Chapter One – The Rogue
The forest was too quiet.
Every crack of a twig beneath my bare feet echoed like a death sentence. I knew I had gone too far, but stopping wasn’t an option. Not after the Silvermoon pack. Not after years of whispered insults, bruises, and laughter at my expense.
I was free. And freedom, even if it killed me, was worth the blood still dripping from the gash on my arm.
But then… the air shifted. Heavy. Charged. My wolf whimpered inside me.
I had crossed a border.
The stench of dominance laced the air—strong, metallic, and terrifying. Bloodfang territory. My heart hammered in my chest. I’d heard the stories: Damian Blackthorn, the ruthless Alpha who ruled with iron claws and a heart of stone.
Before I could turn back, a low growl rumbled behind me.
I spun—too late.
A hand closed around my throat, forcing me to the ground. My cheek pressed into the dirt, breath knocked from my lungs. His scent hit me—male, wolf, sweat, and cruel amusement.
“Well, well…” the stranger hissed, his grip tightening as he yanked me upright. His face was young, handsome even, but his eyes gleamed with superiority. An omega. Yet here, even he had power over me. “A rogue, all alone. The Alpha will want to see you.”
My pulse spiked at the mention of Alpha. Not fear. Something hotter, buried beneath the terror. My body betrayed me.
“Don’t touch me,” I spat, shoving against his chest. My voice was hoarse, but defiance crackled in it.
The omega’s smirk widened. “Oh, I’ll touch you all I want—until Alpha decides whether you live.”
He dragged me through the trees and down stone steps that led to a dungeon reeking of mildew and rust. My knees scraped against stone as he shoved me inside the cell. The heavy bars slammed shut behind me.
The darkness pressed close. Damp. Cold. My heart raced, but not from fear alone.
Because somewhere deep in the night, carried on the wind, came a scent so powerful it stole my breath. Woodsmoke. Leather. Wild power.
It curled around my lungs, intoxicating. Wrong. Dangerous.
And it didn’t belong to the omega.
No, this scent was something else. Something more.
Even trapped in filth, bruised and broken, a heat flickered in my veins. A warning. A promise.
The ruthless Alpha wasn’t even here yet… and already, my body knew he was coming.
