Promised to the Alfa's Son, Fated to Another

Chapter two

Casey slammed her bedroom door shut, chest rising and falling too quickly. Darkness wrapped around the room, broken only by the glow of lanterns outside. Panic crawled under her skin, sharp and merciless, until she thought she might suffocate.

Her wolf gave no comfort. The channel was closed, locked tight. She was stranded in her own fear.

Her eyes caught on the small bottle near the bed. She shook a pill into her hand and swallowed it dry, knowing it would take too long to help. Too long when her body screamed to break free.

Rain hammered the windows. She pressed her forehead against the cold glass, counting the racing drops to slow her breathing. One, two, three… but calm never came. The air shifted, heavy and charged, and the hairs on her neck rose. Someone was watching.

Her wolf stirred suddenly, restless and sharp. Run.

Casey’s hands obeyed before her mind caught up. She tore at her clothes, scattering fabric across the floor—sweater, jeans, shirt—layer by layer until nothing stood between her and the change. Bones snapped, skin burned, and in the next instant her caramel-colored wolf leapt into the storm. White markings blazed across her back and paws as rain soaked into her fur.

From the shadows outside, Neil watched. He had seen her silhouette at the window, aching when she disappeared from the light. But then… her wolf. His breath caught, chest tight. She was nothing like he had imagined. Caramel fur glistening under the storm, white sigils curling across her body like sacred paint. She was breathtaking. Dangerous. Untouchable.

Every instinct in him screamed to follow, but the sharp scent of another wolf—one carrying Alpha Satton’s blood—burned through the rain. Neil stayed in the bushes, fists clenched, jaw tight. He would not risk exposing himself, not yet. But his eyes followed her until the forest swallowed her completely.

Casey ran. The night wrapped around her, the ground slick with rain, her paws pounding in perfect rhythm. With every stride, fear bled out of her chest. She was nothing but muscle, speed, and freedom. The storm became part of her—the sting of rain on her fur, the taste of lightning in the air.

For miles she didn’t think, didn’t ache, didn’t remember. She was only motion. Only release.

At the edge of the territory she slowed, the scent markers burning sharp in her nose. She traced the border, chest still heaving, ready to circle back. But then the forest shifted.

A shadow lunged.

The black wolf crashed into her path, massive, powerful, fangs bared. Casey twisted, snarling, her claws gouging the earth. He circled her with deliberate steps, each movement radiating dominance. His growl rolled through the storm like thunder, demanding she bow.

Casey lowered her stance but did not yield. Her lips curled back over her teeth, ears pinned, defiance in every line of her body.

He lunged, slamming his weight into hers. She staggered but didn’t fall. His muzzle pressed against her neck, teeth grazing the vulnerable line of her throat. Every instinct screamed at her to submit. To roll over. To let him claim victory.

But Casey’s wolf snapped back with a savage growl, twisting out from under him and raking her claws across his shoulder. He snarled in surprise, golden eyes flashing. She didn’t run. She stood her ground.

For long, breathless seconds, they clashed—teeth snapping inches from flesh, paws tearing up the earth, muscles locked in a brutal contest of will. Rain turned the clearing into mud, splattering their coats, but neither broke.

Finally, the black wolf pulled back, chest heaving. He regarded her with something more than aggression now—something sharp, unsettling. He stepped closer, lowered his muzzle, and inhaled deeply, drawing in her scent. Recognition flickered in his eyes.

Casey froze, heart stumbling. The air between them thickened, electric and undeniable.

The black wolf held her gaze for a final beat, then turned and melted back into the trees.

Casey stood trembling in the rain, her chest tight, her wolf shivering from something far greater than fear.

She knew. She felt it in her bones.

She had just met her mate.