I couldn’t breathe. It was as if all the air had become thin. I couldn’t move or react. I couldn’t even think.
We had… mated?
I didn’t know much about the act because the wolves in my pack despised it. Mated wolves became one. Everything one felt, the other felt too. And if one died, the other would die as well.
To my father and Alpha Caspian, it was a despicable act, as it would place their lives in the hands of their females, and they didn’t believe any female deserved such privilege.
It was an ancient ritual that symbolized countless things. Among them, the purest form of devotion. It often happened when wolves were destined mates- souls born to be together, completing each other. But it was very rare to find a destined mate, at least in my pack, where I only knew of three such couples.
Since it was a banned custom, it wasn’t widely discussed to avoid piquing the curiosity of young couples. Everything I knew came from whispers and casual conversations.
It was a blood exchange. The male bit the female, and the female bit the male, binding them as one and leaving them with the mark of mutual dominance forever.
I was supposed to be marked by Hunter after our wedding, but I wouldn’t mark him. He would do it to flaunt his dominance over me to the rest of the pack. It was quite common, actually. All married females bore the marks of their husbands‘ fangs on their necks, along with carrying their scent.
“I… I…” I whispered, feeling fear slowly consume me.
This was… a disaster. I was mated to Fenrir, a wolf I knew nothing about besides his first name. We were connected, my life to his and his to mine.
I lifted my face to look at him.
In that moment, it became obvious to me why I could feel his anger so tangibly.
Gods.
He took a few steps forward and stopped in front of me, leaning in to align our faces.
“I asked what the hell you are,” he hissed, his breath fanning across my face.
He was trembling, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He was at his limit, on the verge of losing control and succumbing to his wildest instincts. He didn’t realize it, but he was exuding the pheromone of fear, which, somehow, didn’t affect me. Maybe because we were mated, since every time my father released it, I would instinctively kneel before him, submitting.
I should have been terrified, utterly panicked by what I was feeling, but I was only… confused and desolate about the whole situation.
“I’m an omega.”
He shook his head.
“You’re not!” he growled accusingly. “I’ve been around plenty of omegas in heat and never lost control with any of them.”
Alphas were the only ones affected by an omega’s heat. They could smell the pheromones from afar. That’s why we used herbs to suppress our cycle when we didn’t have a mate. Heat served only for reproduction, nothing more.
I wanted to back away, but there was nowhere to run, trapped between him and the tree trunk. His presence, so close–close enough for me to distinguish the silver flecks in the middle of his irises–overwhelmed me.
“I don’t know what happened,” I managed to say finally, “This is my first heat without the inhibitor, I’ve never gone through this before.”
He stared at me for so long that I thought he might rip my head off. But then he stepped back and began pacing, rubbing the back of his neck.
I glanced at him, taking in his torn shirt and bare legs. His cock was starting to harden again, though he seemed unaware. A treacherous heat coursed through me at the sight, making me gasp.
Fenrir stopped and turned to me.
“You’re releasing the pheromone again,” he accused through gritted teeth.
9:15 AM
5
I shouldn’t look–I knew I shouldn’t–but I couldn’t help myself. I looked. He was hard again, fully ready, just as affected by my heat as I was.
I took a deep breath, pulling in the cold air forcefully, trying to calm down.
“I can’t control it,” I admitted, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. “It’s involuntary.”
He growled, rubbing his face.
“What the hell just happened?” he asked, looking me over from head to toe, his nose wrinkling in disgust. “I can’t believe I mated with you.”
That hit me in a way I didn’t want to admit. A sharp pang pierced my foolish heart. I stepped to the side, trying to escape the burning weight of his gaze on
- me.
His cum was dripping down my thighs, making me even more ashamed of what had happened. His scent was so deeply embedded in me that I felt no bath could rid me of it.
I hated the disdain in his eyes as he looked at me. And… shame. Fenrir felt shame, just like I did, over what had happened.
Even Hunter’s rejection didn’t seem to hurt as much inside me.
“I’m leaving, I warned, casting a glance at my shredded clothes scattered on the floor.
He laughed.
“Do you really think I’ll trust my life to you?” He looked me up and down once more.
I clenched my teeth, overtaken by anger.
“I don’t care what you think, I’m leaving, end of story.”
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of me.
“I don’t know where you came from, little wolf,” he whispered, the threat hanging in the air, “but in case you’re not aware of the mating mechanisms, wolves become one, so if you die, I die.”
I swallowed hard and made every effort not to shudder before him. I had been submissive too many times in my life; I wouldn’t accept going through that again, even if he were an alpha much more powerful than my father or Hunter ever was.
“Your problem!” I spat, sliding away from him. I picked up my tattered clothes from the floor, but they were no good anymore. I went to my backpack and grabbed a dress, pulling it over my head as quickly as I could, avoiding his piercing gaze. “Let’s pretend this never happened.”
As I finished dressing, I grabbed the backpack and adjusted it on my back. I turned to him, who was pulling on the jeans, or what was left of the piece, by the legs. The pants no longer had a button or zipper.
“You don’t understand, little wolf. You have no choice but to follow me. I’m not giving you an option, but an order.”
My whole body stiffened with anger.
“And I’ve already said no.
He crossed the distance between us and closed his hand around my arm, tight enough to hurt me, but he didn’t seem to care.
“Shut that damn mouth,” he growled. ‘I’m still going to find out who you really are, even if I have to…”
I laughed, irritating him even more.
“Kill me?” I mocked,
His jaw worked, as if he were making the same realization I was. There was no solution to our situation.
He started walking through the forest, dragging me by the arm. He exhaled irritation, a lot of irritation. But I could feel, deep down, a little regret, guilt, and shame. They were contradictory feelings that left me confused.
I tried to break free from his grip several times, but I couldn’t. Fenrir dragged me roughly, pulling me deeper into the forest.
I looked around, memorizing every tree and calculating our steps. I wouldn’t stay by his side for long; I would escape to meet Selena, no matter how difficult it might be.
273
5
My legs were already heavy when we approached a village, but we didn’t go through it. I could hear the clinking of cutlery from some houses, as well as the hurried footsteps of pups playing in the moonlight. The parallel conversations mixed together, and I couldn’t focus on any of them.
I wanted to figure out where I was, any sense of direction.
I stumbled on a hidden branch, and Fenrir shot me a glare, but he kept pulling me, making my arm ache with the steel grip around it.
I’m not running away, you can let go of me,” I shouted, wanting to rip his head off with my own hands.
He just looked at me sideways.
And who said I trust you enough to let you go free?”
I let out a harsh, mocking laugh.
“Don’t trust yourself, alpha? I thought an omega, so fragile like me, wouldn’t be able to scare you…” I mocked, feeling his aura shift with each word spoken. “Don’t tell me you can’t handle it…” I fell silent as he yanked me against him and stared at me, so close that our noses almost touched.
Listen here, little wolf…” Each word sounded harder than the last. “Don’t test me and don’t make me more pissed than I already am. I’m prevented from killing you, but nothing stops me from hurting you,” he threatened, and I saw in his eyes that he was telling the truth. “And don’t be stupid enough to try to escape or things will get much worse for you.”
I bit my cheeks, keeping my tongue in my mouth.
Before my disastrous marriage, I would have never dared to open my mouth to challenge such a powerful alpha like him. I followed everything I was taught. But after being deceived by everyone I loved, I realized that staying silent and accepting everything didn’t do me any good, much to Selena’s pride, who always hated my other personality.
Fenrir moved away and continued walking, still dragging me with him. The tug on my arm would leave marks that would heal quickly. That’s how it had been since I first transformed. My healing process was accelerated.
“What’s your plan now? Make me a prisoner while you figure out what you’ll do with me?”
He growled, still focused on the path ahead of us.
“First, I’ll find out who you really are, even if I have to rip your tongue out for that. And then, I’ll figure out how you managed to enchant me, forcing me to mark you.”
I snorted, truly offended.
‘Force me? If I remember correctly, it was you who turned me around and bit my neck, of your own free will,” I accused. “I didn’t put a gun to your head and force you to do that. If you can’t control your wolf, that’s not my problem.”
He narrowed his eyes, looking at me sideways.
“That doesn’t lessen your guilt.”
I curled my lips into a sneer.
‘My only guilt was not being able to control my heat.”
“You forgot, little wolf, that you marked me too? Do you really think I’ll believe a single word that comes out of that lying mouth of yours?” he said the “little wolf” with such disdain that I had to grit my teeth and hold my tongue.
“My wolf acted on instinct. You marked her and she wanted to mark you. I had no control over that, just like I imagine you didn’t either.”
