Cyrus Montgomery POV:
I looked down at the woman lying unconscious in my arms.
She was lighter than I expected, almost weightless. Her scent was faint, carrying the clean trace of cedar and rain. Yet there was something strange about her presence. The Forbidden Forest had been restless when I entered it tonight, its energy pressing against my wolf and restricting the full force of my power. But ever since this wolfless woman appeared, that pressure had begun to fade.
I raised my eyes and looked around the clearing.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Even my inner Lycan had noticed the change. There was no recognition or attraction toward her, but for the first time since entering the Forbidden Forest, I could feel my wolf's power moving freely through my body. The invisible pressure that had been suppressing me was gone.
My gaze returned to the woman in my arms.
A wolfless had somehow entered the Forbidden Forest and changed the balance of the place just by being here. I didn't know why, but one thing was becoming clear. I needed to keep her close until I understood what was happening.
Then I felt her body tremble.
Her breathing had grown weaker, and the color had almost completely disappeared from her face. I looked toward the dark forest around us. The longer she stayed here, the more her strength was being drained. Whatever had made the forest settle around her was also consuming what little energy she had left.
If I left her here, she would die.
I tightened my arms around her and lowered my gaze to her pale face. Taking her back to Bloodmoon Pack would be the obvious choice, but she might not survive the journey in her current condition.
There was only one way to stabilize her immediately.
A mark could transfer my energy into her body and help restore the strength she was losing. It was a simple decision.
I would mark her.
My fingers brushed against her cold cheek before sliding down to her jaw. Her skin was softer than I expected. I lowered my head, bringing my lips close to her neck, and her scent immediately filled my senses.
Cedar and rain. Clean, cool, untouched.
I paused for a brief moment, my breath grazing her skin. The scent did nothing to stir my wolf, yet it settled something restless inside me. I couldn't explain why, and I didn't have time to think about it.
My canines extended. I bit into the side of her neck.
Her body trembled sharply in my arms. A faint sound escaped her lips as my teeth pierced her skin, and the warmth of her blood touched my tongue. I tightened my hold around her waist, keeping her against my chest as my energy flowed through the mark.
Her fear and pain brushed against my mind through the connection. Beneath them was exhaustion so deep that it frightened me for a moment.
I poured more energy into the mark. Gradually, her trembling eased. Her breathing grew steadier, and the coldness beneath my palm began to fade.
I lifted my head slowly. The fresh mark stood out against her pale skin, only inches from my lips.
My gaze lingered there before moving back to her face. Her lashes were still, her lips slightly parted, completely unaware of what had just passed between us.
A faint sound escaped her again, followed by a tear slipping from the corner of her eye.
Before I could think, I lowered my head and brushed the tear away with the tip of my nose.
The softness of her skin against mine made me pause. I stayed there for a moment, my breath warm against her cheek, before slowly lifting my head.
She was fragile in my arms, yet her presence had done something no one else had managed to do. The moment she entered the Forbidden Forest, the restless energy around me had quieted, and the restriction on my wolf's power had disappeared.
I didn't like unanswered questions. And I had no intention of letting her out of my sight until I discovered why.
Footsteps sounded through the trees. Dax and the guards emerged from the darkness.
I straightened, my expression returning to its usual coldness, and adjusted my clothes to cover the wound left by the silver blade.
Dax stopped when he saw the unconscious woman in my arms. His eyes fell to the fresh mark on her neck. Surprise flashed across his face before he lowered his gaze and knelt.
"Alpha King. What are your orders?"
"Clean everything. Leave no evidence behind." I glanced down at the woman in my arms. "As for her, she's my new attendant. That's all anyone needs to know."
Dax hesitated for half a second before answering. "Yes, my King."
His report gave me her name.
Annamarie.
I carried her to the black armored vehicle and placed her on the back seat. When I sat beside her, I didn't move away. Her head shifted with the motion of the vehicle and came to rest against my shoulder.
I looked down. Even unconscious, she seemed to seek warmth instinctively. One loose strand of hair brushed against my neck, carrying that faint scent of cedar and rain.
I should have moved her away. I didn't.
Outside the window, the forest gradually disappeared behind us. Only then did I think of the Elders.
They had been pressuring me for months to accept a political marriage with another Alpha's daughter. I had refused every proposal, unwilling to let them turn my mate into another piece of their political game.
Now I had a woman beside me whose presence could quiet the Forbidden Forest and release the restrictions on my wolf.
I didn't know what she was. But I knew I needed her close.
The thought of the Elders returned.
I wondered whether the woman sleeping against my shoulder might become more than an unexplained anomaly. She might be the answer to a problem I had refused to solve their way.
I lowered my eyes to her sleeping face. Whatever secrets she carried, I would find them out.
