Marked By The Alpha

The forest wasn’t silent. It was listening. Every snapped twig, every whistle of wind, every rustle of leaves sounded like a warning. My chest burned as I ran, lungs dragging for air, bare feet tearing against roots and stones. The taste of iron lingered in my mouth from biting my tongue when I’d fallen the first time. My legs wanted to give out, but fear pushed me harder. The howls came again. Closer. Rogues. My mother’s last words before she disappeared echoed like a drumbeat in my mind: If they ever find you, Ivy, don’t stop. Don’t look back. Run. And I was running. But the problem with running was that eventually… you had nowhere left to go. The trees thinned, spilling me into a clearing lit only by the swollen moon. My breath tore from my throat in ragged bursts as my eyes scanned the darkness for an escape. That’s when I saw him. A figure stood at the edge of the clearing, shadow and moonlight sculpting him into something carved out of myth. Tall, broad-shouldered, every movement coiled with restrained power. His dark hair shifted in the wind, but it was his eyes that held me still—golden, burning, wolf’s eyes. The world seemed to tilt under me. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. The bond ignited like fire under my skin, searing into my bones. Something primal inside me—a part of me I’d always fought to bury—lifted its head and howled in recognition. He stepped into the light, and I knew instantly who he was. Arthur Blackwood. The Alpha. The name whispered like a curse among packs. Ruthless. Unforgiving. A wolf who ruled through fear as much as strength. And somehow, impossibly… my mate. His lips curved, but it wasn’t a smile. It was something darker, something that stripped the breath from my lungs. “Mine.” His voice was deep, velvet stretched over steel. I stumbled back, shaking my head violently. “No… not you.” Arthur’s gaze flicked over me, sharp and assessing. “Your wolf knows the truth. I can feel it.” A violent shiver rolled down my spine. He was right. My wolf, the part of me I’d tried so hard to silence, clawed at my insides, desperate to respond. I clenched my fists. “I don’t care what the bond says. I’m not yours.” The Alpha tilted his head, eyes glinting with dangerous amusement. “The bond doesn’t ask. It claims.” Before I could spit another denial, a branch snapped behind me. My blood froze. Another shadow stepped into the clearing, quieter, sharper, but no less commanding. Silver eyes. His presence was different from Arthur’s. Where Arthur’s dominance pressed down like a storm, this man’s energy cut cleanly, like a blade. He wasn’t an Alpha, but strength radiated off him all the same—solid, dependable, unshakable. Michael. I didn’t know him, but I recognized the way his gaze locked onto Arthur, then shifted to me with something fierce—protective, even angry. “Arthur,” Michael said, his voice calm but edged in steel. “She’s terrified.” Arthur’s smirk vanished. “She’s mine.” “She’s not property,” Michael snapped back. The tension between them was instant, suffocating. Two predators, circling, clashing without moving. My heart hammered so violently I thought it might break through my ribs. And me? I was caught in the middle, bound by a bond I didn’t want, dragged into a war I didn’t understand. “I don’t care who either of you are,” I managed to whisper, my throat raw. “I just want to be free.” Arthur’s gaze snapped back to me, molten and merciless. “You’ll never be free of me, little one. Not now. Not ever.” His words were a promise. A warning. A prison. And as the howls of rogues broke the silence again, closer than before, I realized one horrifying truth: Arthur might be the monster I feared most… But he was also the only thing standing between me and the monsters that wanted me dead. --- The Rogues Arrive The growls came first, low and guttural. My pulse jumped as glowing eyes ringed the clearing, sliding out from the shadows. Five. No—six rogues. Their pelts were matted, bodies scarred, movements feral. Arthur’s golden gaze sharpened, deadly calm. “Stay behind me.” “I don’t take orders from you,” I shot back, but the tremor in my voice betrayed me. Michael shifted closer, his arm brushing mine. His eyes never left the rogues. “Do exactly as he says, Ivy. This isn’t a fight you can survive.” My mouth dried. He knew my name. Before I could question it, the rogues lunged. Arthur moved like a storm unleashed. His shift was instant—bones cracking, body stretching, fur erupting. A massive black wolf landed in the center of the clearing, teeth bared, eyes glowing like fire. His roar shook the trees. Michael didn’t shift. Instead, he pulled a blade from his belt, silver glinting under the moon. He met the first rogue with terrifying precision, slashing and twisting with movements too quick to follow. I stood frozen, breath caught in my throat as chaos exploded around me. Arthur’s wolf tore through rogues like they were nothing, his power absolute, brutal. Michael fought with the grace of a seasoned warrior, cutting down any wolf that broke past Arthur’s defense. And me? I was useless. Helpless. Prey. A rogue slipped past them both, eyes locked on me. My heart stopped. Its snarl was the last thing I heard before it lunged. I screamed—then hit the ground hard, the weight of the beast crushing me. Its rancid breath filled my nose, claws tearing at my skin. Panic choked me as I pushed against it, weak, failing. Then silver flashed. Michael was there, ripping the rogue off me with raw strength, his blade driving straight into its chest. The wolf collapsed, twitching, then stilled. “Are you hurt?” His voice was strained, breathless, but his hands checked me carefully. “I—I’m fine,” I stammered, though my chest was burning and my arms were bleeding. Arthur’s growl ripped through the clearing, snapping my gaze up. He stood over the last fallen rogue, his muzzle dripping with blood, eyes locked not on me… but on Michael’s hand still gripping my arm. In a blink, Arthur shifted back, naked, body heaving with exertion. The raw, lethal power of him in human form was worse than the wolf. He strode to us, golden eyes blazing. “Don’t touch her.” Michael didn’t move his hand. “She would’ve been dead if I hadn’t.” The air crackled, the bond inside me burning hotter as Arthur’s gaze pinned me. His chest rose and fell with each furious breath, but when he spoke, his voice was low, commanding. “She is mine.” The words silenced the forest. They silenced me. Because they weren’t just a declaration. They were a mark. A claim. A truth etched into my soul whether I wanted it or not. And as I stared into Arthur’s eyes, my skin still tingling from Michael’s touch, I realized something far worse than being hunted by rogues. My fate wasn’t mine anymore. It belonged to a monster… and a rival who dared to defy him.