The Howlcrest Werewolves Legacy
Chapter 17: Her Sweet Defiance

Chapter 17: Her Sweet Defiance

TRISTAN POV

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Tonight was supposed to be a formality.

A duty.

One I neither desired nor could escape.

The full moon hung heavy above Picmeria, casting a silver sheen over the towering pines and cobbled streets. Somewhere below, the humans waited—girls dressed in their finest, their families watching with thinly veiled greed. All hoping for a glance, a nod—for the impossible chance that I, Alpha Prince Tristan Howlcrest, would choose their daughter as my mate.

It was a ritual, a tradition born from tragedy.

Once, we married our own kind—strong wolf women who carried the scent of the mountains in their blood. But that night... the night the hunters came... they burned a hundred of our women alive. The smoke from their bodies choked the sky, and the screams still echo in the marrow of my bones.

After that, we were left with no choice.

We turned to the humans, to fragile, breakable girls who flinched at the sight of our teeth and feared the sound of our howls. It was strategic—alliances with the town, the illusion of unity. A cold, calculated move.

And now, the burden was mine to bear.

I was the firstborn son. The prince who would inherit my father’s title. The alpha who was expected to lead by example.

Tonight, I was supposed to pick a human mate.

I was supposed to claim someone—some stranger—and bind my life to hers.

But I had no intention of choosing anyone.

Not tonight.

Not ever.

Then I smelled her.

It was a subtle scent at first—barely there—but it hit me like a blade between the ribs. A whisper of something wild and forbidden. Earth after a storm. Sweetness laced with defiance.

And underneath it all... mine.

Before I even saw her, I knew.

The bond flared in my chest, ancient and undeniable—a pull so raw it gnawed at the edges of my restraint.

My brothers had caught her first.

I found them at the entrance of the estate, circling her like a pack of wolves who’d cornered prey. She was small—too small for the four of them to look so alert—but she didn’t cower. No, she lifted her chin, glaring at them with a mix of fear and defiance that made my blood stir.

She wasn’t like the other girls.

Her clothes were plain, not the delicate silks or soft pastels the others would wear tonight. Her hair was loose, a little wild, as though she hadn’t bothered to tame it. And her eyes...

Sharp. Defiant.

Beautiful.

I didn’t think. I acted.

"Enough."

My voice cut through the night, and my brothers—Fabian, Cassius, Killian, and Lucan—turned to me. Surprise flickered across their faces, but they stepped back, letting me through.

The girl—Olivia—was still glaring at them when I reached her.

She smelled even better up close.

Not like the roses or lavender the other girls doused themselves in—no, she smelled like the forest. Like something untamed.

She smelled like mine.

Without a word, I took her wrist—not too tight, not enough to scare her—and led her inside the estate. She didn’t struggle at first, too stunned to react, but the moment we crossed the threshold, she fought.

"Let me go," she snapped, twisting in my grip.

I didn’t.

I couldn’t.

We climbed the stairs, passing the grand halls, the towering paintings of our ancestors, the heavy chandeliers that cast long, haunting shadows on the walls. She kept looking around, eyes wide with curiosity despite her protests.

She was clever.

I liked that.

When we reached my wing—the farthest from the others—I pushed open the door to my bedroom and stepped inside. She stumbled after me, her wrist still caught in my grasp.

Then I let her go.

The door clicked shut behind us.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath, looking around my room. The dark walls. The heavy drapes. The unlit fireplace.

I leaned against the door, watching her.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. "This is kidnapping!"

I arched a brow. "I have a few questions for you. Relax."

She didn’t.

Instead, she flopped onto my bed—my bed—as if she owned the damn place, her arms crossed over her chest.

Bold.

Reckless.

I liked that even more.

"But I’ll give you the honor," I said, voice calm but firm. "What is your name?"

Her golden eyes narrowed. "You know it’s Olivia. How do you know me? Know my dad or something?"

I smirked. "I don’t. But I would love to now."

She bristled.

"Why were you stealing?"

Her mouth pressed into a thin line, but after a moment, she sighed. "My dying dog."

I blinked. "You’re stealing to stop him from dying?"

Her lips pursed. "It’s a he. Boyd. And the money was gonna be for his treatment. My parents wouldn’t pay for it—they never liked him."

A human girl stealing for a dying dog.

I expected greed. I expected desperation.

But this?

This was loyalty. Fierce, unyielding loyalty.

Before I could respond, a knock echoed from the door.

"Tristan." It was Fabian’s voice, sharp and impatient. "It’s almost time. What do you plan to do with her? Let’s head out."

My jaw tightened.

Olivia stiffened at the sound of my brother’s voice.

"I might not be leaving here tonight, Fabian," I said, my gaze never leaving Olivia.

The bond thrummed louder now, clawing at my ribs.

"She smells... divine."

Her heart stuttered. I heard it—felt it—like a distant drumbeat.

Fabian didn’t back down. "It’s tonight. You need to pick a human mate."

I exhaled slowly. "I know."

But I already had.

The girl sitting on my bed, glaring at me like she’d rather fight than flee, had no idea what she’d done.

No idea what she was.

I didn’t choose her.

The bond did.

The moment I caught her scent, the choice was made. The moon had already sealed our fates.

She wasn’t just a girl caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She was mine.

My mate.

Fierce, bold, wild.

A girl who didn’t beg for my attention or flinch at my name.

She didn’t want me.

And yet, she belonged to me.

I found what I wanted tonight.

She just didn’t know it yet.

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