Bound by Choice

2

📖 Hello, everyone!

Welcome to Bound by Choice!

Thank you so much for choosing to read my story. I truly hope you'll enjoy this journey with Layla and Karim.

If you like fantasy, supernatural romance, emotional character development, and slow-burn love stories, then this adventure is for you.

Now...

Let's begin.

✨ Enjoy Chapter Two!

BOUND BY CHOICE

Chapter Two: The Abduction

(Part One)

The days that followed should have been ordinary.

For Layla...

They were anything but.

Each morning, she told herself she would not leave the palace again.

Each evening...

She found herself standing near the Nile, hidden among the shadows, watching the same man live the same simple life.

Karim never noticed.

He woke before sunrise.

He prayed.

He worked until his hands were rough with splinters and dust.

Then he returned home carrying little more than enough to feed his family.

There was nothing extraordinary about him.

Nothing that should have captured the attention of a queen who had witnessed more than three centuries of history.

And yet...

Layla could not stay away.

One afternoon, Karim was repairing the wooden door of an elderly widow's house.

The woman apologized repeatedly.

"I'm sorry, Karim. I can't pay you everything today."

Karim smiled gently as he tightened the final hinge.

"Don't worry, Auntie."

"You've already paid enough."

She frowned.

"But I still owe you."

"You can pay me when God makes it easy for you."

Tears gathered in the old woman's eyes.

"May Allah bless you, my son."

"And you too."

Layla watched the exchange from the rooftop across the narrow street.

She had known kings who demanded fortunes from starving people.

She had seen nobles start wars over land they would never live long enough to enjoy.

Yet this young carpenter...

Accepted less simply because someone was struggling.

It made no sense.

And somehow...

It made perfect sense.

That evening, Faris found her once again standing on the palace balcony.

"The council is waiting, Your Majesty."

Layla did not move.

"They can wait."

Faris remained silent for a moment.

"This concerns the northern clans."

"They've begun questioning your recent absences."

Layla finally looked at him.

"I have neglected my duties."

"You have never neglected your duties."

"Then why do I feel as though my mind is somewhere else?"

Faris answered honestly.

"Because your heart is."

The words lingered between them.

Layla closed her eyes.

"I cannot explain it."

"You do not need to."

"But I must stop this."

"You believe you can?"

For several seconds...

She said nothing.

Then, almost in a whisper...

"No."

Night fell over Cairo.

The streets slowly emptied.

Shops closed one after another.

The sound of distant conversations faded beneath the cool evening breeze.

Karim adjusted the heavy bundle of polished wood resting across his shoulder.

It had been another long day.

His muscles ached.

But tomorrow's rent had been paid.

His mother's medicine had been bought.

That alone made every hour worthwhile.

He smiled quietly to himself.

Only a few more streets...

Then he would finally be home.

Miles away...

Inside the ancient palace...

Layla stood alone in the throne room.

Moonlight poured through stained-glass windows, painting silver patterns across the marble floor.

She stared at the empty throne before her.

For centuries...

Every decision she had made had been guided by wisdom.

Never emotion.

Never desire.

Never loneliness.

Tonight...

For the first time...

The Queen of the Lycans was losing the battle against her own heart.

She whispered into the silence.

"If I let him disappear from my life..."

"I will never see him again."

Her voice trembled.

"And if I bring him here..."

"I will become the very monster I have spent centuries refusing to be."

No answer came.

Only silence.

The same silence that had followed her for three hundred and forty years.

Slowly...

Layla lifted her head.

Her expression changed.

Not into cruelty.

Not into hatred.

But into quiet determination.

She rang the ancient silver bell beside her throne.

Within seconds...

Four Lycan guards entered and knelt before their queen.

"My Queen."

Layla hesitated.

Only for a heartbeat.

Then she spoke.

"Bring Karim El-Sayed to me."

The guards exchanged uneasy glances.

"My Queen..."

"Alive."

"Unharmed."

"And with the respect owed to an innocent man."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As the warriors disappeared into the darkness...

Layla remained standing alone.

Her hands trembled ever so slightly.

She knew exactly what she had just done.

She had crossed a line from which there might be no return.

And somewhere...

Far beyond the palace walls...

Karim continued walking home...

Completely unaware...

That his life was about to change forever.

---

Chapter Two (Part Two)

The streets of Giza had grown unusually quiet.

Most of the shops had closed, leaving only a handful of lanterns casting their warm glow across the narrow roads. Somewhere in the distance, a stray cat darted across an empty alley before disappearing into the darkness.

Karim adjusted the wooden boards resting on his shoulder and continued walking.

It had been another exhausting day, yet he felt grateful.

His mother's medicine had been bought.

His father's smile had returned that morning.

His younger brothers would probably be waiting for him at home, eager to hear another story before dinner.

The thought made him smile.

Only a few more streets...

Then he would be home.

A cool breeze brushed against his face.

Karim frowned.

Something felt...

strange.

The sounds of the city had disappeared.

No laughter.

No conversations.

Even the barking of distant dogs had faded into silence.

He stopped walking.

Slowly, he looked around.

Nothing.

Yet every instinct inside him warned that he was no longer alone.

"Who's there?" he called out.

Only silence answered.

Then...

A shadow moved.

Another followed.

Within seconds, four dark figures emerged from the rooftops, landing silently several meters away.

Karim immediately stepped backward.

"Who are you?"

None of them replied.

Their faces remained hidden beneath black cloaks.

One of them stepped forward.

Karim carefully lowered the wooden boards onto the ground.

"I asked you a question."

The stranger finally spoke.

"Our Queen requests your presence."

Karim blinked.

"...Your Queen?"

"I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

"We have not."

"I don't even know your Queen."

"You don't have to."

Karim shook his head firmly.

"I'm not going anywhere."

The four figures exchanged brief glances.

The oldest among them sighed.

"Forgive us."

Without another warning...

They attacked.

Karim reacted instantly.

Years of lifting heavy timber had given him surprising strength.

He grabbed one of the wooden planks and swung it with all his force.

The board struck one attacker across the shoulder.

The man barely moved.

Karim's eyes widened.

Impossible.

Another figure lunged toward him.

Karim dodged, shoved him aside, and sprinted toward the nearest street.

"Help!"

His voice echoed through the empty road.

No one answered.

The figures pursued him effortlessly.

They moved with impossible speed.

Within seconds, one of them appeared directly in front of him.

Karim stopped so suddenly that he nearly lost his balance.

"How...?"

He hadn't even seen the man move.

Another guard grabbed his arm.

Karim twisted free and struck him across the face before breaking away once more.

He wasn't fighting because he believed he could win.

He was fighting because surrender had never been part of who he was.

One guard stumbled backward.

Another's hood slipped for a brief moment.

Karim froze.

Golden eyes.

Not reflecting the moonlight...

Glowing.

The hood was quickly pulled back into place.

Karim's heartbeat pounded inside his chest.

"What are you?"

None of them answered.

The eldest guard looked at him quietly.

"We warned you."

Karim backed away slowly.

"This isn't possible..."

His mind searched desperately for a logical explanation.

There wasn't one.

Miles away, Layla stood beside the tall windows of her palace.

The moon illuminated the endless desert stretching before her.

She could feel the presence of every member of her royal guard.

She knew exactly where they were.

She knew what they were doing.

Every passing second made the weight in her heart grow heavier.

She whispered to herself,

"Please..."

"Don't let him hate me."

The words caught even her by surprise.

She had stood before armies without fear.

She had challenged kings without hesitation.

Yet the thought of earning one man's hatred...

Terrified her.

Back in Cairo, Karim refused to stop fighting.

He landed another punch.

Another kick.

He managed to break free once again.

But exhaustion was beginning to overtake him.

The guards surrounded him for the final time.

The eldest among them stepped forward.

"There is no shame in losing."

"You are facing warriors who have lived longer than your entire bloodline."

Karim breathed heavily.

"I don't care."

"I won't abandon my family."

For the first time, sympathy appeared in the guard's eyes.

"We know."

"And that is exactly why Her Majesty chose you."

Karim frowned.

"...What?"

Before he could ask another question...

A soft cloth soaked with the scent of unfamiliar herbs covered his mouth and nose.

He struggled violently.

His vision blurred.

The streets began to spin around him.

The moon above Egypt became little more than a pale circle of light.

His knees gave way.

The last thing he saw...

Was the night sky.

Then...

Everything disappeared into darkness.

Chapter Two (Part Three)

Darkness.

It was the first thing Karim remembered.

Then came silence.

Not the peaceful silence of an ordinary night...

But a strange stillness that made his skin crawl.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

Above him stretched a ceiling higher than any he had ever seen, decorated with intricate carvings that seemed centuries old. Crystal chandeliers reflected the soft glow of dozens of candles, filling the room with warm golden light.

For a brief moment...

He wondered if he was dreaming.

Then the memories returned.

The shadows.

The glowing eyes.

The struggle.

His heart pounded.

He sat upright at once.

"Where am I?"

His voice echoed through the enormous room.

No answer.

Karim stood quickly, ignoring the dizziness that still lingered.

The room was magnificent.

Silk curtains draped over tall windows.

Ancient furniture carved from dark cedar.

Shelves filled with countless books.

Portraits of kings, queens, and warriors lined the stone walls.

Everything around him spoke of unimaginable wealth...

And incredible age.

He hurried toward the nearest window.

His heart sank.

Iron bars.

Hidden behind elegant curtains.

He checked another window.

The same.

Then another.

Every exit had been secured.

"No..."

He rushed toward the large wooden doors and pulled with all his strength.

Locked.

He struck the heavy wood with both fists.

"Open the door!"

His voice echoed through the palace.

"I know someone's there!"

Only silence answered him.

Minutes passed.

Or perhaps hours.

He could no longer tell.

Then...

Footsteps.

Slow.

Calm.

Unhurried.

The lock turned.

The massive doors opened.

Karim instinctively stepped backward.

A woman entered the room.

She wore a long black dress embroidered with silver thread.

A black hijab framed her face with quiet elegance.

She looked no older than thirty.

Yet there was something in her eyes...

Something ancient.

Something that seemed to carry the weight of countless years.

Two guards remained outside before closing the doors once again.

Now they were alone.

Neither of them spoke.

Karim studied her carefully.

She was beautiful.

Graceful.

Composed.

But she was also the reason he had been torn away from his family.

She broke the silence first.

"My name is Layla."

Karim's jaw tightened.

"So..."

"You're the one responsible."

"Yes."

"You kidn*pped me."

"I brought you here."

A bitter laugh escaped his lips.

"That's an interesting way to describe kidnapping."

Layla lowered her gaze.

"I understand your anger."

"No."

Karim shook his head.

"I don't think you do."

His voice grew stronger with every word.

"My parents have no idea where I am."

"My mother is ill."

"My father depends on me."

"My brothers are probably searching every street in Cairo."

He stepped closer.

"And you expect me to stand here while you calmly introduce yourself?"

Layla remained silent.

Every word struck her harder than she had expected.

Karim pointed toward the door.

"Open it."

She didn't move.

"I said..."

"Open the door."

Her answer came quietly.

"I can't."

His eyes narrowed.

"No."

"You won't."

After a long silence...

She nodded.

"You're right."

"I won't."

Karim stared at her in disbelief.

"Why?"

The question hung heavily between them.

Layla searched for the right words.

She had imagined this conversation countless times.

None of the answers she had prepared felt right anymore.

Finally...

She spoke.

"Because I chose you."

Karim blinked.

"...What?"

"I chose you."

He stared at her, convinced he had misunderstood.

"You don't even know me."

"I know enough."

"You've never spoken to me."

"I've watched you."

A chill ran down Karim's spine.

"You've been following me?"

"Yes."

"You watched my family?"

"...Yes."

Karim slowly stepped backward.

For the first time...

Fear replaced anger.

Not because she looked dangerous.

But because every word she spoke sounded frighteningly sincere.

Layla noticed the fear in his eyes.

It hurt her more than she expected.

"I never wanted to frighten you."

"You succeeded."

"I know."

Silence settled between them once more.

Finally, Karim spoke.

"Who are you?"

Layla met his gaze.

Not as a queen.

Not as a ruler.

Simply...

As a lonely woman who had lived far longer than anyone should.

She drew a slow breath.

"I think..."

"...it's time you learned the truth.

Chapter Two (Part Four)

For several long moments...

Neither of them spoke.

The silence between them felt heavier than any words either of them could have said.

Karim couldn't take his eyes off the woman standing before him.

She had admitted everything.

She had watched him.

She had ordered his a*******n.

Yet there was no pride in her expression.

No triumph.

Only regret.

Finally, Karim broke the silence.

"I asked you a question."

His voice was calm now, though his heart still raced.

"Who are you?"

Layla slowly walked toward one of the tall windows overlooking the endless desert.

Moonlight poured through the glass, bathing the room in silver.

For a moment, she simply stared at the horizon.

Then she spoke.

"I am not the woman you think I am."

Karim folded his arms.

"What does that mean?"

"It means..."

She hesitated.

"...that the world is far larger than you've ever imagined."

"I'm listening."

Layla took a slow breath.

"When I was born..."

"...the Ottoman Empire still ruled Egypt."

Karim frowned.

"I'm sorry..."

"What?"

"I was born three hundred and forty years ago."

Silence.

Then...

Karim laughed.

Not because he found it funny.

Because it was impossible.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I expect nothing."

"You look thirty."

"I know."

"You speak as if you're serious."

"I am."

Karim shook his head.

"No one lives that long."

"No human."

---

Layla crossed the room and opened an old wooden cabinet.

Inside rested a carefully preserved portrait.

She carried it toward him.

"It was painted in the year 1708."

Karim accepted it reluctantly.

His eyes widened.

The woman in the painting...

Was Layla.

The same face.

The same eyes.

Even the same black hijab.

He looked from the portrait to the woman standing before him.

Then back again.

"...No."

"This has to be fake."

"There are many more," Layla replied quietly.

"And every one of them tells the same story."

She gestured toward the countless paintings decorating the palace walls.

"They were painted across different centuries."

Karim looked around the room.

For the first time...

He truly noticed them.

Each portrait showed the same woman.

Different clothes.

Different eras.

The same face.

The same eyes.

His certainty began to crumble.

---

"I still don't understand."

"What are you?"

Layla lowered her eyes.

It was a question she had asked herself countless times.

When she finally answered...

Her voice was almost a whisper.

"I am what humans turned into legends."

"The creature hidden inside old stories."

"The shadow people fear beneath the full moon."

She slowly raised her eyes to meet his.

"I am a Lycan."

Karim stared at her.

His mouth fell slightly open.

"No..."

"That's impossible."

"It should be."

"But it isn't."

"You expect me to believe in werewolves?"

A faint smile touched Layla's lips.

"We prefer the name 'Lycans.'"

Karim instinctively stepped backward.

Every part of him wanted to run.

But there was nowhere to go.

The doors were locked.

The windows were barred.

His mind rejected everything she was saying.

Yet...

Her eyes held no deception.

Only sorrow.

---

"I have never harmed an innocent human."

Layla spoke softly.

"I never wanted you to become part of this world."

"Then why am I here?"

Her answer came immediately.

"Because I was afraid."

Karim frowned.

"Afraid?"

"I have buried everyone I have ever loved."

"I have watched centuries pass before my eyes."

"I have seen kingdoms rise... and fall."

"I remained."

"Alone."

Her voice trembled for the first time.

"Then I met you."

"You smiled."

"You prayed."

"You loved your family without expecting anything in return."

"You reminded me..."

"...that my own heart was still alive."

Karim remained silent.

He could hear the pain in every word she spoke.

But that pain did not erase what she had done.

"What you did..."

He said quietly.

"...was wrong."

Layla nodded.

"I know."

"You stole my freedom."

"I know."

"My family is suffering because of you."

Another nod.

"I know."

Karim looked directly into her eyes.

"If you understand all of that..."

"Then why haven't you let me go?"

Layla opened her mouth.

But no words came.

Because the truth...

Was too painful to say aloud.

She was terrified that if she set him free...

She would lose him forever.

---

Outside the palace...

Far beyond the desert...

Golden eyes watched from the darkness.

One by one...

Warriors emerged beneath the full moon.

News had already begun to spread.

Their Queen...

Had broken the oldest law of their kind.

And soon...

Every Lycan clan in Egypt would know.

A storm was coming.

Not from the sky...

But from the shadows.

And neither Layla nor Karim had any idea...

That their greatest battle...

Had not even begun.

---

End of Chapter Two

---

🌙 Thank You!

Thank you so much for reading!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

If you did, please leave a vote and share your thoughts in the comments. Your support means the world to me.

To all my beloved Niravos -thank you for being part of this journey. 💙

Don't forget to follow my profile so you never miss a new chapter or future stories.

What would you do if you were Karim?

Would you believe Layla... or search for a way to escape?

I'd love to read your thoughts!

See you in Chapter Three: Behind Closed Doors.

With love,

Niravin ✨