicking between Alicia and Dante before settling on his Alpha. “Say the word.”

Dante didn’t hesitate. “We put together a team to scout the area.”

Jake smirked. “A recon mission. Got it.” 

Dante rose from his seat when Alicia came back towards him, his movements measured. The weight of his authority settled over the room, pressing down like a storm about to break. “I’m the Alpha of this pack,” he said, his voice low, dangerous. “And I’ll do whatever the hell I think is necessary.”

Jake smirked, his arms folding over his chest. “You’d be a fool to underestimate the Dreadspire pack,” he told her, his tone edged with challenge. “We don’t take fights we can’t win.”

Dante watched Alicia carefully, his curiosity piqued by the fire in her eyes. His lips curled slightly, but there was no humor in it. “What’s the real issue, Alicia?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. “Afraid your little boyfriend will be among the casualties?”

He expected her to lash out at the provocation, and maybe that was why he’d said it. To push her, to see if she still had ties to them. But a deeper, more dangerous part of him wanted an answer. He needed to know if there was a history there, if his mate still had feelings for her first mate and the pack that she once belonged to. The very pack he was about to destroy.

Umbra growled in his mind. “Does it matter? They are our enemy, and she is ours. We need to avenge what they did to her.”

Dante clenched his jaw. “That’s exactly why it matters. Why avenge someone when they want to protect the very people who wronged her?”

He wasn’t going to tell his Beta and Gamma that he was going after Darkfrost because of her. Besides, there were plenty of other reasons he had to go after them. Reasons that had nothing to do with the bond. Darkfrost was a threat. They had been for a long time. Ruthless, violent, a blight on the werewolf world. They took what they wanted without consequence. He had seen firsthand the damage they left in their wake.

His pack was stronger. More disciplined. He had trained them for war, prepared them for the moment they would be tested.

And now, the time had come.

He stepped closer to Alicia, his gaze locking onto hers. “This isn’t about you,” he said, his voice quieter now, but no less intense. “This is about justice. About sending a message that packs like Darkfrost don’t get to exist without consequence.”

His wolf stirred, restless beneath his skin. “And if she’s afraid? If she asks us not to?”

Dante didn’t have an answer for that.

[Alicia Blake]

Alicia was shaking her head slightly as his insistence of going after the Darkfrost pack. She looked at him wondering why he was so insistent. The confidence of his Beta only infuriated her more. 

“You really think you can handle them? They leave their weak out to die and you think you can defeat them?” she shook her head slightly “I don’t underestimate your pack’s ability, but you don’t know how they fight, they don’t care about honour, they want power” 

She had seen their dirty tactics before, most packs wanted to win a fight properly, but not the Darkfrost pack, they didn’t care, a win was a win regardless of how they got there. 

When he mentioned her first mate pain flickered across her face before quickly settling to shock. She had told him the pain the rejection had caused, the way it had forced her out of her home, and now he dared to use it against her. She shook her head slightly trying to keep her voice steady but the pain behind her words could still be heard “you are just as cruel as him” 

Her voice had barely been a whisper as she backed away slowly. She wasn’t even sure she had truly meant those words, but in the moment she wanted to hurt him like he had hurt her. She prided herself on being strong despite everything she had been through, and to have her past thrown in her face by someone who was supposed to have her wellbeing in mind only made it hurt more. 

She looked into his eyes as he claimed this wasn’t about her, she could see the deception but chose not to speak on it “I never said it was, but they aren’t to be aggravated lightly, if you want to do this you better be prepared to lose some of your men” 

Before he could speak again she turned away, walking towards the door. She still thought it was a bad idea but she could see talking him out of it was pointless, especially when his own pack saw no issue in the fight. 

She left his office walking towards her room silently. Once inside she locked the door before finally letting a tear fall down her cheek. She didn’t want to see innocent people hurt just because he wanted to prove a point. 

“He wants to defend you” Diadora spoke calmly as if trying to soothe her

“You heard what he said, he thinks we still care about our first mate” Alicia shook her head slightly as she sat on the bed pulling her knees to her chest. Looking more like the scared girl that had been kicked out of the Darkfrost pack, than the strong survivor she had become. 

“We have no heart for that filth” Diadora’s voice was low and menacing, she hated their first mate for what he had done. 

Alicia let out a small bitter laugh “try telling him that” 

Alicia remained curled on the bed as she thought about his plans to attack the Darkfrost pack, wondering how she could prove her loyalty towards them was gone. She suddenly raised her head, eyeing a desk that was in her room. 

She went over to the desk, pulling out some paper as she started making notes on everything that could give them an advantage. She knew it had been quite some time so her information might not be accurate, but it was better than nothing. 

She drew maps of the pack lands marking outposts and patrol routes. She noted what she could remember of each of the warriors and their usual weaknesses in fights. She wasn’t sure how accurate or helpful her information was, but she knew if they were going after the Darkfrost pack they needed all the intel they could get. 

Looking at her map she marked one small building towards the edge of the pack lands, it was ignored by most of the patrol routes, only really being passed a couple times a day. She then made a small note on the edge of the page “leave this house alone, they mean no harm and only follow the alpha out of necessity” 

She folded the pages and left them on the desk before laying back in her bed trying to decide what she was going to do. She knew she didn’t want to help in the fight, she couldn’t go back there after everything that had happened. But a part of her wanted to be involved, wanted to see the people that had taken everything from her pay for what they had done.

[Dante Morales]

Dante’s jaw remained tight as Alicia spoke, her words striking something raw inside him. The way she challenged him, the way she looked at him with such defiance... it stoked his temper like dry timber to a flame. No one spoke to him like that. No one questioned him like that. And yet, she had, without fear, without hesitation.

His gaze darkened as she turned to leave, the sharp edge of her words lingering. She had spoken to him as if he were reckless, as if he did not bear the weight of every life in this pack on his shoulders. As if he was the villain in this. The bond between them pulsed, an unwelcome reminder of what she was to him, but Dante shoved it aside, his wolf clawing at the walls of his restraint.

“She does not understand what it means to lead,” he told himself. “She doesn’t know what it means to carry the burden of every decision.”

But the way she had spoken—it had unsettled something in him. Not because she was wrong, but because some part of him feared she wasn’t.

“Alicia.” His voice came sharp, cutting through the air like a blade, carrying the weight of command. His Alpha voice. “You do not walk away from me when I am speaking to you.”

The moment the words left his mouth, something twisted in his chest. She was not one of his pack. Not one of his wolves bound by duty and hierarchy. And yet, the thought of her disregarding him, dismissing him as though he was some fool to be chastised, ignited something deeper than frustration.

The challenge in that simple act sent a rush of something dark and electric through him. “Defiant. Stubborn. Infuriating.”

Umbra snarled inside him. “You are pushing her away. You should be pulling her closer.”

“She does not respect me.”

“Because you do not respect what she is to us.” Umbra countered. 

Dante’s hands clenched, his patience worn thin by both the rogue and his wolf. He had never known a woman to pull him into such chaos, to make him question himself even as he tried to assert his control. He had spent years perfecting his command, ensuring no one could shake him. And yet, Alicia had done it in a matter of days.

The bond between them was a curse. He was certain of it.

She would challenge him again. She would not break so easily. And perhaps that was what terrified him the most.

The moment Alicia left, Umbra’s growl rumbled through his mind, low and full of disapproval. “You are a fool. You need to stop pushing her away. Show her you care.”

Dante clenched his fists, his patience wearing thin. “She is a distraction.”

“She is our mate.”

“And that means nothing to me.”

The wolf snarled, rage and sorrow intertwining. “You lie to yourself so well. But I feel it… I feel her. And so do you.”

Dante ignored him, turning back to Jake and Viktor. “Send a small scouting party. I want details on the Darkfrost pack’s movements. We won’t go in blind.”

Jake smirked slightly but nodded. “Consider it done.”

As Viktor moved to leave, Jake lingered, arms crossed. “You gonna tell me what’s going on between you and the rogue?”

Dante’s eyes flashed dangerously. “That will be all.”

Jake held his hands up in mock surrender before following Viktor out. Silence settled in the room once more, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside him. His gaze fell to the documents on his desk, but the words blurred together. His mind wasn’t on strategies or battle plans.

With a sharp exhale, Dante swept everything off his desk in one violent motion. Papers scattered, a glass clattered to the ground, and still, the frustration clawed at his chest. He turned, pouring himself a whiskey with a steady hand, though his mind was anything but.

“You’re a coward,” Umbra said, voice edged with bitter disappointment. “You hurt her because you don’t know what else to do.”

Dante swallowed the whiskey in one go, the burn doing little to ease his thoughts. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“Neither did she. Yet she still fights for us. And you…”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Dante said cutting him off mid-sentence. 

Umbra fell silent, but his presence loomed, heavy with judgment.

Dante stared out into the courtyard, willing himself to focus on anything else. But an hour or maybe two passed, he didn’t know because his mind wasn’t registering it. And yet,  the tension only grew. He shouldn’t have cared where she went or what she was thinking, yet his feet carried him before his mind could argue.

He stood outside her door, jaw tight, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He shouldn’t be here. He had nothing to say to her.

And yet… With a slow, controlled breath, he lifted his hand and knocked lightly on the door.

[Alicia Blake]

Alicia had ignored him when he tried to stop her. She couldn’t stand around and be treated like a fool not when she knew the dangers he was willingly walking his men into. 

She had grown up with the Darkfrost pack, she had seen how their Alpha treated anyone who defied him. She couldn’t bear to see anyone get hurt like that because of her.

The command in his voice had caused her steps to hesitate slightly, but she wasn’t forced to obey him, she held no ties to his pack. 

Sat in her room Alicia sighed softly, her hands shaking slightly. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but if he was going to use her past rejection against her she wasn’t sure she could ever accept him as a mate. 

“He didn’t mean his words” Diadora spoke calmly.

“You can’t know that, he used my worst pain against me” Alicia pulled her knees to her chest.

“He doesn’t know how to have a mate” the wolf’s tone was almost motherly. 

Alicia wiped her eyes clearly frustrated “stop defending him, he knew his words would hurt me, that was his goal” 

She looked out the window silently staring at the trees in the distance, she wondered if she left how long it would take for someone to notice. 

“Our mate is here you can’t run” Diadora’s voice came through chastising her for the thought. 

“He said it himself, he doesn’t want a mate” she was trying to convince herself more than her wolf that leaving was a good idea. 

“And yet he commanded you to stay” Diadora sounded smug at the memory of his words. 

“He isn’t my Alpha, I don’t need to obey” Alicia rolled her eyes slightly. She had no idea why he demanded she stay but pushed her away at the same time, it was frustrating. 

As she heard a knock on the door she lifted her head slightly looking towards it, she could smell him through the door. She debated answering him or not and eventually decided it was easier to get this over with. 

Walking to the door, she unlocked it and opened it just a crack. “What do you want?” her voice was cold and uncaring just as it had been when they first met, but her eyes were red giving away the fact she had been crying. 

She didn’t open the door fully just enough that he could see her face through the crack. She looked up at him shifting from one foot to the other nervously. She didn’t know what to expect from him. Was he here to belittle her further? Maybe he had finally decided she wasn’t worth keeping. Whatever it was she was going to meet it with the cold mask she had perfected over the years. 

After a moment of silence she moved away from the door not opening it fully for him, but also not closing it in his face. She sat on the edge of her bed calmly, her legs crossed as if she was just relaxing. The notes she had taken regarding the Darkfrost pack covered the small desk in the corner of her room. 

She let out a small sigh “if you are here to hurl more insults I’d prefer it if you didn’t” she looked down at her nails as if she didn’t care about his intentions. 

She glanced back at the door noticing he hadn’t entered yet “I think it would be best if I leave in the morning, it’s clear there is no place for me here” 

As she spoke she heard Diadora growl lowly in her mind “don’t be a fool, he is our mate we belong here”

Alicia pushed back against her wolf “I am not going to stay with someone who treats me poorly” 

Diadora let out a huff “he is scared of what the bond means, just as you are”

Alicia didn’t respond, not wanting to admit to herself that she was afraid of what the bond truly meant, the Moon Goddess had chosen them as a pair for a reason, she just hadn’t figured out what it was yet. The unknown had always frustrated her, and now her biggest mystery was the man she called her mate.

[Dante Morales]

Dante stood at the threshold, watching her through the narrow crack of the door. The coldness in her voice, the way she refused to fully open it, only fueled the storm inside him. But what struck him the hardest... what made his grip tighten at his sides... was the redness in her eyes.

She had been crying.

Umbra stirred, a growl low in his mind. "You did this."

Dante ignored him, stepping forward. The door remained only partially open, a physical representation of the distance she was putting between them. He could force it open... force his way in.... but something in him hesitated. He hated this. Hated the way she pulled at something deep inside him, hated how much he cared that she had been crying.

She moved away, not closing the door in his face, but not exactly welcoming him either. The silent challenge in that small action irritated him more than it should have. He pushed the door open fully and stepped inside, his presence filling the space.

The room was modest, but her scent clung to the air, wrapping around him in a way that made his wolf restless. His gaze swept over the papers scattered across the desk before returning to her. She sat with an air of forced indifference, legs crossed, eyes guarded.

“I’m not here to insult you,” he said, his voice firm but lacking the sharp edge from before. He didn’t do apologies, but this was as close as he would get. “That wasn’t my intention.”

Umbra huffed in amusement. “She does not fear you. I like her.”

Dante gritted his teeth. “She does not respect me.”

“Perhaps because you have done little to earn it.” Umbra shot back at him. 

He shut out the wolf’s voice, his jaw tightening as her next words cut through the room like a blade.

Her words echoed in his mind... “I think it would be best if I leave in the morning. It’s clear there is no place for me here.” His entire body tensed at that. The way she said it, as if it was already decided, as if she had a choice.

He took a step closer, his presence towering over her. “You’re not leaving.”

A slow smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I could have guards posted at your door by dawn. Or, if you insist on being difficult, I could have you locked away somewhere far less comfortable.” His tone was teasing, but the threat beneath it was real.

Umbra growled in satisfaction. “Finally, you speak truth.”

Dante’s gaze flickered to the papers on her desk, needing something... anything... to shift the conversation before it unraveled further. He walked over, glancing at the notes spread across the surface.

“What’s this?” he asked, lifting a page between his fingers. His eyes scanned the writing. She had done this? For them? For him?

He set the paper down, his jaw tightening. “You’ve been working on this all night?”

A slow breath left him. She was infuriating. Difficult. Reckless. And yet…

His wolf’s voice came, softer this time. “She fights for us.”

Dante let out a slow breath, eyes never leaving hers. “You don’t get to walk away from me,” he said, voice low, unwavering. “You don’t have to like it. You don’t have to like me. But you will respect me.”

The words hung between them, charged, unyielding. And for the first time since meeting her, Dante wasn’t sure if he wanted her to fight him on it... or if he was afraid she actually wouldn’t.