Chapter 1 - The Raid

The night smelled of blood and pine.

I ran.

My bare feet pounded against wet leaves and sharp broken branches. Each step sent jolts of pain up my legs. My chest burned with every breath. My heartbeat pounded so violently it shook my ribs. Behind me, howls ripped through the dark. They were deep and hungry. They were closing in fast.

I should not have left the safe house. I knew the rules: stay hidden. Stay quiet. Never let them scent you.

But food had run out three days ago. Hunger made me stupid.

Now the pack that ruled these mountains had my trail.

I hide under a low branch. Thorns tore at my arms. Silver moonlight sliced through the trees and caught on my skin. It was pale, too pale. The kind of skin that glows when you do not want it to. My silver eyes, the curse my mother always called a gift, reflected the light like coins in water. Easy to spot. Easy to hunt.

A growl rolled from my left. It was close. Too close.

I turned right. My lungs screamed. I stumbled into a clearing.

Three shadows waited.

They did not move. They did not need to. Power rolled off them in waves. It was thick enough to choke on. Alphas. Not just any alphas. They were the triad everyone whispered about in the border villages, the ones who took what they wanted and left nothing behind.

Thorne Blackwood stood in the center. He was tall and broad. His black hair was cropped short. His green eyes were sharp as broken glass. Scars crossed his bare forearms like maps of old wars. A heavy silver chain hung around his neck. Even from twenty feet away, I could see the glint of metal lower down. Piercings. Thick and deliberate. They showed against the tight leather of his pants.

To his right stood Aurelius Voss. His golden hair was tied back. His blue eyes were stormy. His body was coiled like he was seconds from exploding. His lips curled in a half-snarl, half-smile. His scent hit me next: smoke and cedar and raw aggression.

To the left stood Cassian Reyes. He had darker skin. His long black hair hung loose over his shoulders. His amber eyes locked on me like I was already his. He did not smile. He did not speak. He just watched. That stare felt heavier than the other two combined.

I froze.

My body reacted before my mind could catch up.

Heat bloomed low in my belly. Slick gathered between my thighs. It was warm and shameful. My hole clenched on nothing. It ached in a way it never had before. Biology. Fucking biology. The omega in me recognized them. Wanted them. Hated that it wanted them.

Thorne stepped forward first. His boots crunched leaves. His voice came low, rough and amused.

“Silver eyes. So the rumors were true.”

I bared my teeth. “Stay back.”

Aurelius laughed. The sound was short, sharp, mean. “He’s got bite. I like that.”

Cassian said nothing. His gaze dropped to my throat, then lower. It lingered on the way my thin shirt clung to my sweat-damp skin.

Thorne tilted his head. “You ran well, little omega. But the chase is over.”

I took one step back.

They took three steps forward.

No more running.

Thorne moved faster than I expected for someone his size. One hand clamped around my wrist. It was iron-hard. He yanked me forward. I stumbled into his chest. It was solid muscle, hot skin. The faint metallic tang of his piercings pressed through the fabric. His other hand gripped my jaw. He forced my face up.

“Look at me,” he ordered.

I glared.

His thumb brushed my bottom lip. It was rough. “Pretty mouth. Shame it’s so full of fight.”

Slick dripped down my inner thigh. I clenched my legs together. I felt mortified.

Aurelius circled behind me. His breath grazed my neck. “Smell that? He’s already looking for us.”

Cassian finally moved. Slow. Deliberate. He reached out and dragged one finger along my collarbone. He went down to the hollow of my throat. No words. Just touch. Claim.

My knees buckled.

Thorne caught me under the arms. He held me upright like I weighed nothing.

“Take him,” he said to the others. Simple. Final.

Aurelius grabbed my other wrist. Cassian took my waist from behind.

They lifted me as if I were nothing more than a hunt already won.

I thrashed. I kicked. I cursed.

It did not matter.

They carried me deeper into the forest. They took me toward the dark heart of their territory.

Toward the place where rules did not exist.

Toward the place where I would be broken.

And remade.