Page 40 of Alpha's Promise

As they descended deeper into the alley's throat, the moon approached its zenith behind a cloud, surrendering the sky to a blanket of stars. Dakota's senses sharpened, attuned to the night and the whispers of power that flowed around her. She was a creature of moonlight and shadows, and she would not be cowed by the likes of her ex.

He shoved her into the car he had driven from Cimarron Mesa to Redstone—her grandfather’s beloved vintage Buick.We’ll see how this plays out.Her dark thoughts threading her mind with a dark promise and the seductive pull of the unknown.

CHAPTER 19

DAKOTA

The waxing moon hung heavy in the velvet sky, its pale light casting eerie shadows across the dashboard as Dakota gripped the leather steering wheel. The scent of old tobacco mingled with the sharp sting of fear that clung to her skin like a second layer. Behind her, the hard outline of a gun pressed insistently against her spine, a silent yet screaming reminder of the man who'd forced her into this nocturnal drive.

"Keep it steady, sweetheart. Don’t let me catch you speeding," came the voice from the backseat, his faux tenderness like poison in a honeyed drink. Dakota knew the figure all too well—her ex, his once-charming features now twisted into a mask of desperation and greed.

"Where are we going?" Her voice was steady, though her heart thrashed against her ribs like a caged bird.

"Back home to your grandfather's estate," he replied, his words laced with a dangerous edge. "You're going to marry me, Dakota. Then you’ll sign over the property and all of the assets of the old man’s estate. I'll be good to you as long as you behave. You’ll see. I've already taken care of any... obstacles to our happiness."

Dakota's mind raced, her thoughts a tempest of strategy and defiance. She had no intention of succumbing to this madness, but she needed to keep him talking, buying time. "You mean you got rid of her? Just like that?" The question balancing on the brink of disbelief and accusation.

"Let's not dwell on the past," he said, an unsettling calmness to his tone.

She glanced in the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of his cold eyes. This was a man she'd once trusted, shared secrets with, even loved. Now, he was a stranger, a hunter holding her life in his hands.

"Listen," Dakota began, the words flowing with calculated clarity. "I'm engaged. There's someone else."

"An engagement can be broken," he dismissed, waving the gun with a reckless nonchalance.

"Or," Dakota continued, leaning into her resilience, "you can just let me out here. I can make my way back. No one will ever know. If you leave and don’t hurt me, I won't have you arrested for embezzlement or report you to the bar. Just disappear, and all of this ends here."

Silence filled the car, thick and suffocating, as they passed under the starlit sky that hung over the road to the estate. The air was charged with anticipation, each second stretching out like the shadow of the wolf she harbored within her soul.

Finally, he scoffed, the sound grating against the tense atmosphere. "You think you can threaten me?"

Dakota's eyes hardened, reflecting the resolve of generations of wolf-shifters coursing through her veins. "It's not a threat. It's a choice."

The car surged forward, propelled by more than just its engine—a primal energy seemed to infuse the night, whispering of dark secrets and hidden powers yet to be unleashed. Dakotafelt it, the call of her bloodline, an untamed force straining against the confines of her human form.

As they approached the looming iron gates of the estate, Dakota braced herself for what was to come. She would fight if she must, using every ounce of wit and will she possessed. But above all, she knew one thing: she would never let this man chain her spirit, nor claim her legacy.

The Buick rolled to a stop, and the air hung heavy with the scent of impending rain, the earth itself holding its breath in anticipation of the storm to come.

The iron gates of the estate clanged shut with a finality that echoed through Dakota's bones. She felt his grip tighten on her arm, his breath hot against the nape of her neck as he pushed her toward the entrance. The old oak door loomed before them, its intricate carvings a testament to generations past, now witness to her impending struggle.

"Move," he hissed, a venomous undertone in his voice that sent shivers down her spine. Dakota stumbled forward, her heart pounding against her ribcage like a caged bird desperate for freedom.

"Remember," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, "I gave you a choice."

His laugh was cold and hollow in the grand foyer of her ancestral home. "And I made mine."

He moved suddenly, trying to slam her against the wall—a display of power meant to intimidate, but Dakota's lineage wouldn't allow her to cower so easily. Reflexes honed by years of hidden truths sprang to life, her body reacting with an instinctual grace that surprised even her.

With a surge of energy that crackled through the air, Dakota shifted. Her human form gave way to the powerful silhouette of her dire wolf, muscles rippling beneath a coat of moonlit silver. She snarled, teeth bared in defiance, ready to protect what washers by birthright and bloodline. He reached out and shook her by the nape of her neck with surprising force, forcing her to shift back. His eyes seemed to take on an ethereal glow—the same kind of glow she had seen in Landon’s eyes and the eyes of others at Copper Canyon before they initiated a shift.

"Surprised, Dakota?" he growled, the sound resonating deep within his chest—a threatening rumble that vibrated through the air. "I come from the cursed branch of our bloodline. After my witch ancestor cursed your line, mine suffered. Dark magic has plagued us for centuries, left us dwindling to near extinction."

The words fell like bitter ash upon Dakota's senses, the revelation igniting a cauldron of emotions within her. She had known of the curse that haunted her lineage, but never did she imagine the poison of that ancient spite had seeped into others or that she and her ex came from the same family tree. Was that why her grandfather had made him executor, why he had seemed resigned to their engagement?

"Thriving was a dream we dire wolves can barely remember," he continued, his voice a menacing whisper that slithered through the tense atmosphere. "No fated mates, no legacy of power—nothing but the shadows to call home. But I will claim what I deserve—what is rightfully mine."

Dakota's eyes darkened, a storm gathering within their depths as she contemplated the twisted narrative he spun. The implications were staggering; the curse had not only fractured her family—it had torn through the very fabric of their kind.

---