Toke`s POV. The air was filled with howls and cheers, but I slumped back and poured that thick, warm liquid down my throat, looking over at my good friend Rune. I could feel the excitement of the whole pack flush through me, but all I felt was boredom. «You don’t want a mate, do you? » Rune's words sounded lazy, and the words shuffled a bit before he busted out laughing. He was drunk, no doubt about it, so I lifted my glass in a toast, and we emptied yet another. He always spoke freely around me, even more so when mead warmed his body and fogged his brain. «I do, but I've already attended two hunts. I could have had a mate, but I don’t want a scared-to-death rabbit that twitches every time I breathe. Not even the hunt is a challenge, so the women are no longer worth it.» He frowned, thinking so hard I could practically hear his head squeak. Tilting my head back, I lay lazily over my dad’s throne. What had become of us? I grew up with my dad's and grandfather's stories about stron

I ran on adrenalin still with that silly smile plastered on my face, even if I knew it was a short-lived victory. As I ran deeper into the woods, the adrenalin pumping through my pulsating body began to feel like panic, and not before I ran up to one of the girls that had fallen did I stop. She was crying, so I helped her up, but speaking to her was impossible. She was so deep down in her own panic, so devoured by her own fear, I didn’t think she even knew I was there. With one hand clenching over her bleeding cut, she pushed past me with her elbow, and I fell on my back right into a thick bush. Of all the places, that’s where I ended up catching my breath. I just lay there and felt my heart pounding in my chest. Slowly, the pulsating rush in my ears faded, and my heart stopped trying to break through my rib cage, and I just listened. I watched the clear blue sky; what was I doing? I freaked out, like a deer caught in the headlights. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath; calm, I was

I felt the creature move behind me, and for some reason, I knew it was the wolf. Not human form, not the bear, but the wolf was stalking down the steep hill behind me. My, I clenched the little stone in my hand, franticly searching the area around me with my eyes for a way out, anything that could help. I'm not ready for this; this is not how it was supposed to be! One more day, I need one more day! Before I knew it, the hot breath of the massive predator fanned my hair and sent shivers down my spine. I threw myself to the side on instinct just as he launched forward. Big black paws slid on the loose rocks as the animal struggled to regain balance, and I stared at it with wide eyes—a big black wolf. No big would be the world's biggest understatement; it was the size of a goddamned horse! For a brief second, time I stood still. I sat a couple of meters away from a massive wolf; its fur was black, almost shining like the ocean waves at midnight when the cold moonlight hit the water ju

Toke´s POV. So, it didn’t go as planned, and even if I hate to admit it, she is different. So very different, feisty, stubborn, and clever! And what kind of a human fight a wolf? I didn’t even know her name yet. There was so much about this girl that puzzled me. She broke my fucking nose! She threw stones at me and a knife that hit me right in the shoulder. Had it been any other, my wolf would have torn them to shreds long ago. But he didn’t. I wanted to be mad at her, even if my nose, eyebrow, jaw, and the deep cut from the knife now had healed; it had been painful as hell! But what did my beast do? Whine because she fell and hit her head. Useless puppy! He growled in my mind, urging me to check on her, but I pushed him back. I found her, I got her, and the title was as good as mine. But as I kept stealing a glimpse of her from the corner of my eye, my curiosity for her grew. My wolf wanted to claim her and acted strange. Maybe it was just the rush of the hunt? His right to claim

“A deal? So, I must follow you back and trust that you let me go in five years?” “Basically, yes. I need to mark you for it to be believable, but the mark has weakened these last decades, so it’s nothing to worry about. Time is different here. We age differently, so five years isn’t that bad. The next time the portal opens, I will be Alpha. I will be the one in charge of picking up the new batch of girls. I can take you back.” “Fine, that scribble some mark on me and get that part over, but how am I supposed to know you will hold your part of the deal?” “Well, it’s a little more than just a mark. I’ll have to bite you.” A shudder sparkled down my spine; I don’t know why. Bite me? Why does that sound so alluring? No, it’s not! He can scribble something on me if he absolutely must mark me. “Hah. Nope, that will leave a scar! You can scribble something on me or something, write “mine” even. That should be clear enough!” Goosebumps appeared on my skin as his laughter filled my ears.