Page 14 of Bitten, Marked, Obsessed

Follow it,the animal part of me whispers.Find her.

But something’s off.

This isn’t the usual territorial alertness. This ispull. Like a magnet inside of me, dragging me forward. It’s not lust. Not fear. It’s something I can’t explain, even to myself.

“Callum,” Elias says, voice wary. “You’re twitching.”

“I need to see where it leads.”

“You’re not gonna fully shift, are you? Here?” Elias looks around nervously at the open streets.

I ignore him. Let the beast rise, just under the skin.

The change ripples through me—not all the way. My nails stretch, eyes sharpen, hearing triples. My spine hums.

Then I catch it.

The scent.

It hits me like a punch.

Ash. Moonlight. And blood.

But it’s not old blood, it’salive. Still in motion. Still transforming. The air around it is warping, and my head fills with static.

“What the fuck isthat?” Elias says beside me, backing up half a step.

“I don’t know.” My voice comes out rough and curious.

We follow it, fast and low, cutting through side streets like shadows.

A block later, I slow to a halt.

There’s nothing here but a patch of concrete still hot with energy. The scent lingers. Recent. She was here. Minutes ago, maybe less.

But she’sgonenow.

“Tracked?” Elias asks.

I shake my head. “No. She’s moving blind. Instinct only.”

“Could be a werewolf,” he mutters, grim.

“Smells like one,” I agree. “But different.”

“Different how?”

I shake my head. “Like it’s not... finished.”

We stand there a long moment, just breathing. Listening. The city murmurs around us like it always does. But the undercurrent is louder now. Something shifted tonight, and it’s still echoing.

“You think she crossed the line on purpose?” Elias asks finally.

“No,” I say. “This wasn’t a rogue looking to start shit. This was someone in the middle of something they couldn’t stop.”

“She shouldn’t be here,” he says.

“I know.”

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