Tristan
I felt it happen the moment my teeth broke through her delicate skin. The connection, snapping into place like a lock finally finding its key. The Alpha mark, a primal bond that would tie Isla to me, to my pack, to my very essence. It wasn’t the fated mate bond; I wasn’t ready for that yet, but this would have to do for now.
Her blood was sweet on my tongue, coppery and warm, and as I tasted her, something unfurled within me. A sense of rightness. Of completion.
Then I felt her slump in my arms, her consciousness slipping away as the power of the mark overwhelmed her human system. I pulled back, licking the wound closed with instinctive care, watching as the bruise began to form, my mark, permanently etched into her pale skin.
"Isla?" I murmured, cradling her limp form against
