CHAPTER 1

The forest seemed to stretch on forever as Eva ran. Branches clawed at Eva’s sleeves as she moved. She could feel her lungs burning. Her legs had gone numb, and her heart was beating wildly in her chest. She was already exhausted but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop. Not when her future was being signed away. Not when she’d been sold off to a creature she’d never met all in the name of marriage. Not when Jennifer, her sister, was supposed to be the bride. “She’s their daughter. I’m just the maid who wore her clothes when it was convenient.” Eva thought in her mind. And now, she was running away from an engagement to a werewolf lord. The forest started to get covered with fog but she didn’t dare look back. Her breath came in frantic gasps as she stumbled over roots, scratched her palms against trees and ducked under low branches. Somewhere behind her, she could still hear the faint shouting of the DeRyile guards. “Miss DeRyile!” “Eva, please, come out!” “Don’t hide! Don’t make this harder than it has to be. The marriage is set in stone!” She clenched her teeth. Set in stone for them, maybe. Suddenly, a deep growl vibrated through the woods. The kind that froze the blood and turned bones to ice. Eva came to a halt. Her scream caught in her throat as she looked through the trees. She heard another sound—heavy footsteps. These steps were too heavy for a man. From between the trees, it appeared. A monstrous bear. Its fur was fi;;ed with mud and blood. Its eyes glowed with rage. Its snout twitched, sniffing the air before locking onto her like prey. Eva took a step back. Then another. And the bear charged. She opened her mouth to scream, but the sound never came. Because in that exact moment, something else came out from the shadows. It was so fast that all she saw was a flash of black. A blur of motion. The bear didn’t make it three steps before a massive wolf—pitch black and larger than any natural beast—slammed into its side, snarling loudly. Eva stumbled backward. Her legs gave way as she collapsed into the moss and leaves. She watched the battle unfold with wide eyes. The two beasts clashed like titans. They were so quick that all she saw were fangs and claws tearing through the air. All she could hear were the sounds of snarls and growls. Blood poured out everywhere. The bear reared back, wounded and disoriented, before the black wolf lunged and sank its fangs into its throats. It was over in seconds. The bear collapsed, twitching once… then lay still. The black wolf turned and its eyes locked onto her. Eva gasped, moving backward but it came closer to her. Its gaze devoured her. She should’ve screamed. Should’ve run. But she couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. Something deep inside her chest vibrated. It was a soul-deep pull. Something inside her felt like it had woken up after years of being dead. she looked into the wolf’s eyes and suddenly, felt shivers run down her spine. She felt connected to this wolf in a way she didn’t understand. She felt drawn to it for some reason…like a moth to a flame. Her eyes widened as the wolf stopped before her, towering, terrifying—and yet not. She didn’t feel too scared anymore. Not when she saw the way its ears flicked at her voice. Not when its chest rumbled. Then the rumble changed. It became a word. “Mate.” The wolf growled. Eva’s entire body jolted. Her lips parted, but before she could speak, the wolf lunged, not to kill, but to claim. The wolf sank its teeth into her neck. Eva gasped. She winced as she felt a sharp pain. Her breath caught in her lungs as her eyes went wide. Her body was frozen beneath the weight of his bite. It wasn’t brutal, but it was possessive. It felt like the universe had snapped something into place. Then— “Eva!” “Miss DeRyile!” The shouting was back. Louder. Closer. The wolf stiffened. His golden eyes moved to the direction of the voices. The spell broke. Eva’s heart slammed against her ribs. Her body, still shaky was filled with a single command: Run. She shoved the wolf with all her strength. To her surprise, he moved, stumbled slightly. Just enough. She didn’t wait. She ran again. Branches scraped her arms and face as she ran through the undergrowth, not knowing where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away. Behind her, the black wolf let out a sound. Not a growl. A groan. A frustrated, shocked sound like he couldn’t believe she’d slipped away. And then his body began to change. Its muscles shrank. Its fur retracted. Its bones cracked and twisted until what stood in the wolf’s place was a tall, bare-chested man with dark hair, broad shoulders, and fire in his eyes. Zayne. Alpha of the Rivers Pack. The mark of his bite was fresh in his mind. He stood there, stunned. “She shoved me,” he whispered to himself, half in awe. “She… actually pushed me off.” He wasn’t used to being touched, let alone rejected. But it wasn’t rejection. He knew it. No mate bond burned that brightly without a return. He blinked, shaking himself, and raised a hand to his earpiece. “Leo.” “Alpha. Where the hell are you?” Leo answered “You’re supposed to be preparing for the engagement ceremony. The elders are—” “I found her.” “What do you mean you found—?” “My mate.” Zayne’s voice was low “She was just there, in the forest. And I bit her.” “…You bit her?” Zayne’s jaw tightened. “Yes.” “Alpha,” Leo said “you realize what this means? The DeRyiles are waiting. The treaty must be sealed tonight. You promised.” Zayne’s fist clenched. His gaze never left the direction Eva had vanished. “I promised because I hadn’t found her. Now I have. The treaty can wait.” Leo’s voice dropped. “The DeRyiles won’t wait. They’ll take this as a betrayal. This engagement was the only thing keeping peace balanced. The humans—” “Then send Elder Trask in my place,” Zayne snapped. “He’ll handle the formalities. Say I’m... delayed by border tensions.” “And what will you be doing?” “Finding her.” There was a pause. “Alpha, do you even know what she looks like?” Zayne stared into the trees. His heart was still pounding from the feel of her—her skin, her scent, her fire. He could still taste her. “…I never saw her face,” he murmured. Leo cursed softly in the background.