Mark of the Wolf: Part II: Mark of the Wolf Trilogy, #2

By Kimber White

One mistake. One wrong move. I trusted the wrong wolf and it's changed my fate forever.

I walked right into his trap.
I tried to fight. Tried to run. But the man who's haunted my dreams caught me. It turns out ghosts are real.
He captured me. Bound me in chains even I can't break.
He is a predator, ruthless, cold. A dark wolf. But he's something else as well. Brutal. Beautiful. Raw power.
And now he has what he wants. Me.
I don't want to want him. I've been down this road before.
I should have killed him when I had the chance. He's taken everything from me that matters.
I shouldn't let him touch me. Shouldn't love the way it feels.
But I do.
He wants to wreck me. Own me. Mark me. It doesn't matter that I'm an Alpha too.
He demands submission. I wish I could resist.
But he knows my dark nature. My deepest secrets. The truth about what makes me burn.
Because he's the one who showed it to me. Only now it could destroy us both.


Note: This is part two of a trilogy. If you like your wolf shifter dudes hot, tortured, angsty, scarred, and ready to rip apart anyone who touches their fated mates, this one's for you. This is a slow-burn, enemies to lovers paranormal romance trilogy. Part two ends on a cliff.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nokay Press, LLC
• Release date: Nov 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215158630

Kimber White

Kimber White writes steamy paranormal romance with smoldering, alpha male shifters and kickass heroines (doormats need not apply). Because she just can't help herself from torturing her heroes…expect edge of your seat suspense as Kimber's characters fight for their happily ever afters and their fated mates. Kimber lives on a lake in the Irish Hills of Michigan with her neurotic dog and wildly supportive family. For the latest scoop on Kimber's new releases plus a FREE EBOOK as a welcome gift, be sure to sign up for Kimber's newsletter at www.kimberwhite.com

Book preview

Chapter One

Boneless. Weightless. There was no space. No air. Something smothered me.

Show me, a voice whispered.

Not just a voice. Him. It was always him.

Show me who you really are.

Then I did.

Chains didn’t matter. The strong hands holding me down didn’t matter.

My wolf ripped out of me. My razor-sharp claws dug into flesh. I snapped my jaw, desperately trying to find his jugular. I wanted to taste his blood.

There you are, he whispered. He was nowhere. But he was everywhere.

Growling, scratching, I finally felt solid ground beneath my paws.

Kill him. Do it now. He’ll never let you this close again.

But it was a trap. I knew it. Instinct fueled me.

I ran.

The full moon guided me. I ran for the woods, letting the stars light my way. Adrenaline coursed through my veins. The woods were thick and deep. I left the lake far behind.

Don’t look back. Don’t stop.

I ran as fast as I ever had. The ground was a blur beneath me. I barely remember touching it.

Get away. Get away. Get away.

His breath was hot. He was so close. He nipped my tail.

Don’t look back. Don’t stop to fight. Just go!

The woods grew thicker. I leapt over fallen branches and thick brush. Burrs caught in my fur. Ahead of me, I smelled the fresh blood of an injured deer.

I howled. I hungered. But I couldn’t stop.

There was a clearing ahead of me. An open field with farmland all around.

My pursuer’s growl felt like it was inside my own head. I put distance between us, but couldn’t throw him. It was as if he could anticipate my movements before I made them. I dodged to the left. He was there. I ducked under a rotted log. He leapt over it, nearly landing on top of me.

My heart hammered. My pulse raced. If I could just reach that clearing, I felt certain I could outrun him. I had to.

Tempest! My name was a whisper in the wind. He knew me. I knew him.

Then, my back felt as if it broke in half. He caught me, landing on top of me. I spun end over end, rolling downhill.

I kicked upward with all four legs as hard as I could. He might as well have been made of solid marble.

Black as night. Fangs dripping with saliva. Fiery eyes that glowed in the darkness.

No. No. No.

Shift! he commanded. The word exploded inside my head. I was powerless against it. He tamed my wolf.

Claws receded to fingernails, dirt-caked and broken from my race through the woods. My hair tangled around my face. The wolf above me shifted. I couldn’t see his face. It was too dark. It didn’t matter. I knew him. God help me. I knew him.

X.

There you are, he whispered. This was wrong. Impossible. He was dead. I killed him! All those years ago, I had tasted his blood, felt his life drain from him, lived with his soul haunting mine. He was supposed to be dead!

No, I spat. I kicked up for all I was worth. He had me pinned to the ground. We weren’t alone. I sensed other wolves moving in, pouring out of the woods.

Shh, he said. Don’t move. I won’t hurt you if you don’t fight it.

Get off of me, I said, struggling beneath the weight of him. I sank my teeth into his shoulder. He howled with pain, but didn’t break his grip.

He rolled me to my stomach, keeping me pinned to the ground with his full weight pressing against my back. I flailed helplessly beneath him.

He had me naked. Exposed. His hot breath tickled my ear. In spite of myself, I felt that familiar heat rising between my shoulder blades, then settling to that sensitive spot at the base of my neck. Though my mind wanted to run, my body flooded with relief, with lust.

He was alive!

His voice echoed through me. All this time. All this torture. He was here. He was real. I wanted him, God help me. I wanted him!

No! I railed against it. Never.

Stop struggling, he commanded. His sweat mixed with mine. He was stronger than me, but it was taking every ounce of that strength to keep me subdued.

I’m not going to hurt you, he said.

But you’re not going to let me go either, I said.

You don’t want me to, he laughed. Even now, I can feel your heat, Tem.

God. Please don’t let him test me. He was right. The fucker was right. If he slid a finger between my legs, he’d find me wet. Dripping.

He was so powerful. His scent, intoxicating. I felt the hard outline of his body pressing against my back.

Pure Alpha. Raw sex.

Mine. Always mine if I wanted it. My body still burned with the memory of the last time we fucked. Hurried. Desperate. My brother had been looking for us. If I’d known then what he meant to do, I would have made a different choice. I would have made X leave. Flee. Instead, I couldn’t get enough of him. I had bitten him then. Hard. Scarring his chest. I knew if he turned me over, I could trace the jagged outlines of my mark. He’d begged me to do it.

Lay still, he said. I don’t want to hurt you.

Like hell, I said.

I don’t want to hurt you! he insisted. You’re the one who wants that. God. I can feel it.

No!

We can do this the hard way or the easy way, he said. But make no mistake. You’re coming with me. If you behave, you can get up and walk.

I felt dizzy. My vision blurred. It was always like this when X got close to me. Hard to focus. Impossible to clear my head. To think straight.

Get up, he ordered. Don’t try to run. You know I’ll always catch you.

He always had. Even when we were miles away from each other, he was there in my thoughts. In my dreams.

Soulbound. Forever. But he was supposed to be dead.

He took his weight off me. Still pitch black. I could only see his glowing eyes. He held his hand out to me.

Come on, he said. It’s not safe for you out here.

It’s not safe for me anywhere you are, I said. I kicked his hand away, scrambled up, and started to run.

Stop! X yelled. My body wanted to comply. God. He was so close. He was everywhere. Always everywhere.

He’d been behind me, giving chase. All of a sudden, he was in front of me. I ran right into him. X grabbed me by the shoulders. Before I knew what was happening, he picked me up as if I weighed nothing and flung me over his shoulder caveman style.

Have it your way, he growled. His shoulder pressed into my abdomen. I flailed my legs as he gripped me behind the knees. I tried to claw at his back, his legs, but X was on the move.

My hair hung down, brushing the ground. I did the only thing I could do. I tried to bite him. I couldn’t get my balance or my bearings. X was moving so fast.

I let my fangs drop. I would bite him in the back as hard as I could.

Just as I was about to sink my teeth into him, X spanked me hard, jolting me like an electrical current. The fresh sting across my ass quickly blossomed into delicious pleasure.

My God. I wanted to beg him for more.

X’s wicked laugh sent a zing of heat through me. He knew. As always, I could hide nothing from him. And he could hide everything from me.

Don’t worry, he said as he marched back up the hill and through the woods. I’ll make sure you get all the punishment you’ve earned, my little Tempest.

For good measure, he spanked me again.

Oh! I cried out from the pleasure and pain as X carried me bare-ass naked over his shoulder and back up that cursed hill.

Get a hold of yourself, he said. Your scent has attracted every rogue Alpha in a hundred-mile radius. That’s what got you into this mess.

Fuck you! I yelled, struggling against him. He was too strong. Too fast. He had me exactly where he wanted me.

He put his palm on my ass. My flesh was still warm from where he’d spanked me. He rubbed me there, taunting me.

That’s right, he said. You deserve to be spanked, and often.

I’ll kill you, I said.

Then he spun me. Dizzy, disoriented, he threw me to my feet. X stood behind me, with one hand on my throat, the other wrapped around my torso, pulling me against him. I wanted to turn. I wanted to see him. He’d hid his face from me for so long. His cruel, disfiguring scars. I had memorized them.

X nipped my earlobe.

You’re going to do what I say, he said. Those wolves out there? They’re loyal to me now.

You got what you wanted, X said. Your brother is safe. For all the good it will do him.

Jarred was only in danger because of you!

Jarred has always been his own worst enemy. Taking on things he’s not ready for. He holds you back. He holds your father’s entire pack back. He’s a weak link. Even he knows that. If he’s got any honor at all, he’ll just let the other pack leaders put him out of his misery, Tem.

I hate you, I said. You’re a fucking monster. You’re a beast.

X laughed, mocking me. Cheer up then, beauty. I’ll only hurt you in ways you like.

There were voices up ahead. I smelled the lake. The pier was close, just through the last line of trees.

X took a breath and let out a sharp whistle. Within seconds, we were surrounded. Wolves everywhere. A black Hummer barreled through, crushing the brush beneath its tires. It screeched to a halt in front of us.

What is this? I asked. Where are you taking me?

A man got out the driver’s side door. I knew on instinct he was a bear shifter. Big. Burly. How the hell did X have bears doing his bidding? He was all alone, near death when I first found him. He had no one. No pack. No home.

Everything I thought I knew about him had been a lie. A betrayal.

The bear shifter approached. He held a small black bag in his hand. He tossed it to X. My brain started to buzz.

No! I cried. I knew that feeling. It sapped my strength in a way only Dragonsteel could.

No!

I couldn’t get away. X jerked my hands behind my back, then wrapped them in Dragonsteel chains. My knees buckled. My wolf was immediately lost to me along with most of my strength. X took a large, black scarf out of the bag, then tied it around my eyes, blindfolding me. Then, he shoved me forward, helping me into the back of the Hummer.

I’m going to kill you, I swore. He came in close, his lips brushing my ear.

It’s going to be fun to watch you try.

Then he kissed my neck. My skin burned with pleasure as he pulled away and slammed the car door.

Chapter Two

In Dragonsteel, I lost my sense of time. It might have been an hour. It might have been ten. But finally, the car stopped. Rough hands grabbed my shoulders and pulled me out.

I didn’t sense X. He hadn’t ridden in the Hummer with me. Cool air hit my naked skin as my chains were jerked forward. I stumbled, but managed to stay on my feet as I was led up to a paved surface.

I smelled the woods. They were thick. Crickets chirped. An owl hooted. It was still full night then. Or the next night. I couldn’t be