Marked By The Alpha

Marked

A figure stood at the edge of the clearing. Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed entirely in black. Even in the darkness, he radiated power. Raw, dangerous power that made the rogues take an instinctive step backward.

He looked stronger than Derek, stronger than my father, stronger than anyone I'd ever seen. But I couldn't make out his face in the shadows.

"I said leave her alone." His voice was calm, deadly. "Don't make me repeat myself."

"s**t—let's go—" The rogues stumbled over each other in their hurry to flee, crashing back into the forest.

Then it was just the two of us.

Silence stretched between us, broken only by my ragged breathing and the pounding of my heart.

The stranger started walking toward me. With each step, that incredible scent grew stronger, wrapping around me like smoke. The heat in my body intensified until I could barely think straight.

Warning bells should have been ringing in my mind. I'd just escaped one group of dangerous wolves. Was I about to throw myself at an even more dangerous one?

But I couldn't make myself care. I couldn't make myself run.

He stopped right in front of me. Close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. Close enough that his scent filled my lungs with every breath.

"Mine," he growled, his voice rough with the same need I felt.

His arms slid around my waist, and I gasped. Lightning seemed to dance under my skin everywhere he touched me.

I should push him away. I didn't know him. Couldn't even see his face properly.

But my fingers were already clutching at his shoulders, pulling him closer instead of pushing him back.

His hand came up to cup the side of my neck, tilting my face toward the moonlight. Then his mouth claimed mine.

The kiss set me on fire.

I'd been kissed before—by Derek, in fumbling teenage attempts that never led anywhere. This was nothing like that. This was consuming. Possessive. Perfect.

I gasped against his mouth, and he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding against mine. Static electricity seemed to crackle between us.

Time stopped meaning anything. There was only his mouth, his hands, the way he touched me like I was precious and desperately wanted at the same time.

His hands moved over my body, parting my coat, finding the lingerie I'd worn for Derek underneath. For one second, I thought of Derek and felt nothing. No pain. No regret. He was already a distant memory.

There was only this man. Only this moment. Only this overwhelming need.

"Please," I whispered against his mouth, not even sure what I was asking for.

He understood anyway.

His hands were gentle as he undressed me, laying my coat on the soft moss by the pond. Gentle as he laid me down. Gentle as he kissed every inch of skin he revealed.

I pulled at his clothes too, wanting to feel him, needing skin against skin.

In the moonlight, I caught glimpses of his body—broad shoulders, muscled chest, a few scars that spoke of battles fought and won. Strong. So incredibly strong.

When he settled between my legs, I didn't hesitate. Didn't doubt. This felt right in a way nothing else ever had.

"Mine," he said again, his eyes catching the moonlight as he looked down at me.

"Yours," I agreed, and meant it with every fiber of my being.

He pushed inside me slowly, carefully, even though I could feel him trembling with restraint. There was a brief moment of pain as he broke through my innocence, but then there was only pleasure.

We moved together under the full moon, and I felt complete for the first time in my life.

His mouth found the curve of my neck. I felt his teeth scrape against my skin, sending shivers through me. Then a sharp, sweet pain as he bit down.

He was marking me.

I should have been afraid. Should have stopped him. But in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be his.

We came together in a wave of pleasure so intense I saw stars behind my closed eyelids.

Afterward, he held me close, his arms wrapped around me as we lay in the soft moss. I rested my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat slow.

I'd never felt so safe. So cherished. So completely myself.

"Thank you," I whispered into the darkness. "For saving me. For this."

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head but didn't speak. Maybe he couldn't. The mating heat was still humming between us, making words difficult.

I closed my eyes, just for a moment.

When I opened them again, the sky was starting to lighten. Dawn was coming.

Panic hit me immediately. I needed to get home before my family realized I'd been gone all night.

The stranger—my stranger—was asleep behind me, his arms still wrapped around my waist. I carefully extracted myself from his embrace, trying not to wake him.

In the growing light, I could almost see his face, but shadows still hid his features. Part of me wanted to wait, to see him clearly, to know who he was.

But a bigger part of me was afraid. Afraid of what this meant. Afraid of what would happen when the heat faded and reality returned.

I dressed quickly, wincing at sore muscles and tender places. My body felt different. Changed. There was a strange tingling at the base of my neck where he'd marked me.

I looked back at him one last time. "Thank you," I whispered again. "I'll never forget this."

Then I ran through the forest toward home.

The packhouse was quiet when I slipped inside. I could hear voices from the living room—my father, my stepmother, and Lena, probably celebrating her mating with Derek.

I crept up the stairs to my room without being seen. I needed a shower desperately. Needed to wash away the evidence of what I'd done.

In the bathroom, I caught sight of myself in the mirror and froze.

The mark on my neck was clearly visible. A perfect bite mark that stood out against my skin like a brand.

He'd marked me.

Horror washed over me. If anyone saw this mark, I'd be ruined. Marking someone without the Alpha's permission, especially someone from another pack or a rogue, was considered treason in Silvermoon.

I grabbed a washcloth, scrubbing at the mark frantically. It didn't budge. Of course it didn't. Mate marks were permanent.

The bathroom door banged open. I jumped, my hand flying up to cover my neck.

"Didn't know you came home, freak." Lena stood in the doorway, a cruel smile on her face.

I tried to hide the mark with my hand, but she'd already seen my movement.

"What are you hiding?" She crossed the room in three quick strides and yanked my arm down. Her eyes went wide. Then she started laughing. "A mating mark! The pathetic human got herself marked!"

"No, Lena, please—"

"DAD! MOM!" she screamed toward the stairs. "The human got marked by someone, and she tried to hide it!"

Heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs. My father burst into the bathroom, my stepmother right behind him.

I tried to back away, but there was nowhere to go.

Lena grabbed my arm and turned me so the mark was clearly visible in the bright bathroom light.

My father stared at it, his face going from confused to furious in seconds.

"This mark..." he said slowly, "looks like it was made by a strong wolf."

When Lena and her mother heard the word "strong," their expressions changed. They stared at the mark with something like envy mixed with disgust.

"Who marked you?" my father demanded.

I wanted to lie, but I'd learned long ago that lying to him only made things worse. "I don't know."

"Where is he?"

"Still by Clearwater Pond, maybe. I left before dawn. I don't know if he's still there."

"I bet he just ran off," Lena sneered. "No one would stay with a worthless human like you."

The first blow came without warning. My father's fist caught me in the stomach, driving the air from my lungs. I collapsed, gasping.

"How dare you disgrace this family!" he roared. "After everything I've done for you! I should have thrown you out with your w***e mother!"

His boot connected with my ribs. Pain exploded through my side.

"You're just like her," he spat. "Nothing but a slut who traps men and ruins families."

Tears streamed down my face, but I'd learned not to cry out. It only made him angrier.

"Maya should become a slave," Lena suggested sweetly. "Just like her mother. That's all she's good for anyway."

"No daughter of mine will be a slave!" Another kick. "But I will not let you dishonor my position as Gamma with your behavior."

He grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at him. "At the mating ball in three days, you will find a man willing to accept you as his mate. I don't care if he's old, weak, or cruel. You will find someone."

His grip tightened painfully. "And if you don't, I will kill you myself. Do you understand?"

I nodded as much as his grip would allow.

"Good." He shoved me away. I hit the wall hard enough to make stars dance in my vision.

They left me there on the bathroom floor, closing the door behind them.

I curled into a ball, my body screaming with pain, my mind reeling.

The mating ball. The ceremony where Alpha Kieran of Shadowridge Pack would choose a bride from our pack.

Alpha Kieran, who was known as the most ruthless, cold-blooded Alpha in the region. Who'd destroyed dozens of packs and scattered their survivors to the wind.

No one wanted to be chosen by him. And now I had three days to find someone—anyone—willing to accept a marked wolf with no power.

Or my father would make good on his threat.