Chapter Two
792 Words
Pain.
A sharp, searing agony shot through my shoulder, yanking me out of the darkness. A strangled gasp tore from my throat as rough hands dragged me upright.
“She’s awake.”
“That’s impossible. She should be dead.”
“Tell that to her breathing.”
Their voices blurred as my vision swam. The scent of blood—mine—hung thick in the air, mingling with damp earth and smoke. I sucked in a breath, fighting past the dizziness, but the moment I moved—fire licked through my body.
A boot slammed into my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs.
“Stay down, girlie,” a gruff voice sneered. “Or we’ll put you down.”
A growl built in my throat. Not pack. Not safe.
Rogues.
I forced my eyes open. The dimly lit forest blurred into view—twisted trees, shifting shadows. And them.
Six men. Scarred. Wild-eyed. Predators who reeked of sweat, blood, and violence.
I shoved against the hands gripping me. “Let me go.”
The one holding me laughed. “Feisty for a half-dead mutt.”
“Should’ve finished the job,” another muttered.
The job. My mind stuttered over the memory. The attack. The bite. The fire. My breath hitched. I’d been left for dead—only I wasn’t dead.
Because of him.
The scent hit me first. Dark. Powerful. Laced with something dangerous.
A shiver rolled through me, my wolf stirring.
Then he stepped into the light.
The rogues stilled. The tension in the air shifted, thickened.
A man emerged from the shadows, moving with the kind of deadly ease that made the hairs on my arms rise. He was tall, broad-shouldered, his dark cloak blending into the night.
But it was his eyes that rooted me in place.
Silver.
Cold. Calculating. A predator assessing his prey.
His lips curved. “So, you’re the Alpha’s rejected mate.”
My stomach twisted. How did he—
“Who the hell are you?” I rasped.
He crouched, tilting his head as if I were something curious. “Call me Kieran.”
My blood ran cold.
Kieran Vale. The rogue king.
My body tensed, instincts screaming at me to move—to run—but pain exploded in my shoulder, shoving me back down. A choked whimper escaped as I clutched at the wound.
His gaze flicked to my shoulder, and amusement flashed in those silver eyes.
“Hurts, doesn’t it?”
I swallowed hard. “What did you do to me?”
His fingers brushed my torn skin. The second his touch met my wound, fire shot through my veins. I jerked, a strangled cry ripping from my throat.
Kieran smirked. “I marked you.”
The words barely registered before horror crashed into me.
No.
I wrenched a shaking hand to my shoulder. My fingers skimmed over the raw, open wound—the imprint of his teeth burned into my skin.
No, no, no.
I met his gaze, my breaths sharp. “Liar. A mark can’t happen without consent.”
Kieran chuckled. “Normally? No. But my bite isn’t normal.”
His voice was too calm, too certain.
I gritted my teeth, rage searing through me. “Undo it.”
“That’s not how it works, little wolf.”
The way he said it—little wolf—sent a shiver down my spine. Like I was something fragile. Like I was his.
I forced myself to sit up, ignoring the pain. “I belong to no one.”
Kieran’s smirk didn’t falter. But something flickered in those silver eyes.
Then he grabbed me.
A gasp wrenched from my throat as his fingers curled around my chin, tilting my face up to his. His grip was firm. Unyielding.
“Your pack didn’t want you,” he murmured. “I do.”
The words struck deeper than they should have.
Liam. My pack. The rejection.
They’d left me behind.
And now, Kieran Vale was claiming me instead.
Anger swelled beneath my skin, white-hot. “Go to hell.”
He actually laughed. A deep, rich sound that sent another ripple of unease through me.
“Been there. Didn’t like the decor.”
The rogues behind him chuckled.
Kieran straightened, turning to them. “Take her.”
I struggled, shoving at the hands grabbing my arms, but my body was too weak. The pain in my shoulder flared as they hauled me upright.
“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, my pulse pounding.
Kieran didn’t answer.
He only smirked.
And as the rogues dragged me deeper into the night, away from the life I had once known, I knew one thing for certain.
I had just been claimed by the enemy.
- Writer
