Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Anya’s POV

I always hated this part. I hated begging for my life, a life that wasn't really mine. Begging felt like giving up, and I couldn't do that. There was only one way out of this terrible place. I had to run!

I ran as fast as I could, and my lungs burned, but the image of Alpha Borin's leering face—the way he'd looked at me in the hall—pushed me forward. 'A breeder,' the matron had whispered, her eyes full of pity. 'His slave.' The words were a death sentence.

All my life, I have served others. I was trapped because I couldn't say no. But this was worse than dying.

It was getting dark in the forest when a scary howl echoed through the trees. The hunt had started. They were looking for me. I was only human. If they caught me, it would be my end.

I panicked and ran without looking, tripping over a root. Everything started to spin. I screamed as I tumbled down a steep, muddy hill and into another pack's territory.

My head almost hit a sharp rock, which would have killed me. But just before it did, a strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back from death.

I let out a sharp gasp as I slammed into a hard chest, squeezing my eyes shut from the impact.

When I dared to look, I found myself sprawled on top of a stranger. My eyes widened. His face, chiseled as if from stone—a sharp jaw, high cheekbones, and a mouth that looked both cruel and tempting.

But his eyes were what held me captive; they were dark, ancient, and predatory. And I immediately scrambled off him as if his skin were hot iron, ignoring the protest of my aching body.

His voice was a low growl, vibrating through the damp earth. "You have ten seconds to tell me who you are and what you're doing in my territory before I snap your neck."

Before I could find my voice, a new sound cut through the night—footsteps, heavy and conscious, crashing through the brush at the top of the embankment. My hunters.

Panic overrode all reason. I lunged forward, slapping my trembling hand over his mouth. "Please," I breathed, my eyes wide with terror. "They'll kill me."

His body went rigid. A menacing rumble started deep in his chest, and his eyes bled from black to a searing, demonic red.

The raw power that exploded from him was suffocating. He was one of them. My survival instincts screamed at me to flee this new monster, but as I pulled back, his hand shot out, clamping around my wrist in an unbreakable grip.

With a predator's grace, he yanked me against him until my face was inches from his.

A slow, cruel smirk twisted his perfect lips. "Running from someone, are we?" he muttered.

"Please," I choked, the word tearing from my raw throat. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, blurring his stone-cold features. "Help me."

The crashing in the underbrush grew louder. Closer. My hunters.

His eyes flashed in the moonlight, not with pity, but with something cold and calculating. He didn’t say a word. Instead of helping, he grabbed the front of my shirt, ripped me off my feet, and slammed me back against the hard bark of an oak. His body caged mine, solid and inescapable. Before I could even draw breath to scream, his mouth crashed down on mine.

The heavy footsteps faltered. A low murmur, then... retreating. They were leaving.

But I couldn't breathe. My lungs burned, desperate for air he was stealing from me. My mind went blank, a dizzying riot of sensation. I'd never... no one had ever... This was my first kiss, and it was nothing but brutal possession.

I shoved against his chest, but it was like pushing against a mountain of solid rock.

He pulled back slowly, his dark eyes glittering, his lips wet from mine. A low growl rumbled deep in his chest as he opened his mouth to speak.

But I didn't wait to hear the words. The instant his grip loosened, I scrambled out from under him and ran.

I fled, not daring to look back. I didn't feel the branches tearing at my clothes or the jagged rocks bruising my bare feet. I just ran until I burst through the trees and into a large clearing.

A tall, metal gate stood open, leading into a compound bustling with people. Torches lit up rough-hewn cabins and a large central hall. Men and women hauled wood, tended fires, and spoke in low voices.

It was a community. A pack. I stumbled inside, gasping for breath, clinging to a desperate, fragile hope of safety.

Then, a sudden, heavy silence fell over the compound. The hammering stopped. The voices died. Every single person froze, their heads turning in unison.

I followed their gaze, and my blood turned to ice.

He was there. Standing on the steps of the main hall as if he'd been waiting for me all along. He hadn't run. He'd let me run, like a wolf herding a lamb straight into the slaughter.

His eyes locked on me—cold, furious, and darkly possessive. He lifted a hand and pointed one sharp finger directly at me. His voice cut through the silence like a blade.

"You. Human."

Every head turned. Dozens of predatory eyes fixed on me, the lone, terrified prey caught in the center of the den. I shook my head, a useless, silent plea. I'm innocent. I did nothing wrong.

But my trembling body and the scent of his claim still branded on my lips told a different story.

He didn't move from the steps. He just pointed. "Take her."

A mountain of a man separated from the crowd, his face a mask of scars. His Beta. He stalked toward me, and I recoiled, scrambling backward on the hard-packed dirt. "No! Get away from me! Don't touch me!" My voice was a useless, broken squeak.

My desperate struggles were met with silence. I looked past the Beta, searching for... what? Help? An ally? The other humans—slaves, I realized, marked by thin, silver collars—just stared. Some held pity in their eyes, a deep, hollow sorrow that offered no hope. Others looked on with a cold emptiness, as if I were already dead.

As the Beta's massive hand clamped around my upper arm, hauling me to my feet like a ragdoll, I heard a woman whisper to another, "No human survives a night with Alpha Kai...."