All Chapters of Feral Claim: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

EVIETHE WOLVES were right behind me. Their snarls echoing in the dark, and I could hear their claws scraping against the ground, chasing me down. Their eyes were all I could see, glowing like flames in the night. My lungs burned with each breath, but it wasn’t enough to outrun them. No matter how fast I ran, they were closing in. I could feel them getting closer, could feel their hunger in the air. The ground beneath me seemed to shift, like it was swallowing me whole. I couldn’t see the end of the forest. My legs were giving out, but I didn’t stop.Then, I felt it.Hands so cold and rough closed around my neck, tightening. I tried to scream, but it wasn’t a scream. It was a breath, ragged and useless. The bite came next. Deep and burning like teeth sinking into my flesh, tearing me apart. Pain. Burning pain. I fought, but it was useless. Everything went black.I WOKE up with a gasp, my body jerking upright, eyes wide and frantic as I looked around. My heart slammed against my rib

EVIEThe moon had risen four times since Lucian last slammed the door behind him.Four days.Four nights.And not once did he come back.I stopped counting hours after the second day. I only knew time passed by the shifting square of light on the wall. Sometimes gold, sometimes silver but it was always out of reach.And always, there was the burning.It started slow like a fever. Then it grew. Crept down my spine. Coiled under my skin. My muscles felt wrong. Tight. Like something inside was expanding and my body couldn’t hold it.I couldn't stop shaking. My skin stung like it was trying to tear itself open. My heart wouldn't slow down. I barely ate. Everything tasted like ash. My throat was too raw to swallow, and water did nothing but make me throw up bile.And I was alone.Except for Ronan.He never asked if he could come in—just knocked, then entered quietly. Left water. A little food. A folded blanket. He didn’t touch me. Didn’t ask questions. But sometimes… I caught him watching

EVIEThe first thing I noticed was the fire.It wasn’t outside me. It was inside—burning through my blood, licking at my skin like invisible flames. I kicked the sheets off, clawing at them, but it didn’t help. My body was shaking, trembling, sweat beading on my forehead. I couldn’t breathe without gasping.Something was wrong.I stumbled out of bed, clutching the nightgown Lucian had given me days ago, and pressed myself against the cool wall. My nails scraped across the wood, desperate for something to ground me. The air felt too thick, too heavy, like it was full of smoke.And then I smelled him.Ronan.The door creaked, and he was there in the doorway, his tall frame a shadow in the dim light. His eyes caught mine, widening slightly as if he knew exactly what was happening.“Evie…” His voice was low, careful, like one wrong word might make me shatter.I shook my head, pressing a trembling hand against my chest. “Something’s happening to me. It— it won’t stop. I can’t breathe. I fe

LUCIANThe room still carried Ronan’s words like smoke I couldn’t get out of my lungs. You’re going to lose her.And then Marissa had walked in.Now she was perched on the edge of my desk, silk dress sliding over her thigh like she did it on purpose, her perfume and scent curling in the air. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she tipped her head, studying me.“Last night,” she said, her tone light but carrying that sharp edge I’d learned to recognize, “I tried mindlinking you. Everyone did. You were blocking me out.”My throat went dry.I saw Evie—her flushed skin, the way she trembled under me, the way her lips had parted around my name. The sound she’d made when I nearly gave in and ruined us both.I forced my face blank, clearing my throat and dragging my gaze back to Marissa. My hands slid over the back of the chair, needing something to hold. “I was attending to something.” My voice came out rougher than I meant, scraped raw.Her smile was small, not trusting. She moved closer, so clo

LUCIANHer words hit harder than claws to the chest.“I feel suffocated. Can I go outside?”For a heartbeat, I couldn’t breathe. My wolf roared so loud inside me it nearly split me open. No. Mine. Not safe. Never safe.I forced the word out, sharp as a blade. “You can’t do that.”Her brows pinched, and for a second, she looked like I’d slapped her. She let out a shaky bitterlaugh. “You can’t do that? That’s all you ever say. No, you can’t do that. No, you can’t go there. No, you can’t breathe without asking permission first—”“Evie—”“No, don’t.” She threw a hand up, cutting me off. Her damp hair whipped across her cheek as she turned away, pacing in a frantic circle like she couldn’t keep still. Water dripped from the ends, spattering across the wooden floor. “Do you even hear yourself? Do you hear how insane this is? I’m not—I’m not some pet you can keep locked up.”Her towel slipped lower, and she yanked it tighter with an angry tug. Her chest heaved, breaths breaking in little gas