The howl lingered in the air long after it faded, like a bruise you couldn't stop touching.

I was still gripping my arm, my pulse roaring in my ears. Whatever mark the Black Hollow Pack had left burned beneath my skin-alive, aware. It felt like something had reached inside me and wrapped its fingers around my bones.

My uncle finally let go.

"Pack your things," he said to me. "We're leaving. Now."

"Leaving where?" I asked.

"Somewhere they can't track easily."

Maya laughed softly, but there was no humor in it. "You really think it's that simple?"

My uncle's jaw tightened. "It has to be."

He moved toward the door, already making plans in his head. That left Maya and me standing alone in the small room, the air between us charged and dangerously thin.

She was shaking.

I noticed because I could *feel* it-every tremor, every uneven breath. Her heartbeat was loud to me now, impossible to ignore. Fast. Too fast.

"Maya," I said quietly. "You're scared."

Her eyes snapped up to mine. "Of course I am."

"That's not what I meant."

She swallowed. I smelled salt-fear and something sweeter beneath it. Want. The realization hit me like a punch.

"I can hear your heart," I admitted. "I don't think I'm supposed to be able to do that."

For a split second, something dark and knowing flickered across her face.

"That's because you're changing," she said. "And because you're standing too close."

I took a step back immediately, pressing myself against the wall. The growl that rose in my chest shocked us both.

Maya's breath hitched.

"Don't," she whispered. "Don't shut me out."

"I could hurt you," I said. "You saw what I did."

"You didn't hurt *me*," she replied, stepping closer despite my warning. "And that matters."

She reached for my arm-the one that still burned-and I flinched. Her fingers brushed my skin anyway, light and careful, like she was touching something fragile instead of dangerous.

The pain eased instantly.

I stared at her. "What did you just do?"

"I..." She hesitated. "I don't know. It just felt like you needed someone to hold you there. To keep you grounded."

Her hand was still on my arm. My entire body leaned toward her without my permission. The world narrowed until there was only her warmth, her scent, her pulse.

This was bad. So bad.

"Maya," I said hoarsely. "If I lose control-"

"You won't," she said firmly. "Not with me."

The certainty in her voice terrified me more than doubt ever could.

Before I could respond, the windows rattled violently.

We both jumped as a heavy thud shook the house, followed by another howl-closer this time. Too close.

My uncle burst back into the room. "They've found us."

"How?" I demanded.

His eyes flicked to Maya, then away. "The mark makes him a beacon. And fear doesn't help."

Maya's hand dropped from my arm, guilt flashing across her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

I didn't understand then-but I would.

"Ethan," my uncle said sharply. "Listen to me. You cannot transform here. Not with humans nearby."

As if summoned by his words, another wave of pain surged through me. My vision blurred, gold bleeding into the edges. My teeth ached. My spine tightened.

Maya grabbed my face, forcing me to look at her.

"Stay with me," she said urgently. "Look at me. Breathe when I breathe."

Her forehead pressed against mine again. I felt her breath, counted it, clung to it like a lifeline.

In.

Out.

In.

My pulse slowed. The growl faded.

Outside, something slammed against the house.

The front door shattered.

My uncle swore. "They're inside."

"Take him," Maya said suddenly. "I'll distract them."

"No," I snapped. "You're not staying here."

Her eyes softened in a way that hurt. "This is what I was trained for."

"Trained for *what*?" I demanded.

She didn't answer.

Instead, she leaned up and kissed me.

It wasn't gentle. It wasn't careful. It was desperate and electric, like she was trying to pour courage into me through her lips. My entire body lit up, power roaring awake-and for one terrifying second, the wolf surged forward, claiming her as *mine*.

She pulled back just in time.

"Remember this," she whispered. "Remember that you're loved. That's how you fight it."

Then she turned and ran toward the noise.

"Maya!" I shouted, lunging after her-but my uncle caught me.

"Not yet," he said fiercely. "If you go now, you'll kill everyone in this house."

I watched helplessly as shadows moved down the hall, as voices shouted, as Maya disappeared into the chaos.

My hands curled into fists, claws threatening to break free.

I swore then-under my breath, under my skin, under the mark burning into my soul-

No pack.

No hunter.

No moon.

Was going to take her from me.

And somewhere in the house, something screamed.

The house was burning.

Not with fire-

with sound, movement, fear.

I strained against my uncle's grip as another crash echoed from the hallway. Wood splintered. Someone shouted. The scent of blood flooded the air, hot and sharp, sending the wolf inside me slamming against my ribs.

"Maya's still in there!" I roared.

"I know," my uncle snapped. "And if you go feral now, she dies with everyone else."

That stopped me.

Barely.

My arm burned again-worse this time. I cried out as pain ripped through my skin like something was being carved from the inside. My uncle swore under his breath and yanked up my sleeve.

The mark was there now.

Black and silver lines twisted beneath my skin, forming a symbol that pulsed with a heartbeat that wasn't mine. It looked ancient. Possessive.

Claimed.

"That's their seal," he said grimly. "Black Hollow doesn't mark lightly."

"What does it mean?" I demanded.

"It means they think you belong to them," he replied. "And wolves don't give up what they claim."

A scream cut through the noise.

Maya's scream.

The wolf surged.

My vision fractured into gold and shadow as I ripped free of my uncle's grip. Pain exploded through my spine-but this time, I welcomed it. I ran toward the sound, faster than thought, faster than fear.

I skidded into the living room.

Two men stood there dressed in dark armor, silver weapons raised. One lay bleeding on the floor. And between them-

Maya.

She was pressed against the wall, chest heaving, blood smeared across her knuckles. Her eyes locked onto mine, widening in relief and terror all at once.

"Ethan-don't-"

Too late.

The wolf broke loose.

Bones snapped. Muscles tore and rebuilt. The world sharpened into brutal clarity. I felt *huge*, powerful, unstoppable.

One hunter turned just in time to see me.

He didn't even get to scream.

I slammed into him, sending him flying through the window in a storm of glass and blood. The second raised his weapon-but Maya moved faster.

She threw her pendant.

Silver light exploded in the air, slamming into the hunter and pinning him to the wall like an insect. He screamed as the light burned into his skin.

I stood there, half-shifted, chest heaving, claws dripping red.

Maya stared at me.

Not with fear.

With heartbreak.

"Look at your hands," she whispered.

I did.

Blood soaked my claws. The wolf inside me purred.

I hated it.

I turned away from her instantly, shaking, trying to force the shift back. The mark burned like fire, resisting me.

"Ethan," she said softly, stepping closer. "You came back. That means you're still you."

I wanted to believe her.

She reached out-hesitated-then placed her palm over my heart. The contact sent a shock through me, grounding and unbearable all at once. My form collapsed back into human skin, leaving me gasping on my knees.

She knelt with me.

"You scare me," she admitted, voice breaking. "But losing you scares me more."

I looked up at her, eyes burning. "If I stay near you, I'll destroy you."

"No," she said firmly. "If you leave, you'll become exactly what they want."

Sirens wailed in the distance.

My uncle appeared in the doorway, eyes dark. "We have to disappear. Tonight."

Maya squeezed my hand. "This isn't over."

I looked down at the mark on my arm, still glowing faintly.

No.

This was just the beginning.

We left Black Hollow before dawn.

The town looked deceptively peaceful as we drove through it-houses quiet, streets empty, fog curling low over the asphalt like nothing had happened. Like there hadn't been screams, shattered glass, blood on the walls. Like I hadn't torn through my own skin and learned what kind of monster I could become.

Maya sat beside me in the back seat of my uncle's truck.

She was close enough that our shoulders brushed every time the road curved. Too close. Not close enough. Every nerve in my body was aware of her-her warmth, her scent, the steady rhythm of her breathing. It took everything in me not to lean into her, not to press my face into her hair just to remind myself she was alive.

"You're staring," she said quietly, without looking at me.

"I'm making sure you're real," I replied.

She turned then, meeting my gaze. The rising sun caught in her eyes, turning them into something soft and dangerous. For a second, neither of us spoke.

"You saved me," she said.

"I hurt people," I answered just as softly.

Her lips parted like she wanted to argue, then she closed them again. "Both can be true."

That shouldn't have comforted me. It did.

My uncle cleared his throat from the driver's seat. "We're heading north. Old territory. Neutral ground-for now."

"For now," Maya echoed. "Nothing stays neutral around him."

I felt that mark under my skin pulse, like it agreed.

The drive stretched on, heavy with things unsaid. Every mile put distance between us and Black Hollow, but the danger didn't feel farther away. If anything, it felt closer-like it had crawled inside me and settled there.

I shifted uncomfortably.

Maya noticed immediately. "Is it hurting again?"

"Not pain," I said. "More like... pressure."

She hesitated, then slowly reached for my arm. "May I?"

Every instinct in me screamed yes.

She rested her fingers over the mark, warm and steady. The effect was instant. The pressure eased. My breathing slowed. The wolf inside me-restless since the house-curled in on itself like it was listening to her.

My eyes fluttered shut before I could stop them.

Maya sucked in a breath. "Ethan..."

"What?" I murmured.

"When I touch you like this," she said, voice barely audible, "it affects me too."

I opened my eyes.

Her hand was still on my arm, but now she was trembling. Not with fear-with something else. Her heartbeat sped up, loud in my ears, and I hated that I could hear it because it meant I wanted it.

"Maya," I warned. "We shouldn't-"

"I know," she whispered. "But I need you to understand something."

She leaned closer, her voice brushing my skin. "This bond you're feeling? It isn't accidental."

Before I could ask what she meant, the truck slowed.

My uncle pulled off the road onto a narrow dirt path leading into the woods. Tall trees closed in around us, shadows thick and watchful.

"We stop here," he said. "You both need rest."

I climbed out, the forest air hitting me like a memory I didn't know I had. My senses lit up-earth, pine, distant water, something wild moving far away.

Maya stood beside me again.

"This place," she said softly. "It's old."

"Older than Black Hollow," my uncle agreed. "And safer."

Safer didn't mean safe.

We set up camp quickly. My uncle disappeared into the trees to check the perimeter, leaving Maya and me alone by the fire. The silence between us felt heavier than the noise ever had.

She hugged her knees to her chest, staring into the flames.

"You almost didn't come back," she said.

"I did," I replied.

She shook her head. "I mean *you*. When you shifted... I saw it in your eyes. For a moment, I thought I'd lost you."

I swallowed. "You didn't run."

"No," she said. "I wanted to. But I didn't."

"Why?"

She looked at me then, really looked at me, like she was deciding whether to cross a line that couldn't be uncrossed.

"Because I love you," she said.

The words hit me harder than the transformation ever had.

The wolf surged-protective, fierce, overwhelming-but this time it didn't feel like it wanted to take control. It wanted to kneel.

"Maya," I breathed. "You shouldn't say that."

"I know," she said, tears bright in her eyes. "I know what I am. I know what it could cost. But pretending I don't feel this won't save either of us."

I moved without thinking, closing the distance between us. I stopped inches away, forcing myself not to touch her.

"If you stay with me," I said, voice shaking, "you will be hunted. You will be hurt. And one day, I might not be strong enough to stop myself."

She reached up and cupped my face anyway.

"Then I'll be your reason to stay strong," she said. "Just like you're mine."

Her touch grounded me more completely than anything ever had. I leaned into her hand, closing my eyes, letting myself feel it-her warmth, her certainty, her faith in me.

I kissed her then.

Slow. Careful. Like we were both afraid the world would shatter if we moved too fast. Her lips were soft, familiar, devastating. The wolf purred, not with hunger-but with belonging.

She pulled back first, forehead resting against mine.

"We have to be careful," she whispered.

"I know," I said.

Neither of us moved away.

A branch snapped in the distance.

My senses flared instantly, romance evaporating into alertness. I stepped in front of her without thinking, muscles tensing.

"Maya," my uncle's voice came from the trees. "We have company."

From the shadows beyond the firelight, glowing eyes began to appear-one pair, then another, then more.

Not hunters.

Wolves.

And the mark beneath my skin burned like it was greeting family.

Whatever I was becoming, the world wasn't going to let me love her in peace.

And I was starting to realize...

that love might be the most dangerous thing of all.