CHAPTER ONE
I felt the weight of his eyes before I even opened mine.
It was heavy. Hot. Possessive. Like a wolf watching his prey—not out of hunger, but irritation. Disgust. Rage.
My shoulder throbbed where the rogue had slashed me. My limbs were weak, my breath shallow, but I was alive.
I had saved a pup.
And now I was paying for it.
When I forced my eyes open, I found myself surrounded by stone. I was no longer in the clearing, no longer hidden in the forest's shadow. I was in a chamber—cold, wide, dimly lit with a brazier crackling near the wall. Chains hung from iron hooks. This wasn't a room. It was a dungeon.
And he was there.
Alpha Kael Thorn.
He leaned against the stone wall opposite me, arms crossed over his broad chest, his expression unreadable. His shirt was torn, stained with blood that wasn't his. His bare arms were corded with muscle, veins pulsing under his skin. His jaw was tight, clenched like he was holding back something dark.
I shifted, groaning softly. My wound had been crudely wrapped in white cloth. Not cleanly. Not kindly. Just enough to keep me from dying.
"I should've left you there," he said, his voice deep and sharp. "Would've saved me the trouble."
I didn't move. I didn't look away. I didn't dare speak.
Because I couldn't.
Even now, with the bond alive between us, I was still voiceless.
Still nothing.
His silver eyes flicked down to my legs, then back to my face. "Mute. Fragile. Useless. And yet the Moon Goddess decided to tie you to me." He let out a bitter laugh. "The gods must be drunk."
My lips parted, but no sound came out. Not even a whisper.
He pushed off the wall and strode toward me.
I flinched.
He paused, amused. "Afraid? Good. You should be."
My fingers curled into the cold stone floor.
"I don't want you," he said flatly. "I don't care what fate says. I will not mate with an omega who can't even shift. You're not my equal. You're not even a proper wolf."
Every word sliced through me, sharper than claws.
But what hurt more… was that he wasn't wrong.
"I should reject you now," he muttered, pacing in front of me like a caged beast. "Publicly. Officially. Tear the bond apart before it sinks its teeth into my spine."
I closed my eyes.
Please, I begged silently. Just do it. End it.
But then he stopped.
Went still.
And I knew he smelled it.
The scent of the bond. The heat between us. That sick, twisted magic that curled in the air, thicker now than before.
Kael's breathing changed.
He took a step closer.
"Why hasn't it broken?" he growled. "I said the words. I rejected you."
I opened my eyes. He was right in front of me now. Towering. Terrifying.
But something flickered in his eyes.
A question. A crack.
He reached down and grabbed my wrist.
The moment his skin touched mine, a spark snapped between us.
We both felt it.
His jaw clenched. He let go like I'd burned him.
"This is wrong," he whispered. "This is wrong."
I wanted to scream that I didn't want this either.
That I never asked for him. That I never wanted to be marked by someone who looked at me like I was filth.
But all I could do was stare.
"I don't trust fate," he said coldly. "I trust power. And you…" His eyes raked down my frame. "You have none."
I blinked back the sting in my eyes. I would not cry. Not here. Not in front of him.
Kael turned and started toward the door.
Then paused.
And without looking back, he said, "You'll stay here until I decide what to do with you. Do not test me. Do not speak to anyone. Do not try to leave."
And then he was gone.
The heavy door slammed shut.
And I was alone.
Again.
---
I didn't know how long I stayed on the floor.
The pain in my shoulder had dulled, but the ache in my chest remained—like something had cracked open inside me. Like something was trying to crawl out.
The mark… the bond… it hadn't broken. Why?
Was it because I didn't speak the rejection aloud?
Was that what fate was waiting for?
I pressed my hand to my heart. It beat hard against my ribs, the pulse of the bond still alive inside me. Faint, but undeniable.
The Moon Goddess hadn't let go.
Neither had he.
Not really.
---
The next time the door opened, I expected Kael.
But it wasn't him.
It was a man with greying hair and sharp blue eyes—dressed in healer's robes. He carried a tray and didn't meet my gaze.
He set the tray down beside me. Bandages. Herbs. A glass of water.
"You're lucky," he muttered. "He doesn't usually show mercy."
I stared.
He sighed and crouched beside me, unwrapping my wound. "Don't flinch. I'm not here to hurt you."
He worked in silence, hands quick and practiced.
After a while, he spoke again. "What's your name?"
I didn't answer.
He glanced at me. "You can't speak?"
I nodded slowly.
"Hmm." He studied me with interest now. "That's rare. Very rare."
When he finished wrapping the wound, he sat back on his heels.
"You know what's even rarer?" he said softly.
I blinked.
"A bond this strong," he murmured, almost to himself. "Your scent is changing. The bond is awakening you."
I frowned.
He stood. "Whatever you are, girl… you're not just an omega."
Then he left.
And I was more confused than ever.
---
That night, I dreamed.
I was standing in a field of silver grass, the moon full above me. I was naked, my body whole and unscathed. The wind whispered a name—mine—but in a voice I didn't recognize.
And then I saw her.
A white wolf.
Beautiful. Majestic. Eyes like mine.
She stared at me for a long moment.
Then she stepped forward and touched her nose to mine.
And I burned.
Fire lit up inside me.
I screamed without sound.
And woke with a jolt.
---
The days passed slowly.
Kael didn't return.
The healer came once more. Brought food. Changed the dressing. Said nothing else.
But each night, the dreams grew more vivid.
The white wolf came closer.
The fire inside me grew hotter.
And my skin—my skin began to itch. Tingle. Like it wasn't mine anymore.
Something was happening.
Something I didn't understand.
---
On the fourth night, the door slammed open.
Kael strode in.
His eyes were wild. His hair disheveled. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths.
He looked at me like he hated me.
Or hated that he didn't.
"I can't get rid of you," he snapped. "I've spoken the words. I've tried to sever the bond. It won't work."
I stood slowly.
His eyes narrowed. "You're changing."
I froze.
"Your scent," he growled. "It's stronger. Wilder."
He crossed the space between us and grabbed my chin, tilting my face up.
Our eyes met.
"Who are you?" he whispered.
I stared into his silver gaze.
Willed him to see me.
Not as a burden.
Not as a weakness.
But as something more.
He let go suddenly and turned away, cursing under his breath.
"I should kill you," he muttered. "End it here. End the pull. End the confusion."
He reached for the dagger on his belt.
My heart stopped.
But then… he didn't move.
He stood there.
Frozen.
Breathing hard.
And then, without warning, he spun and slammed his fist into the wall, cracking the stone.
"Damn you," he hissed.
And before I could react—before I could even breathe—he grabbed me by the neck, pulled me forward…
And bit me.
Hard.
Right at the crook of my neck.
The pain was blinding.
Hot. Piercing.
I collapsed in his arms as the mark sizzled on my skin.
He held me there, panting, trembling.
Then he whispered in my ear:
"You're mine now."
--