The bite that shouldn't have happened.

The forest was too quiet.

I held my breath as I crouched behind a thick tree trunk. My heart pounded like it wanted to escape my chest. The full moon hung high above the trees, but thick clouds had started to cover it, casting long, heavy shadows across the forest floor.

I shouldn't be here.

Silverclaw territory was dangerous for someone like me. A rogue. A powerless, wolfless girl who had no place in a world ruled by Alphas and warriors. But I needed the moonroot. Without it, Marta’s fever would only get worse. She was the only friend I had. I wouldn’t let her die.

I gripped the small leather satchel slung across my shoulder and crept toward the streambed. That’s where the moonroot grew, hidden in damp soil beneath mossy rocks. My bare feet were numb from the cold, and the wind cut through my thin dress. Thunder rumbled in the distance. I needed to be quick.

Then I heard it.

A growl.

Low. Deep. Dangerous.

I froze.

Another growl followed. Louder. Closer. Then a terrible crash—branches snapping, something large and angry tearing through the underbrush.

I dropped to my knees and hid behind a rock, my pulse roaring in my ears.

Then I saw it.

A massive silver wolf stumbled into the clearing. Its fur was soaked in blood. One of its front legs dragged uselessly, and it let out a low, pained sound. My breath caught.

Before I could move, the wolf shifted.

Its bones cracked, reshaped, shrank. Fur melted into skin. In seconds, a man lay in its place.

He was naked. Bloodied. Beautiful. Terrifying.

I knew that face.

Kael.

The Blood Alpha of the Silverclaw Pack. The one even other Alphas feared. He was a ghost story whispered in frightened voices. A killer, a monster, a king of wolves.

And he was dying. What do I do? I was confused. Should I leave him to die?

I should have run.

I didn’t.

Instead, I crawled toward him. Held his head up and took a look at his wound.

My fingers shook as I reached into my satchel and pulled out a few crushed leaves. I chewed them quickly and pressed the paste into the deep gash on his side. His body jerked at the touch.

Then his hand moved.

His eyes snapped open. I was shocked, I froze on the stop.

Golden. Fierce. Glowing.

And then everything changed.

A fire ignited in my chest. My breath caught. My skin burned. I felt something... pull me. Like invisible strings were tying me to him.

No. No, it couldn’t be.

Mate.

I had no wolf. I wasn’t supposed to feel this. I wasn’t supposed to be able to feel this.

Kael stared at me like I was some kind of poison. His hand shot up and wrapped around my throat.

"You’re not real," he growled. "You can’t be. You can be her.”

What did he mean I can't be her? Who was her? That didn't even matter.

I choked, barely able to whisper. "You’re bleeding. I was only trying to help you.” I said trying to lose from his grasp.

His grip didn’t loosen. "You’re a rogue. You have no wolf. You think you can trick me?"

I shook my head, terrified. “ Trick you, I didn’t do anything. I swear”

His hand trembled. Something in his eyes shifted—panic, anger, confusion. And something deeper.

Need.

Then he snapped.

He threw me onto the muddy ground. My back hit the ground really hard, and I cried out. Rain began to fall, cold and sharp like needles. He straddled me, hands on either side of my face.

His chest heaved. His eyes glowed with something wild, untamed.

He leaned closer. I felt the heat of his body, the tension in his muscles, the barely held control that was slipping fast.

"You did something to me," he whispered, voice strained and thick. "Say it. Say you cursed me."

"I didn’t!" I cried. "I don’t know what’s happening to me! To you!"

“ Why can't I control myself?” he asked.

His lips were inches from mine, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was fighting something inside himself—his wolf, I realized. A battle for dominance.

His hand slid behind my neck, gripping tightly. My breath caught. His mouth grazed my jaw, then my neck. I could feel him breathing me in.

Then I felt his lips part.

His fangs sank deep.

The pain was sharp and blinding. I screamed. My body arched beneath him, seized by the bond. The fire that rushed through me was nothing like I’d ever known—hot, wild, and primal. It owned me.

Heat spread through my chest, down my limbs, between my thighs. I gasped, trembling under him as his teeth pulled free. His lips brushed the wound.

His breath was ragged. Mine was worse.

He looked down at me. Eyes wide. Terrified.

"No," he whispered. "What have I done?"

He stood, stumbled back, and disappeared into the trees, leaving me breathless, bleeding, and marked.

I didn’t move. Couldn’t.

The mark throbbed. My neck pulsed. My body shook with the leftover heat of the bond.

Had Kael—the Blood Alpha—just claimed me?

Why would he do that?

Why me?

I wasn’t even a real wolf.

The wind howled. I couldn't move, my whole body was in pain. The rain had started to reduce followed by cold wind whistles. I sat up slowly, the world spinning around me. That’s when I heard it.

Boots.

A patrol team.

I turned just in time to see a line of warriors step into the clearing. Their eyes swept over me—my torn dress, my muddy skin, the fresh bite on my neck.

The one in front stepped forward. The Beta.

His gaze locked onto mine. Cold. Disgusted.

"The Alpha’s mark?" he said, voice low and sharp.

I couldn’t speak. My throat burned. My heart raced.

He pulled out his sword with fierce eyes.

"Then you’ve just signed your death sentence."