THE ALPHA BEAST WHO MARKED ME

MYRA'S POV.

.~~~

I feel that cold chill again.

"It's nothing, Myra. There is nothing there," I mutter, trying to push that dreaded feeling down as I head to the door of my small cabin home.

My hand stiffened against my keys as I fiddled with the locks, fighting to get myself into my home even as my body felt enthralled to look back.

I tried not to turn around, tried not to feed on that feeling of something or someone staring at me, watching me... like I was being hunted, like I was its prey.

The only thing I wanted was one normal night on my birthday. After a shift at the vet clinic and my rejection from Doctor Meredith for my position as junior vet had crushed my spirit beyond everything I had hoped.

But I won't let her break me further. As I recalled the marked date for meeting a realtor in the big city in a few days, I'd saved enough money to open my practice soon enough to help more furry animals.

But right now, I want nothing to do but rest and forget about it all, almost eager to finish my smutty novel that I put down two days ago and just for once not lead into my thoughts from work.

I passed the dark foyer, not bothering to turn on the light as I headed for my bedroom, and just as I sat on the bed, my phone dinged.

Seeing the blue icon of Nate Sander, the male who's been obsessed with me for months, and he was the only one who cared that today was my birthday.

And evidence of his gift laid daintily on my neck as I caressed the grey stone pendant he'd given me, and he'd promised there would be more as Nate handed me a box that I was supposed to open when home.

NATE: Have you opened it yet?

I read as I pulled the box open, and my eyes widened with surprise from its content. I looked at the two-piece baby blue lingerie inside the box.

MYRA: I have now..

I text back, swallowing back my nerves as I watch the bubbles of his chat type once more.

NATE: Perfect, put it on. I want to see it with your pendant and send a picture to me, my love. You promised.

MYRA: I don't know, Nate..

I bite my lips, as an intense anxiety fills me. Nate had done nothing but pressure me to date him, shamelessly probed me to sleep with him and give my virginity to him.

NATE: Just for my eyes only, baby, I swear.

he texted back. And maybe it was the thrill of getting attention from him, all the nurses and women in the clinic wanted him, but he'd only wanted me so I wanted to break past my limit and do something I'd never done before for him.

So I rushed to the bathroom, quickly removing my clothes and slipping into the lacy, vibrant baby blue lingerie that fit snugly on my body.

It hugged my curves, but it was a bit too revealing. With the cup barely covering my nipples, I whispered to myself, "Do not back out of this now, Myra." I had to put my big girl pants on; I wasn't a kid, and this was adult flirting... I think.

Next, I fix my hair, straightening the parts of my naturally curly hair to ease my hair as I reached for the red lipstick I bought some months ago but never used, but I was sure it would make my grey eyes stand out.

Smearing the lipstick carefully on my lips as I looked at my reflection, I was barely recognizable and barely comfortable as goosebumps grew on my skin, watching the tight ropes wrapped around my curves. Should I be doing this? Should my heart be beating this hard that I feel it so hard against my ribs?

I hear another ding on my phone, reminding me that Nate was waiting. I take one last shaky breath before I walk out of my bathroom and reach for my phone.

I walk to my door-length mirror, kneel on the floor, and awkwardly strike a pose with the pendant. Was this good enough? Right? I cringed, slowing my breath as I pressed send, throwing my phone to my bed as I awaited a response, but none came.

Just then, I felt the ground outside tremble, and the sound of something large slamming into my yard made me scream, 'What the hell was that?' A crushing feeling of dread washed over me.

The sound of something large that came crashing in my backyard broke my train of thought. "No, no, no! Why me!" As I walk to the back door across the kitchen, my heart racing.

I reached for a robe to cover myself and then grab the baton from my closet as my hip healed on it so hard I could see my fingers pale as I let out a shaky breath.

"It's probably just nothing; it's your imagination! It's your imagination, Myra..." I try to quell the anxiety in my mind as I walk towards the door, and with shaky hands, I open it, seeing that the large willow tree I played with when I was a child has crashed down.

This wasn't normal, having a ginormous tree crash so hard without an earthquake or even a sign of a tornado was all the glaring signs that I needed to know that I should turn back, but I didn't.

Instead, I trailed closer, swallowing down my nerves, I noticed a trail of blood leading to the shed. I crease my eyes smaller to look past the large black shadow that took over the shed.

But then a chill ran down my spine when I realized the large black shadow was the entity that I was looking for, as it reared its large head and red crimson eye stared back at me.

And in that moment, I'd witnessed something I'd never imagined, my hands trembling as the baton fell from my grip as eyes widened in disbelief to never having seen anything like this even in my 22 years of living.

I peered at the creature, the giant, barely conscious beast. A black wolf appeared in my courtyard, wounded.

I didn't know it yet, but my life was screwed already.