Chapter 3 The mark of a predator

Selene ran.

Branches clawed at her arms, her legs burned with exhaustion, but she ran. Kieran's words echoed in her head, thick with possession....You're mine.

No.

She refused to be anyone's.

The dense forest blurred around her as she pushed forward, the taste of danger still thick in her mouth. Every nerve in her body was on edge, still feeling the lingering heat of Kieran's touch. The way his breath had ghosted over her skin, the way his hands had pinned her so easily.

She hated how her body had responded.

Hated the shiver that ran through her at the memory of his voice.

She was nearly out of his territory. Just a little farther and....

A dark chuckle rippled through the air.

Selene froze.

No.

She hadn't even heard him move.

Dread coiled in her stomach as she turned slowly.

Kieran stood a few feet away, arms crossed over his broad chest, his golden eyes gleaming in the darkness. He looked amused. Relaxed. Like he had been playing with her this entire time.

"You didn't think I'd let you go that easily, did you?" His voice was low, edged with something dangerous.

Selene's chest heaved, her breath ragged. She forced herself to glare at him. "I don't belong to you."

Kieran exhaled, as if her defiance was something to be tolerated.

And then, in one swift motion, he was in front of her.

Selene barely had time to react before he grabbed her wrist, yanking her flush against his chest. His scent-dark, rich, intoxicating-wrapped around her like a snare.

"I don't care what you think, little wolf," he murmured, his grip tightening just enough to make her pulse hammer. "You feel it, don't you?"

His free hand traced the side of her throat, barely a whisper of contact, but it sent a pulse of heat through her.

The mate bond.

Selene clenched her jaw. "I don't want this."

Kieran smiled, slow and knowing. "Your body says otherwise."

Her fingers curled into fists. "Let. Me. Go."

For a moment, he just watched her. Studied her.

Then, to her surprise, he did.

Selene staggered back, the sudden loss of contact making her dizzy. She hated it. Hated that his touch had left a lingering burn on her skin.

"I'll let you run this time," Kieran murmured. "But know this-" His golden eyes darkened, filled with something primal, something lethal. "I'm done waiting."

Selene's stomach twisted.

And for the first time in her life...

She wasn't sure if she was the hunter or the prey.

Selene's pulse thundered in her ears.

Kieran's golden eyes held her captive, dark and full of something she didn't dare name. She had spent her life running from dangers like him-from Alphas who thought they could own her.

But Kieran wasn't just an Alpha.

He was something worse.

Something untamed.

Selene took another step back, but he followed, his movements unhurried, calculated. A predator toying with his prey.

"You can fight it all you want," he murmured, voice like a slow drag of heat over her skin. "But you feel it, don't you?"

She clenched her jaw.

She wouldn't answer that.

Wouldn't admit that the mate bond was pulsing through her veins like wildfire. That his scent was already burrowing into her, wrapping around her senses, making it impossible to ignore the pull.

Kieran's lips curled in amusement. He knew. Of course he knew.

"Still so stubborn." He tilted his head, studying her. "I wonder how long you'll last before you break."

Selene's stomach clenched.

She didn't intend to break.

She would not belong to him.

A sudden burst of rage drowned out the heat threatening to consume her, and she shoved him with all her strength.

Kieran barely moved.

She tried to twist away, but in the blink of an eye, he grabbed her wrist, twisting her back against him. His arm locked around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest.

She gasped, her breath catching.

"Enough." His voice dropped to a growl, and Selene felt it vibrate through her body. "I've given you space. I've been patient." His grip on her wrist tightened just enough to make her shiver. "But I don't chase what's already mine."

His breath was hot against her ear, his body searing against hers.

Selene swallowed hard, fighting the heat curling deep in her belly.

"I'm not yours," she bit out.

Kieran chuckled, the sound dark, indulgent.

"You will be."

His free hand trailed down her arm, fingertips barely grazing her skin, but it sent a shockwave of sensation through her.

Selene hated it.

Hated the way her body betrayed her.

Hated the ache building between her thighs.

She twisted again, but Kieran let go abruptly, leaving her stumbling forward.

Selene turned, breathless, heart hammering.

Kieran smirked, watching her with something almost satisfied in his expression.

"You can keep running, little wolf." His voice was silk and steel. "But every time, you'll end up right back here."

Selene's nails dug into her palms. "You don't know that."

He took a step closer, forcing her to tilt her chin up to meet his gaze.

"I always catch what's mine."

Her breath hitched.

Kieran lifted his hand, his fingers brushing her jaw with a featherlight touch, then tracing down her throat.

Selene trembled.

Not from fear.

But from something far, far worse.

Desire.

Kieran saw it.

And he smiled.

"Go on," he whispered, stepping back, giving her space. "Run."

Selene didn't move.

Didn't trust herself to.

Kieran's golden eyes gleamed.

"That's what I thought."

Her body screamed at her to move, but she stood frozen as Kieran turned and walked away, his confidence unshaken.

Selene had the strangest feeling she hadn't escaped.

No.

She had just stepped deeper into his trap.

And Kieran was waiting.

Waiting for the moment she'd stop running.

Waiting for the moment she'd finally break but she was determined not to. Her determination was almost like a fuel to kieran's engine and he was ready for it all.