Chapter 8: Frenzy in the Blood
578 Words
Chloe woke up in Dante’s bed, her body sore in ways she didn’t expect—marked, claimed, and bonded. The ache on her shoulder where his teeth had broken skin still throbbed, but not with pain.
With need.
The bond was alive.
She could feel him before she saw him—his emotions crawling under her skin like whispers in the dark. Anger. Hunger. Possessiveness. And something else… fear?
She got up slowly, the sheets cool against her bare skin. She found one of his shirts and slipped it over her head. The scent of him, cedar and musk and something wild, wrapped around her like arms.
Downstairs, she found him pacing the living room, shirtless and tense. His fists were clenched. His eyes… glowing again.
“Dante?”
He looked up like she’d hit him.
“You feel it, don’t you?”
She swallowed hard. “Yeah.”
“It’s the frenzy,” he said. “It kicks in right after the bite. Our bodies—our souls—are trying to fuse. And it’s violent, Chloe. It’s wild.”
She stepped closer. “Are you saying we’re not done?”
His eyes darkened. “Not even close.”
Before she could reply, the front door burst open.
Luca.
His energy filled the room like a cold slap to the face. “So it’s true,” he said, his voice low. “You bit her.”
Dante stood in front of her instantly. “Get out.”
“Do you even know what you’ve done?” Luca growled. “She’s not ready. She’s still human. And now every unmated wolf in this town can smell her.”
“She’s mine.”
“She’s ours,” Luca hissed. “She’s part of this pack now, whether you like it or not.”
“Touch her and I will kill you.”
Chloe stepped between them. “Enough!”
Both men froze.
“Dante, I’m yours. You don’t need to keep proving it. And Luca—” She turned to him. “I’m not some pawn in whatever game you’re playing. You can’t use me to get under his skin.”
Luca smirked. “You think that’s what this is? You’re in over your head, little mate.”
She stood taller. “Then pull me out.”
For a second, Luca actually looked impressed. But then his eyes flicked to her shoulder, to the mark Dante had left.
“You feel it, don’t you? The heat? The pull?”
She nodded slowly.
“That’s just the beginning. You’re going to start craving him. Needing him like oxygen. And if he doesn’t stay close, the frenzy will eat you alive.”
“I am staying close,” Dante growled. “She won’t go through this alone.”
Luca turned to leave, but not before dropping a warning. “You better pray your bond is strong. Because the full moon’s coming… and with it, the Hunger Trials. If she can’t handle it, she’ll break.”
The door slammed behind him.
Silence.
Dante came to her, cupping her face. “I won’t let him scare you.”
“I’m not scared,” she whispered. “Not with you.”
But deep down, something about Luca’s words stuck with her. The Hunger Trials. The full moon. The idea that this was only the beginning.
And the way her body already burned like it was starving for him again.
What was she turning into?
- Writer
