The forest still echoed with Damon's howl when Selene finally stumbled back to her apartment. Her body trembled, her ears rang, and the mark on her wrist still burned faintly, like a reminder of everything she had just seen.
She pressed her back against the door after locking it, sliding to the floor. For the first time, she admitted to herself that there was no going back. She had seen Damon's wolf, touched him, and lived. More than that—she had felt him.
Her life was no longer her own.
The next day, she moved through campus like a ghost. Clara complained about her silence, but Selene barely heard her. All she could think about was Kieran's words: When you fall, I'll be there to claim what's left.
By nightfall, she couldn't take it anymore. She needed answers. She needed Damon.
The forest seemed darker tonight, shadows thicker, the silence oppressive. Yet she wasn't afraid. The mark guided her, tugging her deeper until she found him.
Damon was waiting, leaning against a tree, his shirt discarded, golden eyes glinting in the gloom. His chest rose and fell slowly, as if he'd been expecting her.
"You shouldn't come so often," he said without looking at her.
Selene crossed her arms, summoning courage she didn't feel. "If you really wanted me gone, you'd stop saving me."
His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Finally, she blurted the question burning in her chest. "Why me? Why did the bond choose me? I'm not a wolf. I don't belong in your world."
Damon's gaze snapped to hers, fierce and unyielding. "Don't say that. The bond doesn't make mistakes."
Her breath caught. "So… I'm stuck with you?"
He pushed away from the tree, closing the distance between them. His presence was overwhelming, heat radiating off him in waves. "No. We're bound. You to me, me to you. Until death."
Selene's heart hammered. "That sounds more like a curse than fate."
His lips curved in something that wasn't quite a smile. "It's both."
Before she could respond, a branch snapped. Instinctively, Damon shoved her behind him, his body coiled like a spring.
From the shadows, three figures emerged—wolves in human skin, their eyes glowing faintly. Not Kieran this time, but strangers.
The tallest smirked. "Alpha Damon. Word travels fast. A human mate? How scandalous." His gaze slid to Selene, sharp with hunger. "She doesn't look like much. But if she's worth breaking our laws…"
Damon's growl shook the air. "Touch her, and you won't leave this forest alive."
The intruder laughed. "So protective. What will the Council say when they learn?"
"Nothing," Damon snapped. "Because they won't."
The wolves circled, taunting, but Damon's dominance radiated like a storm. Even Selene felt it—his power thrumming through her veins, commanding obedience. Finally, the strangers backed off, melting into the shadows.
When the danger passed, Selene sagged against a tree, her chest heaving. "They're everywhere."
Damon turned to her, his expression grim. "The bond has painted a target on you. Every wolf who learns will see you as weakness—or opportunity."
Her throat tightened. "So what happens to me now?"
Damon stepped closer, his hand brushing her wrist where the mark pulsed. "Now, I make a vow." His golden eyes locked on hers, steady, burning. "I will protect you, Selene. From Kieran. From the Council. From the entire world if I have to."
Her heart fluttered violently. "Why? Why risk everything for me?"
His voice dropped to a low growl, intimate, raw. "Because you're mine. And I don't break what's mine."
Selene's knees went weak. The forest seemed to hold its breath as his words sank into her, deeper than the mark itself.
For the first time, she didn't fight it. She didn't deny the pull between them. She simply let herself feel it.
And she knew, in that moment, that Damon's vow wasn't just a promise. It was a sentence.
Whatever future awaited her, there was no escaping him.
Author's Note:
🔥 Damon has made his vow—he will protect Selene against anyone, even his own kind. But at what cost? Do you think he'll be able to keep his promise once the Council learns the truth? Leave your thoughts and don't forget to vote with Power Stones! ❤️