The Alpha Commander's Defiant Wolfless Contract Mate

Gwenda Holland's POV:

My eyes snapped open as a wave of searing heat tore through my throat, and every bone in my body ached as if crushed under a sledgehammer.

I propped myself up on my elbows, squinting at the rough timber walls and a flickering oil lamp that gave off a harsh, smoky smell. I was in a shabby wooden bedroom, not the steel-walled military medical lab I remembered.

Unfamiliar memories flooded my mind, making my temples throb. I had been reborn into the body of Gwenda Holland, an overweight woman from the borderlands, mocked throughout the camp for being born without an Inner Wolf, incapable of shifting or using the Mind-Link.

I glanced down at my calloused palms, feeling a faint current of healing energy beneath my skin, while a spot beneath my left shoulder blade burned as though it had been branded. The air around me was thick with the sharp, dominating scent of cold cedar, the lingering scent of an Alpha who had just endured the full moon heat.

Turning my head, I spotted a tall, broad-shouldered man with short black hair standing beside the bed, fastening the top button of his black Vanguard Regiment uniform. He was Devonta Wolf, the feared Alpha commander of the Vanguard camp, his amber eyes still tinged with red from the previous night.

My breath hitched, and I instinctively pulled the frayed linen blanket up to my chin to hide the faint red marks along my collarbone.

The wooden door flew open, and my stepfather, Arthur Holland, stomped in smelling of cheap tobacco. Right behind him was my half-brother, Acey Holland, his light regiment armor rattling as anger twisted his face.

"Commander, you slept with my unmated stepdaughter under my roof!" Arthur roared, pointing a thick finger at the messy bedsheets. "You owe the entire borderland camp an explanation!"

Acey lunged forward a step, his jaw clenched.

"Gwenda, what did you put in the commander's drink to trap him?"

I looked straight at Acey. My throat was raw, but my voice remained steady.

"Have you lost your mind? Go see a healer and stop shouting in my room."

Acey froze in his tracks, his mouth hanging slightly open as if he could not believe his timid, self-loathing sister would dare speak to him that way.

Devonta slowly turned around, and the force of his Alpha authority filled the cramped room, making both Arthur and Acey gasp for air. He gave a low cough, a faint flush creeping up the tan skin of his ears as his gaze settled on my expressionless face.

I could feel a sudden brush of mental pressure against my temples-he was trying to reach me through a Mind-Link, but, without an Inner Wolf, I had no way to answer. A flicker of confusion crossed his amber eyes before he strapped on his leather wrist guard.

"I was injured last night, and the full moon heat overwhelmed me," Devonta said, his deep voice leaving no room for argument. "The fault is mine alone."

Greed flashed in Arthur's eyes, and he immediately pressed a step closer.

"Since that is the case, the regiment must follow borderland law and bind you two in a blood contract immediately!"

Sweat beaded on Acey's forehead as he reached out to grab Devonta's sleeve.

"Commander, you're supposed to marry a pureblood noblewoman from the capital pack! How can you bind yourself to a wolfless village girl who can't even fight?"

I arched a brow, rubbed my aching temple then let out a cold, mocking laugh.

"I don't need anyone taking responsibility out of pity," I said, throwing off the blanket and standing up on heavy but steady legs. "If this bothers you so much, the door is right there."

Shock flickered in Devonta's wolf eyes, as though he were used to women clinging to his Alpha status and had never met such cold rejection. He strode over until his towering shadow swallowed me whole, the overwhelming scent of cold cedar filling my lungs.

"Under Vanguard Fortress law, an Alpha never abandons his mate," he said, looking down at me. "In three days, an armored regiment transport will come to fetch you for the mating ceremony."

I met his intense gaze without blinking.

"Suit yourself, Commander. Just don't expect an obedient wife."

Terrified that this golden opportunity might slip away, Arthur hurriedly pulled a prepared mating contract from his coat and slapped it onto the wooden table. Devonta didn't hesitate for a second; he unclipped a military fountain pen from his belt and signed his name across the bottom in sharp, bold strokes.

He slid a copy of the contract across the table toward me, his eyes lingering for a moment on my calm silver-gray irises. Acey slammed his fist into the doorframe, glaring at me with bitter disappointment.

Devonta adjusted his peaked military cap and turned toward the door, his heavy combat boots thudding steadily against the floorboards. The moment he stepped out, I silently circulated my special-ops medical breathing technique, and I went still. Deep in my abdomen, I sensed three faint pulses beating together. Three pureblood lives.