CH6

Chapter 6

Tanya

Who was he?

By the Moon Goddess, that was the least of the things I wanted to know.

Right now, the only thing on my mind was leaving.

Leaving this cursed place.

Leaving whatever land this was.

Leaving before fate found another way to make my life even more miserable than it already was.

What was on my mind was finding Sulli and making sure she was alive and well, even if doing so would put my own life in jeopardy.

Not some pervert asking me useless questions I didn't need.

And definitely not some mate bond trying to bind me to another wolf.

"Let me go this instant!" I thrashed under his grip once more.

This was the last thing I wanted for myself.

Being tormented because of a choice that should have been mine to make.

"I'm not interested in you. Is it by force for me to want the mate bond with you? Let me go, you fool!" I added, wanting to infuriate him further.

If being nice had taught me anything, it was that kindness was useless.

I had been nice to Tovar.

I had been nice to everyone in the Raki Horde Pack.

I had been respectful.

Obedient.

Patient.

The model Luna everyone would want their daughters to become.

But where had that landed me?

What had it gotten me?

Nothing.

Nothing but cold neglect and abandonment.

Nothing but people trampling over me because they thought I was easy to use.

Easy to manipulate.

Easy to discard.

So now that was the last thing I wanted to do.

Because none of it had ever helped me.

No man would want a woman this rude.

I had counted on that.

I had expected him to grow tired of me.

To curse me out.

To leave me here in this cold forest.

To regret ever finding me.

Yet to my shock, he didn't seem moved by my attitude.

Neither by my insults.

Nor by the rejection I had tried to initiate.

Wasn't he supposed to abandon me?

Wasn't he supposed to insult me and wish me the worst of luck?

Why was he being so adamant?

Why was he so stubborn?

Why was he so hot-headed?

"If only you knew who I was, then you wouldn't dare touch me like this," I went on.

Despite my legs trembling from fear.

Despite the uncertainty of what he might do next.

I continued speaking.

I needed something.

Anything.

Something to hold him back.

Something to stop him from looking too deeply.

Damn the cursed purple blood.

Why wasn't it flowing now?

Why had all my wounds healed?

And where the hell had that strange wolf disappeared to now that I actually needed it?

"You'll acknowledge the bond with me whether you want to or not."

His cold voice suddenly snapped me from my thoughts.

Forcing me to focus on him once more.

"What do you mean by that?" I demanded.

"Last I recalled, the Moon Goddess doesn't force bonds on people. I can reject you if I want to and—"

I didn't finish speaking.

He suddenly released me.

For the second time that night.

I landed on the ground.

Again.

My poor butt hitting the forest floor painfully.

How dare he keep doing that?

Just what the hell was wrong with him?

I scrambled to my feet immediately.

Ready to curse at him.

Ready to insult him for being some outlaw living in the wild.

Ready to remind him that nothing would ever make me belong to him.

Nothing would ever make me accept this bond.

But the words died before they could leave my lips.

Because I noticed his eyes.

The glow inside them.

The way the color shifted.

The way it darkened.

The way gold gave way to a terrifying shade of blood-red.

His body was slowly expanding.

Muscles tightening beneath his skin.

As though he wanted to shift.

As though he was struggling to hold something back.

My breath caught.

There was only one man whose transformation began with the changing color of his eyes. Werewolves who saw him on the battlefield always spoke of him.

My head snapped toward him.

The saliva in my throat instantly dried.

He hadn't been lying.

He truly hadn't been lying.

"You're the Lycan King...?" I stuttered.

My mind immediately raced through every possible means of escape.

Every possible route.

Every possible chance.

There was none.

Because my eyes darted around my surroundings.

I was standing in his land.

The river current had washed me here.

Even the trees around us seemed aware of his presence.

As though they feared him.

As though the entire forest recognized its king.

No wonder the air had reeked of death.

No wonder something about this place had felt wrong.

No.

How could I be here?

How could fate have bound me to such a man?

Why was fate playing this cruel joke on me?

I turned and ran.

As fast as my legs could carry me.

Even if the trees obeyed him.

Even if his men emerged from the shadows.

Even if the entire forest stood against me.

I couldn't stay.

I couldn't stand here waiting for disaster to find me.

I hadn't gotten far when my head collided with something.

Something impossibly smooth.

I felt no pain.

No impact.

No rough bark.

That wasn't a tree.

Slowly, I raised my head.

My heart nearly stopped.

It was him.

I shuddered.

Almost falling to my knees.

Did he know who I was?

Did he know what I was?

Thousands of thoughts flooded my mind.

So many that for a moment I forgot about Sulli.

Forgot about everything else.

"Not so bold like you were before. What happened?" he mocked.

The amusement in his voice made my stomach twist.

I struggled to understand what had just happened.

How had he gotten in front of me so quickly?

How?

"Let me go. I did nothing wrong. I don't even want to be bonded to you. Just let me go."

I kept muttering under my breath.

Almost pleading.

Almost praying.

When he leaned closer toward me, he suddenly paused.

Taking in my scent.

His hand had partially shifted.

Sharp claws glinted beneath the moonlight.

I clutched the torn fabric of my dress tighter.

Oh Moon Goddess.

What fate was this?

Why did she keep subjecting me to this?

His expression changed.

Then his partially transformed hand receded.

"You're not a lycan" he said in surprise.

"You're a werewolf."

My head immediately shook.

He had discovered that.

Who knew how long it would take before he discovered the rest?

Who knew how long before he realized I was also an abomination?

Who knew how long before he learned I was supposed to be executed for what I was?

He began approaching me.

One step.

Then another.

While I pushed myself backward across the ground.

Trying to avoid him.

Trying to get away.

Trying to escape with the little strength I had left.

But he continued advancing.

Like the predator he was.

Until I couldn't move anymore.

A tree pressed against my back.

Trapping me.

Cornering me.

I closed my eyes.

Expecting death.

This was it.

He had figured it out.

He had discovered the truth.

Being a werewolf would never be enough to explain what I was.

Being from an enemy pack wouldn't be enough either.

The purple blood alone was enough to condemn me.

Enough to have me executed.

Enough to make everyone fear me.

A sharp pain suddenly shot through my neck.

I gasped.

But it wasn't death.

When I opened my eyes, I found his teeth sunk into my skin.

My entire body froze.

Then he pulled away.

There wasn't a drop of blood on him.

He had licked it away.

The wound was already healing.

Only a burning mark remained.

His mark.

His claim.

His brand.

Settled permanently against my neck.

My heart sank.

He hadn't noticed the color of my blood.

The darkness of the night had hidden it.

He hadn't killed me.

Instead, he had done something even worse.

He had marked me.

Binding me to him when it was the last thing I wanted.

The last thing I had ever wanted.

Before I could react, he bent down and picked me up by the back of my torn dress.

I bit down on my lip so hard it hurt.

Rage burned through me.

"What have you just done?" I shouted.

"How dare you!"

His expression remained completely calm.

As though what he had done was perfectly natural.

As though he had every right.

"Tanya the half-blood."

His voice was low.

Dangerously certain.

"From today onwards, you become my slave and my mate."

A shiver ran through my entire body.

Not from excitement.

Not from the bond.

But from fear.

Pure fear.

"Don't ever think of running away."

His eyes glowed once more.

Cold.

Possessive.

Terrifying.

"Because I'll always find you."