Alpha Reid's Bound Mate

RAYNE

The damp smell of earth and rain filled my nostrils. The sound of twigs snapping under my boots became the only sound in the quiet forest.

I had no idea where I was, and I lost cell service an hour ago. I pulled a map out of my backpack before hopelessly staring at it.

"Which way is North?" I whispered to myself. I tossed the useless map to the ground, watching it sink into a puddle of mud. I let out a defeated sigh before wandering deeper into the woods.

The sun was beginning to set, and the cold night air slowly rolled in. How on earth am I going to find the camping site again?

A rustling of leaves behind me instantly caught my attention. My head snapped to where the sound came from, but nothing was there.

A cold shiver ran down my spine as it started feeling like I was being watched. When I turned back around, I found a pair of golden eyes burning into me.

I stumbled back in fear and landed flat on my ass. A wolf, large and black, towered over me. I scurried back, hands slipping on mud. My back hit into a tree trunk, forcing me to stop.

A deep growl erupted from the wolf's chest. My heart hammered against my ribs as he slowly prowled closer to me.

The sound of bones snapping suddenly echoed through the forest. My eyes widened when the wolf turned into a tall naked man.

He had short black hair, deep blue eyes that shifted back to gold in an instant, milky skin, and a scar running across his chest.

My eyes trailed lower, but I squeezed my eyes shut before I got to his lower half. My heart was beating too fast, and my breath became ragged.

He was a werewolf. An actual werewolf just shifted in front of me. I had to have been dreaming.

A hand roughly closed around my arm, snapping me out of my thoughts. I was pulled forward until I crashed against his toned chest. The scent of him, sandalwood and pine, invaded all my senses.

"Human," he rasped, his lips brushing over mine. The contact sent a needy throb straight to my core. What the hell was wrong with me?

"Please let me go," I finally managed to utter in a hushed whisper. "I didn't know this was private property."

A cold smirk lifted the corner of his mouth. "I'm still deciding if I'm going to keep you or break you. Maybe I'll do both."

"Please," I whispered, tears rolling down my flushed cheeks.

A dark laugh came from his throat. "Please, Alpha," he corrected me before removing the straps of my backpack from my shoulders. The bag dropped to the ground with a soft thud, making me jump in fear.

"Please, Alpha," I whispered against his lips, and his smirk deepened.

He grabbed the collar of my hiking shirt, his knuckles grazing my collarbone.

"Let me check what you're hiding under all this gear first. I want to see if the rest of you is as delicious as you smell."

He ripped the fabric of my shirt down the middle, and the sound of material tearing echoed through the trees.

His gaze darkened on my exposed skin. His eyes burned into the white lace of my underwear.

He pressed his knee between mine before spreading my legs apart. The throbbing sensation between my thighs worsened. I was completely wet for a monster. A man who could kill me in less than a second.

He roughly hooked his fingers into the waistband of my panties. "I'll give you a head start. If you can outrun me for five minutes, I will let you leave."

Hope flickered inside of me. He would let me leave. But could I outrun him with a five-minute head start? The hope left just as fast as it came. This was a setup; he knew I would lose in a race against him.

"What if I can't outrun you?"

He leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. "Then I'll make you my little sex slave. My favorite toy, one I intend to play with until you're screaming for mercy."

He unhooked his hands from my panties, and I turned my back to him. I left my backpack in the dirt and started running as fast as my legs could carry me.

I needed to at least try. He was giving me a five-minute head start. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I disappeared into the woods. I didn't look back, I just kept going.

The camping site finally came back into my line of view. "Help!" I started screaming. I looked back and was relieved to see nothing but trees.

The five minutes weren't over yet. I kept running until I reached the main road again. I could actually escape him, I could actually make it back to the camping site alive.

My blood ran cold when tree branches snapped behind me. I turned around and found him running towards me. His pace was steady.

He seemed confident in his ability to catch me. I wiped the tears from my cheeks while running further down the road. "Somebody help!"

My words died in the air as two strong arms wrapped around my waist, reminding me of my ripped shirt.

"No one is coming for you. From the moment you stepped over my border, you became mine." He whispered into my ear.

"I'm going to use you until the only thing you know how to ask for is more." He promised while keeping me caged in his arms, and a helpless whimper escaped my lips.