Marked by vengeance

Chapter two

Golden Eyes

Lydia ran.

Branches scratched against her arms as she pushed through the forest, her heartbeat pounding painfully inside her chest. The stranger’s voice echoed in her head.

Run.

Behind her, growls filled the darkness.

Not dog growls.

Something deeper.

Animalistic.

Dangerous.

She could barely breathe. Her shoes slipped against the wet ground, nearly sending her face-first into the mud.

“Lydia!”

Nina’s voice sounded far away now.

Too far.

A sharp pain suddenly shot through Lydia’s wrist.

She gasped and looked down.

The strange mark on her skin was glowing faintly beneath the rain.

“What the hell…” she whispered shakily.

Another growl came closer.

Lydia turned quickly, her breath catching when a massive black wolf stepped out from the shadows.

Its glowing eyes locked onto her.

Every part of her body froze instantly.

The creature was huge. Bigger than any normal wolf she had ever seen. Rain dripped from its dark fur while it circled her slowly.

Lydia stepped back carefully.

The wolf growled again.

Low.

Threatening.

Tears burned her eyes. She was going to die here.

Then suddenly—

The black-clothed stranger appeared between them.

“So you found her already,” he said coldly.

The wolf bared its sharp teeth.

Lydia stared at him in disbelief. “Y-you can see this thing and you’re acting normal?”

The man ignored her completely.

His golden eyes remained fixed on the wolf. “Leave.”

The wolf lunged.

Everything happened too fast.

Lydia screamed as the stranger grabbed the animal mid-air with terrifying strength before throwing it violently across the clearing.

The creature crashed into a tree with a painful sound.

Lydia’s legs nearly gave out beneath her.

No human could do that.

The stranger glanced back at her briefly, his expression unreadable.

“You’re hurt.”

Only then did Lydia realize blood was running down her leg from a cut she hadn’t noticed.

“I’m fine,” she lied immediately.

“You humans always say that.”

Humans.

The way he said it made her stomach twist.

The wolf slowly stood again, growling louder this time. More shadows began moving between the trees.

There were more of them.

“Oh my God…” Lydia whispered.

The stranger cursed under his breath.

Before Lydia could react, he suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him.

His hand was warm.

Too warm.

“Stay close to me,” he ordered.

Lydia stared at the side of his face, completely overwhelmed.

Who was he?

What was he?

And why did it feel like those glowing eyes had been watching her long before tonight?

One of the wolves stepped forward slowly.

Then another.

The stranger’s jaw tightened.

For the first time since meeting him, Lydia noticed something dangerous in his expression.

Not fear.

Rage.

“You picked the wrong night to hunt,” he said quietly.

The air around them suddenly changed.

And the wolves backed away.