HAYES
The heavy oak door slammed shut. I stood perfectly still, my back to the room, my hands resting flat against the cold stone of the mantelpiece.
My chest was heaving. My lungs burned. On the left side of my neck, the crescent mark from Ciara’s fangs was screaming. It wasn't a dull throb. It was a searing, white-hot fire that felt like it was melting straight down into my collarbone, locking her name into my flesh.
In my entire life. I had never been marked before. I was the Alpha; I took skin, I didn't give it. But right now, the beast in my chest wasn't listening to my commands. He was focused entirely on the female standing just a few feet behind me, demanding that I turn around and claim what she had just branded.
I was losing my mind. The panic was a cold, sharp blade cutting
