Thunder ripped across the sky as she came back to consciousness.The ground was wet beneath her palms, the air heavy with the smell of earth and blood. Not her blood. Something else's. Something enormous.
A roar.The kind that vibrates in your chest.
She scrambled upright, panic surging. Towering trees surrounded a moonlit clearing. A few meters away, a colossal beast, a predator with four curved fangs, stared at her, ready to strike.There was nowhere to run.
The creature lunged.
And then, suddenly, a dark shape shot between her and the monster.
A man. Or at least… almost a man.Tall, bare-chested, silver hair, glowing yellow eyes, and fangs far too long to be human.
He growled, muscles coiling, and in a fluid motion, he slammed the creature to the ground. The fight lasted a second.
Then he turned toward her.
She wanted to back away, but her legs refused to move. Panic surged, crushing everything. And then… he stopped.
His gaze softened, his breath evened out.
"…What did you do to me?" he murmured, as if speaking to himself.
He knelt before her, sniffing her, sniffing her again, and then swallowed, surprised.
"A human… here?"
Her heart skipped a beat.
He placed a hand on her throat, not to harm her. To feel her pulse.
He shivered.
"You… quiet my instinct."A wolf who could no longer obey its nature.
He lifted his gaze, and she saw something new there. Something dangerous.Something possessive.
"You're coming with me."
And without waiting for an answer, he scooped her up in his arms.
The forest screamed again.But this time, it wasn't the danger she feared.It was the man with wolf's eyes, still trembling under a force he couldn't understand.Her force.