All Chapters of Marked by Fire & Fang: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

LilyI should’ve taken the creepy wrought iron gate as a sign. Not just a red flag, but the whole damn marching band. My rideshare driver didn’t even wait for me to get both feet out before he sped off, tires screeching as if the forest itself was trying to claw him back. The trees lining the gravel path leaned in like gossiping witches, their gnarled limbs reaching for me with curiosity—or hunger.The Greyhowl Estate rose from the mist like something pulled from the spine of a Gothic horror novel. Massive, looming, and utterly disinterested in modern life. It didn’t welcome me. It assessed me.“Welcome to the Greyhowl Estate,” I whispered to myself. My words vanished in the chilled air, stolen by the fog that curled around my boots like curious snakes.I tightened my hoodie around my frame and tried not to shake. Not from the cold—no. From something else. The place had a pulse. Not metaphorical, either. I felt it. Like the earth beneath the estate had a heartbeat. And for some stupid

LilyI didn’t breathe until the door clicked shut behind him.The second he was gone, it was like the whole room exhaled. The dust in the air swirled back to life. The shadows reclaimed their corners. And my knees—my knees—finally remembered how to work.I slid down the ladder, heartbeat in my throat, nerves stretched tight enough to snap.What. The. Hell.My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me out of my daze. Marcy, of course.Marcy: Update?! Is he hot?? Alpha hot??Lily: I just saw him. And it felt like my soul had a seizure.Marcy: Explain!!Lily: He didn’t speak. Just looked at me. And my body… it responded like I’ve known him forever. Like I belong to him. It was terrifying. And weirdly... hot?Marcy: Okay that’s either love at first sight or a demonic possession. Possibly both. Pics?Lily: Girl I could barely breathe. I am the pic. I am the shaken-up soda can that is my emotional state.I stuffed the phone back in my pocket and leaned against the ladder.The way he looked at m

LinkI felt her before I heard her.She was walking down the east hall, soft steps muffled by the runner rug, carrying that scent—gods, that scent. Sunshine and secrets. I hadn’t slept in two nights. Not well. Not since she arrived. The bond was crawling under my skin, electrifying every nerve, dragging my instincts to the surface like claws tearing free of flesh.I kept to the shadows, watching from the archway as she passed.Her hoodie was swapped for a thin, white tee and worn jeans. Barefoot. Vulnerable. Beautiful. The wolf in me snarled, demanding I follow. Protect. Claim.I shouldn’t have been there. I should’ve turned back. But I didn’t.I followed her.She moved like she was searching for something but didn’t know what. Fingers trailing along the walls. Glancing over her shoulder. The way she paused before the West Wing… the way her hand hovered near the door as if something on the other side whispered her name.“Lily,” I said.She jumped, spinning to face me.“Jesus, you scar

LilyIt started with a dream—but unlike the others, this one didn’t feel borrowed or strange.It felt like ours.We were in the woods behind the estate, bathed in silver moonlight that turned every leaf into starlight. The air shimmered. Link stood before me, bare-chested, breathing hard like he’d just shifted. His eyes glowed pale blue. Wild. Reverent. Starved.He reached out, and I didn’t flinch. I walked into him.He kissed me.Not gently. Not cautiously.It was a kiss meant for after wars. After lifetimes of waiting. His mouth claimed mine like it had a right to, like he’d bled for it. I melted, my hands gripping his shoulders, my body arching into his, our souls clawing through skin and memory and restraint.When I woke, my lips tingled.My tank top was soaked in sweat. My thighs pressed together, aching. The bond burned hotter than ever before. The mark on my hand shimmered faintly in the dawn light.Something had changed.That morning, I saw him in the hallway again.This time,

LilyThe estate didn’t sleep after Ryker’s arrival.Whispers filled the halls. Wolves paced the edges of the property, tails twitching, eyes glowing in the dark. I heard them—snarls in the trees, claws on gravel. They were tense. On edge. And I was the storm brewing at the center.Celeste moved me to a guest room on the second floor for safety. I didn’t argue. But I couldn’t sleep. I kept looking over my shoulder. Not because I feared Ryker.Because I feared myself.Something inside me had shifted. The mark on my hand throbbed like a second pulse. And in my dreams, the forest burned.I stared at the ceiling, thumb hovering over my phone. Then I finally opened a chat with Marcy.Me: You’re gonna think I’m crazy.Marcy: Already do, babe. Spill it.Me: Ever have a dream so real you wake up with the guy’s breath still on your skin?Marcy: Girl. WHO is he and is he single??Me: It’s not like that. It’s Link. The Alpha. He kissed me.Marcy: WAIT. AS IN THE LINK? You mean emotionally constip