Selene told herself she wouldn't return. She swore it. After last night's revelation, she had lain awake, replaying Damon's words over and over. A bond. Dangerous. Impossible to walk away from.
And yet, as the following evening crept in, her feet carried her down the same familiar path toward the forest. She hated herself for it, hated the weakness of her curiosity, but even more, she feared the aching emptiness when she stayed away.
By the time the last rays of sunlight bled out of the sky, she was already beneath the trees.
Her chest tightened. "Damon?"
The forest answered only with silence. A strange unease prickled along her skin. She hugged her sketchbook close as if the battered leather could protect her.
Then came the growl. Low. Menacing. Too close.
Her heart leapt into her throat. She spun in a circle, eyes wide. "D-Damon?"
The shape that emerged from the trees was not Damon.
A wolf. Massive, fur black as midnight, eyes glowing red. Saliva dripped from its bared teeth.
Selene stumbled back, terror flooding her veins. Her mind screamed at her to run, but her legs locked in place.
The wolf lunged.
And then—golden light.
Damon burst from the shadows, slamming into the creature midair. The impact shook the ground. The two wolves tumbled across the forest floor in a blur of fur, teeth, and rage. Selene staggered back, her breath caught in her chest as snarls ripped through the night.
She wanted to scream, to look away, but she couldn't. Damon fought with a feral intensity that was both terrifying and mesmerizing. His wolf form was enormous, his golden eyes blazing like fire.
With a final, brutal snap of his jaws, the black wolf yelped and fled, vanishing into the trees. Damon stood, chest heaving, blood streaking his fur.
"Selene."
Her name rumbled from his throat even as his body shifted, bones cracking, fur receding. Within moments, he stood before her in human form—bare-chested, his skin glistening with sweat, fresh claw marks carved across his ribs.
Selene's knees wobbled. She forced herself forward, her voice trembling. "You're hurt."
"It's nothing," Damon growled, though his breath was ragged.
"Nothing?" She reached for him before she could stop herself, her fingers brushing his side. He hissed in pain but didn't pull away.
The contact sent a shock through her body—heat that sizzled beneath her skin, as though her very soul recognized him. She gasped, pulling back, but the warmth lingered.
"What… was that?" she whispered.
Damon's golden eyes darkened. His jaw clenched. "The bond."
Her pulse hammered. "You mean—"
Before she could finish, pain lanced through her wrist. She cried out, clutching it, and when she looked down, her breath caught.
A mark. Faint but glowing. Right beneath her skin, swirling lines like silver fire etched themselves into her flesh, pulsing with light in time with her heartbeat.
Selene's voice shook. "What's happening to me?"
Damon grabbed her hand, his touch firm, grounding. His eyes burned into hers, fierce and conflicted. "You've been marked. By me."
Selene's mind reeled. "Marked? What does that even mean?"
His grip tightened. "It means you're mine."
The words slammed into her chest, stealing her breath. A thousand questions screamed in her mind, but all she could do was stare at him, at the raw intensity etched into every line of his face.
Damon seemed to struggle with himself before finally speaking again, his voice rough. "The bond chose you. My wolf chose you. It isn't supposed to happen with a human, but it has. That mark means no other wolf can touch you without facing me."
Selene swallowed hard. Her heart raced with a mixture of terror and something deeper, something hotter. "So I'm… what? Stuck with you now?"
A muscle ticked in Damon's jaw. "You're under my protection." His voice lowered, almost a growl. "Until the day I die."
Selene's throat went dry. She wanted to protest, to fight, to deny the impossible. But when she met his golden eyes, the words tangled in her chest. Because deep down, she didn't want to run.
The mark on her wrist glowed brighter, as if echoing the truth neither of them dared to say.
Silence pressed in around them. Damon's hand lingered on hers, warm and steady, until finally he released her.
"You should go," he said, turning away. "It's safer if you stay far from me."
Selene clenched her fists, her voice trembling with frustration. "Then stop saving me! Stop pulling me into this if you really want me gone!"
His shoulders tensed. Slowly, he looked back at her, his eyes fierce and unyielding. "I can't."
The confession hung heavy in the night air.
Selene's heart thudded painfully, her mark pulsing with heat. She didn't understand this bond, didn't know where it would lead. But one truth settled deep inside her, undeniable.
She was already bound to him. And maybe… she didn't want to be free.
Author's Note:
🔥 Damon's wolf has marked Selene! The bond is no longer just words—it's real, etched into her very skin. What do you think this means for Selene's future? Is she in danger, or is she exactly where fate intended? Don't forget to vote with Power Stones and share your thoughts! ❤️