Marked By The Midnight Alpha

Taken By The Alpha

The forest was alive with whispers. Even in the daylight, it seemed to pulse with the memory of the night before. Birds hesitated on branches, squirrels froze mid-scurry, and the wind carried the faint scent of danger. But none of it mattered to Elara. All she could feel was him—Kael Thorne.

Her wolf twisted inside her, restless and anxious, responding to the pull of the bond that she refused to accept. She tried to focus on her surroundings, tried to distract herself with the simple act of walking through the trees, but every instinct screamed Kael’s name.

Then the sound of footsteps—heavy, deliberate, unavoidable—stopped her in her tracks.

Kael Thorne emerged from the shadows like a predator stepping into its domain. His cloak brushed the leaves, his boots silent yet commanding. The forest seemed to recoil around him. Even the sun, slanting through the trees, seemed to dim in his presence.

“Elara,” he said, his voice low, dangerous, but with an unmistakable edge of possessiveness. “You must come with me.”

She froze, her heart hammering. “I’m not going anywhere with you!” she shouted, stepping back. Her hands shook, her wolf snarled, and the Mark on her wrist flared with sudden heat. “You think I’ll just let you… claim me like that? I—”

“You are mine,” he interrupted, his voice a growl that seemed to make the very air shiver. “The bond is real. The Mark is real. And I am here to protect you. Whether you like it or not.”

Her stomach lurched. “Protect me? You mean trap me! Control me!”

Kael’s silver eyes narrowed. “I control nothing except the ones who dare to touch you. Anyone threatens you, and I will—” His words dropped into a dangerous growl that vibrated through the trees. “I will destroy them.”

Elara’s wolf bared its teeth, low and trembling with anger. “Stay away from me!” she snapped, but her body betrayed her. Her pulse raced, the heat of the Mark pulsing in tandem with Kael’s aura. The pull between them was magnetic, suffocating, impossible to ignore.

Kael’s gaze hardened, his jaw set. “I warned you,” he said, stepping closer. The air seemed to bend around him, carrying a warning as palpable as claws on skin. “I will not take no for an answer.”

Elara’s instincts screamed. She shoved at him, hoping to push him back. Kael barely moved. His expression darkened, the air around him shifting into a stormy, dangerous calm.

“You think you can resist me?” he asked, his voice low, tantalizing, terrifying. “You can fight all you want, but the bond… it will always find you.”

“No!” Elara screamed, lunging at him. Her wolf surged, desperate to defend itself, to protect her. But Kael was faster. So much faster.

Before she could react, strong arms wrapped around her midsection. She kicked and flailed, but it was useless. His grip was unyielding, like iron wrapped in shadow.

“Elara, stop!” he growled, hoisting her onto his shoulder effortlessly. The world tipped, trees spinning past her, and for the first time, she felt truly powerless. “I am taking you for your protection. You will come with me.”

Her cries echoed through the forest. “Put me down! Let me go! You can’t—”

Kael ignored her, moving with preternatural speed through the trees. Every branch that brushed her face was a blur. The wind whipped her hair across her eyes, and her wolf howled inside her, wild and terrified. She pounded against his back, desperate, but her strength was nothing compared to his.

“You think screaming changes anything?” Kael said, his voice calm now, almost taunting. “I warned you, Elara. You are mine. The bond doesn’t lie. And anyone who dares touch you will regret it.”

Her chest heaved. “You don’t get it! I—”

“You don’t want it yet,” he said, tone softening slightly, almost tender. “But you will. The bond… it will force you to see things differently. To trust differently. To feel differently. And maybe, one day… even accept me.”

Elara’s hands clawed at his shoulders, at the cloak, at anything she could reach. “Never!” she screamed. But deep inside, a shiver of something she refused to name ran through her—a whisper of surrender, of need, of the bond calling to her soul.

The forest blurred past them. Even the sun seemed unable to keep up with the Alpha’s speed. He moved like a shadow among shadows, silent yet unstoppable, leaving the panic-stricken pack members behind, too slow to intervene.

“Elara,” he murmured, almost gently now, his lips brushing her ear. “Struggle all you want. Run. Scream. Fight. But you cannot escape what is already set in motion. The bond is stronger than fear. Stronger than anger. Stronger than denial.”

She bit back a scream, trying to turn her face from him, but the closeness was unbearable. Every breath she took mingled with his, every heartbeat collided with his own. Her wolf growled in frustration, tugging at the invisible chains the Mark had placed on her.

He shifted her slightly on his shoulder, making her look into his silver eyes. The storm of his aura, the raw, untamed power of the Midnight Alpha, pressed against her like a tidal wave. “Do you feel it?” he asked softly. “The pull? The bond? The connection? You can fight it, but it’s already claiming you. And so am I.”

Her body shook, her mind screamed, and yet she couldn’t tear her gaze away. It was terrifying. And terrifyingly intimate.

Finally, after what felt like hours though it had been mere minutes, he slowed. The forest opened into a hidden glade, a safe place known only to the Alpha. Kael set her down gently, though his hands still held her firmly.

“Elara,” he said, voice soft but unyielding. “I will not hurt you. Not unless you let someone else try. The bond is growing. You are mine—my mate, whether you admit it or not. And you will survive because of it.”

Her chest heaved, tears streaking her face. “I… I don’t want this,” she whispered. “I… I—”

“You don’t have to want it yet,” he said. “Just… survive it. Learn it. Feel it. The bond… it is stronger than your fear. Stronger than your denial. And one day, you’ll see that it protects you as much as it claims you.”

Elara sank to her knees, her wolf inside her howling, conflicted, terrified, and achingly aware of the Alpha’s power. She hated him. She feared him. She wanted to fight. And yet… somewhere deep inside, her heart—and her wolf—recognized that the Midnight Alpha had already claimed her.

And there was nothing she could do about it.