He really bit me.
I mean—he really did. Like an animal.
My body tensed at the act, and I tried to squirm free beneath him. Was he… going to eat me?
Instead of loosening, his grip tightened; his fingers tangled into my hair, holding me firmly in place as he pressed his body against mine. While the pressure at my neck remained, that sharp pain slowly began to dissolve.
Almost as quickly, it gave way to something else… pleasure? A warmth spread from my neck inward, moving through me as if it were flowing inside my veins; as it expanded in waves, my muscles loosened and my breathing quickened. The sensation didn't stop—on the contrary, it sank deeper with every passing second, and no matter how much I resisted, I couldn't fight it. Instead of resisting the change, my body yielded to it, relaxing as if it had already made its choice.
My mind blurred, my thoughts scattered; even that thought from moments ago lost its meaning and slipped away.
Yet through that haze, the whispers rising from the crowd slowly began to reach me; then came whistles, and applause spread through the hall—as if they were celebrating something. As the tightness in my chest grew heavier, one question echoed in my mind: Why were they reacting like this?
Unless…
Was I the one they were going to eat?
I didn't even have to try to push him away; the moment Arkan pulled his teeth from my neck, Kongar lunged forward and slammed into him, and the two of them were thrown away from me, several steps apart.
With that sudden absence, my knees gave out; I collapsed before I could regain my balance, managing only to brace myself against the leg of the table. Before I could find the strength to stand, a sharp pain flared in my neck again. I let out a strained whimper as my hand moved there on its own. The instant I felt the wetness beneath my fingers, I cursed under my breath.
When I pulled my hand back and looked, I saw the blood.
My eyes widened in fear, and I scrambled under the table, trying to hide. There was no tablecloth, so I could see everyone clearly—at least their feet. When a pair of shoes started approaching me, I tensed and pulled myself farther back.
"Kayra, calm down. You don't need to be afraid," a familiar voice said. It had to be Soren.
But I didn't respond.
"I can smell blood," he said, and the fear inside me grew even stronger. If he could smell it… then the others could too.
"Alpha! Kayra is bleeding!" Soren shouted.
At his words, my body began to tremble; I didn't want him coming near me. I looked around, searching for Arkan, and found them by the door. Kongar stood with his back to me, blocking the way; every time Arkan took a step forward, he moved in front of him to stop him. Even when Arkan threw him aside, Kongar appeared in front of him again, over and over.
Kongar really was protecting me. At least… a faint hope stirred inside me that I might still get out of this.
As I watched them, I felt a slight movement beneath the table. When I turned my head, I found myself face to face with a little girl.
"Luna, are we playing hide and seek?" she asked with a soft smile.
I didn't trust that smile. Small or not, it didn't matter—they were all the same.
Before I could answer, a woman bent down, grabbed her, and pulled her away from under the table.
"Get out of my way, freak!" Arkan growled.
At that growl, I didn't know what to do; I scrambled back and forth beneath the table, but there was nowhere to escape. Others were lunging toward Kongar as well, but they were too slow for him.
My vision blurred further, and the trembling in my body intensified. When I touched my neck again, I felt that the bleeding hadn't stopped—it had gotten worse.
Slowly, I lowered myself where I was. I felt exhausted, freezing; maybe if I closed my eyes, I would feel better.
"Kongar…" I whispered, hoping he would hear me and stay beside me while I slept.
As if he had heard me, he suddenly stopped and looked at me. His eyes were completely black, and his suit was disheveled; it looked strangely mismatched on him, almost tacky—nothing like his usual self. The thought brought a faint smile to my lips, and I closed my eyes for a brief moment.
When I opened them again, I met Arkan's bright blue gaze.
And then the world went dark.
---
The weight on top of me was crushing; I couldn't even move from side to side. When I slowly opened my eyes, I was met with a blinding light.
"Damn it," I muttered.
At that moment, the weight over me shifted and pressed down even harder. Annoyed, I reached up to push it away—my fingers caught on something soft, and I grabbed it, pulling…
Fur?
I jerked upright, eyes snapping open. A massive black wolf stood before me. I screamed, trying to shove that heavy head off me.
The door suddenly burst open, and Kongar rushed inside.
"Are you alright, my master?" he asked, quickly coming to my side.
Alright? How could I possibly be alright like this? He was going to finish what he started… He had even taken his wolf form to make it easier to tear me apart.
"He's going to eat me! Do something!"
As I said that, he moved closer and tried to lick my face. Animals did that before they ate, didn't they?
Kongar looked at me, then at the wolf who seemed intent on devouring me. Why wasn't he doing anything?
"My master, it doesn't seem like he's trying to eat you," he said with that infuriating smile.
I wanted to wipe that expression right off his face.
"He's just… happy you're awake," he added.
At that, I turned my gaze back to the wolf, and our eyes met. My heartbeat quickened as I felt warmth spreading across my neck. Reflexively, my hand went there; I checked the wound, but… there was nothing.
It was just burning.
A soft hiss slipped from me as I tensed.
At my reaction, he let out a low whine and leaned toward my neck. Before I could stop him, the warmth of his tongue brushed against my skin. I shoved him back immediately.
When my hand returned to my neck… this time, there was no pain. Had he used some kind of wolf-born power?
He whined again and pulled away from me, then turned and walked toward a chair in the corner of the room. The moment he stopped in front of the clothes draped over it, his body tensed—and in the next instant, he shifted back into his human form.
My eyes traced Arkan's back from top to bottom without meaning to. As I watched the movement of his muscles, my gaze drifted lower—just as he pulled on his pants.
"Seems like you enjoyed the view," Arkan said, turning toward me with a grin.
I could feel my ears burning with embarrassment. I grabbed the pillow behind me and threw it at him; I didn't even know why I did it—maybe starting a fight would help me escape this humiliation.
Arkan just kept grinning. He caught the pillow effortlessly, pressed it against his chest, and began walking toward me with slow, confident steps.
As he came closer, the moment he bit me flashed back into my mind.
I immediately turned my head toward Kongar.
"Don't let him come near me," I said.
At my words, Arkan growled at Kongar, but he couldn't stop him from stepping between us.
"You're mine," he said, his voice deepening, and those words stirred something inside me in a way I hadn't expected. I shook my head, trying to push the thought away.
"I don't belong to anyone!" I shouted, still standing behind Kongar. He was blocking my view of Arkan.
He growled again at my words. Then, in a lower, deeper tone, he repeated:
"You're mine."
Anger flared, and I shoved Kongar aside, fixing my gaze directly on Arkan.
"No—you're mine," I said, pointing a finger at him.
But the reaction I expected never came.
Instead… he purred.
I froze. Shouldn't he have been angry? He was an Alpha—a leader. He should have taken that as disrespect.
"Yes," Arkan said, his eyes flashing for a brief moment, "I am yours."
Then he threw the pillow at me. Just as it was about to hit, Kongar stepped in and caught it midair.
Taking advantage of that brief distraction, Arkan moved—appearing beside me in an instant. He was already sitting at the edge of the bed. I stared at him, caught somewhere between shock and fear.
Meanwhile, Kongar, as if nothing had happened, placed the pillow behind my back.
Was that really important right now?
When Arkan slowly reached his hand toward me, I leaned back instinctively—until my head hit the headboard and I had nowhere else to go. He gently brushed the strand of hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear.
"You're beautiful," he said, leaning closer.
Just as his lips were about to meet mine, I covered his mouth with my hand.
Pervert.
He was going to kiss me. The moment my skin touched his, that familiar tingling spread through me again; it only made my nerves worse.
I immediately turned my gaze to Kongar, frowning.
"Why aren't you stopping him?" I asked.
"He is now your mate," Kongar said, as if it were something I should have already known.
"You too? Have you started with this nonsense as well?" I snapped. My voice came out sharp, yet something uneasy stirred inside me—something I couldn't explain.
For a moment, he looked at me as if he didn't understand. Then his gaze slowly shifted to my neck—to the place where I had been bitten. He raised his hand and pointed at it.
"He marked you," Kongar said. "That is how you formed a bond with him."
He paused briefly; a faint glimmer appeared in his eyes as he added,
"Just like the one you formed with me."