Chapter 6

The forest was alive with danger. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a branch, every whisper of wind against the trees felt like a predator closing in. Damien’s golden eyes cut through the darkness, muscles coiled, senses sharp. His wolf roared inside him, demanding speed, precision, dominance. He could feel Marcus hunting them, the Alpha’s silver presence rolling over the forest like a tide of steel and ice.

Emilia clung to him, trembling. Her small hands dug into his shoulders as he vaulted over fallen logs, weaving through the dense trees. Her heartbeat hammered against his back, her scent burning in his nostrils, and the bond flared, scorching both of them with heat, desire, and adrenaline.

“Damien…” she whispered, fear lacing her voice. “I… I can’t—”

“Yes, you can,” he snapped, voice rough, urgent, yet tender beneath the edge. He slowed only enough to press his forehead to hers for a moment, grounding her. “The bond is ours. Always. Remember that. Breathe with me.”

She did, following his rhythm, matching his pulse, their shared heartbeat a tether of fire. But the bond was pulling, searing, insisting. Her wolf clawed inside her, hungry, needy, restless. Damien felt it too — the animal inside him screaming to claim, protect, mate.

Every nerve in his body burned with the need to keep her safe and to pull her into the heat of his dominance. He could barely think past the wildfire coursing through him, through her.

They stumbled into a narrow clearing. The moonlight spilled in silver, bathing the grass and dirt in a deceptive calm. Damien skidded to a halt, pushing Emilia behind him. His golden aura flared bright, warding off predators, warning the forest that he was not prey.

From the shadows, a figure stepped lightly — Selene. Storm-grey eyes glinting, lips curving in a cruel smile. She moved with deliberate grace, circling them, her presence sharp enough to slice through the tension.

“You think hiding helps?” she purred, voice silk and venom. “You think you can outrun what’s inevitable?”

Emilia pressed herself against Damien’s back, trembling. The bond pulsed so hot it nearly blinded her.

Damien’s jaw clenched. “Stay away from her,” he growled, golden light flaring around him.

Selene laughed softly, circling like a shadow around them. “Oh, I don’t have to touch her. Just watching is enough. Look at you, Damien… fire and fury, and yet she holds your heart like a leash. It’s delicious.”

Emilia’s cheeks flushed with a mixture of fear and arousal. She tried to step back, but Damien gripped her firmly.

“Do not look at her,” he snapped. “Do you hear me? Not her. Me.”

Her lips parted against his shoulder, trembling. “Yes… Damien.”

The bond flared violently, unrelenting. Heat exploded through them both, scorching, demanding. Damien’s wolf clawed at his insides, desperate to mark her, to claim, to bury himself in the bond completely.

“I… I can’t…” she whispered, voice trembling.

“Shh,” he growled, low and primal, pressing his lips to her neck. Teeth grazed her skin, leaving marks, claiming her silently, fiercely. “You don’t have to. Just feel. Feel us.”

The forest around them seemed to disappear. Only the heat, the pulsing bond, and the primal rhythm of their hearts mattered. Damien’s hands gripped her waist, lifting her slightly, pressing her close. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his hips. Her nails dug into his back, tracing invisible patterns, matching the claws of his wolf inside him.

Desperate, reckless, they moved together — breath mingling, skin against skin, bond roaring louder than their racing hearts.

Damien pulled back just slightly, forehead against hers, golden eyes molten. “I won’t let him take you,” he whispered, voice raw with fire. “I’ll fight him… or die trying.”

“I… I need you too,” Emilia admitted, body trembling, voice barely audible. “Don’t… don’t let him win.”

He growled, teeth grazing her jawline, pressing her flush to the tree bark behind her. His hands roamed, claiming, marking, almost reckless. The bond flared hotter with every heartbeat, white-hot fire coursing through them both, making it impossible to think, only to feel.

Selene’s voice carried softly from the shadows. “Careful, golden boy… don’t burn her completely before you even fight for her.”

Emilia gasped, breaking slightly from the kiss, breath hitching, body trembling, desire mixing with fear.

Damien’s wolf growled low in his chest, furious at Selene, hungry for the right to protect and consume. “She’s mine,” he snapped. “Not yours. Never yours.”

Selene laughed, fading back into the shadows. “We’ll see, Damien. We’ll see.”

But the reprieve was brief. The earth trembled. Leaves shook violently. A silver light pierced the forest edge — Marcus was coming.

Damien stiffened, golden aura flaring. “Run,” he hissed, pressing Emilia close. “No matter what.”

They sprinted again, leaping over roots, diving under low-hanging branches, sliding down muddy slopes. Every step, every heartbeat, every brush of skin against skin amplified the bond. Heat and adrenaline fused, making every movement of survival and desire indistinguishable.

They reached a creek, the water cold against their legs, but there was no time to pause. Damien leapt across, catching Emilia mid-air, holding her tight. Her small body pressed against him, legs wrapped, arms gripping his neck. He growled as the bond flared white-hot, claws itching, golden fire pulsing through every nerve.

Selene appeared on the opposite bank, motionless, smirk curving her lips. “Nice trick,” she said. “But you can’t outrun what’s promised. Not him. Not me.”

Emilia’s heart slammed, fear and arousal crashing together. “Damien…”

“I know,” he rasped, pressing her closer, lips grazing her temple. “And I’ll fight for you. No matter the cost.”

Branches snapped behind them. Wolves’ howls echoed. Marcus’s presence grew closer, unstoppable, oppressive, demanding.

Damien’s teeth bared, golden eyes glowing with fury. “Hold on,” he whispered. “I won’t let him take you. Not tonight. Not ever.”

Emilia clung to him, body trembling, wolf whining, the bond blazing, scorching, unrelenting.

And then, from the treeline ahead, Marcus’s howl cut through the night — loud, commanding, absolute.

The forest seemed to shrink around them. Every wolf nearby bowed. Every shadow trembled. Every heartbeat screamed danger.

Damien froze, golden fire burning in his chest. “He’s here,” he growled.

Emilia whimpered, nails digging into his shoulders. “What do we do?”

Damien pressed his forehead to hers, breath ragged, aura flaring. “We fight. We survive. Together.”

The golden light flared brighter than ever.

And Marcus stepped into the clearing, silver eyes molten, massive wolf form crashing through the shadows, aura rolling like a tidal wave.

Selene’s voice came from the darkness. “You can’t hide anymore.”

The hunt had reached its apex.

Damien and Emilia were trapped — cornered by fire, desire, and the Alpha’s merciless dominance.

The bond roared.

The forest held its breath.

And the night was far from over.