Marked by the Alpha King

The forest was never supposed to feel alive at night.But tonight, it did.Eli stopped walking the moment that thought formed in his mind, his breath catching slightly as the darkness ahead seemed to press closer.The flashlight in his hand flickered weakly, throwing unstable beams between the trees. Shadows stretched unnaturally long, twisting between the trunks like something watching from every direction.He tightened his grip.“…This was a bad idea,” he muttered under his breath.His voice sounded too small against the silence.Too exposed.Everyone in his village knew the rules—never enter the forest after sunset. Not even for a shortcut. Not even for curiosity. It wasn’t a superstition anymore. It was survival.People who went in at night didn’t always come back.And when they did…They weren’t the same.Eli had always thought it was exaggerated. Village fear passed down like stories meant to scare children into obedience.But standing here now, surrounded by trees that felt too

The silence between them stretched longer than Eli was comfortable with.The forest around them felt unusually still, as if even the wind had decided to stop moving. Eli stood a few steps away from the man, his heart still unsettled from the words he had just heard.“You’re already mine.”Those words kept repeating in his mind like an echo he couldn’t shut off.Eli clenched his fists.“…Stop saying that,” he said sharply. “I don’t belong to anyone.”The man didn’t react immediately.He just watched Eli quietly, as if studying him.Calm.Unbothered.That calmness irritated Eli more than anything.“What even are you?” Eli asked, his voice rising slightly. “You appear in the forest, you grab me, I wake up with some strange mark on my neck, and now you’re saying I belong to you? Do you even hear how crazy that sounds?”A faint breeze moved through the trees, but the man didn’t break eye contact.After a moment, he finally spoke.“I didn’t force the bond.”Eli frowned immediately.“What do

For a while, neither of them spoke.The forest had gone quiet again, but this silence felt different from before. It wasn’t just empty—it felt like something had just passed through, something violent enough to leave the air unsettled.Eli was still on one knee, his hand pressed tightly against his chest as he tried to steady his breathing.The pain was gone.But the memory of it lingered.That sharp pull.That suffocating pressure.It didn’t feel like anything normal.“…What was that?” he asked finally, his voice low.Kieran stood a few steps in front of him, his back partially turned as he scanned the forest like he didn’t fully trust the quiet.“They were testing the bond,” he said.Eli frowned immediately.“Testing it? You say things like that like it’s normal.”Kieran didn’t respond right away.Eli slowly pushed himself up to his feet, though his legs still felt slightly weak.“I couldn’t breathe,” he continued. “It felt like something was squeezing my chest from the inside.”Kie

Eli woke up sore.Not the kind of soreness from a normal day.This was different.Every muscle in his body ached, especially his arms and shoulders. Even turning in bed felt like a struggle.“…Why did I agree to that,” he groaned, dragging a hand over his face.Training.With Kieran.The memory of yesterday came rushing back—how fast Kieran moved, how easily he read every mistake, how frustrating it was trying to keep up.And yet—Eli sat up slowly.“…I didn’t die.”That alone felt like an achievement.A small one.But still something.He stood up, stretching slightly before wincing.“Okay… maybe I almost died.”Still—That strange pull in his chest was already there again.Steady.Familiar.Leading him in the same direction.Eli sighed.“…Of course.”The forest greeted him quietly.Morning light filtered through the trees again, but it didn’t make the place feel any less strange.If anything, it felt like the forest had accepted him now.Like he belonged here.Eli frowned at that tho

Eli didn’t go to the forest the next day.For the first time since everything started—He stayed home.Not because he wanted to.But because his body demanded it.Every part of him still ached from training and the constant tension of being on alert. His arms felt heavier, his legs slower, and even his head throbbed slightly.“…I deserve one day off,” he muttered, lying flat on his bed.But even as he said it—He knew something was wrong.The silence felt too loud.And that pull in his chest—It was still there.Faint.But present.“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”He turned to his side, frowning.It wasn’t as strong as when Kieran was close.But it hadn’t disappeared either.It just… lingered.Like a reminder.Eli sighed.“…I’m not going today.”The moment he said it—The pull tightened slightly.Eli froze.“…Don’t start.”He sat up slowly, pressing a hand against his chest.“This is my life, not yours.”The feeling didn’t disappear.But it didn’t get worse either.It just stayed.Pers