Chapter 1

(Samara POV)

I don't belong here.

The thought drummed in my head as I stood outside the tall doors of the grand hall of the Sky Bridge pack. My hands shook at my sides, the rough weave of my cloak chafing against my fingertips. I'm just a gardener, a nobody. I don't belong in this world of power and danger. Yet here I was, pulled by a force I couldn't explain, an invisible string pulling me to him.

Michael.

His voice had been no more than the haunting whisper in my head, low and commanding and tugging at my soul, which wasn't new. For today, however, to hear it was to disobey impossible. "Come to me," it had said trickling down my spine.

I’d been alone for so long, surviving on the meager income my flower shop provided. Gardening was my escape, my sanctuary from the harsh reality of my life. But even that had been disrupted when the voice of the Supreme Alpha invaded my thoughts. I’d tried to resist, but resistance was futile.

I took a deep breath and pushed the heavy doors open. It was cool inside, and the dim light cast long shadows on the stone walls. My footsteps echoed as I walked toward the center of the room, each step heightening the weight in my chest.

Then I saw him.

Michael stood near the far wall, his silver hair catching the faint light. Impossibly tall, he had great broad shoulders and a muscular frame that spoke volumes about the immense power in them. His presence was magnetic, sucking everything in the room into him. Yet it was his eyes that stopped me cold silver eyes that held a storm within their depths.

“You shouldn't be here,” he growled. His voice was low and dangerous.

My breath quickened. "I had no choice."

He cocked his head slightly as if his eyes narrowed against a bright light. "Had no choice?" Each word cut through the silent heavy moment.

I swallowed hard because suddenly, my mouth parched. "I heard you. In my head. You called me.”

Michael's face darkened, and for a second, I thought I saw the flash of something, maybe. It was gone in a second. "I didn't call you," he said, coldly finally.

"Yes, you did," I pressed on, my voice trembling. "Your voice. It was so clear. It told me to come.”

He stepped closer, and the air seemed to vibrate. "You're wrong," he said, his voice lower but no less fierce. "And you're playing with fire by coming here."

My heart was pounding in my chest as he stepped closer. The presence overwhelmed me so much, his scent of wood and richness enveloping all my senses. "Why is this happening?" I whispered. "Why do I have this? Connection?”

Michael's jaw clenched and his eyes flashed with something I couldn't quite place. "Because you don't understand what you're playing at," he growled low, the words rumbling deep within his chest. "You think this is some benign pull, but it's not. It's a curse."

"A curse?" The word came out a mere breath.

He nodded, his stare unwavering. "Yes. And it will destroy you if you let it".

The intensity in his voice sent a shiver down my spine. "Then tell me how to stop it," I said, desperation creeping into my tone.

Michael's eyes softened for a moment, and I thought he might help me. But then he stepped back, the distance between us growing like a chasm. "You can't," he said, his voice cold. "Go home, Samara. Forget this ever happened.”

His words were like a slap in the face. I opened my mouth to contest, but before even a word would fall out, a wave of vertigo washed over me, and I wobbled under my feet, and the next thing into Michael's arms, so strong that I did not fall.

"Samara," he said with softness, his tone full of apprehension.

"I—I'm fine," I stammered out, while my body was a traitor.

A current of electric fire leaped through me at the touch, and for an instant, nothing else mattered. The world narrowed to this circle of stone we stood upon, and the boy in my arms.

But then it came, the memory, and yanked me right back into that fateful day.

          

     ****************

It had been one of those days, so I thought. I delivered fresh flowers to the pack's physician, which I did pretty much regularly. The sun was shining, the air filled with the scent of the blooming jasmine. I can remember being content, my mind focused on arranging flowers just right.

That is when I heard the growl.

Deep and guttural, the sound sent a shiver running down my spine. I whirled, heart pounding, as I sought to find the source of that noise.

And then he appeared.

A huge figure was hurrying toward me, speedily, furiously like a predator. In his eyes, an intimidating glow, and before I knew it, he had pinned me to the ground.

I screamed; it was raw and terror-filled. His grip didn't loosen, his strength too far beyond anything I'd known. "Please," I whispered.

He said nothing, only pulled out teeth and sank them deep into my neck.

Pain burst, sharp and intense. I felt the warmth of my blood as it left my body, his mouth drawing it out with a feral hunger. My vision blurred and the world around me seemed to tilt.

"Get him off her!" someone shouted, but even their voice sounded so far away, in another world.

I could hardly process the commotion around me. Hands were grasping for him, trying to pry him off me, but he would not let go. He growled louder, feral, holding on and his grasp tighter.

Then, in one second, his body went lax. He slumped into me, his breathing ragged and uneven.

Relief washed over me for a moment then vanished just as quickly. Darkness started to seep into my peripheral vision, and my body felt heavy, like lead. The last thing I heard before succumbing to the darkness was the frantic cries of those around me.

"Miss! Miss! Oh no, she's fainted too!"

And then, nothing.

When I returned to the present, Michael's hands still lay on my arms, holding me steady. His touch was warm, anchoring me in the moment.

"You're not as strong as you think," he said in a low tone.

I looked into his eyes, trying to get my answers there. "And you are not as cold as you feign it either.".

Something in his face flickered, a sudden openness that he suppressed again instantly. He let go of me and stepped away, the space between us expanding.

"This isn't over," I said, my voice firmer this time.

Michael's mouth hardened into a thin line. "It needs to be," he said.

But neither of us believed it was.