Chapter 1

Angela's eyes fluttered shut as darkness claimed her, the coppery tang of her own blood thick on her tongue where she'd bitten her lip in pain. The last thing she registered was the guttural snarls echoing off the pit walls—wet snaps of jaws, the heavy thuds of furred bodies slamming into packed earth, the sharp stink of musk and ripped flesh mingling with the damp rot of the hole she'd called home for three agonizing days.

When consciousness clawed its way back, it came with a burn like fire in her veins. Her shoulder throbbed, a deep, pulsing ache that radiated down her arm and into her chest, making every shallow breath rasp like sandpaper against her ribs. She lay on something soft—not the gritty dirt of the pit, but a bed? Furs, thick and warm, smelling of pine resin and wild animal, pressed against her bare skin. Bare? Panic spiked through her as she realized her clothes were gone, stripped away, leaving her naked under a heavy pelt.

Her eyelids cracked open to dim firelight flickering across rough-hewn log walls. A cabin, deep in the woods, judging by the chill seeping through cracks despite the blaze in the stone hearth. The air hummed with the low crackle of burning logs, the faint metallic bite of blood still clinging to her skin, and something else—something primal, like sweat-soaked earth after rain.

She tried to sit up, but a massive hand clamped onto her uninjured shoulder, pinning her down with effortless strength. "Easy," a voice rumbled, low and gravelly, vibrating through her bones. It wasn't Jay's nasally sneer. This was deeper, laced with a rough edge that sent an unwelcome shiver racing down her spine.

Her gaze snapped to the man crouched beside the bed. Broad shoulders strained a faded flannel shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal forearms corded with muscle and scarred from old claw marks. Dark hair fell messy over piercing green eyes that locked onto hers with predatory intensity. A shadow of stubble darkened his jaw, and his lips curved in a half-smile that didn't reach those eyes—eyes that raked over her exposed body like he was memorizing every curve, every dip of her hips under the fur, the way her nipples pebbled in the cool air.

"You're safe now," he said, his thumb brushing her collarbone absentmindedly, the callused pad rough against her fever-flushed skin. "Name's Ronan. I pulled you out before Jay could finish what he started."

Her mind reeled, fragments slamming together: the pit, the sandwich, Jay's twisted marriage demand, the wolf's fangs sinking into her flesh. "You... you're the other wolf." Her voice came out hoarse, cracked from disuse and dehydration. She yanked the fur higher, clutching it to her chest, but the movement tugged at her wounded shoulder, drawing a hiss from her lips. Blood crusted the bite mark, but it looked... wrong. Swollen, veins darkening around it like ink spreading through water.

Ronan's nostrils flared, inhaling deeply—her fear, her blood, the faint salt of her sweat. "Yeah. And so are you, now." He leaned closer, his breath hot against her ear, carrying the scent of smoked meat and forest loam. "That bite? It's changing you. Jay's pack mark, but I interrupted before it fully took. You're burning up because your body's fighting it—fighting him."

Angela's heart hammered, thudding against her ribs so hard she could feel it in her throat. Fight it? The heat building under her skin wasn't just pain; it was a restless itch, coiling low in her belly, making her thighs clench involuntarily. She shifted, and the furs whispered against her pussy, slickness gathering there unbidden, her clit pulsing with a needy throb that made her cheeks burn. "What the fuck does that mean? Get off me." She shoved at his chest, but her palms met solid slab of muscle, unyielding, and the contact sent a jolt straight to her core—like static, but hotter, wetter.

He didn't budge, his hand sliding from her shoulder to cup the back of her neck, fingers tangling in her tangled hair. "Means you're mine to claim properly, if you want to live through the shift. Jay's poison is in you, sweetheart. It'll tear you apart unless another alpha overrides it." His voice dropped, rough with hunger, eyes darkening as they dipped to the swell of her breasts peeking from the fur's edge. "And fuck, you smell ready for it already. Ripe pussy scent hitting me like a goddamn drug."

Her breath hitched, outrage warring with the traitorous ache blooming between her legs. This stranger—Ronan—had saved her, yeah, but now he loomed over her naked body like he owned it, his cock visibly thickening against the denim of his jeans, the bulge straining as he scented her arousal. "You're as crazy as he is," she spat, but her hips twitched, seeking friction against the furs, the soft hairs teasing her inner thighs. God, what was wrong with her? The bite pulsed in time with her heartbeat, sending sparks of heat licking up her spine.

Ronan chuckled, low and dark, the sound rumbling through his chest into hers where their bodies brushed. He released her neck but didn't retreat, instead trailing his fingers down her arm, over the curve of her waist, stopping just shy of her hip. The touch was electric, skin hypersensitive, every ridge of his fingerprint igniting nerves she didn't know she had. "Crazy? Maybe. But your body's honest, Angela—or whatever the hell your name is. Jay's obsessed with some ghost bitch named Angela, but you? You're flesh and blood, and you're dripping for a knot right now."

"I'm not—" The denial died on her tongue as his hand dipped lower, boldly cupping her mound through the fur. She gasped, arching into it despite herself, the pressure grinding against her swollen clit. Wetness seeped, soaking the pelt, the musky evidence of her need filling the air. Shame flooded her, hot and twisting, but so did want—raw, animal hunger that drowned out reason. Her nipples ached, tight peaks begging for teeth, and she hated how her thighs parted just a fraction, inviting more.

"Name's not Angela," she whispered, defiant even as her pussy clenched around nothing, aching to be filled. Ronan's eyes gleamed, feral gold flickering in the green as the wolf peered out.

"Good. Makes this sweeter." He tugged the fur away in one smooth pull, exposing her fully to the firelight—pale skin flushed pink, breasts heaving, dark curls framing her glistening slit. Cool air kissed her wetness, making her whimper, and he groaned, palming his cock through his jeans. The zipper rasped as he freed it, thick length springing out, veined and heavy, pre-cum beading at the slit. It was massive, bigger than any she'd seen, the base already swelling with the promise of a knot.

Her mouth went dry, saliva pooling anyway as the scent of his arousal hit her—salty, masculine, overwhelming. "We can't... I don't even know you." But her body betrayed her, knees falling wider, pussy lips parting slickly, clit throbbing visibly under his stare.

"You know enough." Ronan knelt between her legs, the mattress dipping under his weight, his rough palms hooking under her knees and spreading her obscenely. The position left her vulnerable, ass lifting slightly off the furs, cool air teasing her asshole while her pussy wept openly. He dragged his cockhead through her folds, notching at her entrance, the heat of him scorching against her cool slickness. The texture—velvet over steel—made her walls flutter, desperate. "Say no if you mean it. But your cunt's begging, clenching on air like it needs my fat cock stretching it."

She moaned, hips bucking to take the tip, but he held her still, teasing, the broad head bumping her clit with each shallow thrust. Friction built, sparks exploding behind her eyes, her shoulder bite throbbing in sync. Thoughts fragmented: *He's a monster. Werewolf. But fuck, that thickness— it'll split me, fill me so deep.* Guilt twisted with lust, her mom's worried face flashing in her mind, but drowned by the wet sounds of his cock gliding through her juices, the salty tang on her tongue as she bit her lip harder.

"Jay couldn't have this," Ronan growled, voice thick with possession, leaning down to drag his tongue over her bite wound. Rough and hot, the lick sent ecstasy-pain lancing through her, her back bowing as cream gushed from her pussy. "This tight little hole is mine to breed." He pushed in then, inch by merciless inch, her walls yielding with a burn that bordered pain-pleasure. She was soaked, but he was huge, stretching her to the limit, the drag pulling a obscene squelch from her depths.

"Fuck— so full," she gasped, nails digging into his biceps, the muscle flexing under her grip. He bottomed out, balls slapping her ass, the coarse hair at his base grinding her clit. The scent of their joining—her sweet musk, his earthy precum—filled her lungs, intoxicating.

He held still, letting her adjust, his breath ragged against her neck. "Feel that? My knot's swelling already. Gonna lock us together while I fuck another load into you." Then he moved, pulling back slow, the ridges of his cock dragging her walls, before slamming home. The slap of skin echoed, her tits bouncing, nipples scraping his shirt.

Angela cried out, legs wrapping his waist, heels digging into his ass to pull him deeper. Each thrust punched the air from her lungs, his pubic bone mashing her clit, building pressure low and relentless. Sweat slicked their skin, the salty taste on her lips as she licked them. *Wrong, so wrong—but don't stop. Need it harder.* Her pussy rippled around him, milking greedily, the bite mark pulsing like a second heartbeat.

Ronan snarled, one hand fisting her hair, yanking her head back to expose her throat. His teeth grazed—not biting, but threatening—and she shattered, orgasm ripping through her like claws. Walls clamped down, gushing around his pistoning cock, the wet flood soaking his balls. He roared, knot inflating at her entrance, stretching her wider as he ground deep, cum erupting in thick, hot jets that painted her cervix.

Locked together, he collapsed over her, their mingled scents heavy in the air, breaths syncing as aftershocks trembled through them. But the heat didn't fade—the change burned brighter, her body already craving round two.