Chapter 1

Desiree.

I sat at the window peeking out at the sea of trees in the dark night that surrounded my grandfather’s cabin. The cabin had been a safe haven for the family for years, hidden in the woods and it was so different from the city life I had known.

The horns from the cats that I heard outside my room window back in the city were replaced with the serene silence with only the sounds from the forest animals. There was a rustle of breeze too, surfing through the dark night.

But I couldn’t stand up to do anything as I stared at my reflection in the window. My hair was curled around my small face and sad eyes stared back at me. I didn’t remember when last I had smiled and my eyes were filled with joy because now they were empty.

I had been a city girl with the naive thought that I was going to be happy forever. But fate, cruel fate, had another plan for me. If only the sudden urge to have Miss Fillipe’s chocolate cake down the street from our apartment maybe, just maybe the drunk driver wouldn’t have hit Grandpa and claimed his life.

Usually, we enjoyed our Thursday night date in the sitting room, stuffing our mouths with popcorn while yelling at the movie characters in the horror film Grandpa and I enjoyed together. If we had followed our tradition then he wouldn't be gone.

As I traced my fingers across the cool glass window, I felt an emptiness in my heart. It was a void that Grandpa had filled in the absence of my parents. I knew the story so well, the only words that reminded me of her. My mother.

She had been pregnant with me without knowing who my father was and immediately after I was born she had abandoned me at Grandpa’s doorstep running away without me. At that time, Grandpa had lost Grandma and we both had a void in our hearts that we filled each other.

He had been there from my first crawl, I’ve seen the videos of him cheering me as I crawled across the living room. Soon crawling evolved to walking and then I started to mumble incoherent words.

Grandpa had been there when I made my first perfect sentence and when I finally stepped into adulthood. That night of pain that led to womanhood preparing my body for reproduction. My first kiss and my first heartbreak where he threatened to kill Daniel for cheating on me. I remember crying at home that night.

As I traced my fingers on the cold glass a sad smile filled my face as the memories of years ago filled my mind. I remember looking through the crowd of people for Grandpa’s familiar white head on the days of my graduation and his loud voice cheering me as I walked down the stage gave away his location.

It was Desiree and Grandpa against the world.

Now I was all alone.

Unable to stay any longer in our house in the city I had relocated to healing my scars in the cabin. I had detached from everyone after the burial banishing myself to the lonely wood house to live out the rest of my years in guilt and misery.

It was all my fault, I thought as I buried my head between my knees and let out a silent sob.

“It’s all your fault,” I whispered to myself as my heart ached. The pain was overwhelming as I yearned for Grandpa’s laughter, hugs and words of wisdom.

A noise startled me and I froze, looking around the house for a sign of anything else living. Then a movement in the woods had me snapping my head to the side, gazing out at the night.

It was so dark I could barely make out anything as I saw movement again ruffling the leaves. I sat up and wiped the tears from my eyes before squinting in the direction of the noise. It was probably a squirrel or my imagination playing tricks on me because I was sad and away from human communities.

I saw nothing at first then I saw a tail. Intrigued, I rose to my feet rushing to flicker the lights on the balcony as I grabbed my coat and headed outside.

Cold air ruffled my hair hitting my cheeks as I shivered and clung harder to my coat. I closed the door behind me as I looked around the dark woods in the direction I had seen the movements.

My eyes traveled through the trees, not finding anything in plain sight. There was a sudden silence in the woods and I felt a chill run down my spine as if I was being watched. The sound of animals and insects in the woods had stopped but then a sudden sound of branch breaking filled the air.

My heart froze on my chest when I looked to the left to see a pair of bright golden eyes looking at me. My heart felt icy, dropping to my stomach as fear clawed up my spine.

I couldn’t make out the animal but my first guess was a coyote, it wasn’t unheard of to see them in the woods and I stepped backward, only to hear another branch breaking.

Another pair of eyes emerged from the darkness, pinned on me like I was prey ready to be eaten. Then another and I felt a scream rise up my throat.

Three pairs of eyes!

Only a small squeal escaped my lips as I watched those eyes glow in my direction. Would they attack? I scrambled my mind for where I had kept my phone so I could run back to get it.

But surprisingly, the animals stayed where they were, only watching me eerily. It was like they were staring into my soul, trying to understand the person I was.

And if I wasn’t being delusional, a part of me felt a sudden calm, like a voice telling me they weren’t dangerous.

An owl flew in the air and I turned my head to the distraction as it hooted above my head before vanishing into the woods. I looked back at the animals but the eyes were gone and the noise of the woods returned.

I let out a shaky breath. I looked around, turning to see if I could find those eerie eyes staring back at me but finding nothing. The fear dissolved and I breathed a sigh of relief, my palm resting on top of my chest as if to calm my racing heart.

Giving one last look at the woods, I turned and headed back inside the house. Closing the door behind me, a wave of heat filled me and I went to the fireplace, adding more wood to it as the fire ate it up burning brighter.

I found myself yawning as I went to my room and prepared myself to sleep. The cabin was built to hold no more than three people. It had three bedrooms and a sitting room. After checking the doors were locked, I headed down the hallway to my room and closed the door behind me.

My room was cozy and I felt a familiar sense of comfort. I had a small bookshelf by the left with my bed at the far end of the wall with an overhead window. I had dug out some old pictures of me and Grandpa which now lay discarded on my study table.

I took the old knitted blanket from my drawer and turned off the light before climbing into my bed.

I turned to the window as the moon illuminated the room, but a wave of fear rushed through me as I closed the curtains leaving the room completely dark.

As I closed my eyes to sleep, I couldn’t help but think about the pair of eyes I had seen in the woods. It was like I was being studied and why they hadn’t attacked me, I didn’t know. There was a surreal feeling I got from them and I wondered if my grief was making me crazy.

A thousand questions burned at the back of my mind but I ignored them leaving me with only one thought:

Why had those eyes felt so human?

Chapter 2

Maddox.

“You’re right, Alpha, there’s a human on the pack lands,” Willis said as he entered my office, closing the door behind him.

I didn’t hear him knock or come in because I was so engrossed in the stack of reports across my desk. The majority of the reports were all the same—pack members were falling sick at an increased daily rate.

And just at the start of the week, we’d had four deaths. It was not noticeable at first since Woodland Pride was the biggest pack in the whole of Wyoming mountains, with over two thousand healthy wolves. But after a few weeks, more sickness was recorded and soon the pack hospital wasn’t enough to contain all the sick wolves. Both mothers, fathers and children alike were partakers of the sickness.

As the Alpha, the urge was there to protect my pack and my territory. My people were suffering and my first plan was to find the source of the sickness and death.

The initial suspicion was the water; that was the easiest way to spread any diseases. We had hired experts to examine the nearby rivers, reservoirs and water tanks. Even the pipes were checked for any leakage. But there was no contamination in it.

We thought it was the food. We imported foods a lot from human communities so samples of it were sent to both humans and elves expertise but it was the same. Nothing was wrong with it.

There was no indication that hygiene was the problem even after the entire pack was fumigated, the sickness continued and more deaths were recorded.

Then the fear came in next, the pack began to mumble amongst each other, the sickness sprung up frustration from the families and it was getting harder to keep everyone in line.

My shoulder felt heavy, there was so much weight on it and I could feel the anxiety of everyone weighing me down.

However, one afternoon, I sensed something. At first I thought it might have been the air, but it was a strange presence. Something was nagging inside of me and each day that passed it only felt stronger.

“The Chief Elder was right too, I had spoken to him last night about it. I felt something. Like a strange presence in the land and he told me to search the area,” I said, dropping my pen to the desk as I thought hard. “But I didn’t expect it to be a human. It’s been so long since a human stepped foot into our territory.” I heard Willis sigh and I looked up to meet the hazel eyes of my Beta.

Willis was much older than I was. He was in his thirties but he possessed the strength of a young boy and the mind of an old man. Tall and dark-skinned, he stood an inch shorter than me.

“Are you sure it was a human?” I asked again, unable to believe that a human was in the pack as I looked out of the window for a second to gather my thoughts.

“Yes, Alpha. We saw her.”

At that, I snapped my head back to Willis so hard that I almost had whiplash. “Her?” My heart quickened at the news and my Beta nodded.

“Yes, sir. I took two of our best scouts like you ordered. And just to the North of the woods below the mountains, we found a small cabin. At first, we didn’t know it was occupied but then a human stepped out. It was a young woman who looked to be in her twenties,” he finished.

I rose to my feet the thought of a human in the pack only worsened the burden on my shoulders. It wasn't that the humans were dangerous but they had a knack of exploiting new discoveries.

We had managed to blend in with them for several decades, coexisting with them to avoid detection of our supernatural nature. But the humans were generally curious beings and if they found out about our species we would be captured and studied like animals with no emotions.

There was an old wolf story of how some of us had been captured and locked in laboratories and cages while being experimented on very harshly. The humans were cruel and we had been forced to live in the mountains far away from them where we were safe.

But now, they have managed to infiltrate our lands.

“How many humans?” I asked, making a calculation in my head of how many fighting wolves we had.

“It’s just her, Alpha. We didn’t hear any other voices, it sense any other humans around. It appears she’s alone. We observed her from a distance and she saw us but we didn’t approach her.”

“How could you give yourself away?” I asked angrily. “If a human discovers our people we are in danger. Do you understand the seriousness of the situation?” I asked as Willis bowed his head at that.

“I’m sorry, Alpha, she didn’t look like trouble. I’ll even say she didn’t look like she wanted to cause any problems and I was sure she didn’t know we were wolves either.”

I scoffed. “I’ll be damned the day humans write on their foreheads if they are trouble or not. I don’t care what you saw. Gather twenty scouts we run to the mountains at nightfall and we capture her and bring her here. I would get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.” I ordered as Willis looked around fearfully for a second before speaking.

“Forgive me, Alpha, I observed her from a distance, and I watched her demeanor closely. Despite the unusual circumstances, there was something about her that didn't indicate hostility or aggression. She appeared to be alone and genuinely startled by our presence."

“One woman is still a threat to the whole pack. What happens when she announces to the others what she saw? What happens when the police or animal control come searching out woods and mountains? Where do we hide then? We have many sick people and we can’t afford to move them if all of the humans assemble against us. She is a threat to us.” I told Willis but he still didn’t look convinced as he nodded in understanding but his eyes argued wildly with me.

“Forgive me once more, Alpha. It’s like you’ve always said to value discretion over diplomacy. The woman might have entered the pack unintentionally and her behavior gave no indication of aggression. In fact, she appeared to have been crying. I believe we shouldn’t escalate the situation and leave her be.”

I turned sharply at Willis as he took a fearful step back when he met my eyes. “The pack is suffering, we cannot afford to prolong this situation any further. Every moment we spend on this human takes away the opportunity to find the solution to the pack's sickness. We can’t make assumptions. The possibilities are too high and the only way to draw a conclusion is to capture her and bring her here.

“If she holds any information that could help the pack we will uncover it. If she’s a spy for the humans we will find out. But I would not sit down and let a human roam free in my pack, my territory and amongst my people,” I said in my Alpha’s tone as Willis nodded in agreement. “We will move tomorrow once the moon reaches the sky. The night would be our cover and we would bring her here.”

“Yes, Alpha. I’ll prepare the men to meet at the clearing at sunset,” he said before he bowed and left the room.

I was alone in my thoughts, pacing across the room as I made up all the worst-case scenarios in my head and the possible solutions. There was too much at stake, too many sick wolves and now a human in our lands.

I sank to my chair, the burden weighing on me like a dark weight as I rubbed my eyes tiredly. I was going to call the elders tonight, they had to know what we had found.

But for a second, I let my mind wonder what the human girl looked like. Willis had said she was in her twenties. I made up an image of a beautiful woman in my head with tear-stained cheeks and soft kind eyes. But as soon as the thought came, I snapped out of it.

There was no way this woman didn’t have any agenda in the pack, they were dangerous. The humans were not open to welcoming a supernatural being and there was no way in hell she wouldn't be captured and brought here to atone for trespassing.

Woman or not, beautiful or not, I was the Alpha and my words were absolute. Humans were dangerous and not to be trusted.

Chapter 3

Maddox.

I parked my car in front of my parents' house, the familiar sight of my childhood home greeted me. The house was two stories, with a large garden at the side that my mother tended to daily. I had moved out when I became Alpha, but my mother had made it mandatory for me to eat lunch every first day of the new moon with them.

As I stepped out of my car and approached the front door, the scent of home-cooked food filled the air and I smiled knowing my mother was in the kitchen.

“Mad!” a voice rang out, jolting me from my train of thoughts as the door was snatched open and a familiar blonde-haired girl ran into my arms.

I couldn’t help but smile as the ray of sunshine in the family clung to me like a second skin. Diana, at 15, had the same blonde hair as our mother and the same green eyes that were an emblem in our family.

“It's Alpha Maddox to you,” I said as I held her tighter and she looked up at me with admiration.

“Ok, but I’ll stick to Mad.” She grinned before grabbing my hand and leading me through the front door.

“Thank God you’re home. Mom's been killing me in the kitchen,” she said as I smiled at her, closing the door behind me and feeling the familiar scent of family.

“But cooking is a survival skill that everyone should have,” I scolded as she grumbled.

“Always so serious. Why don’t you ever stay on my side?” Diana asked, folding her arms across her chest. I reached for her head, ruffling her hair as she squirmed away from my touch.

“I’m only ever on your side,” I told her just as my mother stepped into the sitting room.

“You better don’t say that anymore in my presence,” she said and I chuckled as Diana blew a raspberry at her before clinging to my left arm.

Diana was like a little version of our mother. The same golden blonde hair and green eyes with a curious spirit. My mother crossed the room and pulled me into a hug.

Behind her, my father walked in with a stoic expression on his face. He was a towering figure of strength and wisdom, his black hair was ruffled around his head like he had been asleep and his green eyes looked around cautiously for any treat.

I saw those green eyes visibly relax at the sight of me. “Maddox, you’re home?” he asked as my mom let go of me and went to stand beside him. Looking at them I could see what the pack saw their previous Alpha and Luna. They complimented each other, while my father was a brutal force my mom was a calming presence and I had learned so much from them.

“Yes, Dad, it is good to see all of you again,” I told them as we headed for the dining table as we sat down to eat.

“Have you been eating well?” my mother asked and I nodded. “But you look so thin.”

“Elaine, let him breathe,” my father said as she nodded excitedly and pushed the plates in my direction.

“It’s beef stew and white rice. Your favorite. I hope Gertrude is cooking well for you?” she asked and I nodded.

“Yeah.”

Gertrude was a dedicated maid who had been in our family for years, she wasn’t just a trusted member but also a friend of my mother’s.

As we began to eat my mother led the conversation asking how I was doing and I answered before I turned to Diana who filled me in on everything that’s been happening in the pack high school.

It didn’t take long before my father cut in. “How’s the search going? Did they find anything?” he asked and I dropped my spoon, giving him an intense stare.

“Yes, a human.”

“A what?!” Diane shouted as mom slapped the back of her head before she asked again in a much lower voice. “A what?”

“A human. When Willis and the others scouted the north, they found a cabin. And there was a woman in it.”

“A woman?” my mother asked, and a sly smile came to her face as she went back to eating when I nodded.

“She’s alone?”

“Yes. Tonight I and some wolves would capture her and bring her here for further investigation. It’s not a coincidence she’s here the same time there’s an illness infecting the wolves and killing them.”

“What if you scare the girl?” my mother asked and I frowned, looking at her like she had grown two heads.

“Scare her? What about the uproar she’s going to cause when the pack knows a human is in our lands. We must take preventive measures and get this under control.” From the corner of my eye, I saw my father beam with pride as he patted my shoulder.

“You’ve grown into the powerful Alpha we know you’ll become.” He said as Diana winked at me.

"Can a wolf's mate be a human?" Diana asked suddenly, causing everyone to stare at her but she kept her green eyes on me.

I couldn't help but giggle at the innocence of her question. It wasn't far from impossible. In the past, there had been some cases where a wolf and a human were mated. The Moon Goddess, they said, had a sense of humor that occasionally led to such unique unions.

I leaned forward and replied, "Well, Diana, it's not common, but it's not impossible either. The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways, and sometimes, love transcends boundaries and even species. But I do not intend on having a human as a mate. I would rather be mated to my own kind."

Diana's eyes sparkled with wonder, and I knew she wanted to ask more questions when my mother cut in.

The mention of mates brought a sudden shift in the conversation, one that I had been expecting but hoping to avoid. My mother never failed to bring up the conversation at every family gathering.

"Speaking of mates, have you found anyone yet?" she asked, her eyes focused on me.

I frowned, knowing that I couldn't run away from the conversation any longer. My mother had a habit of bringing it up in the presence of my father so he would encourage her on how my father had found her, his mate at the age of 28. She would then proceed to remind me of the importance of finding a mate early, despite my being only 25 years old and having no immediate plans of being mated.

I chose my words carefully, not wanting to worry her or dampen the mood of our family gathering. "I haven't found anyone yet, Mom. But you know, it's a big decision, and I want to make sure it's the right one."

"I'm just saying, it's good to be mated early, to have a partner with you," my mother reiterated, her voice filled with maternal concern. "Your father and I were mated when he was 28, and I was only 26, and we started our family early."

My father, ever the voice of reason, chimed in with a reassuring tone, "Just don't rush into it, Maddox."

I nodded in agreement, appreciating my father's support. "I don't want to be mated anytime soon, anyway," I assured them.

My mother spared a worried glance at my father, her concern for my well-being evident.

Just as my mother was about to say something more on the topic of mates, my phone rang, providing a much-needed distraction. I glanced at the screen and saw Willis's name displayed.

"Alpha," his voice came through, and I furrowed my brow in concern as I answered, "I am having dinner with my family. Can this wait?"

Willis's tone, however, was laced with worry. "No, Alpha, unfortunately, all the wolves who went with me to scout the woman have gone terribly ill. Today when we arrived at the pack house to have lunch, Frederick and Drake fell. At first, we thought they were playing but they didn’t respond and then we saw them struggling to breathe. It didn’t take long for the pack doctor to get here; she took them to the pack hospital. She said they had the same symptoms as the others, weakness, difficulty breathing and increased body temperature.

Both of them fell sick at the same time, except me but I should be feeling the illness soon."

The urgency in my voice was palpable. Whatever had caused the sudden illness among our pack members needed to be addressed swiftly, and the mysterious human in our territory was now at the center of this troubling situation.

I frowned, my concern deepening. "Gather the wolves. We are going to capture the human now."

Chapter 4

Maddox.

As I stepped outside, I felt Diana watching me from the windows but I didn’t bother turning around as I got into my car and zoomed out of the estate. It didn’t take long for me to reach the clearing where the other wolves were gathered.

I saw Willis first, standing in the midst of the other wolves and I stopped the car, walking to meet them. At the sight of me, they all bowed in submission.

“Let’s go,” I said immediately. “This human has caused a lot of problems for us. Our brothers and sisters are falling sick because of her. Her presence here is a danger to us all and just yesterday our brothers came to see her, they fell Ill. It is obvious that she is doing something to cause an uproar. And the sooner we capture her, the better.”

A chorus of cheers and nods of agreement followed my conviction. I glanced at Willis, who had fierce determination in his eyes. The wolves were ready and it meant they were loyal. Without wasting much time, we got into our cars and drove in the direction of the cabin.

Willis led the way and as I drove closer to her, my head swirled with possibilities and uncertainty. The humans were dangerous, once they found out about our existence that would be the end of the wolves. My thoughts raced as I thought of how she was making our pack members sick. It had to be her doing because it couldn’t be a mere coincidence.

Her presence caused a rift in the order, I frowned as I stared at the sky for a second, the sun was setting casting a golden glow on the trees as cold air ruffled my hair.

The drive to the cabin didn't take long. As we approached our destination, we could feel the tension in the air. The pack members in the cars around me were silent, their faces etched with determination. We had a mission, and the stakes were high.

We parked a short distance from the cabin and gathered to strategize. The cold, eerie evening seemed to match the uncertainty that hung in the air.

"We need to surround her house and approach cautiously. We don't know what we're dealing with. Wait for my orders," I ordered in my Alpha’s voice as my men cowered in fear, nodding submissively.

Nods of agreement rippled through the group as we moved behind me and walked towards the cabin through the woods. We didn’t want to announce our approach on the road and using the woods was the safest way to blend with nature and take humans by surprise.

The sunlight filtered through the trees. The forest was eerily quiet, making the men a bit nervous as I glanced around. It was as if nature itself held its breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

As we got closer to the cabin, an overwhelming scent suddenly engulfed me. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. It was intoxicating, maddening, and for a second I froze in my spot.

I didn’t know that scent, it was like it was tugging at my heart and I frowned, touching my chest as if to drive it away.

“Alpha, are you ok?” I felt Willis beside me as I turned sharply to him. The other men had stopped also and their eyes were filled with worry as they glanced at me.

I coughed awkwardly as I nodded before responding. “Let’s keep moving,” I ordered as they followed behind me. Willis walked by my side.

“It might be overwhelming at first. The first time we approached the cabin. Drake said he felt something off about it,” my Beta said as I walked faster. It was already embarrassing enough that I slowed down and they were all worried for me. I didn’t need Willis telling me it was normal to feel that way.

It sounded weak, I was the Alpha and I didn’t want my people to think it was ok.

“Let’s keep moving,” I said sharply as Willis nodded.

“Yes, Alpha,” he said before he went to order the men around. The cabin came to view a few minutes later and we stopped, nestled among the trees, making it a perfect hiding spot away from anyone’s eyes.

The moment I saw the cabin, the feeling came again, it was a sensation that circled around me like a potent force. It was both alluring and overwhelming, unlike anything I had ever encountered. A strange scent filled my nose like a mixture of flower and vanilla.

As I drew closer, the scent continued to intensify, creeping into my nostrils and filling my insides, I could feel my wolf within me, withering around as if restless. It added to my panic as I started to sweat. My hands trembled slightly and I stopped again.

“Let’s spread out. Eugene and Collins over there, Fabio and Richard there. The rest of you divide yourselves into groups of two and cover the remaining areas. We don’t want to lose the human when we lead her out of her home,” Willis ordered, I noticed his eyes glancing briefly at me as he ordered the men away.

He ran to me immediately. They had dispersed and I shuddered at his touch. “Are you sure you're alright, Alpha?” he asked and I shrugged him off and took a deep breath.

What was wrong? I almost asked when my skin started to tingle with a sensation and it was like I could no longer control my body as I fell to my knees, my heartbeat racing in my chest as my senses were on alert.

Something was calling out to me. I could feel it, taste it even as I sniffed through the air. I fought my composure to remain calm to resist but it was too strong and I knew I had lost when I started to shift.

In an instant, my body transformed. After shifting for the first time at sixteen years old, the process has become easier. Black fur covered my body as my snout increased my sense of smell making the allure more evident. My vision sharpened as my bones rearranged giving room for my limbs to stretch forward.

My sense of hearing increased as I heard a noise coming from the cabin and I turned in its direction. I could feel my pack around me, their heartbeats. And the one inside the cabin.

I couldn’t stop myself from moving forward, driven by an irresistible force.

“Alpha, wait!” I heard Willis' panicked voice behind me. But I had already lost, I had no control over myself and my body as I leapt on the cabin’s stairs. With a powerful force, I broke the door to the house, the door splintered giving way for me as I entered the house.

Everything was in shades of red and I could barely make out objects around me, I followed the scent, it was filled everywhere in the house.

She was here, the source of the feeling. She was standing right in front of me. The mysterious human was nothing like I had imagined. She had fiery red hair that fell in loose waves around her shoulders. Her skin was like a porcelain doll, a contrast to her bright hair. Her features were delicate and small.

But what struck me the most were her eyes.

They were such a brilliant shade of ocean blue, like diamonds shimmered on them, it captivated me immediately. They held a mix of fear and curiosity as they looked at me with utmost shock.

I stood there for a moment, noticing tiny details like the line of tears on her soft round cheeks. Her eyes were sad and a wave of sadness enveloped her and soon found its way to me. It was like I could feel everything she was feeling at that moment.

It happened in a moment. The strange feeling again slammed through my defense and it made me lose my balance and control. I staggered, feeling a surge of power coursing through my veins. Something in me snapped and I couldn’t resist it any longer as I lunged towards her without warning.

I saw her take a step back from fear but I was driven with an insatiable hunger and I reached her and pushed her to the ground. She let out a scream but I ignored her, unable to stop myself as I sank my teeth into her exposed neck.

The taste of her skin was strange, yet so familiar as I felt the world around me blurred. Her scent filled my nose, her screams filled my ears and she was too powerful to resist. I struggled to get a hold of myself but I couldn’t.

And just as quickly as it had started, the feeling seemed to disappear around me as horror clouded my mind. What had I done? But there was no time to process my actions as my vision swirled around me and I felt myself shift back to my human before I fell to the floor, my world descending into darkness.

Chapter 5

Desiree.

Fear enveloped me, everything came crashing around me. In one moment I was standing in my room when I heard sounds from the door crashing. My first thought was that the coyote from earlier had come inside the house so I ran to confirm it and chase it away when I saw the biggest wolf in my life.

It was unlike any wolf I had ever seen, bigger than the average wolf. Its size was so surreal that I wondered if I was imagining it at all but the shattered door told me this was real. Its fur was as black as midnight and I was sure if it was dark I wouldn’t have noticed it except for its eyes.

Red like ambers of fire, they started intensely at me that for a second I thought they had emotions in them. It didn’t appear emotionless like an animal and it was weird that I didn’t feel like a prey staring at it.

But I was wrong because in a second, it lunged towards me, teeth bared and jaws wide. It didn’t take a second for it to close the distance between us as it pushed me to the floor. A scream escaped my throat as fear gripped me and I struggled to get off.

It was bigger than I was, far stronger and suddenly I felt my life flash in front of me. It was going to kill me. I was going to die and meet Grandpa.

I prepared myself for the next thing and soon I felt its fangs pierce my neck, a searing pain radiating through my body and I screamed again. It filled the room and the pain came.

I clutched its fur as if to ease the pain but it traveled from my neck to every part of me and I tried to push the wolf away but it only dug its teeth deeper into my skin.

The agony was unbearable as my vision blurred with tears and I struggled to breathe, my body convulsed with fear and pain as I tried to push the wolf away from me but it didn’t bulge.

Suddenly, the wolf released its grip on my neck and it wasn't there. Something unexpected happened. Slowly, those black furs melted into ivory skin and soon vanished, the snout became human-like and it reduced in size until there was a man lying unconscious on the floor.

I didn’t waste time as I scrambled and screamed at the top of my lungs. I placed my hand over my neck feeling blood gushing down my clothes and staining it red. I stumbled backward, looking around for a cloth to stop the blood flow as my vision danced in front of me and I blinked harder.

Panic filled me as I staggered to my room and my reflection flashed in the mirror. I screamed at the sight of blood; it sent a chilling feeling of deja vu filled my head.

I had seen a similar sight of blood when Grandpa had been hit by that truck just outside Miss Filippe's bakery. I had been waiting by the window as he crossed over to me when the truck had come out of nowhere when the traffic light was red for pedestrians to cross the road.

It was like I had been teleported back two weeks ago as I saw Grandpa lying alone on the road in his pool of blood. I could still hear the screeching tires of the truck as it ran past him in a hurry and soon not to be seen anymore. I remember the scream that escaped my lungs as I ran out of the bakery and into the road as people started to gather around.

But the sounds of ambulances and people all faded into the background as I saw him. He was lying all alone, his head smashed in and blood pooled from the open hole in his head. His eyes once filled with love and compassion stared emptily at me and I screamed in pain.

I held onto his hand as it started to slowly become cold then I knew he was gone.

Panic snapped me out of the memory as I stared back at myself in the mirror and I noticed the blood gushing from the wound had stopped. I frowned, not feeling any pain like I had earlier so I slowly took away my hand from my neck.

My breath stopped in my throat as I stared at the once-opened wound on my neck. It had completely closed up and my neck was perfect like a wolf hadn’t just bit into it and I staggered back.

I stared at the blood all over my dress and I knew I had been bitten before. I stepped closer to the mirror, pulling down the collar of my dress so I could take a good look at it. But it was completely healed like nothing had been there. I blinked and stared harder but the skin was repaired.

What was happening?

I touched my neck feeling around for any sort of injury but I felt nothing. Panic surged through me.

Was I going crazy?

Was this all a result of my grief?

I was suddenly imagining things, from the coyote yesterday to the wolf that had broken into my home and bitten me. Then said wolf had changed to a human and he was lying unconscious in my sitting room. Then the wolf bite that had been bleeding was suddenly healed.

Yes, it was crazy.

A dark chuckle escaped my lips as my shoulders racked in laughter and I pinched myself.

I was definitely going crazy.

Before I could comprehend everything that had happened, I heard noises outside the cabin. Hurried footsteps as they flooded into the house and I frowned, grabbing a broomstick from the corner of my room and stepped into the sitting room.

“There’s the Alpha!” A voice boomed through the cabin and I frowned.

Alpha?

“Eugene, grab him. Take him back to the car and drive to the pack, the rest of you follow him. I’ll deal with the human,” a voice commanded as I hurried footsteps doing his command.

Pack? Alpha? Human?

What was going on?

By ‘human’ did they mean me? Weren’t we all humans?

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice a man step into my room and grab my hand, snatching the broom away and throwing it to the floor breaking it in half. I gasped in shock.

“Let me go!” I screamed as he grabbed my other hand, he was a tall man with dark skin. His head was bald and he had hazel eyes that stared angrily at me.

“You’re coming with you, filthy human.” He growled at me as he dragged me across the corridor and to the sitting room.

“Who are you?! Let me go!” I yelled trying to snatch my hand away from him but he was stronger as he held me tightly by the wrist.

I didn’t see the man on the floor anymore but there was blood all over the place.

“What’s going on?” I started to say, feeling panic as fear coursed through my spine but he didn’t respond to me as I clawed at his hand to let me go but he was too strong and took me out of the house.

“Please..” I choked out but he said nothing and I dragged my hand away but he held on tighter.

Who were those people? I wondered as he pulled me along through the woods.

“Please..” I started to sob. “I have done nothing wrong to deserve this.”

The man snapped his head at me and I stumbled in fear. “You’ve done nothing wrong? You’ve killed members of my pack, many of our people are falling Ill and you’ve done something to our Alpha!” he yelled at my face and I frowned, confusion clouding my mind.

“I’ve done all these?” I asked as I thought hard about my past days in the cabin.

“Don’t act innocent. Our Alpha has never marked anyone as his mate. He hasn’t chosen anyone as his mate and all of a sudden a human who is nothing but a terror to my people is being chosen as our Luna?!” He shouted and I frowned.

I had no idea what he was talking about. Alpha? What the hell did that mean? And the Alpha had supposedly chosen a mate? And what the hell was a Luna?

“I don’t understand. What’s going on? What is Luna and marking mate of a thing?” I asked him but he only chuckled darkly as he nodded.

“He was right after all. Humans are dangerous. And I hope you are executed for all your crimes when we get to the pack but before then you’ll bring back our Alpha from his comatose state. You would reverse all you have done and you’ll never be the Luna of a pack you have hurt so dearly.”

Chapter 6

Desiree.

“Let go of me!” I cried as the man pulled me out of the cabin, not sparing me a glance. My pleas fell on deaf ears and my heart thumped loudly in my chest as he pulled me further away from the cabin.

“Gather the others. We are going back home,” he said and I turned sharply to some other men who had come out from the woods, their eyes a weird golden shade as they stared intently at me.

I saw a car ahead as the man turned in its direction before glaring at me. “We are taking you with us?” he said coldly, his hazel eyes staring at me.

“Where? Who are you people?” I asked fearfully as I raised my hand to hit him, but he squeezed it harder before slamming me against the hood of the car, pinning my hand to my back as I screamed in pain.

“I’ll ask the questions,” he answered before I felt something cold against my wrist and I know it was shackles. That shut me up as tears filled my eyes.

My heart pounded in my chest as he opened the car and pushed me into the passenger seat, giving me a cold glance before hopping in too.

I said nothing as the car started to drive out of my home. I watched in silence until the cabin couldn’t be seen. I could feel the other people driving right behind us but I didn’t turn to look. The bitter taste of fear cling to my tongue and it was getting harder to breathe.

Questions bubbled in my head as I tried to make sense of what was happening. Who were these people? And why were they taking me away? But the most puzzling part was the man whom I had seen change from a wolf to a human. How was that possible? The bite on my neck too was gone and I couldn’t feel any pain from it.

It got harder to breathe and the car felt like an impending prison as I sat fearfully still keeping my eyes on the road as if expecting the police to suddenly show up and save me.

As the car sped through the forest, tears streamed down my face, a mixture of fear and confusion. It was like I had been thrown into a nightmare. From losing Grandpa to being kidnapped.

The car finally emerged from the woods and entered into a clearing. Soon, I found myself in the most of a community of people. Houses were scattered everywhere and it was beautiful. But there was a somber feeling amidst them.

As we drove further inside, I noticed the palpable sense of anguish in the and saw a few people looking so unhappy and I wondered why. The community was beautiful, with nice cottages and flowers everywhere. It was like a small village but there was technology and other big buildings that appeared like schools and hospitals.

Why were they so far from the outside world? Buried here in the mountains?

My eyes darted from face to face as the people went about their normal duties. I could see some people training at the far end of the woods and I frowned.

Was this some sort of cult?

“What is this place?” I asked suddenly as I turned to look at the man driving. But he didn’t respond and soon stopped in front of a large house.

The car soon stopped in front of a grand house with a garden at its center. The gates automatically opened and I looked out noticing there were a few guards standing far off but I kept my gaze on the person who had pulled the door open.

It was an older woman, who appeared to be in her fifties. She had bright blonde hair and emerald green eyes that looked so familiar for a second before they widened as the car stopped in front of her.

“Where is he?” Her voice rang out, as she looked in the car obviously not finding anyone else except me but she didn’t spare me a glance as the man stepped down from the car.

“Willis? Where’s my son?” she asked again as Willis said nothing at first then the door opened to reveal another older man and I felt a surge of power and superiority from him.

He had black hair and the same shade of green eyes as he went to the woman holding her shoulder as if to calm her.

“Calm down, Elaine,” he said softly but she slapped his hand away angrily.

“How can you say this Rico? Didn’t you hear the report over the phone? Maddox is unconscious. He marked her! A human!” she shouted and as if on cue, she turned to me, her eyes like green daggers as she stalked toward the car.

“Elaine..” the older man called but she didn’t respond as she stalked towards me and grabbed the door to the car and, as if it was a scene out of a supernatural movie, she ripped off the door from the hinges and threw it behind her.

A scream escaped my lips as I screamed to get away from her but she seemed so inhuman as she grabbed me from the car in one movement and slammed me against the car.

“Start talking! What the hell did you do to Maddox?!” she yelled in my face but I could only let out a whimper. So much was happening at once. How the hell did she do that? That wasn’t something any human could do. Especially not a woman, an older woman.

“Why did he mark you? You? A human?” she spat, grabbing my neck and turning it so she could see my neck. A gasp escaped her lips and I wondered what was there that she was so surprised about but she glared back at me when I tried to reach for my neck.

“You’ve caused enough problems already. You’ve harmed the pack, my people and you’ve somehow cast a spell on my son. The Alpha of this pack. You’ve coerced him to mark you as his mate. You become a Luna?” she asked, a dark chuckle escaping her lips as she looked at me from head to toe before she continued. “You’ll rot in the dungeons for what you have done and you would somehow reverse this spell you have done.”

She let me go and I coughed as I landed on my knees, feeling color in my cheeks again.

“I’m going to check on Maddox with the pack doctor. But I want him brought home tonight. I want him where he’s safe,” she said as Willis nodded. “And lock the human up. She has caused enough trouble as it is.”

Rico nodded, going to meet her as he pushed her hair away from her face and she started to sob.

“Come,” Willis said, coming to grab my hand as he pulled me to my feet from the cold shackled around my wrist. I winced in pain but said nothing as he pulled me away toward the back of the house.

There was an older building at the back of the house and I felt chills down my spine as Willis took me inside. It was cold and I shivered as the heavy doors slammed shut behind me and I looked around the cold room.

It looked like a prison with small cells lined up on each side of the wall. But they were all empty as we walked past and I heard Willis take out a key before opening one of the doors. It was so dark and only very little light from outside seeped in.

When Willis pushed me into the cell, I didn’t struggle. I felt tired, my body hurt and my throat felt sore from screaming and crying.

“Everything you do, everywhere you go people die. People get hurt. I hope you rot here till you die.” I heard Willis' cold voice as he slammed the door shut behind me.

Despite not fully understanding what he meant, guilt weighed my heart down. He was right. I was bad luck, it was all my fault Grandpa was dead. Tears rolled down my eyes as I collapsed to the floor unable to hold myself anymore.

My eyes could no longer stare at the dark cold room. It was so quiet and it felt like the walls were closing up on me so I closed my eyes and wished for it to all go away.

It wasn’t real. I told myself. When I slept it off, I’d wake up in my bed once more. That was my last thought before I succumbed to the darkness.

Chapter 7

Maddox.

Light shone through my eyelidss, forcing me to blink them open. But the moment I did, I shut them again as I groaned in annoyance.

Immediately I felt someone grab onto my hand and I frowned, tirbing slightly and opening my eyes again slowly this time when I saw the familiar blonde hair of my mother. Tears were stained on her cheeks as she smiled in relief before pulling me into a hug.

“You’re awake!” She exclaimed as she gave me a peck on the cheeks before helping me sit up. Gently, I rested my back against the headboard as I looked around.

It was my old room before I had moved out. The bed had been changed to a bigger one to accommodate my larger size. The room was exactly the same way I had left it the day I moved out.

“What am I doing here?” I asked as I looked around confused. “Mother? What’s going on?”

“Don’t you remember?” she asked as she squeezed my hand. “You and the others went to get the human and then you sprinted off ahead of them. Willis said it was like something had taken over you and you went ahead to bite the human and mark her as yours.” She said and the memories of last night went flashing in my head.

I remember it was like something really had taken over me. I couldn’t help it. I didn’t know why I had felt so intrigued and overwhelmed by her. Nor did I understand why I had chosen her as my mate by marking her. She was a human, for heaven's sake! A human responsible for the death and sickness of my people.

“Where’s she?” I asked coldly as my mother sighed.

“Locked up in the dungeons”

“I want to see her.” I blurted out as my mother frowned.

“Why do you want to see her? She’s dangerous. Three more deaths have been reported since we brought her in. There’s been an increase in the number of check-ins at the pack hospital. It’s getting worse, and she’s at the center of it all.” My mother spoke and I looked away.

“She’s my mate…” I said so softly that I couldn’t believe I had uttered those words. A part of me felt different, in a way I couldn’t explain it but it was a feeling like I had been born again. A part of me was longing to see her face. I closed my eyes for a second letting the new emotions wash over me. There was a new sense of warmth within me and I wondered if it had always been there.

I frowned, pushing down the desire as I started to get on my feet.

“Send for Willis,” I ordered as my mother glanced at me before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

“You sent for me?” I heated the door open as Willis entered, his eyes looking so heavy and I wondered how long I had been unconscious.

“Yes. What happened after I marked the human?” I asked him, going to my window to overlook the dungeons just at the end of the house.

Something called out to me. It was her. This time I recognized it, it was the same feeling that had taken over me when we had arrived at the cabin. It was calm, soothing, and it felt like a missing part of me.

“You passed out Alpha. We have never seen that happen to you before so we brought you back to the pack. With the human too, your parents ordered that she’s locked up.” Willis finished and I said nothing as I went to my walk-in closet and changed my outfit before netting him outside again.

The walk to the dungeon was silent after Willis relayed all the information from the past two days. More wolves were dead. The pack was in panic and there was a human who I had not only mated but was the cause if it

I resisted the urge to slap myself as we pushed the door open to the dungeons. And I felt it again, that irresistible force that drew me in. It was an invisible thread that connected me with her and no matter how much I tugged on it, it never let go.

As I approved the cell, the sight I was met with tore at my heart. There she was, lying on the cold hard floor in a dark cell. A tattered figure that was curled up at the end of the wall. I remembered those vibrant red hair the first time I had seen it. Now they were dull and filled with dirt as it lay around her head. Her eyes which had been a bright shade of blue were closed as she was deep in sleep and hadn’t even noticed that we had entered the dungeon.

The air was damp and it clung to her like a second skin making her appear paler than usual. Pain surged through me, sadness and despair tearing at my heart as I stumbled backward.

These feelings weren’t mine. They were hers. I thought as I leaned closer, pressing my hand to the cold iron bar as if to teach her and take her out of there.

“Be careful, Alpha” I heard Willis say behind me but I paid him no mind as I watched her silently. It felt like she was speaking to me through the connection that had been made. I felt the pain like it was mine, the emotions threatened to consume me and there was the desire to reach out to her.

As if finally sensing our presence, she stirred and my heart leaped in my chest as she turned towards me, and those eyes softly opened. For a second, the world stopped as I got lost in those blue eyes. There was a glimmer of recognition, a spark and I knew there was more to what met our eyes.

Her eyes were filled with so much fear and vulnerability. It was like she had lost all hope as she stared harder at me with no other emotion.

“Please...” she started to say and at the sound of her voice, my heart stopped. It was so beautiful and my chest tightened at her next words. “Kill me please.”

Sorrow filled me as her words echoed in my ears and I staggered back, unable to hear her utter those words.

“Please. I don’t want this pain anymore. Take it away,” she said again, her voice carrying the weight of pure anguish and I wondered why she was this way. The request cut through me as I watched her close her eyes once more.

She was weak. Tired. And beaten.

“Alpha. It’s best we kill her and end this,” Willis said and I turned sharply at him and grabbed him by the neck, shoving him against the wall.

“No one touches her. Not even one hair on her head.”

Chapter 8

Maddox.

“Leave us.” I commanded as Willis bowed and left the room, giving her one long look of displeasure. The cold air settled in and I watched as she shivered and pulled closer to the wall. There was a flickering light casting its shadows on the stone walls.

Despite the dimly lit room, her hair was a bright orange resting around her small face that was filled with exhaustion and distress. There was a connection and I could almost feel the same way.

“What’s your name?” I asked gently, feeling a huge wall between us and there was the urge to break it down. I didn’t know why I wanted to know more about her. This wasn’t what I thought a mate bond would feel like. I was no longer myself and I couldn’t control my impulsive desires.

Her blue eyes turned to me filled with weariness and I wondered how long she had been locked here. For a moment there was a heavy silence in the air but she kept her eyes on me.

“Desiree,” she replied, her voice was calm but I didn’t miss the defiance in it.

I nodded, feeling my wolf within me happy with the new source of information but I kept my cool as I spoke. “I’m Maddox.”

'And your mate,' I wanted to add.

She said nothing to that; confusion flashed in her eyes, but I wasn't ready to explain any terms to her. As much as I was drawn to her. It didn’t change the fact that she was dangerous and she was the cause of the uproar in the pack. Despite her being my mate, my first responsibility was to the pack.

“Why are you killing my pack members?” I blurted out as she frowned at me. “I know you’re responsible for their death and sudden Illness. We have lived amongst the mountains in peace for many years. But you, a human suddenly moved in and my people started falling sick. Who are you and what do you want from us?”

I noticed every change in her emotions, the confusion that clouded her face and the slight discomfort in her eyes as she opened her lips to speak.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t kill anyone.” She answered, her voice laced with genuine bewilderment.

I ran my hand through my hair, there were so many conflicting emotions. I didn’t want to trust her because of my Alpha instinct but I knew she wasn’t lying. I could feel her like she was a part of me.

“Why did you move to the cabin?” I asked and she looked away from me before turning back to meet my gaze. Her eyes were suddenly filled with tears as she tried to blink them away.

She took a moment before she responded. “I...I didn’t have anywhere else to go. After...” Her voice broke as she rubbed her eyes, then gave me an intense glare.

“You’re horrible,” she spat and I flinched at her sudden anger, her eyes glaring daggers at me. “You came into my home, bit me and kidnapped me. You locked me up here! And you have the nerve to accuse me of something I know nothing about!”

I felt the weight of her words, the accusation hanging like an air of unspoken truth and guilt clawed at my throat.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” I said sincerely. “I...” I stopped, unsure of what to say.

“So why did you? I have no idea why I’m here in the first place,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks and I felt my heart heavy with emotions.

“I don’t know how to explain this,” I started as she frowned at me.

“Maybe start from why the hell you fucking bit me!” she shouted and I choked back a laugh that threatened to escape my lips.

“Trust me. That’s the most difficult part to explain.” I said softly and she eyed me before sighing.

“Could you at least tell me how you are able to change to a wolf or something? Because I swear I wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating.”

“This is going to be a lot to take in but it’s true. Have you heard of a real life werewolf?” I asked as she raised her left brow at me before wiping off her tear-stained cheeks.

“Only the ones in fantasy shows. That we believed in when we were kids,” she replied, and I sighed.

“They are real. Or rather we are real. I’m not a human like you. I am a werewolf,” I said, pausing to gauge her response.

Desiree said nothing at first and then a loud laughter escaped her lips as it echoed through the stony dungeons. I was taken off guard by her smile. Her eyes sparkled with some sort of amusement making them appear like a glittering diamond. Her laughter was a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

“You’re joking right?” Desiree asked, fits of laughter escaping her lips. “Werewolves, really? Nah. This has to be some kind of prank. Is this what it is? Where are the cameras?” she asked, looking around the dungeon as if to find something to invalidate my words.

I said nothing at first, watching the smile fall off her face as she looked around the cold room and her hands tied behind her, a wave of sadness washed over her.

“It’s the truth. Werewolves exist. It’s not just fantasy. You can’t easily make up that lie, rumors are born from small realities. We are beings who can change into wolves and humans at will. It is a part of who we are, the gift the moon goddess has given us for centuries. We live in packs, a community of wolves to survive and bond together. As we are social creatures.”

I watched as her eyes widened with a mix of disbelief and curiosity before she shook her head again.

“Wait a second. You’re serious?”

“You saw me shift back to a human. You tell me.”

“But...“

“You saw my men outside your home the day before we attacked. You knew you saw an animal like a wolf watching you that night.” I pressed on as she shook her head as if to disperse the thought that it was true.

“This is my pack. Woodland Pride. We’ve been living in the mountains for years. We are the largest pack in the city with over three thousand wolves. But we are in danger because of you,” I said and she snapped her head to me in confusion.

“Me?” she asked and I sighed again.

“It is my belief that since you arrived in the cabin we’ve had sudden death of my people as well as sickness. We can’t say for sure what the problem is but it’s tied to you.”

“Why would I want to harm your people?” she asked. “I’ve never hurt a fly before and now I’m a killer. Even if I wanted to harm someone. I don’t even know how to. I’m human and I can’t even protect the one I care about.” She said, bowing her head slightly and I felt a wave of sudden jealousy.

“What do you mean?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“I’m not telling you,” she said defiantly as she looked past me in anger. I could feel her distrust and I understood why.

“I’ll have someone get you some food and water,” I said as I started to leave but she only glared at me angrily.

“You can’t keep me here!” she yelled. “I’ve done nothing wrong to you! You have no right to treat me this way!”

I smirked at that, it sounded like a challenge and I felt my wolf perking up at that.

“Oh I can. I haven’t introduced myself yet.” A dark smile filled my lips as she squinted her eyes at me.

“And who are you? Let me guess. A lame wolf in the ‘pack’?”

I could almost see the quotes in the air as she eyed me with displeasure.

“No. I’m Maddox Karl. The Alpha of Woodland Pride.”

Chapter 9

Desiree.

“No. I’m Maddox Karl. The Alpha of Woodland Pride.”

I sat on the cold floor, my back resting against the damn wall and I didn’t know what day it was. But every minute had stretched into eternity as I was left confused, hungry and alone.

Then this man comes in and tells me he’s a werewolf, and I was the evil villian in this story hurting his pack. My gaze involuntarily lifted, meeting his eyes. He stood in front of me, a tall imposing figure who walked and talked like he owned the world. A wave of arrogance surrounded him but I couldn’t deny the attraction he bled off.

He was undeniably handsome, black hair framed his face and those bright green eyes that watched me intensely reminded me of the green leaves that surrounded the cabin. He was attractive, yes, but I hated him.

“Alpha? So you’re like the leader or something?” I asked, feeling a growing sense of fear up my spine as he leaned closer to the rails and smirked at me before nodding.

“Yes. I rule this pack. I’m the most powerful as you’ll obey me, my every command,” he said, his green eyes glittering at me. There was an undeniable presence about him, an aura that stirred a mixture of emotions within me. His smirk carried a sense of authority, a reminder that I was in the presence of someone stronger, someone powerful.

A surge of conflicting emotions coursed through me. Despite the fear that arose within me from his status there was some sort of attraction and allure that went beyond the physical.

I looked away from his eyes because they felt like it was drawing me in.

“Why did you bite me?” I asked, reaching my hand to the part of my neck where he had bitten me. I could almost feel the long teeth sinking into my skin as I shuddered and caressed it. Strangely, there was no pain, my fingertips trailed over it and I frowned when I felt something like a scar. It surged with some sort of energy.

A peculiar sensation suddenly surged through nine and an unexpected wave of desire and passion, like there was something intimate about it awakening a yearning within me and I gasped biting down my lips as if to stop the desire from coursing through me.

“If you keep touching it. We might not be able to keep both our hands to ourselves.” Maddox's voice snapped me out of my desires and I snatched my hand away from my neck flushed with embarrassment.

It was like the bite had ignited something within me leaving me both intruded and disturbed. I glared at him, the dark smile still on his face as he watched me carefully, and when I looked harder, I didn’t miss the desire in those green eyes.

“What did you do to me?” I demanded, my voice laced with anger and confusion as I glared hard at him.

He said nothing at first and I knew he knew what was happening to me. His smirk gave it away as he flicked his lips playing with the mystery that surrounded the bite on my neck.

I wish I could hate him more than I did.

“Should I tell you?” he asked, amusement filling his face as his lips curled in a teasing smile.

“Should I or should I not?” He asked again and I glared harder at him, feeling the cold wall at my back. He smirked harder at me, relishing in my curiosity.

“Enough with the games. Tell me what you’ve done to me and why you bit me?” I asked again in frustration. “I deserve to know what is happening to me?”

Maddox remained silent for a moment, a calculated pause that shifted the tension in the air and I waited to hear an answer. When he finally spoke, the teasing smile had fallen off his face and his emotions were unreadable as he watched me as if searching for answers in his mind.

“I would only tell you if you tell me who you were referring to as the one you loved and couldn’t protect.” He stated, his gaze unwavering.

The demand struck a nerve because there was no way in hell I was telling a complete stranger who had kidnapped me and locked me in here about my past. I didn’t trust him and I hated him. I scoffed at the audacity of his request and I felt my blood boil at his conditions.

“You’re unbelievable!” I resorted, feeling frustration bubbling to the surface. The scars of my past had nothing to do with this new reality and there was no way I would expose them to him!

“Is it a man? Someone you were in a relationship with?” Maddox continued as if he hadn’t heard me and I shook my head at him.

“I do not owe you my own secrets. You’ve thrown my life into chaos and you have the nerve to question me?” I said, feeling tears brim in my eyes but I blinked them back. I didn’t want him to see me cry anymore.

“I say it’s a fair trade,” he kept on, unfazed by my resistance.

“I can never tell you anything,” I asserted, feeling a new sense of stubbornness in my voice. “You are not entitled to the fragments of my life. Not after the horror you’ve put me through.”

Maddox remained composed before he sighed and leaned back against the wall. “Then by all means don’t respond,” he said and I glared hatefully at him.

“You’re an asshole. I was living peacefully in my own world when you came to wreck it, claiming I’m the cause of the death in your pack.”

“Yes, you’re a huge suspect.”

“Then you say you’re a werewolf.”

“That part is true and tried.”

“Then I’m taken to the dungeons to live out my life in misery.”

“As you can see for yourself.”

I scoffed, slamming my head against the cold wall. “I’m going crazy.”

“No you’re not,” he replied and I shook my head and closed my eyes for a second, trying to process everything that was happening. How the hell had this even happened? Was any of this real?

I didn’t know what compelled me to touch the scar on my neck and I felt a shudder run through me and heard Maddox hiss slightly, I turned to look at him.

He was staring intently at me, his green eyes held the same desire that mine did. And I realized the scar affected us both.

“You’re feeling that too?” I asked, watching his eyes mirror the same intensity that I felt. There was a sudden shift in the air, a magnetic pull that drew in the both of us.

“Felt what?” he asked and I knew he did, he tried to keep an unreadable expression but I saw past it this time.

“That feeling,” I said as I raised my hand to my neck again, and I let out a gasp and Maddox did too. I smirked in pleasure. He definitely felt that.

“You did,” I said smiling as a wave of laughter threatened to escape my lips at the discomfort that flashed in his eyes.

“No,” he stated, his eyes despite the stoic facade betraying the flicker of something like desire.

I smirked again, a knowing glint in my eyes. “You’re a poor liar.” I said as he watched me intently and I raised my hand to my neck again, something flashed in his eyes.

“Stop doing that,” he warned and I shook my head.

“Tell me,” I commended, as he frowned. “Tell me what this means. Why did you bite me?” I asked again.

“I won’t explain,” Maddox declared as if ending the conversation as he leaned away from the wall and I raised a brow at him. The smirk played on my lips as I knew I had the upper hand.

“Then I’ll keep touching it,” I said, a rebellious glint in my eyes as I lingered my hand above the scar and watched him carefully challenging his actions. Maddox met my gaze with a knowing smile as if he anticipated my reaction.

But instead, I had expected him to start blurting out the reason but his face matched the smirk on my lips as those lips curled upwards in amusement.

“Go on,” he encouraged me, his voice teasing me as if daring me to do it.

The air crackled with unspoken tension as I maintained eye contact with him, a silent stand-off between us. No one wanted to back off or relent. And I’ll be damned if I was the one who would submit. Maddox's gaze never wavered and it became evident that I wasn’t backing down either.

I glared angrily at him. “Fine,” I said before I placed my fingers over it pressing it deeply but I wasn’t ready for the reaction that came next.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I heard Maddox say.

Chapter 10

Desiree.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Maddox had said but stubborn me didn’t want to back down or submit to his warnings instead I pressed my hand to the scar, harder than I had done the last time.

In an instant, a potent wave of sensation surged through me so fast that my vision danced around me. It wasn’t just a physical response to touching my neck. It was an overwhelming desire that surged from within me. A part that I hadn’t known existed. Like a part of me that hadn’t been explored.

All my life I had never been with anyone that way, never been in love or had a boyfriend. I had wished to have one but never really had the time to explore that part of my life so this feeling was all new. It was untouched and buried deep within me. And it was funny how one touch awakened it and sent me into a wave of confusion.

The first part was an intense desire, slamming me with full force. My whole body felt hot like I couldn't control any of my movement. I felt my legs clasped together in front of me. Then the next feeling was the magnetic pull that seemed to emerge from the scar itself. It wrapped around me and pulled me towards Maddox. It was a heady mix of longing, yearning and strong desire that went beyond mere attraction.

The air surged with sparks, electricity that vibrated through us both making every nerve of my body come alive. From the tingling of my skin, the quickening of my heart and the gasp that escaped my lips. It was surreal. It was inhuman.

My reaction surprised me, it went past my boundaries of desire and I longed to be touched. I needed him to touch me.

But before I could fully comprehend the depth of what I was feeling, I heard a low growl and I looked up to see Maddox's green eyes piercing through the gaze. That didn’t sound human at all. And I frowned as I watched those green eyes suddenly change into a deep shade of red.

I gasped as the desire intensified as the air crackled with an intensity that even I couldn’t keep up with.

With a sudden movement, Maddox surged towards the metal bars that separated us. He grabbed onto it, the muscles of his arms ripped through his shirt and with unworldly strength, he ripped the bars off the hinges and threw it across the room.

As the bars were torn away with the display of supernatural strength, shock and fear gripped me as I shivered and widened my eyes at the sight in front of me. I looked up at him, in shock and disbelief.

The bars that stood in front of us, confining me to the corner of the room now lay discarded like a sheet of paper at the other end of the room, leaving me powerless and exposed in his presence. The sound of the bars clattered loudly in the room before a deafening silence followed.

The display of strength kept me frozen to the floor as my breath stopped and my heart pounded heavily in my chest. The fear settled in my stomach as it came up my throat when he stalked towards me.

I shivered when I gazed upon those red eyes and I felt my blood run cold. As Maddox stalled towards me I felt like prey, and he was my predator. He was going to harm me and it was all because I had been so stubborn and careless about something I didn’t know.

I was about to speak, to plead for my life but before I could manage to open my lips to say anything, Maddox seized me by my hand and in one swift movement he pulled me to my feet.

A powerful tug that froze me and the instant I felt my foot on the cold floor he slammed me against the unforgiving cold man’s damn wall. The impact reverberated through my frail tired body and I choked back a sob.

I gasped, the air knocked out of my lungs as I tried to comprehend the rapid turn of events, the strength Maddox wielded was undeniable and in that moment I was fully aware of my vulnerability towards him.

He was stronger than I was.

And I was at his mercy.

His grip on my hand was firm as he pulled them over my head and pinned them against the wall behind my head. Pain bit into my wrist and I tried to wriggle out of his death grip but he held me harder against the wall and I felt a wave of fear surge through me.

He leaned closer to me and a whimper escaped my lips. “Please...” I managed to choke out as I felt him lean closer to my neck and I felt tears surrounding my eyes as I started to cry softly. The air crackled between us leaving an unspoken tension.

As he leaned closer, I watched those red eyes deep before I turned away from them, leaving my neck exposed before him. I couldn’t bear looking at those eyes, they drew me in. Desire and fear filled me and it was fighting within me like a mixture of pain and passion.

I closed my eyes tightly as I felt his breath on my neck, hot and warm and a shiver ran down my spine as he sniffed it. It was like an animal, preparing its food before he ate it. It was a game and I was at his mercy.

“Ple—” I started to say when he growled and I gasped in shock and shivered under him. He was so close to me, I could almost feel his body pressed against me but there was such a small gap that I didn’t think a ruler could pass through it.

His actions were animal-like as he sniffed my neck harder and I waited for him to sink his teeth into me again like he had done before. I could almost feel the pain from last time and I mentally prepared myself for it.

I couldn’t do anything. There was no one to save me.

I was going to die.

Then, with a surprising gesture, I felt something wet and warm against my neck and I shuddered but felt his grip tighten against my wrist as if to keep me in place. I froze, my eyes opening slowly before I felt his tongue again on my neck and I slammed my eyes shut again in fear.

But it didn’t hurt, he trailed his tongue softly and gently against the scar and a tingling sensation lay in its wake. Sudden butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the gesture and the fear seemed to slowly melt away. I didn’t feel the cold anymore, instead, warmth filled me as if warming me from the scar down to every part of me.

Frozen in place, I stood captive in Maddox’s grip. He trailed his tongue over the scar so gently that I could almost imagine it. Soft growls escaped his lips as he continued.

I didn’t know what to do so I stood confused as the desire reverberated through me once more at his actions. His growls were almost dominating as if marking a territory against my body and I felt conflicting emotions.

The scar on my neck was a symbol, emanating these feelings, these desires between us. The tension deepened forcing us with it, drowning us and leaving us a pool of feelings that neither of us had.

The fear had once been overtaken by strange fascination, an acknowledgment that something surreal had broken through the fabric of my reality.

Slowly, he stopped and I heard him sigh as he rested his head against the wall for a second before he turned to me. Carefully, those red eyes slowly melted away and revealed the same green color that had been there before, this time they appeared almost vulnerable before they became cold again.

We stayed silent, lost in each other's gaze for another second before he carefully lowered my hand unpinning them from the wall as he stepped back. I suddenly missed his body against mine, his touch and his arms on mine.

“I warned you,” he said, his voice was cold but his eyes betrayed him when they watched me with so much intensity that I felt my stomach churn at those green hues. The butterflies fluttered around as if teasing me and my emotions surged within me, desire, passion, fear and weird sensations clouded my mind.

Before I could utter a word, he stepped away from me and I suddenly felt a part of me leave. He gave me one last look before he turned away and left the dungeons leaving me all alone. In the cold room to process what had just happened.