---- Chapter 5 Astrong, steady hand reached out to me, the fingertips still streaked with fresh blood. I looked up and met a pair of gray-green eyes, glimmering with a touch of amusement. In the dim rain-soaked night, his gaze held a soft, almost gentle glow-though I hadn't forgotten how deadly he'd been just moments earlier. I recognized him instantly. Jack Steel-an Alpha of the Western Moonfang pack and Alan's longtime rival. Within the werewolf circles, his name was notorious. He was known as a reckless, untamed Alpha, never seen without a trail of women by his side. Whispers spread that he had thrown himself into a life of indulgence, abandoning the honor and duty his position once upheld. ---- Alan would always scowl at the mere mention of his name. "Jack's nothing but a shameless drifter. No Alpha in the werewolf community takes him seriously." I'd seen Jack once before at a pack summit. His beauty was almost otherworldly, but the sight of him with a heavily made-up Omega clinging to his arm left a sour taste in my mouth. They seemed completely out of place amidst the formal crowd. Still, Jack remained completely unfazed, effortlessly mingling and cracking jokes with everyone around him. From that moment on, my opinion of him took a downward turn. Just as I was about to speak, darkness swallowed everything. My body gave out, pitching forward with no strength to stop it. A pair of strong arms caught me before I hit the ground. In that fleeting moment before consciousness slipped away, I breathed in the ---- scent of rain, blood, and pine clinging to him. When I woke up again, I was lying in a bedroom decorated in refined Ungarian style. Sunlight poured through the sheer curtains, bathing the bed in a warm, golden glow. On the nightstand, a row of exquisite crystal werewolf figurines stood proudly-the rare, limited-edition set I had always longed to own. "Well, look who's awake," a lazy drawl came from the doorway. Jack casually leaned against the frame, his crisp white shirt a striking contrast to his usual untamed appearance. The words came out before I could stop them." You look really good in that shirt." Jack froze, surprised for a moment. A soft chuckle suddenly escaped his throat, his Adam's apple bobbing with the sound.