Chapter 3

AZALEA

“Oh, my God!” I muttered, my hand slapping my mouth in shock.

He stood on the other side of the glass, his face illuminated by the pale moonlight and mostly by the light from my bedroom. He didn’t look anything like the savage creature I remembered from earlier. His features were sharp, handsome even, and his eyes… they weren’t wild or feral. They were human.

He watched me intently, as if waiting for something. My heart pounded in my chest, my breath catching in my throat.

I wanted to scream, to run, to call for my father, but I couldn’t move. His eyes held me in place, and I was frozen, trapped in that moment and not sure what to do.

This was the man who had marked me. The man who had claimed me as his own, according to my father. And now, he was here, standing at my window, looking more human than ever.

How did he know where I lived?

“Open it,” I heard him say as he gestured at the latch that was holding my window closed.

I narrowed my eyes at him, shaking my head and scoffing at his command. Just who did he think he was? H kept staring at me. So expectant. So patient.

“Who are you? How did you find me?” I asked, refusing to open the window and let him in. I knew firsthand how strong he was and how easily he could hold me down. Judging by how he was positioned, I could tell that he had climbed up to my window. This man was unnatural.

“Open it. I’ll tell you,” he gave me his word.

For some reason, I wanted to believe him. I wanted to be assured that he wouldn’t do anything to me. But I still had a bit of resolve.

“Please,” he begged.

I wasn’t going to just stand there and watch him. I was going to confront him and possibly get him off my back.

My father was downstairs, buried in his books with his partners. I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to come running if I called for help. A tug deep inside my chest made me hesitate, and I couldn’t ignore it.

After a long, shaky breath, I made up my mind.

I unlocked the window, and the latch clicked louder than I expected. I held my breath for a second, wondering if my father had heard it. Silence.

I pushed the window open and stepped back as the man climbed inside. He was tall, and he moved with a fluid grace that amazed me.

He got inside and stood fully, towering over me. His presence filled the small room, and I couldn’t help but notice how good he smelled; like the woods after a rainstorm, fresh and earthy with a tinge of something sweet.

His eyes flickered to the mark on my neck. He reached out as if to touch it, but I pulled back instinctively, my breath catching in my throat. The touch of his hand earlier had been enough. I couldn’t let him do that again.

“What do you want from me?” I demanded, my voice shaking slightly. I had so many questions, so many things I needed to know, but that seemed like the most important one. Why was he here? Why did he track me down?

His gaze met mine, and for a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to answer. Then, he spoke, his voice low and calm.

“My name is August. I’m a werewolf, Azalea. I’m the Alpha King of Rawblood Pack.”

I blinked. My mind struggled to process the words. Alpha King? My father had told me everything he knew about werewolves, but none of them had mentioned anything about an Alpha King.

“And what does that have to do with me?” I asked, feeling the heavy weight in my chest grow stronger. There was something about being in his presence that made me feel… drawn to him. I hated that I felt it, but I couldn’t deny it.

He took a step closer, his gaze never leaving mine. “You’re my mate.”

Mate. The word made my heart skip a beat. It seemed like my entire world was being flipped upside down and made new.

“And what does that entail? Why did you have to follow me out here? Why…”

“I want you to come with me,” he said, taking my hand in his. This time, I didn’t fight it. “You have to be beside me as my Luna. I traced your scent out here.”

I took a step back, shaking my head. “I can’t. I can’t leave my father. He should never find out about this. He must never know that you’re here.”

August’s jaw tightened. “He can’t stop what’s already been set in motion. You’ve been marked, Azalea. You’re mine.”

The possessiveness in his voice sent a shiver down my spine. There was something in his eyes that made me feel like I couldn’t escape, even if I wanted to. And the truth was, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. I hated myself for even thinking it, but there was something about him that made me want to stay close, to be with him.

“Why do I feel like this?” I asked, my voice small. “Like I want to be with you even though I know I shouldn’t? I don’t even know you. What did you do to me?”

He stepped closer, so close I could feel the warmth radiating off of him.

“It’s the mate bond and the mark,” he said softly. “It ties us together. You feel it because we’re connected now. You belong with me, Azalea.”

I shook my head, pulling my hand out of his grasp and backing up until I felt the edge of the bed against my legs.

“I can’t leave my father. He’s all I have.”

August’s expression softened, but his resolve didn’t waver. “You’ll come with me, eventually. You know it as much as I do.”

I didn’t respond. I just stood there, watching him as he turned and disappeared out the window, leaving me alone with the growing conflict inside me.

~

The days passed, and each night, August returned. Each time, he knocked on the window, waiting. And each time, I let him in. I asked him questions—about the mark, about being an Alpha King, about what it meant to be his mate. He spoke with the same calm certainty, as if he knew that I would give in soon.

I became a mess, eventually. The more I resisted him, the more I wanted him. I felt uneasy whenever he wasn’t there. Every night, I found myself waiting for him, my heart pounding at the thought of seeing him again.

And then, one night, he didn’t come.

I waited by the window, watching the moon rise higher in the sky. I told myself it was a good thing that he hadn’t shown up. Maybe he had given up.

But deep down, I knew something was wrong.

After what felt like hours of waiting, I made up my mind. I couldn’t sit there any longer, wondering if he was out there somewhere. I had to find him.

The night air was cool against my skin as I crept out of the house, moving as quietly as I could. My father and his partners were still downstairs, engrossed in their research as they always had been since the day I was marked.

I followed the path that led into the woods, my heart racing with every step. I had no idea where I was going, but something inside me told me I was on the right track. The deeper I went, the stronger the pull became.

And then I heard it; growling, snarling, the sounds of violence.

I broke into a run, my feet flying over the forest floor as I followed the noise. When I burst into the clearing, the scene before me stopped me in my tracks

Wolves—no, werewolves—were tearing into each other, shifting between their human and wolf forms as they fought. Blood splattered the ground, and the air was thick with the scent of violence.

And I was right in the middle of it.