Marked by the Wolf King

The enemy territory.

Zara’s POV

The cold was the first thing I felt.

It clung to my skin like a disease, settling into my bones.

My eyes opened slowly, but I was surrounded by darkness.

Not completely, a little orange dim light peeped somewhere beyond the bars in front of me.

I stayed still for a moment, trying to recall where I was, trying to place the pieces together.

The last thing I remember was the unbearable surge of the sheer intensity of his presence, which overwhelmed me, sending a jolt of fear through my veins.

In that moment, I was so paralyzed by it all that darkness enveloped me, and I found myself slipping into unconsciousness. Suddenly, memories came flooding back.

Elias’ death.

The wolf.

The attack.

Then that towering beast.

I pushed myself upright too quickly, pain tearing through every inch of my body.

Every muscle clenched in protest, my legs throbbing as if I’d been dragged across rough ground.

I sank back down, gazing into the darkness while memories flooded back. Hoping it would all just disappear.

I broke down, convinced that every horrible thing that had happened was my fault. A suffocating desire to give up took hold of me.

Two sets of wolves marched in and yanked my mind back to reality. They hauled me forward as if I weighed nothing, their grip pressing hard enough to rip my skin open.

My legs scraped against the ground as they dragged me down the floor, too large for humans to build.

Every step forward, the dark thickened around me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was stepping into the end of my life.

“I want to crush this human filth,” one of them said, tightening his grip around my arm.

“Careful,” the other said with a grin. “The human might break,” he added, laughing and shoving me hard.

My knees hit the ground, but I caught myself before I fell. I would rather die than show weakness in front of them. I straightened myself and lifted my head.

“I dare you to touch me again, ugly beast,” I said hoarsely, “and I will kill you where you stand.”

The wolf at my left hit me across my face, so fast I didn’t see it coming, and blood filled my mouth immediately.

They expected me to cry or beg them for mercy, but I didn’t. I stood up and spat blood on his face.

He clenched his fists, going for a harder punch, but the other one stopped him.

“Leave it. They always bite before they die; it's not worth it.”

A quiet laugh followed.

“I am sure the alpha has something better planned for her.”

The moment I stepped into the hall, I felt it.

Not just hatred.

It wasn’t just anger.

Bloodlust.

The wolves turned to face me, their gaze following my every step, sharp and intent.

They looked human, but their eyes said otherwise, revealing a darker spirit within.

Each step I took drew their attention.

The air felt heavier, as if it were waiting for chaos.

A low murmur passed through them.

Their voices overlapped, quiet but tense.

“How dare she stand before us?”

“She shouldn’t be alive.”

“How did she make it this far?”

I remained silent, staring straight at them.

I refused to show them any form of weakness.

I wouldn't give them anything to mock me for. I was determined to demonstrate that humans are not just powerless filth, but better and stronger in every way.

Then I saw him.

The one who killed Elias.

He stood near the center steps, broad shoulders wrapped in dark leather, his eyes found mine instantly.

Anger was burning inside me. If hate could take a form, it would have looked like me.

I wanted to end his life, but I knew any wrong move would lead to a painful death.

“Well,” he said, voice low and rough. “It woke up.”

I bared my teeth at him, “Still alive, I see. That’s unfortunate.”

A few wolves laughed in disbelief. Karl did not. His expression changed, then he started walking toward me.

He came closer until I could see his pulse beating in his neck.

“I killed your little boyfriend.”

“And I would like to return the favor.” I interrupted immediately.

His hands went around my throat, raising me and slamming my back so hard the impact rang through my bones.

He raised me again, my feet barely touched the ground, as he held me there, fingers tightening, reminding me how quickly he could end me.

“Say that again,” he murmured, low yet dangerous.

“You heard me.” I forced out, my voice rough yet steady.

His grip around my neck tightened enough to end my life.

“I should have killed you when I had the chance,” he said.

I was gasping for air, and my legs were shaking violently. I knew I was going to die tonight, but not like this. Not this easy.

“That’s enough, Karl.”

The words didn’t come out loud.

It didn’t need to.

Everything stopped.

Karl’s hands stilled.

The murmurs of the other wolves stopped, and the silence was deafening. I didn’t need to turn to know who had just walked in.

But I did anyway.

It was the same wolf that stopped Karl.

The wolf king.

The alpha.

It was my first time seeing him in human form, but even from a distance, the difference was obvious. He wasn’t just another wolf. He was the one who couldn't be challenged.

His gaze moved slowly and deliberately across the room. The other wolves dared not meet his eyes.

His gaze finally landed on me.

Karl released me immediately.

The impact knocked the air out of me.

My body hit the stone. I dropped to the ground hard, hard enough to send a sharp vibration through my spine, hard enough to paralyze me.

I stayed where I fell longer than necessary, forcing my lungs to steady, begging my body to hang on a little longer while my throat burned from his grip.

I ignored the pain and rose anyway.

I would not kneel.

Not in front of them.

Not in front of him.

“So, this is the great alpha,” my voice scraped, worn thin from lack of air, “I expected more.”

Murmurs ran through the hall once again,

“Kill her.”

“How dare she?”

“End her,”

Their voice layered together, thick with hatred and bloodlust. Pressing in from every side.

But I didn’t look away.

I kept my eyes on him.

He didn’t react to them or to me.

He just watched. And the stillness in his face made my anger burn hotter.

“You came this far to die,” he said at last.

As soon as he spoke those words, all murmurs ceased.

His voice wasn’t raised,

It was controlled,

Unreadable.

Cutting clean through every other sound.

“I came to kill you,” I said.

A ripple moved through the room. I felt it in the way the air seemed to tighten around us.

Then silence.

Real silence.

The kind that presses against your ears.

I could hear Karl’s heavy breathing from a distance.

“Please, Ryan, let me end this,” Karl said, his eyes locked on me like he was already imagining it.

Ryan.

So that’s his name.

He didn’t even look at Karl.

Instead, he tilted his head slightly, sharpening his gaze on me as I had just become…interesting.

"Kill me? You fainted when you saw the real me," Ryan said.

He was right.

My fingers curled at my sides.

"Not even a thousand humans can stand where you stand," he added.

There was no pride in it.

No Arrogance.

He just stated facts.

I snatched the dagger hidden in my boot and lunged straight for his throat.

I got just one step.

Then pain exploded through my sides as someone struck me mid-air.

Karl was fast.

He lifted me by my neck, his grip tighter than before.

“I should kill you slowly,” he said, his voice low against my ear. “Piece by piece.”

My breath began to slow down.

My hands went to his wrist, not to beg. Never that. But to hold on long enough to speak.

“You are just a nobody who can't think without permission.” I forced out the words, barely coming out of my mouth.

The wolf king stepped closer, close enough that I could see the faint scar on his face. “Leave us.”