Chapter 2 - Bound
I lay on my plush bed, fists clenched, burying my face into the pillow as muffled screams of frustration and fear tore from my throat. Tears stained the fabric, hot and unrelenting.
My chest ached—not from hunger, though I hadn't touched a bite all evening, but from the weight of the truth: I was about to be bound to Alpha Lucian Draven. The thought made my stomach twist, a mixture of dread and a tiny spark of curiosity I hated to admit.
Night had already settled outside my window, draping my room in shadows. I couldn't sit still. My pulse refused to calm. Grabbing my laptop, I fumbled with the keys, desperate to know more about the man my family had forced upon me.
I typed his name carefully, almost afraid that typing it would make him real. The search results were sparse—no pictures, just a single, chilling summary:
"Alpha Lucian Draven is one of the most prestigious, ruthless, and merciless Alphas in the region. He kills without blinking, barely smiles at anyone, and has remained single for years. Rumors of a curse swirl around him, but the packs await the day he chooses his true mate."
My hands shook. I almost threw the laptop across the room. Chosen mate. The words felt like a brand on my soul. My destiny had been decided without my consent, and for a moment, I imagined running, escaping this fate entirely.
I pictured slipping out of the pack, disappearing into the night, finding safety elsewhere. But the thought died the moment it formed. No matter how far I ran, no matter which pack I sought refuge in, they would find me. The mate bond—inevitable, relentless—would always pull me back. I couldn't escape.
I collapsed onto the bed, peeling off my clothes until I wore only my small, delicate underwear. I burrowed deep into my blanket, desperate for warmth and comfort that wouldn't come. Tears slid freely down my cheeks as I cried my heart out, the sobs wracking my body in uneven bursts.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, a spark of anger flickered. Why me? Why now? Why him? I wanted to scream, to fight, to tell the world that I wouldn't be bound so easily. But deep down, I knew that resistance meant nothing. Lucian Draven was more than a man—he was a force, a storm I had no choice but to face.
And yet, as I lay there trembling, an unfamiliar sensation pricked through my fear—a tiny, guilty flicker of something else.
Something about him, even unseen, tugged at me, igniting a heat I wasn't ready to admit. My pulse thudded faster at the thought, my body betraying the logic of my mind.
I pressed my face into the soft blanket, willing myself to focus on anything but him. But in the shadows of my room, I felt it—the pull of destiny, sharp and insistent.
Something told me that my life was about to change forever. And whatever awaited me, I was not ready.
A sudden sound outside my window made me freeze. The hairs on my arms stood on end. My heart skipped a beat.
And in that instant, I knew—tonight would be only the beginning.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's note 🎉
Feeling the tension yet? Drop your thoughts