The Alpha's Blood debt Vessel

Giovanni's breath hitched as the silver collar hummed against her throat. The runes were cold, a sharp contrast to the fire burning in her veins from the injection.

"Choose, Giovanni," Russell growled. His hand remained tangled in her hair, his knuckles brushing her scalp. "My brother is at that gate with a Council. If they take you, they won't be as gentle as I've been. They'll strip you down in a lab to verify your purity and your fertility. Is that what you want?"

"Gentle?" Giovanni choked out, a bitter laugh escaping her. She looked up at him, her eyes clouded with tears and the haze of the drug. "You've locked me up and drugged me. You call this gentle?"

"I call this necessary," Russell snapped. He pulled her closer, his face inches from hers. "You have five seconds before I let them in. If you want to be a state-owned breeder, by all means, walk out that door. But if you want to stay under the protection of the Van-Doren name, you're going to have to prove you're already mine."

The intercom crackled again. Xavier's voice was louder this time, dripping with mocking concern. "Russell, don't be difficult. If the girl is untouched, the marriage is void under pack law. Just let the Council do a quick check and we'll be out of your hair."

Russell's jaw tightened. The growl that ripped from his chest was low and vibrating, a sound of pure, unadulterated dominance. He looked at Giovanni, and for a second, his gaze softened into something that looked like possession.

"Please," Giovanni whispered, her wolf whimpering at the thought of being touched by the Council's cold hands. "Don't let them take me."

"Then show them," Russell commanded.

He didn't wait for her to agree. He hauled her to her feet and grabbed a silk robe from the foot of the bed, throwing it over her shoulders to cover her torn dress. He kept one hand firmly on the back of her neck, guiding her toward the balcony that overlooked the front courtyard.

He slammed the glass doors open. The night air was crisp, but it did nothing to cool the fever in Giovanni's blood.

Below, in the floodlights of the driveway, stood Xavier and a man in the grey uniform of the Council. Several guards were positioned between them and the house, their postures rigid.

"Xavier!" Russell's voice boomed over the courtyard, echoing with the power of an Alpha. "You're trespassing on private pack territory."

Xavier looked up, a smirk playing on his lips until his eyes landed on Giovanni. He went still, his gaze raking over her disheveled hair and the silver collar glinting on her neck.

"The Council received a tip that the union was a sham, Russell," He shouted, his hand resting on his sidearm. "We're here to escort the Omega to the sanctuary for verification."

"The only place this Omega is going is back to my bed," Russell replied. He reached out and pulled Giovanni flush against his side, his arm heavy and possessive around her waist.

"She looks terrified, Russ," Xavier called out, his voice sharp. "And what's with the collar? Afraid she'll run?"

"She's in heat," Russell lied, though the drug made the lie look like the truth. Giovanni's face was flushed, her scent-now sweet and heavy like ripening peaches-filling the air. "She's overwhelmed by the bond. Or are you calling me a liar in front of a Council official?"

The Enforcer hesitated. An Alpha's claim over a female in heat was nearly sacred in pack law. To interfere was to invite a blood feud.

"If she's in heat, then the mating should be well underway," the Enforcer said, his eyes narrowing. "Let her speak. Giovanni, do you claim Russell Van-Doren as your Alpha and mate?"

Giovanni felt Russell's fingers dig into her hip, a silent, painful warning. She looked down at the men below, then at the monster beside her. She was trapped between a cage and a storm.

"I... I am his," she whispered, her voice trembling so much it was barely audible.

"Louder," Russell hissed in her ear.

"I am his!" she cried out, the words feeling like a betrayal to her soul. "Please, just leave us alone."

Xavier's expression shifted. The smirk was gone, replaced by a dark, brooding look that Giovanni couldn't decipher. He stared at her for a long beat before turning to the Enforcer.

"You heard her. The asset is claimed. Let's go."

The Enforcer nodded slowly. "We'll be back in forty-eight hours for the blood work, Alpha. If there's no trace of a successful knotting in her system by then, the contract is forfeit."

They turned and walked back toward their vehicles. Giovanni felt the tension leave Russell's body as the SUV's headlights faded into the distance.

He didn't let go of her. He dragged her back inside the room and kicked the balcony doors shut, locking them with a sharp click.

"That was too close," he muttered, his voice thick with a dark adrenaline.

"They're coming back," Giovanni said, her voice small. She felt the weight of the silver collar, a reminder of the "asset" she had become. "What happens in forty-eight hours?"

Russell turned her around, his hands moving to the lapels of the robe he'd put on her. He slowly began to slide it off her shoulders, his eyes fixed on hers. The coldness was still there, but it was being burned away by a raw, primal hunger.

"In forty-eight hours, you'll be pregnant with my child," he said.

He picked her up, tossing her onto the center of the bed. This time, he didn't stay back. He moved over her, his large frame casting a shadow that swallowed her whole. He reached out, his thumb catching a stray tear on her cheek before sliding down to her lips.

"Don't look at me like that, Giovanni," he whispered, his voice a dangerous caress. "You chose this. You told them you were mine."

"I had no choice," she sobbed, her hands pushing feebly against his chest.

"You'll find I'm a very thorough owner," he rumbled.

He leaned down, his mouth hovering just over her marking place. He didn't bite, not yet. He just licked the wounded skin, his tongue hot and rough, sending a jolt of electricity straight to her core.

Giovanni's wolf let out a broken howl, her body arching toward him despite the fear screaming in her head. The chemistry was a poison, a beautiful, terrifying thing that made her want to pull him closer even as she hated every second of it.

"Tell me you want me," Russell commanded, his teeth grazing her pulse point. "Say it, and I might be gentle."

Giovanni gripped the sheets, her knuckles white. The room felt like it was spinning, the scent of him drowning out her common sense. She looked up at him, her heart shattering as she realized there was no escape.

"I... I want you," she whispered, the lie tasting like honey and ash.

Russell's eyes flared into a brilliant, blinding gold.

"Good girl," he growled.

He reached for the bedside table, picking up a small, velvet box he hadn't shown her before. He opened it to reveal a second collar-this one made of black leather and lined with gold spikes.

"The silver was for the Council," he said, his voice dropping to a register that made her whole body vibrate. "This one is for me."