I Was Human… Until the Alpha Marked Me

The forest was not meant for someone like me. I knew that. Everyone in town knew that. Yet here I was… running straight into it. My breath came out in sharp, uneven gasps as I pushed through the trees, branches tearing at my arms and catching in my hair. The deeper I went, the darker it became, as if the forest itself was swallowing the last traces of light. I shouldn’t be here. The thought repeated over and over in my head, louder than the sound of my pounding heart. But I didn’t have a choice. Not tonight. Not after everything that had happened. My shift had ended late—later than usual. The café had been busy, and I had stayed longer for the extra pay. Rent didn’t care if I was tired. Bills didn’t wait. And now… Now I was paying for it. My phone had died an hour ago. No signal. No map. Nothing. Just me. And the forest. A twig snapped behind me. I froze. The sound echoed unnaturally in the silence, sending a sharp chill down my spine. Slowly, I turned my head, my eyes scanning the darkness. “Hello?” I called, my voice trembling despite my effort to sound steady. No answer. Only silence. Too much silence. Even the wind had stopped. Even the insects had gone quiet. It was wrong. Everything about this felt wrong. I swallowed hard, forcing my legs to move again. “It’s nothing,” I whispered to myself. “Just your imagination.” But I didn’t believe it. Not even a little. Another sound. Closer this time. A low… rumble. My stomach dropped. That wasn’t the wind. That wasn’t an animal I recognised. It was deeper. Rougher. Dangerous. My pulse spiked as a cold wave of fear washed over me. Run. The instinct hit me so suddenly, so violently, that I didn’t question it. I ran. My feet slammed against the uneven ground as I pushed forward, ignoring the burning in my legs and the sharp sting of branches scraping my skin. My lungs ached, each breath harder than the last, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. The sound came again. Behind me. Closer. Too close. It was following me. No— It was hunting me. Tears blurred my vision as panic clawed its way up my throat. “Please…” I whispered, not even sure who I was begging anymore. “Please, just leave me alone…” But the forest didn’t listen. Whatever was behind me didn’t listen. The ground dipped suddenly, and I stumbled, barely catching myself before I fell. My hands scraped against rough earth, pain shooting up my arms. Get up. Get up! I pushed myself forward again— And slammed straight into something solid. A force hit me from the side, sending me crashing to the ground. The impact knocked the air from my lungs, leaving me gasping, disoriented. Before I could react— Weight pressed down on me. Heavy. Unmovable. A strangled sound left my throat as I struggled beneath it, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. This wasn’t an animal. It felt too… controlled. Too deliberate. Heat radiated against my body. Breath. Slow. Steady. Controlled. A man. My eyes flew open. And that’s when I saw him. Golden eyes. Glowing in the darkness. Locked onto mine. Everything inside me went still. He was beautiful. Terrifyingly so. Sharp features. Dark hair. A presence that filled the space around us like something alive, something dangerous. This wasn’t normal. He wasn’t normal. He didn’t look human. And somehow… I knew he wasn’t. His gaze dragged over my face, slow and intense, as if he was memorising every detail. As if I was something he had been searching for. Or something he shouldn’t have found. His hand came up, gripping my chin and forcing me to keep eye contact with him. I gasped at the contact. His touch was warm. Too warm. “What are you doing in my territory?” he asked, his voice low and controlled. Deadly. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. My throat felt tight. My mind blank. “I— I got lost…” I finally managed, my voice barely more than a whisper. His eyes narrowed slightly, studying me. Judging me. As if deciding something. Then— He leaned closer. Too close. My breath hitched as his face moved toward my neck, his nose brushing lightly against my skin. And then he inhaled. Deeply. His entire body went rigid. The air shifted. Something has changed. I felt it. Like a sudden pressure building between us, thick and suffocating. Electric. Dangerous. Impossible. “No…” he muttered. But it didn’t sound like denial. It sounded like disbelief. Like something had gone terribly wrong. His grip tightened on my chin. “You shouldn’t exist.” Fear shot through me. “I don’t understand—” “You will.” The words were quiet. Certain. And then— Pain exploded through my neck. A scream tore from my throat as his teeth sank into my skin, sharp and merciless. It wasn’t just pain—it was fire. Burning, searing, spreading through my veins like liquid heat. I clawed at him, panic taking over completely. “Stop! Please—stop!” But he didn’t move. Didn’t stop. Didn’t hesitate. His hold on me was unbreakable. My body arched against him as the burning intensified, tearing through me like something alive, something awake. It felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside. Like something was breaking— And something else was rising. A pulse. A force. A power. Something deep inside me stirred. Something that had been sleeping. Something that should not have been there. My vision blurred as heat flooded my entire body, overwhelming, uncontrollable. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. All I could feel was him. His grip. His presence. His mark. And then— It shifted. The pain twisted into something else. Something stronger. Something dangerous. A sudden surge of energy burst through me, sharp and violent, forcing a gasp from my lips. His body stiffened against mine. For the first time— He reacted. Pulled back slightly. His golden eyes widened, locked onto mine. “What… are you?” he whispered. But I didn’t have an answer. I didn’t even understand the question. All I knew was that something inside me had changed. Something irreversible. Something powerful. And then— Everything went black. The last thing I felt… Was his hand tightening against me. The last thing I heard… Was his voice, low and possessive against the darkness. “You’re mine now.”