Luca's POV
The forest is silent except for my charcoal scratching across paper. Midnight. Full moon. Grandmother's cabin empty behind me—she's been gone three months, and I still can't bring myself to sell it.
A howl shatters the peace.
Then snarling. Fighting.
Wolves burst through the trees—massive, unnatural, wrong. They're tearing each other apart in some territorial war.
I should run. I'm frozen.
One wolf—gray, scarred, vicious—breaks from the pack. Its red eyes lock onto me.
Prey.
I stumble backward. It lunges—
A black wolf intercepts, slamming the gray one aside with brutal force. The black wolf is enormous, powerful, terrifying. It tears the gray wolf's throat out without hesitation.
Then it turns to me.
Golden eyes. Intelligent. Hungry.
It approaches slowly, stalking. I'm backed against a tree, nowhere to go. My heart hammers so hard I might die before it even touches me.
The wolf presses close. Its nose traces up my throat, and a possessive growl rumbles through its chest. The sound vibrates through my entire body, and god, I'm reacting—pulse pounding, skin flushing, arousal pooling low despite my terror.
Then it shifts.
Bones crack. Fur recedes. A man kneels before me—naked, muscular, devastatingly handsome. Dark hair, golden eyes, predatory grace.
"Finally," he breathes, voice rough. "I found you."
"What—who—"
He rises, crowding into my space. I'm pinned between him and the tree. His hand cups my throat, thumb pressing against my pulse.
"Mine," he growls.
His canines extend, and before I can scream, he bites.
Pain explodes through my neck—white-hot, searing. I cry out, but he holds me firm, teeth buried deep. Something floods into me, hot and invasive, claiming me from the inside out.
When he pulls back, blood stains his mouth. My blood.
"What did you do?" I gasp, touching my neck. The wound is already healing, leaving a silver mark like frost.
"Claimed you." His eyes glow amber in the moonlight. "You're my mate now. Mine forever."
"I don't—I didn't consent—"
"Your consent wasn't required." His smile is dark, possessive. "The bond is sealed. You belong to me, Luca Carter."
He knows my name. How does he know my name?
"No. No, this isn't—" I try to push past him.
His hand shoots out, gripping my wrist. "Running won't help. You're bound to me now. Fighting it will only hurt you."
"Let me go!"
"Never." He pulls me close, inhaling deeply at my neck. "I've waited too long for you. Searched too far. You're mine, and I'm taking you home."
"Home? I'm not going anywhere with you, you psycho—"
Pain lances through my chest. Sharp. Sudden. I double over, gasping.
"That's the bond," he explains calmly, not releasing me. "It demands proximity. The farther you try to get from me, the more it hurts."
"Make it stop—"
"Come with me willingly, and it stops."
I glare at him through tears of pain. "This is kidnapping."
"This is fate." He lifts me easily—I'm not small, but he handles me like I weigh nothing. "I'm Rian Blackwood, Alpha of the Northern Pack. And you're coming home with me."
"Put me down!"
He ignores me, carrying me through the forest. I struggle, but his grip is iron. The pain in my chest eases the longer I'm in his arms, which only makes me angrier.
"I'll escape," I hiss.
"You'll try." His smile is infuriating. "It'll be entertaining."