Marked by the rutherless alpha

Episode 2_THE ALPHA'S CLAIM

The sound of my own heartbeat was deafening.

Kael’s words still echoed in my skull — You’re marked. I didn’t know what it meant exactly, but the way his amber eyes burned into mine told me it wasn’t something I could shrug off.

“I’m not yours,” I said, but my voice came out softer than I intended.

He didn’t even flinch. “You will be.”

There was no arrogance in his tone, no pleading. Just certainty — like he was stating a fact written somewhere in the bones of the earth.

“I’m leaving,” I tried again, forcing my legs to move. But the forest floor seemed heavier, each step dragging at me. His scent was everywhere, in the air, in my lungs, tangled in my hair like invisible chains.

Behind me, Kael’s footsteps followed without hurry. “Go ahead. But you’ll come back.”

Something about the way he said it sent a shiver down my spine. I didn’t turn around, didn’t want to see that slow, knowing smile again. I needed space. Distance. Anything.

But the forest had other plans.

A rustle to my right made me stop. The shadows shifted, and a pair of glowing eyes blinked at me from the underbrush. Low, rumbling growls slid into the air — not from Kael, but from whatever was watching us.

“Don’t run,” Kael’s voice was calm, but there was a weight behind it. “You’ll make them chase you.”

I turned my head slowly. Three shapes emerged from the dark — huge, fur bristling, teeth glinting in the moonlight. Wolves. Not the kind from nature documentaries. These were bigger, their shoulders as high as my ribs, eyes locked on me with a hunger that had nothing to do with food.

Panic surged in my throat. “Kael—”

“They won’t touch you,” he said simply, stepping forward. His voice dropped into something deeper, edged with authority that seemed to vibrate through the night. “She’s mine.”

The wolves froze mid-step, heads bowing slightly, as if they understood every word. My stomach twisted. They… obeyed him.

One by one, they backed away into the darkness, their eyes still on me until the last flicker of light swallowed them.

I stared at Kael. “What the hell was that?”

“My pack,” he answered, as if it were obvious. “They were making sure you’re safe.”

I laughed — sharp and humorless. “Safe? They looked like they were about to rip me apart.”

“They would have,” he agreed, “if you weren’t marked.”

The heat on my neck pulsed again, a reminder of his touch. I took a step back. “You can’t just… claim someone like that.”

His gaze darkened. “In