Chapter 5 The mark of the first blood line

CHAPTER FIVE

The night air was thick with the scent of blood.

Selene ran, her paws pounding against the damp forest floor, her breath ragged as she pushed herself faster. The confrontation with Damien still burned in her mind, but she barely had time to process it. Something was wrong.

She felt it in her bones.

A shift in the air. A dark presence.

Then-a snarl.

Before she could react, something massive crashed into her side, sending her tumbling through the undergrowth. She rolled, shifting back into human form mid-air, landing hard on her knees.

A growl rumbled behind her.

Selene turned, her blood running cold.

Not a wolf.

This was something else.

A monstrous figure emerged from the shadows-hulking, grotesque, with glowing red eyes and claws dripping with something dark and slick. It wasn't just a rogue.

It was a Forsaken.

Selene's stomach twisted. She had heard the legends-wolves who had lost their humanity, who had succumbed to their most primal, bloodthirsty instincts. But she had never seen one up close.

Until now.

The creature lunged.

Selene dodged, barely avoiding the swipe of razor-sharp claws. She spun, shifting mid-movement, her wolf taking over in a blur of silver fur. She bared her fangs and launched herself at the beast, slamming into its side.

They crashed against the trees, snapping branches like twigs.

The Forsaken roared, swiping at her flank, leaving a burning gash across her ribs. Pain lanced through her, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop.

She struck again, her jaws clamping down on its shoulder. The taste of its blood was wrong-bitter, tainted. It howled in fury and threw her off, sending her skidding across the forest floor.

Selene staggered to her feet, chest heaving. She was losing.

Then a blur of black.

Damien.

He crashed into the Forsaken like a force of nature, his massive wolf snarling as he tore into the beast. The fight was brutal-claws slashing, teeth sinking into flesh. Blood sprayed across the forest.

Selene forced herself up, ignoring the pain, and joined the fight.

She and Damien moved as one-two Alphas against the corrupted monster. It was fast, but they were faster. They ripped it apart.

And then-silence.

The Forsaken fell, twitching, before going still.

Selene collapsed against a tree, gasping for breath. Her body throbbed, wounds burning, but she had no time to dwell on the pain.

Damien shifted back, his bare chest rising and falling, his golden eyes locked onto hers.

"Are you hurt?" His voice was rough, urgent.

Selene wiped blood from her mouth, nodding. "I'll live."

But Damien wasn't looking at her injuries anymore. His gaze was fixed on something behind her.

Selene turned-and her world shifted.

The Forsaken's corpse was changing, its grotesque form shrinking, twisting. And then-a face she knew.

Selene's breath caught. "No..."

It wasn't just some random rogue.

It was Lucian.

Her former mate.

Her fated mate.

Her stomach twisted. How? How had this happened?

Damien's voice was cold, full of unspoken rage. "He was turning into one of them."

Selene's mind raced. Lucian had come back, trying to claim her, trying to warn her about something.

And now he was dead.

Killed by their own hands.

Something inside her shattered.

Tears blurred her vision, but before she could break down, Damien was suddenly there-grabbing her, pulling her against his chest, his breath hot against her ear.

"You had no choice," he murmured. "He was gone, Selene. He wasn't your Lucian anymore."

But it didn't stop the ache in her heart.

She trembled against Damien's body, and suddenly, everything snapped.

The tension. The rage. The unbearable grief.

It all crashed into something hot and uncontrollable.

Selene grabbed Damien, her fingers digging into his shoulders, her lips crashing against his in a violent, desperate kiss.

He responded instantly-his hands sliding over her body, gripping her like he'd never let go. There was nothing soft about it. It was raw, primal, demanding.

The taste of blood was still on their lips.

Selene didn't care.

She needed this. She needed to drown in something other than pain.

Damien's mouth trailed down her neck, his teeth grazing over her pulse, a silent claim.

But then-he hesitated.

Selene pulled back, panting, confusion flickering in her eyes.

And then she saw it.

His golden eyes darkened.

Not with lust.

But with fear.

"Selene," his voice was barely a whisper. "Your back-"

Selene frowned, turning slightly-and froze.

Because etched into her skin-glowing faintly-was a mark she had never seen before.

Not a mate mark.

Something older.

Something dangerous.

Damien stepped back, his expression unreadable. "That's-impossible."

Selene's heart pounded. "What does it mean?"

Damien's jaw clenched.

Then softly, like a curse-he said, "It means you were never just a wolf."