Selene has spent years running from her past-a lone wolf haunted by the sins of her fallen Bloodfang pack. Cursed with a reputation she never earned, she hides in the shadows, avoiding the hunters who would see her dead and the packs that would never accept her. But everything changes the night she crosses into Lucian Blackwood's territory. Lucian, the powerful Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, is relentless and untamed. When he discovers the rogue she-wolf injured in his forest, he feels the pull of the mate bond-a bond neither of them can afford. Selene wants nothing to do with him or his pack. She knows the truth: an alpha like Lucian can't be tied to someone like her, a wolf whose blood carries darkness. But Lucian refuses to let her go. As enemies close in and secrets unravel, Selene finds herself torn between the safety Lucian offers and the freedom she craves. The bond between them is undeniable, but their connection is forbidden. If Selene stays, she risks destroying the only chance of peace Lucian's pack has ever known. If she runs, it may cost them both their lives. Some bonds are fate. Others are a choice. And Selene must decide before time runs out.
Chapter 1 The Hunt
The night was alive with the scent of blood and the sound of pounding footsteps.
Selene's breath came in short, ragged bursts as she sprinted through the dense forest, her bare feet pounding against the damp earth. The sharp tang of pine needles pricked her soles, but she didn't stop. She couldn't. Not with them behind her. The hunters. Their scent clung to the wind-metallic and bitter, like old iron-and it sickened her.
They're getting closer.
Selene threw a quick glance over her shoulder, her keen eyes piercing the darkness. Faint silhouettes moved between the trees, no more than shadows, but they were fast-too fast for humans. She had underestimated them. These hunters were trained to track wolves like her, and their weapons were meant to kill.
The blood moon above bathed the world in crimson light, its eerie glow slicing through the black canopy. Selene's heart drummed wildly in her chest as the curse whispered its bitter reminder into her thoughts: You will never outrun fate, child.
She ignored it, biting her lip hard enough to taste copper. Fate was a cruel mistress, but she would not surrender to it. Not tonight.
"Fan out! She's close!" a rough voice barked from behind her.
Selene stumbled, her legs aching as exhaustion clawed at her muscles. A trap. That was what this had been all along. For days, the hunters had flushed her from safe haven after safe haven, driving her deeper into their territory, cutting off her options until this very moment. The forest was no longer her ally. Now, it was a cage.
The rustle of branches came from her left. Selene twisted sharply, changing direction and plunging through a tangle of thornbushes. The thorns sliced her arms and shoulders, but she gritted her teeth, the sharp pain feeding her determination. As she burst through the other side, she slid to a stop.
A clearing.
Wide, open, and empty.
Selene's pulse spiked as the realization hit her. She had been corralled.
She turned, already hearing the deliberate crunch of boots approaching from all sides. Men emerged from the tree line like shadows given form, their weapons gleaming faintly in the moonlight. Silver-tipped arrows, blades coated in wolfsbane, nets designed to hold her down and bind her limbs.
The hunters spread out in a circle, closing the gap between them, and Selene could feel their satisfaction radiating through the cold night air.
"Nowhere left to run, wolf," one of the men sneered, his smile a flash of white teeth. His voice oozed confidence. "Thought you'd give us more of a challenge."
Selene straightened, her chest heaving as her sharp gaze darted between them. Her wolf prowled restlessly beneath her skin, desperate to rise, but she fought the shift. It was too risky. Even if she managed to take down a few, there were too many. A full transformation would leave her vulnerable.
"Come quietly," another man said, a net dangling menacingly from his gloved hands. "We might even let you live."
Selene laughed bitterly. "Spare me the lies. You wouldn't waste silver on me if you planned to let me walk away."
The man's smirk fell, his expression hardening. He raised his bow, the silver arrow trained directly at her heart. "Suit yourself."
Time slowed.
Selene braced herself, her instincts screaming at her to move, but before the man could let the arrow fly, a deafening growl erupted from the shadows. The sound tore through the clearing, so deep and primal that the hunters froze, their faces draining of color.
Selene felt it before she saw it-the overwhelming, alpha presence that rippled through the air, raw and undeniable. Her wolf recoiled, then stilled, as if held in place by some unseen force.
Then, he stepped into the moonlight.
A towering figure, broad-shouldered and clad in dark clothing, emerged from the shadows like a specter. His black hair was tousled, as though he'd just woken from sleep, but his amber eyes glowed with a deadly focus. The hunters, so confident moments ago, hesitated as his presence crashed into them like a wave.
Lucian.
Selene's heart seized, though she masked her shock behind a scowl. Of all the alphas in the world, it had to be him.
"Alpha Lucian," one of the hunters stammered, lowering his weapon slightly. "We didn't know-"
"You didn't know this was my territory?" Lucian's voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of thunder. His eyes flicked toward Selene, lingering for a moment before snapping back to the hunters. "Or did you forget the rules?"
"We were hunting a rogue," another man said quickly, pointing toward Selene. "She's dangerous-"
"I don't recall asking for your opinion," Lucian interrupted, his lip curling back to reveal the faintest hint of fangs. "This rogue, as you call her, is under my protection now."
The words dropped like stones into the silence.
Selene's eyes widened. What is he doing? She opened her mouth to argue, to tell him she didn't need his protection, but something in the way he looked at her made her bite back the words.
"You can't be serious," one of the hunters protested. "She's one of them. Her scent-she's from the Bloodfang Pack!"
A ripple of tension spread through the clearing.
Selene stiffened. Bloodfang. The name of her former pack was poison to the ears of anyone who heard it, a stain she could never scrub clean. Years had passed since their destruction, but the stories of their crimes-of her crimes-still lingered like an unhealed wound.
Lucian tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "And yet, she is mine."
The declaration sent shockwaves through Selene's body, and she froze in place. What did he just say?
The hunters stared at him, dumbfounded. "Yours? She's-she's-"
"She's leaving," Lucian growled, his voice dropping an octave. The shadows around him seemed to deepen as his wolf pressed against the surface. "Now."
One of the men opened his mouth to argue, but Lucian's glare silenced him instantly. Reluctantly, the hunters lowered their weapons, muttering curses under their breath as they turned and retreated back into the woods. The sound of their footsteps grew fainter and fainter until they disappeared entirely.
The clearing fell silent.
Selene turned to face Lucian, her fists clenched at her sides. "I didn't ask for your help."
Lucian's gaze pinned her in place. "You wouldn't have lasted another minute."
"I don't need a savior," she shot back, her voice sharp. "Especially not you."
He arched a brow, amusement flickering across his otherwise stoic face. "And yet, here you are. Alive, thanks to me."
Selene bristled, hating how calm he sounded. Hating the way her traitorous heart skipped a beat every time his golden eyes locked onto hers. The alpha aura surrounding him was suffocating, an unspoken command that even her rebellious wolf didn't dare defy.
"Why did you do it?" she demanded, refusing to let him see how much his presence unsettled her. "Why claim me as yours?"
Lucian stepped closer, the faint scent of cedar and smoke wafting from him. His eyes searched hers for a long moment before he spoke, his voice low and steady. "Because you are."
Selene's breath caught in her throat. "What?"
"You heard me." He leaned closer, his towering figure casting a shadow over her. "You're mine. And I don't take kindly to anyone trying to take what belongs to me."
Her pulse thundered in her ears as the meaning of his words sank in. She staggered back a step, shaking her head.
"No," she whispered. "You're wrong."
Lucian's gaze darkened, his voice dropping to a soft growl. "Deny it all you want. But the bond doesn't lie."
Selene stared at him, horror and disbelief warring inside her. The bond. No. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be. Yet, as she looked into his amber eyes, a terrible truth began to settle over her like a shroud.
He was right.
She felt it, too.
The connection.
The pull.
Lucian Shadowfang was her mate.
And he was forbidden.
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