My Forbidden Alpha Love

The night was alive with the scent of blood and the sound of pounding footsteps.

Selene's breath came in short, ragged bursts as she sprinted through the dense forest, her bare feet pounding against the damp earth. The sharp tang of pine needles pricked her soles, but she didn't stop. She couldn't. Not with them behind her. The hunters. Their scent clung to the wind-metallic and bitter, like old iron-and it sickened her.

They're getting closer.

Selene threw a quick glance over her shoulder, her keen eyes piercing the darkness. Faint silhouettes moved between the trees, no more than shadows, but they were fast-too fast for humans. She had underestimated them. These hunters were trained to track wolves like her, and their weapons were meant to kill.

The blood moon above bathed the world in crimson light, its eerie glow slicing through the black canopy. Selene's heart drummed wildly in her chest as the curse whispered its bitter reminder into her thoughts: You will never outrun fate, child.

She ignored it, biting her lip hard enough to taste copper. Fate was a cruel mistress, but she would not surrender to it. Not tonight.

"Fan out! She's close!" a rough voice barked from behind her.

Selene stumbled, her legs aching as exhaustion clawed at her muscles. A trap. That was what this had been all along. For days, the hunters had flushed her from safe haven after safe haven, driving her deeper into their territory, cutting off her options until this very moment. The forest was no longer her ally. Now, it was a cage.

The rustle of branches came from her left. Selene twisted sharply, changing direction and plunging through a tangle of thornbushes. The thorns sliced her arms and shoulders, but she gritted her teeth, the sharp pain feeding her determination. As she burst through the other side, she slid to a stop.

A clearing.

Wide, open, and empty.

Selene's pulse spiked as the realization hit her. She had been corralled.

She turned, already hearing the deliberate crunch of boots approaching from all sides. Men emerged from the tree line like shadows given form, their weapons gleaming faintly in the moonlight. Silver-tipped arrows, blades coated in wolfsbane, nets designed to hold her down and bind her limbs.

The hunters spread out in a circle, closing the gap between them, and Selene could feel their satisfaction radiating through the cold night air.

"Nowhere left to run, wolf," one of the men sneered, his smile a flash of white teeth. His voice oozed confidence. "Thought you'd give us more of a challenge."

Selene straightened, her chest heaving as her sharp gaze darted between them. Her wolf prowled restlessly beneath her skin, desperate to rise, but she fought the shift. It was too risky. Even if she managed to take down a few, there were too many. A full transformation would leave her vulnerable.

"Come quietly," another man said, a net dangling menacingly from his gloved hands. "We might even let you live."

Selene laughed bitterly. "Spare me the lies. You wouldn't waste silver on me if you planned to let me walk away."

The man's smirk fell, his expression hardening. He raised his bow, the silver arrow trained directly at her heart. "Suit yourself."

Time slowed.

Selene braced herself, her instincts screaming at her to move, but before the man could let the arrow fly, a deafening growl erupted from the shadows. The sound tore through the clearing, so deep and primal that the hunters froze, their faces draining of color.

Selene felt it before she saw it-the overwhelming, alpha presence that rippled through the air, raw and undeniable. Her wolf recoiled, then stilled, as if held in place by some unseen force.

Then, he stepped into the moonlight.

A towering figure, broad-shouldered and clad in dark clothing, emerged from the shadows like a specter. His black hair was tousled, as though he'd just woken from sleep, but his amber eyes glowed with a deadly focus. The hunters, so confident moments ago, hesitated as his presence crashed into them like a wave.

Lucian.

Selene's heart seized, though she masked her shock behind a scowl. Of all the alphas in the world, it had to be him.

"Alpha Lucian," one of the hunters stammered, lowering his weapon slightly. "We didn't know-"

"You didn't know this was my territory?" Lucian's voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of thunder. His eyes flicked toward Selene, lingering for a moment before snapping back to the hunters. "Or did you forget the rules?"

"We were hunting a rogue," another man said quickly, pointing toward Selene. "She's dangerous-"

"I don't recall asking for your opinion," Lucian interrupted, his lip curling back to reveal the faintest hint of fangs. "This rogue, as you call her, is under my protection now."