Chapter 5: Claimed by the Enemy

The first explosion of silver light shattered the chandelier above the dance floor. Glass rained down like deadly diamonds, and the ballroom erupted into chaos. Willow's heart slammed against her ribs as Damon's arm locked around her waist, hauling her behind a marble pillar.

"Stay close to me," he growled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through her spine. His amber eyes scanned the carnage—rogues pouring through the shattered windows, their eyes burning with feral madness.

But Willow couldn't look away from Kane. Across the ballroom, he stood frozen, his silver gaze boring into hers with an intensity that made her stomach twist. His lips moved again, forming the word with brutal clarity: *Run.*

She didn't run. She couldn't. Her feet were rooted to the marble floor as she watched Kane's new Luna, Sophia, cling to his arm like a frightened kitten. The she-wolf's eyes met Willow's, and in that instant, Willow saw something far more dangerous than rage—she saw calculation.

"You're shaking." Damon's voice cut through her trance. He pulled her closer, his thumb tracing the curve of her jaw. "Look at me, Willow. Not him. *Me.*"

She forced herself to meet his gaze. The Bloodmoon Alpha's face was a mask of cold fury, but his eyes held something else—a possessive fire that made her breath catch.

"They came for you," Damon said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Kane sent them. He'd rather see you dead than let me have you."

"That's not—" Willow started.

The world exploded.

A rogue lunged from the shadows, silver blade arcing toward Willow's throat. Damon moved with inhuman speed, his body shielding hers as his claws tore through the attacker's chest. Hot blood splattered across Willow's silver gown, and she gasped.

"Enough!" Damon's roar shook the entire ballroom. Every wolf in the vicinity froze, even the rogues. The Alpha's power rolled off him in waves, suffocating and absolute. "Kane Blackwood! Face me like a man, or crawl back to your pack with your tail between your legs!"

Kane's response was a snarl that echoed through the ruined hall. He shoved Sophia aside and stalked toward them, his eyes locked on Willow. She felt his gaze like a physical touch, tracing the curve of her shoulders, the dip of her waist, the pulse hammering in her throat.

"Willow," Kane said, his voice ragged. "Come home. This is a mistake—you don't belong with him."

"I don't belong to you anymore." The words left Willow's mouth before she could stop them, sharp and bitter as gall. "You made that perfectly clear when you rejected me for her."

Kane flinched like she'd struck him. "I was wrong. I didn't know—"

"You knew everything." Willow stepped out from behind Damon, her chin lifted. She felt the weight of a hundred eyes on her, but she didn't care. "You knew I loved you. You knew I would have done anything for you. And you threw me away like garbage because she spread her legs for you in the garden."

Sophia's face contorted with fury. "How dare you—"

"Silence!" Damon's command cut through the air, and Sophia stumbled back as if slapped. The Bloodmoon Alpha turned to Willow, his eyes blazing. "My love, you've made your point. Now let me handle this."

Before Willow could respond, Damon dropped to one knee. The entire ballroom gasped. Even the rogues paused in their attack, watching in stunned disbelief as the most powerful Alpha in the northern territories knelt before a woman in a bloodstained gown.

"Willow Ashwood," Damon's voice rang through the silent hall, "I claim you before the Moon Goddess and all witnesses present. You are my mate, my equal, my Queen. I bind my life to yours, my strength to your protection, my heart to your keeping."

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a ring—a band of black obsidian etched with silver runes that seemed to pulse with ancient power. Willow's hands trembled as he slid it onto her finger.

"Say yes," Damon whispered, and for the first time, she heard vulnerability in his voice. "Please, Willow. Say yes."

The ring burned against her skin—not painfully, but with a warmth that spread through her entire body. She looked at Kane, who stood frozen, his face a mask of devastation. She saw Sophia's eyes narrow with murderous intent. She saw the future stretching before her, a path she never imagined, with a man she barely knew.

But she also saw herself, the girl who had begged Kane to love her, who had cried herself to sleep for months after his rejection, who had believed she was worthless because the man she loved didn't want her.

That girl was gone.

"Yes," Willow said, her voice steady. "I accept your claim, Alpha Dante. I am yours, and you are mine."

Damon rose to his feet with predatory grace. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her—a claiming kiss that seared her lips and stole her breath. The pack around them erupted into cheers, but Willow heard none of it.

All she heard was Kane's strangled roar of rage and pain.

And all she saw, over Damon's shoulder, was Sophia's cold smile as she whispered something to a shadowy figure lurking near the broken window.

*Game on,* the she-wolf's lips seemed to say. *You just made this personal.*

Damon pulled back, his eyes searching Willow's face. "What is it?"

"Sophia," Willow whispered. "She's planning something."

Damon glanced at the female wolf, then back at Willow. His smile was dark and dangerous. "Let her try. She'll find that the Bloodmoon Pack doesn't play fair."

He turned to address the crowd, his arm still wrapped possessively around Willow's waist. "Tonight, we celebrate! The Bloodmoon Pack has a new Luna, and any who oppose her will answer to me!"

The roar of approval nearly deafened Willow. But as she smiled and waved at the crowd, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.

Behind his mask of triumph, Damon's eyes flickered to where Sophia had been standing.

The spot was empty.

And somewhere in the shadows of the ruined ballroom, Willow could have sworn she heard a wolf howl.