Born From Ash (Book I of The Flame Trilogy)

The next day I meet Dimitri in his office. He had told me earlier that morning that he wants to talk, and I admittedly want to be near him. There has been a shift in us lately, but I can’t tell how or when it happened.

We’ve started sharing a bed more often, it’s as if I could no longer get off or sleep without him anymore. The few nights that I spend in that hospital bed produces some of the worst nights of sleep I’ve ever had, it’s only when I sleep with him that I somehow feel at peace.

Much to my surprise, I’m not the only one who has been summoned. Alexei, Viktor and Mikhail are all standing around waiting, watching with careful curiosity. They aren’t even pretending to be busy which I find particularly strange; I mean they are the leaders of the pack, surely, they have something else to be doing?

There’s a silence cloaking the room, but I can’t read the mood of it. It becomes almost suffocating when I’ve been standing for almost two minutes without anyone breaking the silence.

I have a feeling that I’m not going to like this very much.

Dimitri pulls out a wooden box and I raise my eyebrows inquisitively. It’s by no means regal, but still well-kept with its polished design. The small latch on it further peaks my curiosity. It looks as if its contents are either well cared for or hardly used which only adds to my cautious curiosity.

His eyes remain on mine as he opens the clasp and opens the box, its contents hidden from my eyes. Gesturing me forward with a come-hither movement, I decide to agree with silent apprehension, making sure to keep my face blank so that he can’t see what I’m thinking. Inside I’m both nervous and curious, but I know that it’ll only feed his ego if he knows that he is affecting me.

I walk around his desk stopping a few paces in front of him. My eyes drift to the contents of the box- a leather studded collar. I have to fight the urge to bare my canines, an undeniable fear building inside me from the sight of the damned thing; images of my time in Shadow Fang resurfacing too quickly for me to push away. I instead resolved to bite the inside of my cheek in agitation and insult, now knowing that he wants to humiliate me, I sure as hell am not going to give him a reaction.

Being collared is a sign of disgrace within a pack. It’s a symbol to the pack that you are volatile and a poor pack member. It’s most humiliating because it reduces you to an animal learning to behave. Usually pack members look down on those who are collared since it’s mainly used on adolescents who act out.

In Shadow Fang many of the younger pack members are often collared because they’re exempt from harsher punishments. But collaring was no picnic, they were left outside tied to a post with no food or water until they learnt their lesson. It’s by no means a fun experience. I would know. Being the stubborn bitch that I am, I almost died from my impudent refusal to submit.

I can’t deny that seeing that collar in Dimitri’s hands incites fear in me. I would rather take a whipping than be subjected to that prolonged torture. I keep my eyes locked with Dimitri’s not once backing down. To him it may have been further disrespect but for I me I just need to look anywhere but that fucking collar.

“For your disrespect you will be collared.” Dimitri’s voice fills the space.

“Are you being serious,” I deadpan, trying to hide my real emotions behind the nonchalance. “All this for insulting your manhood? You should just whip me and be done with it.”

“The collar will stay on until you can respect the people around you.” He ignores me.

His men watch intently as he comes closer, I feel myself involuntarily moving away. I’m stopped by hands holding me in place, glaring over my shoulder at Alexei. I’ve always known that he’s an asshole. I try to fight out of his grip, to get away from the damned thing but before I know it Dimitri has it around my neck. He fastens the leather belt around my neck, securing it with a lock.

I look away, refusing to look him in the eye feeling slightly betrayed; I know that I have to be punished for my disrespect and I accept that. Actions have consequences. The collar, however, is just a painful reminder, I’m pretty sure there are other ways he could’ve punished me.

Noting my sudden avoidance of him, Dimitri begins to get slightly irked. He nods over to his men to wait outside. Once the door shuts behind them, he puts me to sit on top of his desk, invading my space as he stands between my legs.

“You know that I had to do this, mate.”

I nod still refusing to meet his gaze. I’m not submitting to him, just pissed off that he’s collared me. In his defence I haven’t told him anything of my experiences in Shadow Fang. Maybe if I tell him about the last time I was collared he will let me off, but I once told Dimitri that I don’t beg, and I don’t. I won’t start now.

I suck in a breath as he leans in closer, his mouth on the edge of my own. His feather light touch sends tingles down my spine as he leaves small kisses from my mouth down the side of my neck. His mouth sucks the tender skin on my neck that isn’t obstructed by the collar, my collarbones and the space between my shoulder and neck.

I let out a small gasp at the feeling of his warm tongue on my skin, sending that pleasurable feeling straight to my core. The added tingles of our connection only heightens the sensation until I’m almost panting from his touch.

“You will be officially meeting my pack today.” He speaks against my skin, his warm breath only making me shiver at his closeness. I don’t really care about what he has to say, I just want him to touch me again. “I will introduce you as my mate, there will be a chance for others to challenge you for your position.”

In my haze of pleasure, I hardly acknowledge the sharp prick of his descending canines until it’s too late. All I can do is gasp in surprise as he claims me, marking me as his own.

He bites down, his teeth ripping my flesh with a ferocity and dominance as he gives into his lust and the sheer primal drive to claim what is his. My eyes roll to the back of my head in a silent scream, the ultimate culmination of pleasure and pain as he takes me- dominating and claiming my soul as his own.

He keeps his canines in longer than necessary as he continues to claim me. His muscles bunched and corded, the way he is when he’s trying to hold himself back. I suppose the savage within him wants to ravage me completely. His hands roam my body greedily, grabbing my thighs, hips, breasts in a desperate attempt to soothe his beast.

There is a shift within me, and I feel it, as he becomes a part of me, entwined inside of me somehow. He pulls away, my blood dripping from his mouth. His eyes look deeply into mine as a sense of enlightenment overcomes him as he becomes a part of me.

He eyes me curiously as he feels the darkness I try to hide. I’m sure that he was suspicious before, but now it would be undeniable. He can tell there’s something different about me, but he doesn’t know what. Yet.

By the scrunching of his brow he’s determined to find out what; I wonder if he is prepared for the destruction it would cause him.

The White Claw Pack gathers for pack meetings in the designated clearing in the woods of their territory. There’s a large tree stump which is used as a podium upon which Dimitri stands with me below him, standing on the ground - collared and chained like his little bitch.

He speaks for a while addressing his pack, talking about something that obviously took place before my arrival, before actually introducing me. The notion slightly angers me, leaving me feeling like a pet to him and I know he’s only doing it as a show of dominance; I don’t think he’s showing any remorse for the added embarrassment on my part.

Finally, he comes to acknowledge me to his pack: “This is Arashi, your Alpha Female. She is my mate, and you will respect her.”

He pulls slightly on the chain, so I’m forced to take a few steps closer to his pack. I keep my face void, because what else am I supposed to do? I’m not one to smile and play friendly.

“If anyone wants to challenge my decision, now is your opportunity.” There’s a sudden hush amongst the chatter, as people decide whether they want to oppose or not. It’s really quite unfair because none of them really understand what they would be facing. I pity the fool who takes me on in a voluntary challenge.

Unsurprisingly, there is one bitch who decides to step forward, I expected it from the first moment that she challenged me. Although I can’t understand why she seems so eager to fight. Does she really want Dimitri that badly that she’s willing to put herself in mortal danger?

I’m certain that she isn’t stupid, she can sense my power. My aura is heavy with power almost rivalling Dimitri’s whereas she’s simply a mere kappa. Even though regular wolves can’t read auras they could still sense it; I wonder why she’s so confident in her challenge.

As she slowly walks forward through the crowd, I realise she isn’t confident at all, she’s terrified. I can hear her heart pounding in her chest, smell the sweat dripping down the back of her neck, I can see the way her hand shook even though she tries to hide it.

I don’t even spare her a glance as she walks to the front, there is no reason to give her my attention since I’m in no way intimidated by her. It isn’t that I’m being cocky, I just know that she can’t beat me. I’m something more dangerous than anyone here could imagine, and I know it.

She comes to stand beside me whilst Dimitri orders the pack to give us more space. I lazily roll my neck before turning to face the bitch already looking at me. I almost laugh at the murderous look in her eyes, she cracks her knuckles in some sort of show of ‘getting ready’.

Dimitri stands between us- both literally and metaphorically- he’s the one who we are both fighting to claim. Though Alana has a very slim chance of getting what she wants considering not only does she have to fight me, but Dimitri (who has already marked me) would have to accept her as his new mate.

The Alpha in question begins to speak, calling out the rules of engagement of the fight, which I am more than familiar with. I wonder if she has ever fought someone before. The bitches of this pack are shamefully content with their lack of physical training and pursuits so it’s most plausible that she would be fighting using the instincts of her wolf.

I, on the other hand, have seen the terror of battle and the thrill of fighting, of the kill. She’s so far out of her league and she doesn’t even know it. I’m certain that her wolf just wants to keel over and submit to me sensing that they would lose, but the stubborn human wouldn’t relent, and that would result in her getting hurt.

Dimitri walks over to me, removing my chain and collar with hard eyes. It’s almost as if he’s expecting for me to beat her, warning me not to let her win. I want to snort ‘as if’, but I’m sure it’s exactly that kind of behaviour that has landed me in that goddamn collar in the first place.

“Begin.” Dimitri calls out.

I take my stance; right foot forward, knees bent, hands curled into fists and close to my face in a protective stance. Alana wastes no time, hurtling towards me with a savage cry ripping from her lips. She has a fist pointed straight for my face, however with a swift crouch her fist meets air and I’m able to deliver an easy uppercut to her stomach.

She stumbles back in surprise from the blow, I show no mercy following her and delivering a clean roundhouse kick to her face, sending her to the ground. She growls, getting back up slowly before charging at me again.

She shoots out a few punches in quick succession; the first I block, the second clips me in the face. Her smug joy that she actually hits me is plastered across her face, clear as day. I won’t deny that if trained properly she could actually do some damage, the blow is forceful enough to split the skin on my cheekbone and I can feel the bone in my face vibrate.

However, her smug display is her downfall. She goes in for another punch, but I catch her fist in my hand, twisting her arm painfully as I throw her to the ground, her face in the mud the way Dimitri had pinned me to the ground on that rainy morning. I hold her wrist in my hand, with one of my feet on her back to prevent her from moving, waiting for her submission.

Her neck cranes to the side for me to see, I look over to Dimitri to gain his acknowledgement of her submission. He nods, his face blank, though I don’t miss the way the edge of his lips twitch with the desire to smile.

I turn to the rest of the pack, my eyes slightly wild, demanding their respect and submission. I would fight as many bitches as I needed to, but they were all going to submit to me. My wolf has recognised her place as leader of these people and she wants to be treated as such.

All those in the clearing get down on their knees, with their necks craned in submission. The bitches each step forward-including Alana- starting with Angel and Irina, to rub their cheeks against mine in an ultimate display of respect and acceptance.

From his stump Dimitri speaks, gesturing over to me: “Your Alpha Female.”

There are cheers and hoots of acknowledgement. I turn and walk over to the stump on which Dimitri stands, waiting for him to both come down and put the collar back on my neck.

“Tonight, we will feast in honour of your Alpha and Alpha Female. Preparation of food will fall to the bitches; the men will prepare the bonfire.” He addresses his pack once more. Then, he finally comes down off his stump, and puts the dastardly collar back on my neck.