Mate.

“Sexy,” the man muttered in Claudia’s ear.

Claudia couldn’t stop crying as she struggled to free herself from his grip, but he was far too strong.

Inside her, Nyx whimpered in pain, urging her to fight, though Claudia knew it was hopeless.

“It won’t hurt now that you’ve finally given in,” he sneered.

His companions stood around them, watching with twisted amusement. Their whispers carried through the night.

“She’s going to make him feel great.”

“I heard her mate rejected her so no one will care if she’s used and discarded.”

“She’s a wolfless girl. I just hope her curse doesn’t rub off on us.”

Each word cut into Claudia, making her sob harder. She knew if they succeeded, the entire pack would find out, and the shame would crush her beyond repair.

If they do this to me… I’ll end it all. I can’t keep living like this, Claudia thought, her heart sinking further into despair.

The man pressed her hands into the brittle leaves and leaned in, his lips aiming for hers as she turned her face away in silent, resisting the kiss.

Claudia’s spirit felt as if it were being torn from her body as tears streamed down her face, terrified of being touched by such a vile man.

Claudia thought she had slipped away until he seized her chin and crushed his lips against hers in a brutal kiss.

It was savage, forceful and suffocating like a predator devouring its prey.

His guttural moans echoed through the trees, sending shivers down her spine.

To Claudia, he was nothing but a monster, revolting and cruel. The taste of the kiss was foul, tainted with the bitter stench of smoke and alcohol that made Claudia nearly gagged.

She tried to mask her disgust but she had no strength to resist his power, no courage to push him away.

He loomed over her, claiming her as though she were nothing more than garbage.

Claudia’s tears, to him, were meaningless. Her body to him was an object and he treated her as though she were disposable, something to be used once and forgotten.

“Let’s get this over with,” he muttered, pulling away from the kiss only to tear away the last shred of Claudia’s clothing.

In one swift motion, her bra was gone, discarded carelessly to the ground.

“Please…” Claudia’s voice cracked as she begged. “Please don’t do this to me. I’ll do anything… just let me go.”

He smacked Claudia across the cheek, forcing her into silence as warm blood trickled from her nose.

Lowering his body again, he pressed his mouth toward her breast, his hand gripping her roughly.

Claudia jerked to the side, fighting to stop him, but his furious eyes burned as he pinned her to the ground, driven by hunger and cruelty.

“Arrrrhhhhh! Please, just spare me this once!” Claudia begged, shaking her head wildly.

Her heart pounded with terror. In that moment she felt everything slipping away. Her first kiss, her innocence, her hope, her faith in the pack and her very sense of worth.

Pain racked Claudia’s body, but the weight and lips of the man silenced her screams.

Tears spilled relentlessly down Claudia’s face as she prayed he would stop. Instead, he grinned, winking at her with disgusting satisfaction.

Then Claudia’s eyes caught something glinting near his hip. It was a dagger which had carelessly slipped from his pocket.

Immediately, a flicker of hope stirred in her chest.

Claudia steadied her breathing, forcing her body to go limp, pretending she had surrendered completely.

Staring at the sky, she let her tears fall unchecked and slowly, her hand crept along the ground, searching.

After some seconds of searching, Claudia’s fingers brushed the cold steel dagger.

Closing her grip around the dagger, she drew him closer with her right hand, feigning submission.

His friends, laughing and jeering, were too engrossed in the scene to notice the blade hidden in Claudia’s hand.

The man who lay above Claudia assumed she was enjoying it and leaned closer, pressing a kiss against her neck after flooding her mouth with his disgusting saliva.

But before he could go further, Claudia’s trembling hand slid the sharp, double-edged dagger upward, pressing it against his throat.

With one desperate thrust, the blade cut deep.

He was caught completely off guard that the dagger tore through his carotid artery, and hot blood spurted across Claudia’s face and chest.

The young man clutched at his throat, eyes blazing with fury and shock. “Ar—howlllll!” His dying roar was soon echoed by his companions, their howls ripping through the forest as they began shifting into their wolf forms.

Claudia staggered backward, horrified by what she had done. He had tried to rape her, and now he was dead at her hands.

I just murdered someone… she sobbed inwardly, frozen in place.

Her body no longer felt like her own. It was trembling uncontrollably, drenched in blood, tainted beyond repair.

No matter how much Claudia wanted to wash it all away, the sensation of filth clung to her.

Her gaze was locked on the lifeless figure at her feet and for some seconds, the world around Claudia faded.

Then a chilling realization struck. His friends were now shifting into their wolf form.

The sound of snapping bones and tearing skin filled the air as monstrous forms replaced human ones.

Claudia stomach twisted, her legs weakened, and denial clouded her thoughts.

They began to growl while rushing towards her in rage.

Swiftly, Claudia shut her eyes, bracing for the inevitable.

But then…

“Mate!”

The seductive words of an handsome young man rolled through the forest in a deep, commanding voice that froze everything around Claudia.