Chapter 3

The smell of blood grew stronger.

I followed it through the bushes—and froze.

A massive black wolf lay in the middle of a clearing.

He was larger than any werewolf I had ever seen.

His dark fur blended almost completely into the night.

Even covered in blood, the pressure rolling off him was suffocating.

The unmistakable aura of a top-ranking Alpha.

Several werewolf bodies were scattered around him.

Every one of them had died on their knees.

As if even in their final moments, they had still been terrified of the black wolf before them.

I should have turned around.

Then I saw the dark purple arrow buried in his abdomen.

My feet stopped moving.

The arrow had been coated in wolfsbane.

The poison would slowly corrupt a werewolf's blood, strip away his strength, and leave him to die in agony.

I had seen it before in Damon's infirmary.

Blackwood used this poison often.

Without warning, the wolf opened his eyes.

Cold golden irises locked onto me.

A low growl rumbled from his chest.

His sharp fangs slowly bared.

I did not step back.

"You've been poisoned."

My voice stayed calm.

"Without treatment, you'll die."

He continued to stare at me.

Slowly, I opened my left hand to show him I carried no weapon.

"I'm a doctor."

"I won't hurt you."

Silence stretched between us.

At last, he closed his eyes again.

It was the closest thing to permission I was going to get.

I dropped to my knees beside him and examined the wound.

The arrowhead was barbed.

Pulling it out directly would tear him open.

I took out my knife and quickly sterilized it with a flint.

Then I carefully cut around the wound, snapped off the arrowhead, and eased the shaft out inch by inch.

Blood poured from him.

Every muscle in the wolf's body tightened.

His claws dug deep into the earth.

But he never attacked me.

I chewed the blood-clotting herbs and gently pressed them over the wound.

Only when the bleeding began to slow did I finally breathe again.

Then the wolf opened his eyes.

He did not look at his injury.

His gaze had fixed on my right hand.

It was swollen, misshapen, and still leaking blood.

A faint smile touched my lips.

"That's my blood."

"Not yours."

The moment the words left me, he lowered his head.

His nose brushed lightly against my wrist.

A wave of heat exploded through my body.

My heart clenched hard.

For one breathless second, I forgot how to breathe.

The wolf reacted even more violently.

His eyes flew wide.

A deep, restrained growl tore from his throat.

It was as if something that had been sleeping inside him for years had suddenly awakened.

Footsteps thundered beyond the trees.

More than a dozen werewolf scents were closing in fast.

The black wolf surged to his feet.

Though badly wounded, he placed himself firmly between me and the forest.

Then he let out a roar powerful enough to shake the trees.

A second later, more than a dozen werewolves burst into the clearing.

The moment they saw him, they dropped to one knee.

"Alpha Kael!"

I stiffened.

The wolf I had saved was the strongest Alpha in the northern territories.

Damon's most feared enemy.

Then the lead warrior noticed me.

His expression changed instantly.

"A human?"

He drew his sword and aimed it straight at my heart.

"Step away from the Alpha!"

Before I could speak, Kael moved in front of me.

An icy growl rolled from his chest.

His Alpha pressure swept through the clearing in a single crushing wave.

Every werewolf went pale.

One by one, they lowered their heads.

Not a single one dared move closer.

Kael slowly turned back toward me.

His golden eyes held mine.

Then, under the stunned gazes of everyone around us, he lowered his head again and gently pressed closer to my wrist.

Not an attack.

Protection.

The entire forest went silent.

The lead warrior's pupils contracted.

Even his voice began to shake.

"Alpha never allows anyone near him..."

Another wolf seemed to realize something.

All the color drained from his face.

"Unless..."

He slowly dropped to the ground, no longer daring to lift his head.

"An Alpha will only protect someone like this..."

"His fated mate."

I stood there, unable to move.

And from beginning to end, Kael's golden eyes never left me.