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The forest grew denser as we climbed, the trees twisting into gnarled sentinels that seemed to lean in as we passed.

Dominic moved with quiet authority ahead of me, his bare shoulders tense beneath the moonlight.

He hadn't spoken since the river - just kept his grip firm on my hand as he led me deeper into territory that clearly belonged to his pack.

I could feel the change in the air before I saw it.

The forest itself seemed to breathe differently here, the very earth humming with a primal energy that made the hair on my arms stand up.

My shredded socks offered no protection from the rough terrain, but Dominic's steady presence kept me moving forward despite the burning in my legs.

"Almost there," he murmured, sensing my fatigue.

The trees suddenly parted to reveal a sprawling compound nestled in the mountain's embrace.

Wood and stone cabins formed a loose circle around a central fire pit, their windows glowing with warm light against the deepening night.

Figures moved between them - all impossibly graceful, their movements too fluid to be entirely human.

Dominic's fingers tightened around mine. "Stay close to me."

We hadn't taken three steps into the clearing when the crowd parted and a massive figure emerged.

Even without introduction, I knew - this was the Alpha.

He stood half a head taller than Dominic, his dark hair streaked with silver at the temples, his presence commanding immediate silence from the gathered pack.

"Dominic." His voice rumbled like distant thunder. "You were told not to return until you controlled your wolf."

Every muscle in Dominic's body tensed, but he held his ground. "I found her, Father."

The Alpha's piercing gaze locked onto me, his nostrils flaring slightly as he scented the air between us. When his eyes dropped to the scar on my shoulder - Dominic's mark - something unreadable flashed across his stern features.

Murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire. A dark-haired woman stepped forward, her amber eyes burning with disapproval.

"You marked a human?" Her lip curled. "And brought her here?"

Dominic moved so quickly I barely registered it, placing himself squarely between me and the woman. A growl vibrated from his chest, low and dangerous. "She's under my protection, Liana."

The Alpha held up a hand, silencing them both. When he spoke again, his words were measured. "You don't understand what you've done, boy. That mark is a beacon." He turned to me, his golden eyes boring into mine. "Your blood calls to them."

A chill ran down my spine. "What do you mean?"

The Alpha exhaled sharply through his nose. "You carry the dormant gene of the first shifters. The rogues can smell it - that's why they're hunting you now, after all these years." He glanced at Dominic. "And your son's mark on her shoulder? It's like lighting a signal fire."

Dominic went rigid beside me. "That's impossible. The original bloodlines died out generations ago."

"Not all of them," the Alpha countered. He stepped closer to me, his voice dropping. "Your mother's family - the Hayeses. They were keepers of the old blood. She never told you?"

Fragmented memories surfaced - my mother's strange rituals during full moons, the way she'd always seem to know when storms were coming, her whispered arguments with my father about "the family legacy." Things I'd dismissed as eccentricities now took on terrifying new meaning.

A howl shattered the night's silence - much closer than before. The entire pack tensed as one, their attention snapping toward the tree line.

The Alpha's jaw clenched. "They've caught your scent." He turned to Dominic, his expression grim. "And they won't stop until they claim what your mark has awakened in her blood."

Dominic's grip on my hand turned crushing. "I'll die before I let them touch her."

For the first time, something like pride flickered in the Alpha's eyes. "You may have to."

Another howl answered the first, then another - until the night echoed with their terrible chorus. The hunt was on, and I was the prize. The Alpha's words hung in the air like a death sentence. I stared at him, my mouth dry, my pulse pounding in my ears.

"What do you mean, dormant gene?" I managed to ask.

The Alpha - Dominic's father - studied me with those unnerving golden eyes.

"Not all humans are simply human," he said, his voice taking on the cadence of an old story.

"Some bloodlines carry remnants of the first shifters - those who walked as both man and beast before the great divide. Your family is one of them."

Dominic stepped closer to me, his warmth at my back. "The original shifter blood was diluted over centuries," he explained, his voice tight. "But it never completely disappeared. Just... slept."

The Alpha nodded. "Until now. Until my son's mark awakened what was dormant in you." His gaze flicked to the scar on my shoulder. "That bite didn't just claim you as his mate - it triggered a transformation your blood was always meant to undergo."

I swayed on my feet, the world tilting dangerously. Dominic's arm came around my waist, steadying me.

"She needs to sit down," he growled at his father.

We were ushered into the largest cabin, where the firelight revealed walls covered in what looked like generations of family history - photographs mixed with ancient-looking scrolls. The Alpha poured me a drink that burned going down but steadied my nerves.

"The rogues," I said, wiping my mouth. "Why do they want me?"

The Alpha's expression darkened. "Rogues are outcasts - wolves who've lost themselves to the beast. They're drawn to the old blood like moths to flame. Your awakened gene..." He hesitated, exchanging a glance with Dominic. "It could stabilize them. Give them back what they've lost."

"Or make them stronger," Dominic added grimly. "Strong enough to challenge entire packs."

A new wave of understanding crashed over me. That's why they'd been tracking Dominic - they'd smelled his mark on me, recognized what it meant. I wasn't just some random human he'd claimed. I was a key. A prize.

Dominic's hand found mine under the table, his grip firm. "We'll protect you," he vowed. But his father's silence spoke volumes.

The Alpha finally sighed. "The full moon is in three nights. That's when the pull will be strongest - when your blood will call to them loudest." He looked at his son. "We can hide her. Or..."

"Or we complete the transformation," Dominic finished, his voice rough.

My head snapped up. "What transformation?"

The Alpha leaned forward. "The one your blood has been waiting for. The reason the rogues can sense you." He tapped the table between us. "That dormant gene? It's not just a marker in your DNA. It's potential. The potential to become one of us."

The fire crackled in the sudden silence.

Outside, the wind carried another distant howl - a reminder that time was running out.

I looked at Dominic, seeing the conflict in his eyes.

He'd known. Maybe not completely, but he'd sensed what I was from the beginning.

That's why his wolf had claimed me so fiercely.

Not just because I was his mate. But because I was meant to be his equal.