Cold air slapped against my skin as he carried me out of the monastery.
The night felt different outside.
Wilder.
Darker.
Alive.
I twisted in his arms, panic clawing its way up my throat. "Put me down! Please—just let me go!"
He didn't even look at me.
As if my struggle meant nothing.
As if I meant nothing.
But that wasn't true.
I could feel it.
That strange pull in my chest again—stronger now, tighter—like an invisible thread binding me to him.
It made it hard to breathe.
"I'm not going with you," I said, my voice shaking despite my effort to sound strong.
His grip tightened slightly.
"You already are."
The forest swallowed us whole.
Tall trees towered above, their branches twisting like skeletal fingers under the moonlight. Shadows moved in ways that made my heart race, as if something was watching from every direction.
Or many things.
Behind us, I heard them.
Footsteps.
Fast.
Heavy.
Not human.
I turned my head just enough to see them—
Wolves.
Huge.
Massive creatures with glowing eyes and powerful bodies running silently through the forest.
My breath hitched.
This wasn't possible.
Wolves didn't grow that large.
Didn't move like that.
Didn't look… intelligent.
Fear flooded my veins.
"What are they?" I whispered.
The man carrying me didn't slow.
"My pack."
My stomach dropped.
"No… no, that's not possible…"
"You'll learn," he said calmly.
"I don't want to learn!"
That finally made him glance down at me.
His golden eyes gleamed under the moonlight.
Sharp.
Predatory.
Unforgiving.
"You don't get a choice."
My chest tightened.
"I have a life. I belong to the church."
He let out a low, almost amused sound.
"Not anymore."
Anger flared through my fear.
"You can't just take people!"
"I can take whatever is mine."
"I'm not yours!"
The moment the words left my mouth, something inside me pulsed.
Pain.
Sharp and sudden.
I gasped, clutching at my chest.
The man stopped walking.
For the first time, real focus entered his expression.
"What is it?"
"I—" I struggled to breathe. "Something… hurts…"
His eyes darkened.
Not with cruelty.
With concern.
That confused me more than anything.
He shifted me slightly in his arms, one hand pressing lightly against my back as if steadying me.
"Breathe," he said, his voice lower now.
I tried.
But that strange pull only grew stronger.
Like something was waking up inside me.
Something I didn't understand.
His gaze dropped to my neck.
To the cross resting against my skin.
For a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes.
Displeasure.
Then it was gone.
The pain eased as quickly as it came.
I sucked in a shaky breath.
"What… what was that?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he resumed walking.
Faster this time.
More urgent.
"Nothing you need to worry about."
"That didn't feel like nothing!"
"It will."
His tone shut down any further argument.
I swallowed hard, my mind spinning.
None of this made sense.
Wolves.
Monsters.
A man with glowing eyes claiming I belonged to him.
And that pain…
It felt real.
Too real.
After what felt like forever, the forest began to thin.
Lights appeared ahead.
Warm.
Golden.
My breath caught as we stepped out into a massive clearing.
A village stood before us.
But not like any village I had ever seen.
Large houses made of dark wood.
Torches burning along the paths.
People moving about—men and women—but something about them felt… off.
Their movements.
Their eyes.
Their presence.
Every single one of them turned the moment we stepped into the clearing.
And then—
Silence.
Complete silence.
They were all staring at us.
No.
At me.
A low murmur spread through the crowd.
"Who is she?"
"Is that—"
"It can't be…"
My heart pounded.
The man carrying me didn't slow as he walked straight through them.
No one dared to step in his way.
Their gazes shifted to him.
Respect.
Fear.
Submission.
"Alpha…" someone whispered.
Alpha.
The word echoed in my mind.
My stomach dropped.
No.
No, that couldn't be—
He stopped in front of a massive structure at the center of the village.
A mansion.
Dark.
Intimidating.
Commanding.
The doors opened before we even reached them.
Like they had been expecting him.
Inside, the air felt heavier.
Warmer.
More dangerous.
He carried me through long halls lined with dark wood and dim lights until we reached a large room.
A bedroom.
Luxurious.
Yet suffocating.
He finally set me down on my feet.
The moment he let go, I stumbled back, putting as much distance between us as possible.
My heart raced as I stared at him.
"You're not human," I said.
It wasn't a question.
He watched me carefully.
"No."
My throat tightened.
"You're one of them."
"Yes."
Fear twisted in my chest.
"What are you?"
He took a step closer.
I took one back.
"Don't come any closer."
He stopped.
But his presence still filled the room.
"Say it," he said.
My hands trembled.
"You're… a monster."
Silence fell.
For a moment, I thought he might get angry.
But instead—
He smiled.
Slow.
Dangerous.
"If that helps you understand."
My breath shook.
"What do you want from me?"
His golden eyes locked onto mine.
Sharp.
Unrelenting.
"Everything."
My heart skipped.
"I don't even know you!"
"You will."
"I won't stay here!"
His expression didn't change.
"You don't have a choice."
Anger surged through me.
"I will find a way out."
Something flashed in his eyes.
Interest.
"Try."
I clenched my fists.
"I will."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The air between us felt charged.
Heavy.
Like something unseen was tightening with every second.
Then he said quietly—
"My name is Darius."
The name settled over me like a shadow.
"Lucia," I replied automatically.
"I know."
That sent a chill down my spine.
Of course he knew.
He had taken me.
Planned this.
Everything.
"I want to go back," I said.
"You can't."
"You won't even let me try?"
"No."
My chest tightened again.
That same strange pull.
Stronger this time.
I gasped slightly, my hand flying to my heart.
Darius noticed instantly.
His entire body went still.
"What is it?"
"I don't know… it keeps happening…"
His jaw clenched.
Then slowly…
He stepped closer.
This time, I didn't move.
I couldn't.
My body felt frozen.
His hand lifted.
Hesitated.
Then pressed lightly against my chest.
Right over my heart.
The moment he touched me—
Everything exploded.
A sharp surge of heat shot through my body.
My breath caught.
My vision blurred.
And for a split second…
I saw something.
Not the room.
Not the mansion.
A memory.
Or a vision.
Blood.
Fire.
A massive silver wolf standing under a red moon.
And beside it—
A man.
Golden eyes.
Watching me.
Waiting.
I stumbled back, breaking the contact.
"What—what was that?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
Darius stared at me.
Not confused.
Not surprised.
Certain.
His voice dropped to something deeper.
More dangerous.
More possessive.
"That," he said slowly, "was the bond."
My heart pounded.
"What bond?"
He took another step closer.
And this time…
I didn't move.
Because something inside me didn't want to.
His gaze burned into mine as he spoke the words that changed everything.
"The mate bond."
The room spun.
"No…"
"Yes."
"I'm not—"
"You are."
My breath quickened.
"This isn't real."
"It is."
"I don't belong to you."
His eyes darkened.
"You do."
The air grew heavy again.
Suffocating.
Terrifying.
And then—
A knock suddenly echoed at the door.
Darius didn't look away from me.
"Enter."
The door opened slowly.
A man stepped inside, his expression tense.
"Alpha… the elders have arrived."
Darius's jaw tightened.
"Already?"
"Yes. And…" the man hesitated.
Darius's voice sharpened.
"What?"
The man glanced at me.
Then said the words that made my blood run cold—
"They say the girl must be tested immediately."
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Darius's gaze slowly shifted back to me.
His expression changed.
Darkened.
"Tested for what?" I whispered.
No one answered.
But something in his eyes told me everything I needed to know.
Whatever this "test" was…
It wasn't going to prove I was normal.
It was going to prove something far worse.
And for the first time since this nightmare began—
I realized something truly terrifying.
I might not be human at all.