TR

constant reminder of the journey I had been on. For ten years, I had chased fragments of dreams, v

eave. Ready to f

's voice pierced t

, filled with authority. "Co

as so close to finding the one I had always known was meant for me. But I had no choice.

, his eyes cold and unforgiving. He d

he Stormfang Pack," he declared,

chest tightened. I froze, my hands trembli

he surge of panic. "I will only marry t

of fury. "You will obey," he hissed, his voice low

ing to let him see my f

His hand shot out, slamming across my face with a force that sent me crashing into the marble pillar behind me. Pain exploded th

-

head was spinning, and everything about the room felt wrong. Velvet sheets

wouldn't obey. My body felt li

through the fog, s

re aw

e sat beside me, his cold eyes watching me like a predator.

e barely a whisper. "Now

coil sharp. My body wanted to escape, but

whisper, my voice trembling des

colder. "You can't escape," he murmure

my stomach. I tried to move, to

I screamed, the sound tearing through the silence of t

scent was too close, too sour. His breath skimmed my neck as he tried to mark me, his gr

to my hair-the last gift from my mother. N

wl, his body convulsing in pain. Smoke rose from the wound as the silver burned

and his hands pressed against his side, as if trying to hold in the pain. His body shook, but his face, once full of hatr

my legs unsteady, and the dagger in my hand felt heavier with every step. I winced as the pain from my wounds flared up but kept

the door, I saw it was bolted from the outside. Panic hit me hard

e fought to stay awake. The man who had once been so sure of himself was now just a broken wreck. His blo

side him, forcing him to look at me. His eyes were un

the steel. "Tell me," I whispered, my voice cold, "Where's

tched again, breath rattling, and then, with one last shudder,

ht settled in my chest. The reality of what I'd just done hit me.

me, before the blood trail led back to me. I shoul

egs didn

to turn away, pushing the thoughts aside. There

and adrenaline into a cold, brutal reality. The forest lay ahead of me, its dark trees standing like silent sentinels. I had stolen a horse from the palace stables, but it hadn't lasted long. M

myself. The forest was thick, the trees towering like twisted guards, their branches swaying in the wind. But my vision blurred, my breath cam

t let the

t, too piercing. I stumbled, my heart racing. I froze, panic flooding me. I could hear m

dows, he ste

nd-pound stone had fallen on me. His fur shifted in the moonlight, dark shadows moving with him. His gray eyes glowed, too

arely a breath

ever left mine, and yet, something flickered in thos

ock, the impos

ifying and mesmerizing. The man who stood before me was scarred from countless battles, his chest exposed to the cold night air. He

He reached out, his hands brushing the air as if h

ce low and rough, as if speaking was

ed me faded, leaving only exhaustion. My knees gave out, and I

olid. Wa

safe-f

eginning. The prophecy, the hunt, the wolves-it was all starting