Marked by the Moon, Bound by Blood

Chapter 2

Anderson stopped dead and spun around fast. He shoved me back until my spine slammed into the rough bark of a pine tree again. He leaned in, his face just inches from mine. I could smell him—this bizarre scent of rain-soaked timber mixed with a sharp, heavy masculine musk.

"Scream all you f*****g want. No human is going to hear you in this territory," he whispered, his eyes locked onto my neck.

I swallowed hard. "W-what do you mean 'territory'? This is a public hiking trail."

Anderson gave a dry, mocking huff. He let go of my wrist but boxed me in, slamming both hands against the tree on either side of my head. He leaned in and sniffed the air near my ear. I could feel his warm breath hitting my skin.

"Hmph. This scent is f*****g annoying," he muttered.

"What scent? It’s just regular strawberry perfume, you freak," I snapped back, even though my heart was doing about a hundred miles an hour.

He pulled back, eyes narrowing. "Not that. Your blood. Your skin. You smell human, but there’s something else in there. Something f*****g rotten but addictive at the same time."

I frowned. Is this guy high? Or some junkie hallucinating in the middle of the woods? I looked down at my shredded shoulder. The blood was still smeared there, but the wound was gone. I remembered again how freaky-fast I’d healed.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I just want to go home," I said, trying to duck under his arm.

Thwack!

Anderson punched the tree right next to my ear, peeling the bark back. I jumped, pressing myself flat against the trunk.

"You’re not going anywhere until I figure out what the f**k you are. You know what attacked you back there?" he demanded.

"A big wolf? I don’t know, it was too f*****g big to be a wolf," I answered honestly.

"That was one of my kind losing his goddamn mind. He should’ve ripped your throat out. But here you are, standing here without a scratch while your clothes are torn to shreds. How the hell did you do it?" Anderson grabbed my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye.

"I don't f*****g know! I blacked out and when I woke up, the wound was gone!" I defended myself, my voice trembling.

Anderson went quiet for a moment, staring at me with terrifying intensity. It felt like he wasn't just looking at my face, but literally dissecting my brain. Suddenly, he took another deep breath through his nose. For a split second, his eyes flashed a bright, electric yellow before fading back to dark brown.

"Grrr..."

A low growl vibrated in his throat. It wasn't human. It was the sound of a predator that was both threatened and intrigued by its prey.

"Why the hell are you making that noise?" I asked, terrified.

He didn't answer. He let go of my chin and stepped back, looking like he was at war with his own thoughts. He started pacing in front of me like a caged tiger.

"This makes no f*****g sense. You’re not human, but you don’t have a werewolf scent either. You don’t belong to any pack. What the f**k are you?" he asked, mostly to himself.

"I'm Misha! I'm a college student! That's my f*****g identity!" I yelled, beyond frustrated.

He stopped and looked at me again. "Misha. A plain name for a confusing creature. Listen, you’re an anomaly. Your presence in this forest is f*****g with my kind’s instincts. You’re disturbing the peace of my pack."

I just stood there, speechless. I didn't know what the hell a 'pack' or a 'werewolf' was in this context, but I knew I was in deep s**t. I tried to look for a gap to run. If I could reach the main trail, maybe I’d find other hikers.

"Don't even think about running. I can catch you in a single jump," Anderson said, like he was reading my goddamn mind.

"Then what do you want? To kill me?" I challenged him, even though I was shaking inside.

Anderson paused, staring at my neck where the dried blood was. I saw his Adam's apple move as he swallowed hard.

"My instinct tells me to snap your neck right now to get rid of the problem. But another part of me... is f*****g dying to know what’s in your blood," he said, his voice sounding dangerous.

"You’re out of your mind."

"Maybe. But this madness is caused by your goddamn scent," he shot back.

Suddenly, a long, piercing howl echoed from the distance, followed by others from different directions. Anderson straightened up instantly, his expression turning deadly serious.

"They're close. They caught your scent too," he muttered.

"Who? Your friends?"

"My kinsmen. The border guards. If they find you like this, they won't ask questions like I did. They’ll tear you apart until there’s nothing left," Anderson explained.

Panic set in. "Then what am I supposed to do? Please, just let me go!"

Anderson looked at me again. There was a weird glint in his eyes—a mix of hatred and attraction he couldn't quite hide. He stepped close and suddenly ripped the rest of my jacket collar away, exposing my shoulder completely.

"Hey! What the f**k are you doing!" I screamed, trying to cover myself.

"Shut up! I’m trying to save your life, or maybe I’m making the biggest f*****g mistake of mine," he barked.

He grabbed my shoulder roughly and sniffed near my collarbone again. I could feel his heart racing as our bodies touched. The air got thick, heavy with tension. My fear was getting tangled up with this weird sensation crawling up my spine from the skin contact.

"Your scent... it's f*****g impossible," Anderson whispered.

He looked like he was struggling to hold himself back. His massive hand gripped my shoulder so hard his nails dug in. He was on the edge—either he wanted to crush me or he wanted me.

"Anderson, let me go. Please," I whimpered.

He looked up, his breath hitched. "I can't let you go. You're coming to the pack house. I need to know if you're an ally or an enemy before the elders find out."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" I tried to struggle again.

"You don't have a f*****g choice, Misha!"

Suddenly, a growl erupted from the bushes nearby. Three pairs of glowing red eyes emerged from the dark. Three massive wolves—not as big as the first one, but still terrifying—circled us. They bowed their heads toward Anderson but bared their fangs at me.

"Alpha, who is this woman? Why is her scent so f*****g disturbing?" one of the wolves growled in a raspy, semi-human voice.

My eyes nearly popped out. "Did... did that wolf just talk?"

Anderson didn't answer me. He stepped in front of me, blocking their view. His muscles tensed up, looking like they were about to burst through his shirt.

"She’s my prisoner. No one touches her without my command," Anderson told the wolves firmly.

"But Alpha, she doesn't smell human. She's a threat to the territory!" another wolf snarled, stepping forward.

Anderson let out a roar so loud it felt like the ground vibrated. The three wolves immediately backed off, whimpering in submission.

"I said nobody touches her! Are you questioning my f*****g order?" Anderson challenged.

Silence fell. The wolves just growled lowly, staring at me with pure hate. Anderson turned back to me, his expression cold.

"Walk in front of me. Now."

I looked at Anderson, then at the three wolves lurking in the dark. I had no choice. Being near this freak was a hell of a lot safer than being a snack for those three.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my voice weak.

"To a place where you won't be able to run anymore," he answered curtly.

We trekked through the thickening woods. I walked ahead of him while the three wolves trailed us a few meters back. I felt like a goddamn prisoner being led to the gallows.

"Why are you taking me there?" I asked without looking back.

"Because you're a problem I need to solve," he replied coldly.

After about fifteen minutes, we reached a clearing. There were several large wooden buildings—they looked traditional but incredibly solid. Torchlight flickered around the perimeter. Several people, men and women, were standing outside and locked their eyes on us the second we arrived.

"The Alpha is back!" someone shouted.

Every eye was on me. And none of them looked friendly. I pulled the remains of my jacket tighter, trying to hide my exposed skin.

"Anderson, what the hell is this?" a woman with short blonde hair walked up, looking pissed.

"A prisoner, Luna. Take her to the basement cell in the main house," Anderson ordered without stopping.

The woman, Luna, frowned and sniffed the air around me just like Anderson had. Her eyes went wide with shock.

"What is that smell? Anderson, you brought something wrong into this house!" she cried out, sounding panicked.

"I know! Just do as I f*****g said!" Anderson snapped.

Luna looked stunned by his tone but quickly signaled two beefy guys to come over.

"Come on, sweetheart," one of them grabbed my arm roughly.

"Let go! I can walk by myself!" I tried to fight them off, but they didn't give a s**t.

They dragged me into a massive building made of black wood and stone. We went inside and down a set of cold stone stairs. Below, there were rooms with thick iron bars. They shoved me into one and locked the door with a loud, metallic clang.

Clang!

"You can't do this! I have human rights!" I yelled, gripping the bars.

"Our laws apply here, not yours," the man sneered before they left me alone in the dark.

I sank onto the cold floor, shaking like a leaf. I hugged my knees, trying to process all this insanity. Kidnapped by werewolves, healing like a mutant, and now locked in a basement.

"What the f**k is happening to me?" I whispered.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps. I looked up and saw Anderson standing in front of my cell. He just stood there, his expression hard to read.

"Happy now? You got me in a cage," I said bitterly.

Anderson sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I had to do this to protect you from the rest of the pack, for now at least."

"Protect me? You brought me here like an animal!"

"Because you look like a dangerous-ass animal to them, Misha," he shot back coldly.

He kept staring at me, and for some reason, his gaze made it hard to breathe. He stepped closer until his face was almost touching the bars.

"The elders will decide your fate in the morning. Pray they don't decide to burn you alive," he said.

He turned to leave but stopped for a second.

"One more thing. Stop giving off that scent. It’s making it hard for me to think straight," he said without looking back before disappearing up the stairs.

"What scent? I don't smell anything, you bastard!" I screamed in frustration.

I curled up in the corner. Suddenly, my palm felt hot. I looked down in the darkness. A faint, purplish glow pulsed beneath my skin before vanishing.

"What the f**k was that?" I gasped.

Before I could think, the door at the top of the stairs burst open again.

"Anderson! Are you insane? You brought that anomaly here?" Luna’s voice screamed from above.

I strained my ears, trying to catch the rest of their argument.

"She’s my mate, Luna. At least, that’s what my broken-ass instincts are telling me," Anderson’s voice yelled back, sounding completely frustrated.

My eyes went wide. Mate? What the f**k does that mean?