I should've turned and run.
I should've screamed and scratched and fought until I was nothing but dust.
But instead… I stood still.
Still, while the most dangerous creature in this cursed forest looked at me like I belonged to him.
He said it out loud — You're mine.
And I didn't say no.
Couldn't.
Because deep inside me, something ancient and unfamiliar coiled and stirred… like it agreed with him.
Like my soul remembered something my mind didn't.
But that couldn't be. I was human. He was a werewolf.
We weren't supposed to belong to each other.
We were supposed to be enemies.
"Say something," he growled.
His voice was strained, like he was trying to fight a war inside himself. I could feel the heat rolling off him, the way the air around us seemed to thicken.
I finally found my voice, though it came out sharper than I meant. "Is this what you do with all intruders? Claim them instead of kill them?"
His eyes narrowed, a hint of amusement flickering there. "No. You're the first."
"Oh, how lucky I must be," I muttered.
He stepped closer, and I felt my back brush against a tree trunk. He didn't touch me. He didn't have to. His presence was overwhelming — a storm dressed in skin.
"You're bleeding," he said again.
I looked down. The scratch across my side had soaked through what was left of my dress. The adrenaline was starting to wear off, and the pain returned, sharp and unkind.
"It's nothing," I said, brushing it off.
He didn't look convinced. "Wolves will smell it."
"Let them come."
"You think I'm the biggest danger in this forest?" he asked, voice low, mocking. "You have no idea what you've stepped into, girl."
"My name," I snapped, "is Aeryn."
His gaze held mine for a beat too long. "Aeryn."
The way he said it made something inside me shiver.
Then he stepped back. Just a little. Just enough for me to breathe.
"I'm Rhydan," he said, finally. "Alpha of the Crimson Fang Pack."
I knew that name.
Whispered in fear. Spoken in curses.
Rhydan Nightbane.
Killer of kings. Breaker of bonds. The cursed Alpha whose mate died years ago… or so the rumors said.
So why did he look at me like I was the one meant for him?
"You should come with me," he said, tone shifting. "Before others catch your scent."
I laughed, bitter and broken. "I didn't come here to be rescued."
"You didn't come here to die either."
"Didn't I?"
He froze.
For a second, the forest went still. Even the wind seemed to hush.
"You're not afraid of death," he said softly.
"No," I whispered. "I've met him. He has my mother's eyes."
That shut him up.
He studied me like he was trying to unravel every lie I'd ever told.
"You're not what I expected," he muttered.
"And you're everything I was warned about," I replied.
And yet, neither of us moved away.
A howl cut through the night. Closer this time. Angry. Hunting.
Rhydan cursed under his breath. "That's Garrick. He's not as patient as I am."
"Another Alpha?"
He shook his head. "My Beta. Loyal. Dangerous. And not as… understanding."
That was his way of saying if Garrick finds you, he'll rip your throat out before asking questions.
And something told me Rhydan wouldn't be able to stop him.
Not unless he made a choice.
"Come with me," he said again, more urgently. "You won't last the night out here."
I hesitated.
I didn't trust him. I didn't trust anyone.
But something told me I had to stay alive — at least long enough to uncover the truth about my blood, my parents, and the reason I felt like I belonged in a place that should've killed me on sight.
And staying alive meant staying with him.
Even if it was the most dangerous decision I'd ever make.
"Fine," I said. "But the moment you try anything—"
"You'll stab me?" he smirked. "You're welcome to try."
He turned and started walking. I followed, forcing myself not to limp.
"You know," I said, "for a man who just claimed a human trespasser, you're oddly calm."
"I'm not calm," he muttered.
"Oh?"
"I'm just trying not to rip the trees out of the ground."
"Why?"
He glanced over his shoulder. "Because your scent is driving me insane."
I blinked.
Wait, what?
He didn't explain. Just kept walking.
And suddenly, I was hyper-aware of every breath I took. Every heartbeat. Every step echoing beside his.
We reached a hidden trail carved through the dense trees. It was barely visible to the eye — but clearly, he'd taken this path before.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"To my territory," he said. "My side of the mountain."
I stopped walking. "What? I'm not going to your—your den."
He turned around slowly, eyes glowing in the dark. "You'd rather stay out here and bleed for the others to find?"
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't know.
He took a step closer. "I won't hurt you."
"How do I know that?"
"You don't," he said simply. "But if I wanted to, I would've done it already."
Damn it. He had a point.
I hated that.
I followed him in silence the rest of the way.
The forest began to thin out. The trees were larger here, ancient, with roots as wide as my torso. A strange kind of energy pulsed in the ground — like it was alive, watching.
I was starting to feel dizzy. The wound on my side throbbed with every step. My vision blurred.
"Rhydan…" I whispered.
He turned just in time to catch me as I stumbled forward.
"Damn it," he growled, lifting me like I weighed nothing.
"Put me down," I mumbled weakly.
"No."
"I don't need your help."
"You do," he said, voice firmer now. "Whether you admit it or not."
I didn't fight him. I couldn't.
My head dropped against his chest, and I felt the steady beat of his heart.
Strong. Steady.
And completely foreign to me.
But it didn't scare me.
What scared me was how… safe I felt.
He carried me through a narrow path until we reached a strange stone structure — part of it carved into the side of the mountain. A massive wooden door sat beneath twisted vines and glowing runes I didn't recognize.
Magic.
Old, pulsing, dangerous.
He pushed open the door, revealing a dim, warm interior. Stone floors, flickering torches, and the scent of leather, ash, and something spicy.
He set me down gently on a fur-covered bench. I tried to sit up, but he pushed me back down.
"Stay."
I was too weak to argue.
He knelt beside me, examining the wound. "You're lucky. It's shallow."
"Tell that to my ribs."
He didn't smile. Just tore a cloth from a shelf, soaked it in something, and began cleaning the blood.
I hissed. "That stuff stings!"
"It's wolfsbane extract. It'll stop infection."
"You're poisoning me now?"
"If I were poisoning you," he said dryly, "you'd already be dead."
Charming.
When he finished, he wrapped the wound expertly, his fingers rough but careful.
Then he looked up — and our eyes met.
Something shifted.
The air grew thicker.
I should've looked away.
But I didn't.
And neither did he.
"Who are you really, Aeryn?" he asked softly.
I swallowed. "I don't know yet."
He nodded slowly.
"Then I'll find out," he said.
His voice wasn't threatening.
It was a promise.
And for reasons I didn't understand… I wanted him to.
Even if it meant uncovering the parts of me I was terrified to face.