Marked By The Alpha

CHAPTER THREE

I woke before dawn, the forest still wrapped in mist and shadow. Even in the pale light, the memory of Kael lingered, his presence haunting every corner of my mind. I couldn’t shake the pull—the magnetism that made my pulse quicken and my hands tremble.

I told myself firmly: Focus. This is about the study. Not him.

But as I stepped out of the cabin, my boots sinking into the damp earth, I realized my focus was already gone. Every rustle, every birdcall, every shifting shadow made me think of him.

The forest was alive in ways I hadn’t noticed yesterday. Small creatures scurried through underbrush, and the scent of damp earth and pine was intoxicating. I followed a trail near the creek, notebook in hand, eyes scanning for tracks.

I didn’t notice the figure until he was standing there.

Kael.

Not behind a tree this time, not observing silently. He was in plain sight, arms crossed, posture relaxed but radiating power. My heart skipped. How does he move without sound?

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said, voice calm but edged with authority.

“I… I’m careful,” I replied, though the tremor in my voice betrayed me. “I know these woods… mostly.”

He stepped closer, and I realized the scent again—sharp, wild, intoxicating. My stomach clenched involuntarily.

“Mostly isn’t enough,” he said. “There’s more here than you can see.”

I nodded, swallowing hard. Every instinct screamed that he was right. I’d already seen strange tracks—too large for a deer, too deliberate for any animal I knew. And then there was him. The forest itself seemed aware of his presence.

“I saw something,” I blurted, pointing to a set of tracks near the creek. They were deep, clawed, and unmistakably not human.

Kael’s eyes darkened, and he crouched to inspect them. “Rogue,” he muttered. “A lone male, straying too close to my territory.”

“Rogue?” I asked, voice tight. “Like… a wolf?”

He glanced at me sharply. “Not exactly.”

The words sent a shiver down my spine. Not exactly… what? But before I could press, a low growl echoed through the trees. My stomach lurched, and Kael’s muscles tensed.

“Stay behind me,” he ordered, moving with a speed and silence that made my head spin. One moment he was beside me, the next, he was gone in the shadows, a blur of movement and raw power.

I barely had time to register the rogue’s presence before Kael emerged between us and the threat. I could see the male now—bigger than any wolf I’d ever seen, but it was more than that. There was an intelligence in its eyes, a malicious awareness that made me step back instinctively.

Kael’s gaze locked onto the rogue. His stance shifted, alpha instincts flaring. Every muscle in his body coiled, ready to strike. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He was… terrifying, mesmerizing, and impossibly strong.

The rogue lunged.

Kael moved like lightning. I could barely follow the blur of motion, but I heard the low, guttural growl of a confrontation. Leaves and dirt flew, a hiss of teeth, a crack of branches. And then it was over. The rogue retreated into the shadows, leaving Kael standing there, chest heaving, eyes glowing faintly.

I was frozen, heart pounding, breath coming in short gasps. “Are… are you okay?” I whispered.

He glanced at me, his gaze softening ever so slightly. “I’m fine,” he said. But I could see the tension in his jaw, the lingering alertness in his stance. “You… need to be more careful.”

“I—” I started, but the words died. How could I explain the pull I felt? How could I explain that I wanted to be closer, even knowing the danger?

Kael studied me for a long moment, and then, almost casually, he reached out and touched my arm. Not forcefully, not aggressively—yet the contact made my skin tingle, my pulse spike, my breath hitch.

“You’re alive,” he said simply. “And you need to stay that way.”

I swallowed hard, the weight of his presence pressing against me in a way I couldn’t resist. “I… I’ll try.”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stepped back, scanning the forest as though the rogue could return at any moment. And then he looked at me again, and the intensity in his gaze made my knees weak.

“You should come with me,” he said finally. “You’re not safe alone here.”

I hesitated. This was the line. Accepting meant stepping further into his world—into danger, into the unknown, into him.

And yet, every instinct, every nerve, every heartbeat screamed at me to say yes.

“I… okay,” I whispered.

Kael’s expression softened, almost imperceptibly. “Good choice,” he said. And just like that, we moved together into the deeper forest, the morning light filtering through the mist, the tension between us electric and undeniable.

With every step, I felt the pull stronger, the bond deeper, and the danger more real. I didn’t know what this forest held—or what Kael truly was—but I knew one thing.

I couldn’t stay away.

Not now. Not ever.