My sister released me at once, and we all turned to see who had spoken. Holy moonlight.
The man before us was a towering figure, at least six feet nine, with dark brows and muscles that seemed chiseled from stone. His jet-black hair framed an undeniably handsome face, highlighted by a strong jawline dusted with stubble.
Alpha Martin stepped forward, bowing deeply. “Alpha Kennis, welcome to our humble pack. It’s an honor.”
However, Alpha Kennis didn't glance at him. His gaze locked onto mine like a magnetic force. In that moment, everything else faded.
'Bow your head,' my mother’s voice hissed through our mind link, sending me scrambling to obey.
Kennis strode toward me, exuding both power and grace. I caught a whiff of his intoxicating scent. Pine, vanilla, and leather. It was so hypnotic that I purred involuntarily. He cupped my chin, tilting my face up. Then he let go, leaving me breathless and everyone around us in stunned silence.
‘Diara?’ My wolf, Dove, broke through my reverie. ‘Yes?’ ‘You need to run from this man,’ she warned urgently. I nodded inwardly; I had plans to escape the pack with my only friend, Mark.
“Please, come inside,” Matt interrupted, his tone eager to shift the attention, “We’ll show you to your rooms.”
Only then did I notice Alpha Kennis was not alone. Two equally striking men stood by his side. One had model-like features and winked at me, making me look away, flustered. I attempted to slip away, but Kennis’s deep voice echoed, “I want her to show me to my room.”
“Diara doesn’t know where it is. She’s not an Omega,” Matt stammered, irritation flickering in his eyes.
“Diara,” Kennis drawled, a low, commanding timbre making my stomach flutter, “Show me to my room.”
My heart raced, and despite the panic surging inside, I forced a polite smile. “Please follow me, Alpha.”
I walked ahead of him, feeling the Alpha’s intense gaze on my back. Heart racing, I stumbled and steadied myself against the wall. As we reached the room, he shocked me by removing his shirt. I gasped and turned away, trying to shake the image of his incredible physique from my mind.
“A massage,” he commanded suddenly.
“I’m not a masseuse,” I answered, forcing a smile.
“I do not care,” he shot back, his keen eyes narrowing on me. My heart raced, and I instinctively stepped back, recalling my therapist's advice to stand my ground.
The flicker of amusement in his lethal silver eyes unnerved me. ‘He’s going to kill us!’ Dove panicked inside my head.
I bolted from the room. That night, at Alpha Kennis's welcoming party, I felt his eyes tracking my every move. I jumped at a tap on my shoulder. I turned to Mark. I mind-linked him to leave.
But just as we stepped out, a low growl silenced the crowd. “Diara,” Alpha Kennis drawled, his voice both a warning and a threat, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
“Yes?” My voice trembled.
“I have chosen you to be Luna of the Night Moon Pack,” he proclaimed, his words like thunder. Gasps erupted around us. Even his loyal men looked taken aback. Their faces showed shock and curiosity.
This couldn’t be real. Panic surged within me, a primal instinct that took control, and I shook my head in denial. Before I could think rationally, I ran.
‘I could feel his dark Lycan awakening the moment he laid eyes on you.’ Dove said.
‘You could have given me a heads-up!’ I shot back, my heart racing.
‘That was the plan, but only after you were safely out of sight,’ she fired back in frustration.
‘Shift!’ commanded Dove as I burst into the clearing of the woods. I transformed into my wolf. The change felt liberating. I had a rare wolf with it came agility and speed that could outpace most wolves. Even though I didn’t have a destination in mind, my instincts knew I had to escape.
A powerful growl echoed around me, sending a spine-tingling shiver down my body. I stumbled but pushed myself to run faster. Just as I thought I could veer away, a massive black Lycan leaped into my path. Skidding to a halt, my paws lost their grip, and I crashed to the ground. The towering beast loomed over me, its razor-sharp claws poised to strike, its bared teeth glistening in the dim light, and its eyes glowing with a haunting mix of gold and silver.
I felt the urge to turn and flee, but a commanding voice penetrated my thoughts. 'Stop.' It wasn’t a request. Against my will, I froze. How could he speak to me like this? He wasn’t part of my pack, yet I felt his raw power coursing through the very air around us.
With a sudden crackle, the creature shifted back into his human form. I gasped, stunned to see him fully clothed in an elegant yet effortlessly casual black ensemble. Typically, werewolves returned to their human state without a stitch of clothing.
‘Shift back,’ my wolf whimpered, her fear warring with a reluctant curiosity. She wanted nothing more than to escape this man, yet deep down, a strange element of attraction lingered in the air. Eventually, my form shifted back, leaving me naked before him. Heat surged to my cheeks as instinct kicked in, and I covered myself with my hands, filled with shame.
But his gaze was unyielding, shamelessly roaming my body, a frown darkening his features when he spotted the thin scar on my side. I got it when I saved my sister from a nasty fall. “You can’t run from me,” he said, confidence lacing his tone. He took deliberate steps forward. I instinctively retreated, my pulse pounding in my ears.
“Leave me alone.” I tried to sound stern, but the quaver in my voice betrayed me, tears pooling in my eyes, blurring my vision.
His lips twisted into a snarl, a chilling expression that sent a wave of fear through me. “My Lycan chose you as his.” His voice was as cold as ice. Why would such a powerful beast choose someone like me, someone who felt more like a spare than a Luna?
His large, warm hands gripped my shoulders, and tremors coursed through me. There was a mix of dread and something I couldn't identify through me. Without warning, a sharp pain pierced my neck. I gasped as he sank his teeth into my flesh, warmth flooding the wound. Blood flowed, and as he drank from me, a symphony of sensations struck. Pain intertwined with an unexpected flutter of pleasure, an intoxicating mix that left me dizzy.
He marked me, claiming me as his own. Just as the agony peaked, darkness encroached, and I blacked out.