Marked By The Alpha

Chapter Two The Crossroads Inn

The morning broke gray and damp. Rain pattered against the window of Cora’s small room, blurring the crooked rooftops of Ravenglade into watercolor smudges. She had not slept well.

The dreams had come again: wolves circling her in the forest, their eyes glowing unnaturally in the dark. This time, she remembered their shapes more clearly. One wolf with silver eyes that chilled her to the bone, another with amber eyes that set her heart racing in a way she didn’t understand. She woke before dawn, breathless, as though she had run with them through the trees.

Marta wasted no time breaking her reverie.

“Up, girl,” came the sharp voice outside her door. “Travelers want their breakfasts before the road takes them.”

Cora rubbed the sleep from her eyes, dressed quickly, and hurried downstairs. The inn’s common room was already stirring with life. A few merchants sat hunched over their mugs, steam rising from dark ale despite the early hour. A pair of hunters argued softly in the corner, their boots leaving mud streaks across the floorboards.

Behind the counter Marta stood, sleeves rolled high, her hands moving deftly as she poured ale and set out bread. She gave Cora a curt nod, pointing her toward a tray laden with bowls of stew.

“Serve them,” Marta said. “And mind your ears. Travelers speak more truth than they mean when they’ve been too long on the road.”

Cora moved carefully between the tables, balancing the tray. She tried to avoid the stares that followed her, though it was impossible not to notice how the room seemed to fall quieter whenever she passed. She wasn’t used to being the center of attention, and the weight of it pressed on her shoulders like a burden.

It was while she was setting a bowl before the pair of hunters that she heard the first whisper.

“New girl,” one muttered under his breath. “Doesn’t know what walks these woods.”

His companion grunted. “Won’t last a month. Not with the blood moon coming.”

The words chilled her, but before she could ask, Marta’s voice cut across the room: “Eat, pay, and be gone. The forest won’t wait for your chatter.”

The men fell silent.

---

By midday, the inn had emptied of most of its patrons, leaving only the crackle of the hearth and the smell of stewing meat. Cora wiped down the tables, grateful for the quiet, when the door creaked open.

The man who stepped inside brought the storm with him. His dark hair clung damp to his forehead, his clothes bore the stains of rain and earth, and his presence seemed to fill the room in a way that made her chest tighten. He wasn’t much older than her, perhaps in his mid-twenties, but his amber and unyielding eyes looked like they had seen too much.

For a moment, the world seemed to still.

He didn’t look at Marta. He didn’t look at the fire. His gaze found Cora instantly, pinning her where she stood. She swallowed, gripping the cloth in her hand until her knuckles whitened.

“Elias,” Marta said warily, breaking the silence.

The man inclined his head, a faint smile touching his lips. “Marta. Still guarding your walls like the queen of them.”

Marta’s eyes narrowed. “Walls keep more than rain out.”

Elias’s gaze flicked back to Cora. She felt as though he had seen right through her, as though he knew every dream she had had since stepping foot in Ravenglade. He crossed the room slowly, the firelight catching the scar across his jaw, and settled at a table in the corner.

“Bring him something hot,” Marta muttered, turning back to the counter.

Cora hesitated, then obeyed. She carried a bowl of stew to his table, setting it down carefully.

“Thank you,” Elias said, his voice lower than she expected, almost gentle.

Cora nodded, unsure of what to say. She turned to leave, but his next words stopped her cold.

“You don’t belong here.”

Her breath caught. She turned slowly. “Excuse me?”

His amber eyes held hers. “Ravenglade isn’t kind to strangers. Especially not ones who dream of wolves.”

Her stomach lurched. “How did you”

But he only smiled, not answering, and lowered his gaze to his stew.

She retreated quickly, her heart pounding, Marta’s warning echoing in her mind. This town doesn’t forgive the curious.

The rest of the day passed in uneasy fragments. Cora worked, cleaned, and served meals, but her thoughts kept circling back to Elias. Her dreams—how did he know about them? She hadn’t told anyone, not even Marta. The very mention of wolves in Ravenglade was enough to silence a room. How could a stranger have guessed so precisely?

That night, after the last patron had left and Marta retired upstairs, Cora remained in the common room, staring into the dying embers of the hearth. The inn felt emptier than it should have, shadows thickening in the corners.

She jumped when the door creaked open again.

It was Elias.

He stepped inside without a sound, his amber eyes glowing faintly in the dim firelight. For a moment, he simply stood there, watching her, as though weighing something.

“You should leave Ravenglade,” he said quietly.

Cora straightened. “Why do you keep saying that? You don’t even know me.”

He stepped closer. The room seemed smaller with every pace he took. “I know enough. You walk with the mark of the moon on you. I can see it in your eyes, hear it in your heartbeat.”

Her pulse thundered in her ears. “That’s nonsense. I came here for work, nothing more.”

Elias shook his head slowly, almost sadly. “Work won’t save you. When he finds you, nothing will.”

She frowned. “Who?”

His gaze darkened. “Ash Draven. The Alpha. He already knows you’re here.”

The name meant nothing to her, yet it sent a shiver down her spine. “And who are you, then? Why should I believe anything you say?”

For the first time, Elias’s composure faltered. He looked away, his jaw tight, as though speaking the truth would cost him something.

“Because I was like you once,” he said finally. “And I didn’t listen. I paid the price.”

Before she could ask more, he turned and slipped out into the storm.

Cora stood rooted to the floor, her thoughts a storm of their own. His words clung to her long after he was gone, wrapping around her like the fog outside: Ash Draven already knows you’re here.

---

By the time she finally climbed to her room, exhaustion had set in. She fell into bed, pulling the blanket tight, but sleep offered no refuge.

The wolves came again.

This time they were closer, their teeth bared, their breath hot against her skin. The silver-eyed wolf prowled just beyond the circle, watching her with hunger. The amber-eyed wolf stood between them, growling low, protective but strained.

Cora woke with a gasp, her nightgown damp with sweat.

And for the first time, she saw it faint but undeniably etched into her shoulder like a burn.

A mark.

Glowing softly in the moonlight