LOGINThe doors of the black vehicles swung open in perfect unison, cutting off any chance of escape toward the main road.
A dozen men dressed in matching dark uniforms stepped onto the crushed grass with long rifles pressed firmly against their shoulders.
They formed a tight barricade around the front of the silver sedan, trapping us between the vehicles and the thick brush of the mountain woods.
The thick, pitch-black fur melted away from my skin like shadows fleeing the sunrise, exposing my bare flesh to the harsh, biting chill of the evening wind.Every single joint in my body popped and realigned with explosive force, sending blinding flashes of white-hot agony straight through my skull and down my spine.The pain was so absolute that it blurred the edges of my vision, turning the headlights of the SUVs into glaring, watery streaks of white.Every muscle fiber tore and reknit itself at an accelerated pace, burning through my supernatural energy reserves until I felt lightheaded and dizzy.My broad shoulders cracked into their human proportions, and my ribcage compressed until my lungs screamed for fresh oxygen in the humid air.I slammed my palms flat against the earth, gripping the roots of the grass to keep myself from collapsing on top of her.The sound of my bones breaking was sickening, a wet, crunching noise that made the enforcers take a collective step backward in
The large enforcers clamped their thick hands around the track runner's arms, and the rough contact sent a shockwave of pure panic straight through the mate bond.Jaslyn gasped under my chin, her small fingers tightening desperately in my dark fur as the armed men hauled her terrified friend up from the dirt.My inner beast did not care about the crying human boy, since his weak presence in the woods was nothing more than an annoying distraction to my territory.However, the intense, suffocating fear radiating from my chosen female was an unforgivable offense that demanded immediate retribution.The men were hurting her by taking the boy away, and my feral instincts categorized their obedience to the Alpha King as a direct, active threat to my mate's safety.A bone-rattling snarl ripped out of my throat, vibrating through the solid earth and shaking the loose gravel near the front tires of the silver sedan.I peeled my black lips back to expose my razor-sharp fangs, letting hot saliva
My whisper faded into the thick fur of his neck, and the chaotic tension in the clearing instantly vanished.The massive black wolf beneath my hands let out a long, shuddering sigh, his tense muscles melting into the dirt as he surrendered to my touch.Damien Blackwood kept his glowing amber eyes locked on my face as he slowly lowered his raised hand in the air.The armed enforcers standing around the black SUVs mirrored his movement with extreme hesitation, their disciplined training conflicting with their obvious fear.They lowered the barrels of their tranquilizer rifles toward the ground, though their fingers remained hovering near the triggers just in case the beast snapped again.None of them could comprehend why the feral Alpha was resting his massive chin against the shoulder of a bleeding nursing student.I kept my fingers buried deep within the dark coat, anchoring myself to the steady thrum of his heartbeat while I tried to process the impossible standoff.His immense warmt
The doors of the black vehicles swung open in perfect unison, cutting off any chance of escape toward the main road.A dozen men dressed in matching dark uniforms stepped onto the crushed grass with long rifles pressed firmly against their shoulders.They formed a tight barricade around the front of the silver sedan, trapping us between the vehicles and the thick brush of the mountain woods.I recognized the sharp chemical scent of the animal tranquilizer loaded inside the glass darts, confirming these men were elite pack enforcers rather than normal campus security.The rear door of the lead vehicle pushed open, and Damien Blackwood stepped out into the blinding glare of the headlights.His tailored charcoal suit looked ridiculously out of place in the dirt, yet the furious scowl twisting his fa
The sheer size of his skull pinned my feet to the packed dirt, but I did not try to pull away from his touch.My knees shook so violently that my joints clicked together under the fabric of my jeans, and my chest heaved as I struggled to catch my breath."Jaslyn, step over it!" Connor screamed from the passenger side, his fingers slipping off the door handle in his frantic rush to get inside the car."Kick it in the jaw and get in the car before it changes its mind!"I ignored his hysterical shouting because the intense heat radiating from the wolf captured my full attention.The ambient temperature around my legs spiked, wrapping me in a comforting warmth that chased away the cold chill of my recent blood loss.My left arm throbbed a steady, painful rhythm where Sienna cut me, staining my dark sweater with a wet, sticky patch.Yet, the agonizing sting dulled the longer I stared down into those glowing irises.My exhausted legs finally gave out, refusing to support my standing weight
The massive black beast scrambled to its feet in the dirt just a few yards away from the front bumper of the car.A thick cloud of loose brown dust plumed into the evening air, kicked up by the frantic scraping of its massive paws against the dry earth.Connor dropped his wooden branch and scrambled backward until his spine slammed into the passenger door."Jaslyn, run!" Connor shrieked, his face turning an alarming shade of white as he grabbed the door handle.He yanked on the metal latch, but the passenger door remained stubbornly locked since he dropped his keys in the tall grass during his initial panic."Fuck, fuck, the keys!" Connor panicked, dropping to his knees to blindly search the weeds near the front tire."He missed!" Connor yelled over his shoulder, his hands sweeping through the dirt. "Get ready to get in the car before he jumps again!"I did not move a single inch toward the vehicle, nor did I turn my back on the monster standing near the tree line.My wet sneakers rem
JASLYN'S POVVanessa let go of my arm the exact second he spoke. She dropped her hands to her sides and took a quick step away from me.She smoothed the wrinkles on her tight dress and forced a bright, fake smile onto her face."Damien, darling," Vanessa said. Her voice pitched much higher than nor
JASLYN'S POVThe heavy double doors slammed shut in my face and the loud boom echoed across the empty driveway and faded into the hot summer air.I stood frozen on the top marble step, my heart hammering hard against my ribs. I reached down and touched my waist where Ryder had grabbed me and my ski
RYDER'S POVI watched her stumble backward. Her spine hit the hard stone of the staircase railing. She gasped for air, and she gripped the ledge to keep her balance. My palms burned where I touched her skin and static shock of our connection still sent hot sparks up my arms. My inner wolf paced fr
JASLYN'S POVThe iron gates of the Blackwood estate loomed over my beat-up sedan. I stared through my dusty windshield at the towering metal bars and let out a long sigh. I pressed the intercom button on the security keypad and waited in the stifling summer heat."State your business," a gruff voic







