Chapter 2 The Mark That Changed Everything

Astra's POV

Astra jumped through the window just as the wolves burst through the front door. Glass broke around her as she hit the ground outside, but there was no time to check for cuts. The angry yells behind her meant only one thing-they'd found Master Kron.

"There she goes! The outlaw attacked Kron! Get her!"

Her feet pounded against the dirt as she sprinted toward the trees. The morning sun had barely risen, creating long shadows between the trees. Perfect for hiding.

This wasn't how Astra had planned to spend her eighteenth birthday. Then again, rogues didn't get birthday parties or presents. They just got to survive another year.

The mate mark on her arm throbbed, a steady reminder of the impossible thing that had happened. Rogues didn't get mate points. Everyone knew that. Rogues were outcasts, unworthy of the Moon Goddess's gift of a true mate.

Yet here she was, running for her life with a fresh mark burning on her skin.

As she reached the cover of the woods, a strange feeling pulled at her chest. Like an invisible rope pulling her northward. Astra had never felt anything like it before. It was both painful and somehow... right.

"Must be the mate bond," she whispered to herself, ducking behind a thick tree. "But who would be mated to someone like me?"

The sound of howls echoed through the trees. They were changing to wolf form to track her better. Astra knew she couldn't outrun them as a human, but shifting would leave her exposed for precious seconds. And her wolf was weak from years of poor care.

Still, she had no choice.

Astra closed her eyes and called to her wolf. The change ripped through her body-bones cracking and rearranging, skin stretching over new muscles. It hurt worse than normal, probably because she was so tired and hungry.

When the change ended, a sleek gray wolf stood where Astra had been. Her wolf form was smaller than most-another sign of her hard life-but faster.

She took off running, following game trails she had learned over the years. The pull in her chest grew stronger with each step north, fighting against her urge to head east, away from danger.

After an hour of running, Astra could no longer hear her attackers. She found a small cave hidden behind a waterfall and shifted back to human form, falling on the damp ground.

"Happy birthday to me," she whispered, catching her breath.

Her stomach growled loudly. The small bag of food she'd grabbed had been lost in her flight. Astra couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten a proper meal. Master Kron had kept her on scraps, just enough to keep her going.

The mark on her arm caught her eye again. In the dim light of the cave, it seemed to glow slightly-a crescent moon circled by five small stars. It was beautiful, really. A evil joke from the Moon Goddess.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" Astra asked the mark. "Follow you to some wolf who'll probably reject me the moment he realizes I'm a rogue?"

But the pull was getting harder to ignore. Like an itch under her skin that wouldn't go away.

Astra dozed off, tiredness finally winning. In her dreams, she saw a pair of ice-blue eyes watching her from the darkness. Eyes that seemed to look right through her.

She woke with a gasp as rough hands grabbed her arms.

"Found you, little rogue," growled a voice she recognized. One of Master Kron's friends, Vane. His breath stank of meat and ale.

"Let me go!" Astra struggled, but Vane was twice her size. Another wolf stood behind him, grinning wickedly.

"Kron is real mad," Vane said, shaking her. "That was some nasty bump you gave him. He's giving a reward to whoever brings you back alive... though he didn't say we had to bring you back undamaged."

Fear shot through Astra's body. She knew what that meant.

"I think we should have some fun first," said the second wolf, going for her face.

Something snapped inside Astra. The partner mark on her arm suddenly burned white-hot, sending waves of strength through her body. With a scream of rage, she twisted in Vane's grip and sank her teeth into his hand.

The taste of blood filled her mouth as Vane howled in pain. He let go, and Astra didn't waste the chance. She kicked the second wolf between the legs, making him double over in pain.

"You little-" Vane rushed for her again, but Astra was already moving.

She burst from the cave and ran like she'd never run before. The pull in her chest was now an urgent tug, almost painful in its intensity. North. She needed to go north.

For three days, Astra ran, stole food when she could, and slept hidden in bushes or caves. The mate mark continued to burn, getting stronger each day. The pull was so powerful now that trying to move in any other way made her physically ill.

On the morning of the fourth day, Astra stood at the edge of a vast region she'd only heard whispers about. The Northern Packs. The most powerful werewolves in the land lived here, led by Alphas whose names were spoken with fear even in the farthest regions.

No rogue would ever dare enter these lands. The sentence was death, no questions asked.

Yet the mate mark pulled her forward, straight toward the heart of danger.

"This is crazy," Astra told herself, touching the mark. "Whoever is on the other end of this bond can't possibly want me."

Still, she took a step forward. Then another. Something was changing inside her-a new strength she couldn't explain. For the first time in ten years, she felt hope.

A twig snapped behind her.

Astra whirled around to find herself circled by five massive wolves, each wearing the symbol of the Northern Pack on leather bands around their legs. Their teeth were bared, eyes locked on her.

"Rogue," growled one as he changed to human form-a tall man with scars across his face. "You've crossed into forbidden ground. The punishment is death."

Astra raised her hands slowly. "Please," she said. "I don't mean any harm. I'm just... following my mate mark."

The wolves looked at each other, clearly not believing her.

"Show us," ordered the scarred man.

Astra slowly rolled up her sleeve, showing the crescent moon and stars. The wolves stared in shock.

"Impossible," mumbled one. "That's the Alpha's mark!"

"The Alpha?" Astra's voice shook. "Which Alpha?"

The scarred man's face had gone pale. "Alpha Alaric of the Northern Pack," he said. "The most powerful Alpha in all the regions. And he's been waiting for his mate to appear."

Astra's knees went weak. This couldn't be happening. The feared Alpha Alaric-her mate? She had heard stories of his harshness, his cold-heartedness. They said he killed rogues without pity.

"There must be a mistake," she said.

"No mistake," said the scarred man, his tone suddenly polite. "The mark never lies."

Before she could answer, a howl ripped through the forest-deeper and more powerful than any Astra had ever heard. The wolves around her instantly lowered their heads in submission.

"He knows," said the scarred man. "The Alpha feels your presence."

Astra's heart hammered in her chest as the forest seemed to go totally silent. The pull in her chest was now an almost unbearable pressure. He was coming.

The bushes parted, and a huge black wolf stepped into view, its ice-blue eyes locking onto Astra's. The same eyes from her dream.

As she watched, the wolf changed, shifting into the shape of a man. Tall. Powerful. Dangerous.

Alpha Alaric stood before her, his face a mask of shock and something else-fury.

"You?" he growled, his voice like thunder. "A filthy rogue is my mate?"