Marked By The Ruthless Alpha King

Annamarie Whitmore POV:

I woke up in a bed so soft that my body sank into the mattress. Above me hung a crystal chandelier, its cold light reflecting across the unfamiliar room. The air carried a faint scent of sandalwood, deep and warm enough to make my body tense.

I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for several seconds before the memories returned all at once: Jared's rejection, my escape from Blackwood Pack, the Forbidden Forest, the assassins, and the cold, powerful man who had caught me just before I lost consciousness.

This wasn't my room, and I was no longer in the Blackwood Pack.

I sat up quickly, but a sharp pain shot through my neck. My hand immediately covered the injured area as I rushed toward the full-length mirror across the room.

The moment I saw my reflection, my entire body froze.

A dark bite mark stood out against the pale skin of my neck, unmistakably left by an Alpha. My fingers hovered over it as the memory of strong arms holding me in the forest surfaced again, along with the strange warmth that had spread through my body and pulled me back from the edge of death.

My torn dress had been replaced with a clean silk nightgown, and the wounds from my escape through the forest had been carefully treated. Someone had saved me, but that realization did little to ease my uneasiness.

I checked myself carefully, afraid of what I might find, yet aside from the mark on my neck and the injuries I already knew about, there were no other signs that anyone had harmed me.

A small sense of relief finally surfaced beneath the fear, although the memory of that man's cold eyes still made my body instinctively tense.

Before I could make sense of everything, a knock sounded at the door.

I immediately stepped back as a man in a black suit entered. His presence was calm and powerful, carrying the distinct scent of a Beta. He stopped when he saw that I was awake, his expression unreadable as he gave me a slight nod.

"Miss Whitmore. I am Dax, the Alpha's Beta. The Alpha ordered me to give you this once you woke up."

He placed a black folder on the table between us. My fingers tightened as I opened it, and the title on the first page immediately caught my attention: Personal Attendant Service Agreement.

I read through the contents slowly, and the more I read, the colder my expression became. The agreement required me to remain within Bloodmoon Pack territory, follow the Alpha's work arrangements, keep his affairs confidential, and obey the rules governing his personal attendant. In exchange, I would be given a place to live, medical care, food, and protection under the Alpha's authority.

It was still a contract that restricted my freedom, but at least I wasn't being sold or forced into a mate bond. Still, I couldn't ignore the mark on my neck or the question of why a powerful Alpha had saved a wolfless woman he barely knew.

My fingers tightened around the paper. "What is this? And what does the mark on my neck mean?"

Dax's expression remained calm. "The Alpha marked you because your condition was critical. The mark allowed him to transfer his energy into your body and stabilize your life. It does not make you his mate."

His explanation did little to ease my unease. I had spent years being treated as worthless, and now a stranger had marked me when I was at my most helpless. Even if the mark had saved my life, I still couldn't forget that feeling.

I looked at Dax. "And if I refuse to sign?"

He was silent for a moment before answering. "You are currently on Bloodmoon Pack territory. Without the Alpha's permission, you are considered an outsider. Until your identity and circumstances are clarified, leaving the territory without authorization would put you at risk. If you return to Blackwood Pack now, I doubt your situation will improve."

His words struck the weakest part of me. There was no family waiting for me, no pack willing to protect me, and no safe place I could return to. Cornelius had already decided to trade me away after Jared rejected me. Going back would mean walking straight into the same fate I had just escaped.

I lowered my eyes to the contract and took a slow breath. Survival came first. I didn't know why the Alpha had saved me or why he wanted me to stay, but at least this agreement gave me a safe place to live. As long as I stayed alive, I could find a way out.

I picked up the pen Dax offered and signed the bottom of the contract.

Annamarie Whitmore.

Dax took the document back and gave a brief nod. "Good. Follow me. I'll show you where you'll be staying."

I followed him out of the luxurious guest room and through the cold, modern corridors of the building. We passed several guarded areas before entering a staff elevator that carried us downward.

With every floor we descended, the expensive surroundings slowly disappeared, and I realized that the guest room had been nothing more than a temporary place for me to recover.

When the elevator finally stopped, Dax led me through a quieter corridor and stopped in front of a narrow room.

Inside was a single bed, a wardrobe, a small desk, and one narrow window. Compared with the luxurious guest room upstairs, it felt plain and almost cramped, but everything was clean and functional.

Dax handed me a key card and looked at me seriously. "This is your room. Your duties begin tomorrow. The Alpha's schedule will be sent to your terminal. If you need medical assistance or anything related to your work, contact the staff on this floor. Remember that you are now an attendant of the Bloodmoon Pack."

He turned and left without another word.

I stood alone in the small room for several seconds before slowly walking toward the window. The view outside wasn't the city skyline I had seen from the guest room. Instead, I could only see the cold, empty wall of another building.

I rested my hand against the glass, suddenly aware of how far I was from everything I had once known.

Then my fingers moved unconsciously to the mark on my neck.

A faint warmth spread beneath my fingertips. My breath caught.

For a brief moment, I remembered the forest again. The strong arms around me. The steady heartbeat beneath my cheek. The warmth that had flowed through my body when I was certain I was going to die. I quickly pulled my hand away and forced myself to look at the contract still resting on the desk.

That man had saved me, but I couldn't assume he had done it out of kindness.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the unfamiliar room. I had escaped Jared's rejection and Cornelius's plan to sell me, only to end up under the control of another powerful man. I still didn't know why he had saved me or why he wanted me to stay.

But he could have left me to die in the forest. He hadn't.

For now, that was enough. I was alive, and as long as I was alive, I still had a chance to change my fate.

Yet when I closed my eyes, I could still remember his arms around me in the forest, the steady beat of his heart beneath my cheek, and the warmth that had pulled me back from the darkness.

I didn't understand why I couldn't forget it.