Marked for the Alpha

3: Into the Forest

Selene

I didn’t stop riding, not even for a second.

I kept expecting shouts behind me. Footsteps. Wolves. Anything.

But nothing came.

The further I got from Blackthorn Pack, the quieter everything became. No guards yelling. No patrol wolves chasing after me. No alarm horn. Nothing.

It felt wrong.

I kept glancing over my shoulder, waiting to see warriors running toward me or Darius standing there with fury in his eyes. But the path behind me stayed empty.

Maybe no one noticed I was gone.

Or maybe no one cared.

The thought made my stomach twist. I wasn’t sure which option hurt more.

The sun was dropping lower, turning the sky orange. I knew the forest wasn’t far now. Everyone in the Blackthorn Pack grew up hearing the same warning:

Do not enter the separating forest. It belongs to no pack. It belongs to the wild.

But anything was better than staying where I was.

The horse slowed when we got to the entrance of the forest.

The horse snorted and backed up a step. I could smell her fear and if I'm being honest, mine too.

“I know,” I whispered, patting her neck with shaking hands. “I’m scared too.”

She didn’t move.

I took a breath and nudged her forward. She resisted for a moment, then stepped inside.

The change was instant.

The forest swallowed all sound. No birds. No bugs. No wind. Just the sound of the horse’s hooves pressing into soft earth. Thick roots twisted across the ground like snakes. The trees were so tall they blocked most of the sky.

I felt small. Too small.

I kept riding, trying to shake off the cold feeling crawling up my spine. My wolf was quiet inside me. Too quiet. Normally she gave me small nudges—feelings, instincts—but today she was silent like she wasn’t even there.

“Why now?” I whispered. “I need you.”

Nothing answered.

I tried calling her again, focusing on that inner space in my chest where she usually stirred. I felt a small spark—warm, then gone. Like someone blowing out a candle.

My body trembled.

Still nothing.

A branch cracked somewhere to the right. The sound echoed through the trees and my heart jumped into my throat. The horse jerked her head, ears twitching.

Something moved in the bushes. Slow. Heavy.

I pulled the reins tight. “Please keep going,” I whispered.

Before the horse could react, something low and dark rushed across the path in front of us. Its shape was wrong—too long, too fast, too quiet. The horse reared and I clung to her neck, barely holding on.

“Easy! Easy!”

Her hooves slammed back onto the ground, and she bolted forward whether I wanted her to or not.

Branches scratched my arms. Leaves whipped against my face. I ducked as a low branch nearly hit my head.

Another growl echoed behind us. Deep. Hungry.

I didn’t dare turn around.

The forest grew darker the deeper we went. Thick fog curled around the trunks like pale ghosts. Strange plants grew on the ground—fat, glowing mushrooms that pulsed faint blue light. They weren’t comforting. They looked like they were breathing.

I forced the horse to slow down when her breathing turned rough. She was trembling from fear and exhaustion. I stroked her neck again. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

A faint rustling came from above. I looked up.

A massive owl perched on a twisted branch. But it wasn’t like any owl I had seen. Its wings were black, its eyes pure white, and its talons looked long enough to slice through a wolf’s skull. It stared at me without blinking.

“Don’t come down,” I whispered.

As if it understood me, its wings spread silently. It glided away without making a single sound.

The forest felt alive. I had heard stories of the forest the moon goddess put between the packs to put an end to our continual conflicts but I had no idea it was this eerie. Everything here was enough to make me jump.

I swallowed hard and kept riding.

At one point, a vine snapped around the horse’s front hoof. She stumbled with a panicked neigh, nearly throwing me. I jumped down quickly and yanked the vine off. It moved under my fingers like it didn’t want to let go.

The deeper I went, the more terrified I became. I could barely see the sky anymore. The air was thick and cold. My breath showed in tiny white clouds even though the night wasn’t that cold outside the forest.

I rubbed my chest, trying to calm myself. “Just a little more. Just… keep moving.”

I tried calling my wolf again. Maybe heightened senses could help me navigate better but I got nothing.

A lump formed in my throat.

Why wasn’t she responding at all?

Why did she stay silent when I needed her most?

I knew I couldn't shift but at least I could still communicate with my wolf. It felt like ever since the mating ceremony, she just went silent.

I heard another growl—closer this time.

“Shift,” I begged quietly. “Please shift. We’re going to die if you don’t.”

My bones heated for a second. My fingers twitched. My heartbeat sped up like it wanted to break free.

Then it all faded.

I sank to my knees beside the horse. My legs were trembling too hard to hold me up. “Why won’t you come out?” My voice cracked. “Why won’t you help me?”

No answer.

Just the forest.

Just the cold.

Just the ache spreading through my chest.

The horse nudged my shoulder gently, like she wanted me to get back up. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. I didn’t want to cry, but tears forced their way down anyway.

I stood again, legs shaking, and pulled myself back onto her back. My muscles burned from fear and exhaustion. My fingers were stiff from gripping the reins so tightly.

But I kept going.

The forest stretched on with no end in sight. Every shadow felt like a creature waiting to jump. Every distant sound made me flinch.

But eventually…the trees thinned slightly. I saw more sky through the branches. The wind returned—a light, cold breeze brushing against my face.

I let out a shaky breath. “We’re getting out,” I whispered. “We just have to keep going.”

The horse walked slowly now, tired but steady.

A distant howl echoed from far behind us. Not a wolf. Not anything I recognized. It made the hair on my arms stand up.

But I didn’t look back.

Then it came from just ahead of me. I stopped my horse and tried to change my direction and go in another direction but I heard the howls from the new direction I wanted to take.

I looked around me and saw eyes. Red, glowing eyes in the darkness.

They looked hungry and the worst part? My wolf still wasn't responding.