Dominic's POV
Days had passed since I ripped Ashen from the hands of those who dared to take what belonged to me.
I brought him home. I healed his wounds. I held him through the nightmares that plagued him when he thought I was asleep.
But Ashen...
He was still fighting me.
Not physically. No.
It was deeper than that.
Every time I tried to take care of him, he'd shove me away, his pride bleeding through his anger.
"I'm fine, Dominic. I'm not weak."
Those words echoed every damn day.
He didn't understand.
I never thought he was weak.
I saw the strength in him before anyone else did. I saw the fight in his eyes when he stood against me, hiding his scent, pretending to be something he wasn't, just to survive.
But now...
He didn't have to fight alone.
---
Pack Gathering
I stood before the entire pack, my aura heavy as I let my dominance seep into the air.
Ryker stood to my right, while Ashen stood to my left, his expression cold and distant.
The pack's eyes were on him. They still saw him as the one who poisoned me.
Fools.
I let my power roll through the crowd, making several wolves lower their heads in submission.
"Let me make something very clear," I growled, my voice echoing across the clearing. "The omega you all spat on. The one you called weak. The one you blamed for poisoning your Alpha... was innocent."
Murmurs spread through the crowd, but no one dared to speak.
"Adam was the one who poisoned me," I said darkly. "He framed Ashen because he feared what he was becoming... feared what he already is."
My eyes flicked to Ashen, whose jaw clenched as he fought the emotions that flickered in his eyes.
I turned back to the pack.
"I will not tolerate disrespect toward my mate. Ashen is your Luna. He is mine. And if anyone so much as looks at him the wrong way... I will tear out your throat."
Silence.
Good.
"Now bow to your Luna," I ordered, my voice thick with power.
One by one, the pack members lowered their heads in submission.
But Ashen...
He stood stiff beside me, refusing to look at them.
Back at the Packhouse
Ashen stormed into the room, ripping off his jacket and throwing it onto the floor.
"I didn't need you to do that," he snapped, his eyes burning with frustration.
I closed the door and leaned against it, arms crossed as I watched him pace.
"I know," I said calmly.
He turned to me, his hands trembling with rage.
"Then why did you? Why do you keep treating me like I'm fragile? I'm not weak, Dominic!"
I pushed off the door and closed the distance between us in two steps, caging him against the wall.
"I never said you were weak," I growled softly, my hand gripping his jaw to force him to look at me.
"I see you, Ashen. I see the strength you try to hide. I see the anger. The pain. The fight in you that no one else saw. But I'm your mate... and I'm not going to stand back and watch you destroy yourself trying to prove something to a pack of fools who don't deserve you."
His eyes burned with emotion as he tried to push me away, but I didn't let him.
"I'm not protecting you because I think you're weak," I said quietly. "I'm protecting you because you're mine. And I will tear this world apart before I let it break you again."
Ashen's breathing hitched, and for a moment, I felt him trembling beneath my touch.
"You don't understand, Dominic," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I've spent my whole life being treated like I was nothing. Being beaten... used... betrayed. I can't just... accept this bond. I don't know how."
My chest tightened as I saw the vulnerability he tried so hard to hide.
I leaned closer, letting my forehead rest against his.
"Then let me show you," I murmured. "Let me teach you how to accept the strength that's always been inside you."
Ashen's breath caught, and for the first time, he didn't push me away.
Instead...
He leaned into me, his hands gripping my shirt as if he was afraid to let go.
"I'm scared," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper.
"I know," I said softly. "But you're not alone anymore."
I wrapped my arms around him, holding him as he slowly let his walls crumble.
And as the bond between us flared stronger, I knew one thing for certain...
No matter how long it took...
I'd make him see himself the way I always had.
I held Ashen in my arms, feeling the tension in his body as he clung to me.
I could feel the bond between us strengthening, pulling us closer... but something was still blocking it.
The suppressants.
I needed him to stop.
Not just for me... but for himself.
"Ashen," I murmured against his hair, "you need to stop taking the suppressants."
His body stiffened instantly, and he pushed against my chest, creating distance between us.
"No," he said, shaking his head, panic flashing in his eyes. "No, Dominic. I can't."
I stepped toward him, but he backed away.
"I... I'll get weak," he stammered, his breathing becoming rapid. "My heat... it'll come. I'll lose control. I won't be able to fight back."
My chest ached as I saw the fear in his eyes — not of me... but of himself.
"You're not weak, Ashen," I said firmly. "You've never been weak. But you've spent so long hiding from who you are, suppressing your true self... it's killing you."
He clenched his fists, his jaw trembling with frustration.
"You don't understand!" he snapped. "The moment I stop... I'll be just like them. A pathetic, submissive omega that Alphas can control and use. I can't— I won't be that."
Anger flared in my chest, not toward him... but toward the world that made him believe that being an omega was something shameful.
I crossed the room, grabbing his face gently but firmly, forcing him to look at me.
"Listen to me," I growled. "I don't want you to submit. I don't want a weak, obedient omega. I want you. The fighter. The survivor. The one who's been through hell and still stands tall."
Ashen's breath hitched, and I saw the walls around his heart starting to crack.
"I'm not trying to control you," I whispered. "I'm trying to free you."
Tears filled his eyes, but he shook his head, still trapped in his own fear.
"I'm... scared," he admitted, his voice breaking.
I softened, pressing my forehead against his.
"I know," I said quietly. "But you won't go through this alone. I'll be here. I'll guide you through your heat. I'll protect you from anyone who dares to look at you the wrong way. But you have to trust me... and trust yourself."
His breathing became uneven as he fought the emotions raging inside him.
"I don't know how," he whispered brokenly.
"You don't have to," I replied. "Just let me in. Let me take care of you... the way a mate should."
Ashen's eyes closed tightly as a tear slipped down his cheek.
"I don't want to be weak," he repeated, his voice trembling.
"You won't be," I said firmly. "You'll be the strongest damn omega this pack has ever seen. And I'll make sure they never forget it."
A long silence filled the room as he fought against the fear that had been drilled into him for years.
Then... slowly...
He leaned into me, resting his head against my chest.
"I'll... try," he whispered.
I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close as relief flooded through me.
"That's all I need," I murmured against his hair.
Little did Ashen know...
The moment he stopped fighting his true nature...
He'd become unstoppable