Ashley sauntered into the dark room with Isaiah. She closed the door behind her when the grim silence caught her attention. "Does your quiet mood have something to do Vito?" she asked as she propped her hand on her hip.

Isaiah stripped off his shirt. The glint of the moon emphasized the broadness of his back and those dark tattoos. "It's nothing to worry about," he said as he turned towards her. "I don't want you to ever think about that man."

Ashley straightened to her full height. "Why do I feel like you're going to do something dangerous?" she asked stiffly.

Isaiah blocked her way, his height concealed everything behind him. He circled his arms around her and kissed the corner of her mouth. "I was going to do something," he teased roguishly.

Ashley smiled against his lips that were distracting. "I didn't mean it like that," she replied softly.

Isaiah ran his fingers through her long hair before he gripped the thickness and pulled her head back to receive his kiss. The heated dance of their tongues was unbearable. She ran her nails over the span of his back, marking him to her. Ashley didn't know what was on his mind, but he needed her right now. So, she gave him what he seeked.

Isaiah took her to the bed, his hands worked over her clothes that were discarded on the floor. His lips trailed down her the curves of her body. He hooked his finger over her underwear and pulled them down her legs. Ashley parted her legs as he bit down on the soft skin between her thighs. His teeth left red marks all over her thighs but she loved it. Isaiah hot breath fanned her sensitive core, that was throbbing for him. He feasted off her arousal- getting greedier the wetter she got from his skilled tongue.

Ashley's scent swan around them but it wasn't just hers alone. Isaiah's scent was stronger tonight, like he didn't hold back any piece of his desire for her. Ashley gazed into his steel grey eyes that soothed her heart. Moments later, she crumbled from her release and shattered under her mate.

Isaiah crept over her, his shoulders stiff and his eyes only on her as he filled her core with his hard and hot shaft. She moaned his name as he penetrated into her body claiming her to himself.

Ashley brought Isaiah down to her lips, their kiss was intense and rough. She tasted herself on his lips, but she didn't care for it. She needed to feel his weight, his burning skin under her hands and those eyes focused on her. Isaiah thrusted into her core deep and hard without any rest. Ashley ran her teeth along his shoulder and sank her teeth into his neck. She wasn't one to back away from marking her mate, because she wanted him to know that he was hers just as much as she was his.

Both of them collapsed from their release. Their bodies begged for air, but they didn't care. Isaiah lost himself as he kissed her and so did she.

The snow outside fell heavily. She didn't know how much time had passed before Isaiah covered her exhausted body with the duvet and strolled out of the bedroom.

-Isaiah's POV-

Isaiah closed the door behind him. He didn't know that their bond would grow so strong that she felt the slightest change in his mood.

Dressed in fresh clothes and his gear to help with what he was about to set out to do. Isaiah climbed down the stairs where everyone had already gathered. But his eyes were caught by the towering tree sitting in the living room. The warmth it brought was enough to make this big house a home for the holidays. But he couldn't focus on that right now. He had a mission to do tonight that needed his full attention. Isaiah's wolf didn't need to be told twice. His iron wolf was ready and waiting for the fight to begin in the storm tonight.

"There you are," sighed Ronin. "What took you so long?"

"I was waiting for Ashley to fall asleep," Isaiah told them.

"Or helping her," snickered Zeiden.

Isaiah smacked his brother on the head. "I will do a lot worse, if you keep it up," he remarked.

Zeiden rubbed the sting on his head. "I was just joking," he pouted.

Lazarus sauntered out from the kitchen and joined them in the foyer. "There's a reason we don't tease Isaiah," he told Zeiden. "You know, the man can't take a joke."

Isaiah tilted his head. "Do you want a piece of me too?"

Lazarus patted Isaiah. "We all know you're the big bad wolf," he sighed. "Now, let's go kill the son of a bitch that hurt Ashley and fucked with the wrong pack."

"Do we have Vito's location?" Isaiah asked his enforcer.

"He's not at the docks anymore," said Ronin. "I tracked Vito back to his garage. Where I'm sure he's waiting for his ride out of town."

"Let's make sure that his next ride is straight to Hell," Isaiah grumbled.

They all got into their cars and left their property in the dark of the night. Isaiah thought the storm would have hindered their plan, but now, the dense snow helped them. It was a bitch driving but Vito would have the same struggle escaping too.

They navigated through the city and reached Vito Donovan's garage that was gated by long metal fences. Cars, motorcycles and trucks were parked everywhere. Isaiah and his enforcers joined him as they stood on the other side of the vacant street.

"His garage is fully secured," said Zeiden as he tracked the cameras and men with his eyes. "How are we going to get in and out without being seen?"

"Who said anything about not being seen," remarked Isaiah. "I'm going to walk into that building and kill that bastard with everyone watching."

Lazarus raised a brow. "Er- no," he immediately objected to the plan. "Who knows how many men are in there and they have weapons-"

"I have weapons too," said Isaiah.

Lazarus's frown grew strict. "A gun can only do so much," he told his brother. "We should just-"

"I have you," Isaiah interrupting Lazarus. "There are no better fighters than the ones standing next to me right now."

Lazarus glared into his brother's iron grey eyes, that told him how firmly Isaiah voiced his orders. "I still think this is a stupid plan," he crossed his arms.

"It shouldn't be so hard," said Ronin. "We'll just watch Isaiah's back."

"I like the plan. It's simple yet elegant," grinned Zeiden as the adrenaline grew in the youngest one in the group.

"What do you think, Adrik?" Zeiden asked their cousin.

Adrik's cobalt blue eyes were brimming with anticipation too. "Can we just get going already?" he sighed like he was bored by the mere discussion of their plan.

"I guess you're out-voted," Isaiah laid a supportive hand on his beta's shoulder.

Lazarus groaned a curse. "I can't believe this," he mumbled. "Fine. But if I sense any danger that we can't handle, you better get the fuck out of there."

"I will," assured Isaiah.

He didn't need to argue with Lazarus because he knew that his beta took Isaiah's safety as top priority, even if it meant that it could take his own life. But Isaiah would never let any of the men beside him die, not today or ever.

Isaiah's face masked with the same danger that he had when he annihilated his father's family. There was no mercy in his body that would save or spare anyone tonight.

They crossed the street and Ronin pushed the gates open. The metal creaked as they all headed into the garage.

Isaiah motioned his men to leave him as he sauntered into the garage alone. There were a dozen thugs resting on the side with Vito in his office on the top floor. All of his guards got to their feet and started to create a commotion. From the clear glass window, Vito's black eyes spotted Isaiah. Vito's men gathered around to see Isaiah who had the nerve to idly walk into the building. They were all thinking that he was insane for going against them alone. But they didn't know the truth behind Isaiah's calm posture.

Vito arrived dressed in an expensive dark grey suit, a burgundy shirt and golden signet rings on his tattooed fingers. Isaiah detected the strong scent of tobacco and whiskey from Vito, like he always had.

"Good to see you, Isaiah," said Vito with a fake smile.

His black eyes told Isaiah of the truth inside this man; the same truth that his despicably father had hidden away. Both of these men were small, sadistic assholes that cried whenever they didn't get their way.

"How's that mate of yours?" Vito asked. "I didn't want to go that far, but you gave me no choice." He shrugged. "Would you like a drink? We can talk this out like civilized men."

Isaiah took another step inside towards Vito. But the men surrounding Isaiah got hostile- weapons were revealed and more wolves appeared.

"Is this how you greet guests, Vito?" he asked.

Vito poured the drink in another glass with a cool laugh. "Put the weapons away, boys," he ordered his men. "Mr. Iron here is a welcomed guest."

Vito sauntered over with two glasses, that clinked with ice and whiskey. Isaiah watched when Vito got close enough to enjoy his drink. This was what Isaiah wanted. He needed Vito to feel like he was in control of the storm that was about destroy him.

"I hope we can start over," offered Vito. "Business is tough around these streets-"

Isaiah didn't let another word come out of Vito's mouth. He swung the hand with the glass back and rammed it against Vito's thick skull. The glass shattered and made Vito bleed from the sharp shards. He grabbed his head and gaped at Isaiah.

"Business is tough-" Isaiah cleaned his hands of the glass- "it's scary as well when you don't know who you fucked with." Vito inched back and Isaiah prowled closer. "I wasn't going to hunt you, Vito," he admitted with sigh. "But when you took advantage of my deliberate short-sightedness, that was when you sealed your fucking fate."

Vito's grey hair was tainted red from one side, his black eyes widened. "Your brothers," he mumbled. "You never come alone. Where are your pack members?"

Isaiah didn't say anything because there was no need. Vito was wide awake to see the whole show around them. One by one, men started to drop when Isaiah's pack attacked.

He didn't need to worry about anything else because his brothers had him covered. Isaiah took the knife that he used to cut the rope the kidnappers used on Ashley and sliced a clean cut across Vito's thick neck. The man dropped to his knees, his throat bleeding out slowly, painfully because Isaiah didn't cut too deep.

He sighed and squatted down to Vito's level. "You know the story of how I killed an entire pack when they got on my nerves," he told Vito who was choking on his blood. "I slaughtered my father and my uncles without hesitation. However, you're nothing to me, so I don't give a fuck how you die."

Isaiah twirled the knife and pressed the blade into Vito's shoulder. The same spot Ashley got shot. With pleasure, the bruise that was on Ashley's cheek, Isaiah returned that also. Vito couldn't scream or let out his voice. Isaiah took that right from him because the screams of when Ashley was kidnapped played in his head.

Vito slumped down on the concrete ground. The blood from his throat and shoulder pooled under him. Isaiah bent over so the last thing Vito saw before he died was his satisfied expression. Vito tried to trick and fool Isaiah, but he was a weapon; a force that no one could stop when angered.

"Burn in hell, asshole," he repeated the same words he told his father before he twisted the knife in Vito's heart.

Isaiah took the knife, cleaned the blood off using Vito's jacket. He put it back in his pocket and walked away satisfied. He signalled to his team who most likely enjoyed killing every single bastard in the building. After they assembled, they all returned to the property after completing the mission.

Arriving home, Lazarus unlocked the door and they entered the house just like they left it. They sauntered inside covered in blood of their enemies and dirt from the fight.

"You're back," said Ashley surprising them. She was seated in front of the dead hearth, but the light of the tree was enough for them to see her. "Took you boys long enough."

"We were-"

Ashley shook her head stopping Isaiah. "I know," she smiled warmly with her blue eyes looking at them earnestly. "You don't need to explain anything-" she sauntered around the couch- "why don't you all freshen up and actually go to sleep this time."

Lazarus, Adrik, Zeiden and Ronin followed her simple instructions and went to their rooms for the night. Ashley followed them up the stairs and ushered Isaiah back into their room too.

Isaiah took a seat on the couch while Ashley disappeared into the bathroom. He heard the sink turn on, the light of the bathroom brightened the darkness around him. He didn't make the effort to turn on the light. He stayed still on the chair because after any mission, his body always refused to cool down. Every muscle in his body was on edge, it needed a release. Usually, he would've taken a shower and then hit the gym downstairs. But tonight, he hadn't done that. He stayed near that comforting scent of his mate.

She returned leaving the bathroom light on so she could see. Ashley kneeled between his legs, her eyes that usually full of life and joy were now solemn. But for who? he wondered. It couldn't have been for him when he just killed someone. He shut his eyes tight, when suddenly, a warm soft cloth skimmed his hand, his eyes snapped open to find Ashley cleaning off the splatters of blood that stained his skin.

"What are you doing?" his voice was a thick rasp.

She let out a faltered sigh. "It looked like it was bothering you," she said.

Isaiah's whole body froze at her delicate touches that seemed to do more than just clean his hands and face. Her soft touches, beautiful scent and immeasurable kindness wavered him completely. "Thank you for loving me when I still taste of blood."

Ashley gazed into his darkened eyes. She put the towel to the side and joined him on the seat. Isaiah sank into her arms, his head rested on her chest and she gladly held him close. "You did good," she said. "Killing that man was the only way you would've protected everyone." Her voice soothed the tense nerves that coiled in his gut. "Now, you can rest easy because you did your job as the alpha of the Iron Blood pack successfully."

Those words sank into his soul that was weary. He had killed off every enemy that tried to hurt his pack. Now, he had a mate who understood that part of him. Ashley didn't judge his actions, even though he knew very well that they were wicked. He was tainted with the scars of his past, the memories of abuse that were too scary for even nightmares to reveal to anyone. But he had gone through them, crawled out of hell and made his home here. But it never felt like a home to him. Until Ashley came into his life. She stood in front of him with a bright smile that wasn't toxic or fake. His hazy eyes refocused back to what life had to offer him. Isaiah gathered Ashley closer soaking in her scent and undeniable purity, that was as clear as water and bright as the moon.

"I love you," he said calmly. He heard Ashley's heart skip a beat.

Ashley chuckled. "What sweet words coming from someone who apparently thinks he tastes of blood," she said. "No, you taste of whipped cream on apple pie, that has a firm shell but soft filling on the inside. Perfect for this mate of mine."

He smiled at her teasing voice. He lifted off the couch with her straddling his hips and took them both under the spray of the hot water after they stripped their clothes off, because he didn't want to separate for even a second. The blood of his enemies washed down the drain but all he remembered was Ashley's body around his.

She stepped out from the shower first leaving Isaiah to clean up properly. She quietly dried her hair as he walked out with a towel wrapped around his waist. She took off the wet bandages and tossed them into the trash. Isaiah came over and helped her put on fresh bandages before they headed off to bed.

"Isaiah," Ashley called out for his attention as he kissed down her neck.

"Hmm?" he gave her an answer that told her that she had only some of his attention.

"Marry me," she said firmly.

Isaiah's steel grey eyes lifted in the dark. "But we're mated," he said. "A wedding is not needed."

She raised a brow. "A wedding is always needed," she told him. "Wouldn't it be nice to be officially married and make this our home?" Isaiah's body told her first that he favoured the idea. He hardened inside of her. "I take it you like the idea," she chuckled. He nipped her earlobe surprising her. "I always wanted a small winter wedding."

"We'll have to let the others know," said Isaiah with a grim frown.

She waved her hand. "They'll be thrilled," she said. "After all, their brother is getting married."

Ashley didn't get the chance to plan anymore that night, because Isaiah took her to depths of pleasure like he always could with her.