Krisren crown

Krisren crown's Book(1)

Uncle desires

Werewolf

5.0

The wind sliced through the trees like blades, sharp and bitter, and still Scarlett ran. Branches clawed at her arms, dirt clung to her feet, and moonlight flickered like dying embers through the towering black pines. But she didn't stop. She couldn't. Not when she felt him behind her-his scent thick in the air like ash and burning spice, curling into her lungs with every breath. Her uncle. Alpha Darius Gray. The name alone was poison in her mouth now. She leapt over a fallen log, knees burning, breath coming in shallow gasps. Her nightgown-once white, now torn and soaked in sweat-clung to her skin. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was supposed to protect her. He was supposed to love her like a father, like blood. But Darius loved nothing but power. And now, he wanted her. For more than she could fathom. "Scarlett," his voice rolled through the forest like thunder, calm, steady, cruel. "You're making this harder than it has to be." She skidded to a halt near the edge of the ravine, boots sliding against loose stones. The dark chasm yawned beneath her, deep and deadly. The current roared far below-cold, sharp, promising freedom or death. Behind her, the shadows twisted, and he emerged. He didn't look like a monster. Not yet. Tall, lean, handsome in that carved, dangerous way that made most she-wolves go silent when he entered a room. But his beauty had always hidden the rot beneath. Jet black hair fell over his forehead, and his lips curved in a predator's smile. The moonlight bathed him in silver, making his eyes gleam gold. "You're trembling," he observed. She glared at him. "Because you're a sick bastard." A chuckle. "You used to call me uncle." "I was a child. I didn't know what monsters smelled like yet." Darius took a step closer, and Scarlett stiffened. Her wolf stirred inside her, restless, sensing the shift in dominance. But she fought the instinct to submit. That's what he wanted-to break her. "You think I don't see it?" His voice dropped, soft and coaxing. "You're not some fragile little girl anymore. You're blooming, Scarlett. Your body's changing. Your scent... gods, your scent is driving the males in the pack insane." "Then maybe you should lock them up," she spat. "Or is that part of your sick little fantasy too?" A flicker of something darker passed through his eyes, and for a moment, his smile slipped. "There's a reason I've kept you hidden all these years," he said. "You think it's because I'm cruel. But it was mercy, Scarlett. If the Council knew what you were becoming-what power, you carry in your blood-they'd kill you." "Maybe I'd rather die than be your plaything." He moved so fast, she barely had time to react. In a blink, he was inches from her. One hand fisted in her hair, yanking her head back, forcing her to meet his burning gaze. "You belong to me," he growled. Scarlett's heart slammed against her ribs, but she didn't flinch. Didn't cry. Didn't beg. Instead, she smiled. Bloodied and fierce. "Then why are you afraid of me?" He froze. Her mark-the strange, ancient symbol etched into her back since birth-began to throb. Heat pulsed under her skin, racing through her veins like lightning. And for a second, she saw something flicker behind his golden eyes. Fear. "Let me go," she whispered, her voice laced with something old, something powerful. He did. She stumbled back a step, watching his hand tremble. His jaw clenched. "You're awakening," he murmured. "Too soon." "I don't belong to anyone," she said. "Then why did the Moon Goddess send you to me?" Scarlett's breath caught. "I've seen the visions," Darius continued, his voice lower now, seduction wrapped in prophecy. "You don't remember them yet, but I do. Every night. You and me. One bed. One pack. One throne." She felt sick. "That's not fate. That's a curse." His lips curved into something crueler. "You'll come to see it's the only path. I've already marked you. They just haven't seen it yet." Her fingers twitched. Her back ached. The mark-always silent-burned again, hotter now, like it was answering something in him. Or resisting. She took another step back toward the cliff's edge. "If you come any closer, I'll jump." He smiled again, unfazed. "Then I'll dive in after you." Her stomach twisted. "I'll die before I let you touch me again." And then the wind shifted. A new scent. Not Darius. Something wild. Cold. Electric. Scarlett's eyes widened. The scent tugged at something deep in her core-something ancient. She felt her wolf rise, curious, alert. Someone else was watching. Someone far from the pack's territory. Someone does not bound by its rules. A rogue. She didn't know how she knew-but her soul did. And the second their eyes met-silver against hers, somewhere in the trees, shadowed and still-everything changed. The air turned colder. Scarlett's breath hitched as her eyes scanned the shadows beyond the tree line. The forest had gone utterly still. No rustle. No chirp.