Rejected By The Alpha, Chosen By Fate

Chapter Three – The Threat

Branches snapped beneath my paws as I tore through the forest, silver flames licking my fur. The new strength in my body was intoxicating—terrifying. Every sound, every scent, every heartbeat in the night pulsed against my senses.

But I wasn’t alone.

The sharp stench of rogues hit me before I saw them—blood, rot, desperation. Shadows slipped between the trees, glowing eyes narrowing on me.

My breath hitched. Of course. The moment I change, the moment I’m weakest…

A snarl ripped from my throat before I could stop it. The rogues lunged.

The first wolf slammed into me, but instead of crumbling, my body moved with a speed I didn’t know I possessed. My claws raked across its chest, and it collapsed with a yelp.

The second wolf circled, lips curled back. My instincts roared louder than my fear. I leapt, teeth sinking into its neck. The taste of iron burned my tongue, but the beast inside me only howled for more.

One by one, I cut them down.

Until the last rogue stood trembling, fear clouding his eyes.

I growled, ready to end him—when a blur of motion shot past me.

A massive black wolf slammed into the rogue, snapping its neck in one brutal move. Blood sprayed across the grass. The stranger stood over the body, chest heaving, his fur gleaming like onyx under the moon.

I froze, hackles raised. This was no ordinary wolf. His aura pressed against me like a storm pressing against fragile glass—dominant, powerful, commanding.

Then, before my eyes, he shifted.

The man who stood there was tall, broad-shouldered, his bare chest streaked with blood and battle. Midnight hair fell into his eyes, which glowed an unnatural gold. His presence was magnetic, dangerous.

“You fight well,” he said, his voice deep, carrying an accent I couldn’t place. His eyes scanned me slowly, lingering on the silver fire still glowing across my arms. “But you’re new to this… aren’t you?”

I stepped back, claws flexing, ready to shift again if needed. “Who are you?”

He smirked, though there was no humor in his eyes. “Someone who has been searching for that mark.”

My stomach dropped. “You… you know what this is?”

His gaze sharpened, burning into me. “It means you were never meant to be his. Fate has bigger plans for you, little wolf.”

The forest went still around us, heavy with the weight of his words.

Somewhere, far behind us, I felt it again—the pull of Damon’s wolf. He was coming.

And when he arrived, nothing would ever be the same.

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