HIS LUNA, HIS PRISONER.

CONAN'S POV Anger burned through my veins as I stepped out of my room. The door slammed shut behind me, the sound echoing down the stone hallway. My fists clenched at my sides, claws itching to come out. I wanted to hit something. To break something. Anything to quiet the storm raging inside my chest. I growled under my breath and drove my fist into the wall, the stone cracked. The pain barely registered. "What the hell does she think she's doing?" I muttered. Rejecting me. Standing in front of me with fire in her eyes, demanding to be treated like a prisoner instead of my Luna. Like I was nothing. Like the bond meant nothing. I hadn't asked for this., I hadn't wanted this. And yet... my chest ached like something vital was being torn apart. I straightened and forced myself to breathe. Alpha first. Always Alpha. The pack was already restless. I could feel it the moment I stepped into the main hall. The conversations had died down and all eyes followed me. Whispers spread like smoke. Something was wrong. "Alpha," one of the guards said carefully, bowing his head. "The council is requesting a private meeting before you address the people." Of course they were. I strode into the inner council chamber, my presence heavy, my wolf close to the surface. The elders sat in a half circle, faces tight with concern, and judgment. Before I could speak, one of them stood. Elder Kairon. He was Old, sharp and dangerous in his own way. "Our pack is unsettled," he said loudly. "Your strength is being questioned." A low growl rumbled in my chest. "Choose your words carefully," I warned. Kairon didn't back down. "You brought an enemy omega into our lands. You allowed her to refuse you. And since then, your control has weakened." Murmurs filled the room. "She should be claimed," Elder Gomer said. "Now. The bond will stabilize you." "She's a risk," another snapped. "An enemy healer tied to the pack that captured Lady Fairi." The name hit like a blade. Fairi. My jaw tightened. "And let us not forget," Kairon added coldly, "the rumors." The room fell silent. "Speak," I commanded. "They say Fairi was not just captured," he continued. "They say Rhyna's Alpha has already mated her." The words rang in my ears. Mated. My wolf roared, fury exploding inside me. Chairs scraped back as pressure rolled through the room. Several wolves dropped to one knee instinctively. I slammed my palm against the stone table. "Enough." The room shook. "If you speak Fairi's name again without proof," I growled, "I will tear your tongue from your mouth." There was silence. Kairon swallowed but pressed on. "Then what is your plan, Alpha? Our enemies sense weakness. Your bond is unstable. Your Luna refuses her place. And Fairi, your rightful fiancée, may already be mated to another. Everything snapped. What the hell did he know about what rightfully belonged to me? In a blink, I crossed the room and grabbed Kairon by the throat, lifting him off the ground. Gasps erupted around us. "I am your Alpha," I said quietly, deadly calm. "I decide what weakens this pack." I tightened my grip until his feet kicked uselessly. "And you," I continued, eyes glowing, "do not question my rule." I threw him across the chamber. He hit the wall hard and collapsed, gasping. Every wolf dropped to their knees. "I will not be challenged," I declared." And it will not start today." My wolf surged forward, dominance flooding the room like a tidal wave. Wolves bowed their heads, some trembling, some struggling to breathe under the pressure. "Rhyna is under my protection," I said. "Anyone who touches her without my command will die." No one argued. I turned and walked out, the doors slamming shut behind me. Only when I was alone did the strength drain from my body. I staggered into my quarters and leaned against the door, breathing hard. Pain tore through my chest, sharp and relentless. I gritted my teeth. Her rejection hit me like a wound that wouldn't close. Every time she pushed the bond away, my wolf raged. My control slipped. My body burned. I pressed my fist over my heart. "Damn it, Rhyna," I muttered. "You don't understand what you're doing." Or maybe she did. Maybe she just didn't care. I laughed bitterly. An omega. An enemy. And fate had chosen her to break me. I sank into a chair, exhaustion pulling me down. My thoughts drifted, unwanted, to Fairi, beautiful, lovely Fairi. Captured and possibly claimed. The idea made my stomach twist. I had gone to war for her, spilled blood, burned villages; All to get her back. And now fate mocked me with another bond. But when I thought of Rhyna, her defiance, her strength, the way she refused to bow, my chest tightened in a way Fairi had never made it tighten. A sharp pulse of pain ripped through me suddenly, stealing my breath. I doubled over, growling as my claws dug into the arm of the chair. She was hurting. I could feel it. Her pain echoed through the bond, raw and sharp. Guilt slammed into me hard. "You're stubborn," I whispered. "Too stubborn." But so was I. I forced myself upright, breathing through the ache. I couldn't show weakness. Not to the pack and definitely not to my enemies. Yet no matter how much I tried to deny it, the truth was clear. Rhyna was already affecting my control, my rule, and my heart. And if this continued... the pack wouldn't be the only thing divided. I would be too.