Bound to the Alpha Billionaire

Rain lashed down on the shattered pavement in curtains of unremitting rage, turning the streets of Hollow Creek into rivers of darkness and mud. The sky above churned with thick clouds, black and furious, swallowing the moon in a storm of thunder and chill. Aria Blake wrapped her shoulders into herself against the rain, pulling the thin, tattered hood of her jacket tighter over her soaked hair. She cursed under her breath as yet another gust of wind swept through her, penetrating the torn fabric and chilling her to the marrow. "Of course," she muttered to herself. "Great finish to a great shift." Behind her, the flickering neon sign of Rosie's Diner buzzed and flashed as if it were on the verge of going up in flames at any second. Five hours of obnoxious customers, crummy tips, and grease odors in her hair—and now she'd have to walk home alone in this grime. Her stomach roiled, but not from hunger. Something else. There was something in the air tonight that didn't feel quite right. She shook it out of her mind and cut down the broken sidewalk, sneakers splatting the puddles. Running through the woods would take fifteen minutes off her walk home. She tended to avoid the woods after dark—too many frightening stories spoken of beasts that roamed beneath the trees—but tonight, the comfort of her warm bed was stronger than fear. Head bent, fists buried in her pockets, she made her decision and walked toward the tree line. Fog swirled around the trunks, thick and heavy. The deeper she went, the quieter the world was, as if the storm was smothered by the ancient cover above. A strange quiet crept in around her, broken only by the squelch of her boots through the mud and the distant, muffled rumble of thunder. At the center of the woods, she heard it. A low, pained whine. Aria froze dead still, her heart soaring up into her throat. For a lifetime of seconds, she listened. Nothing but rain rustling over leaves. She rolled her eyes. Stress. That was all there was to it. She had enough troubles without making monsters in the forest. But then—another sound. Louder. Closer. A stifled, paralyzed whimper. Against every sense of self-preservation she possessed, Aria moved towards the sound, battling through branches, shoes sliding over mud. The farther down she climbed, the stronger the sensation grew—a peculiar pull down in her chest, as if an unseen string was tugging her toward something. She walked into a small clearing—and halted in her tracks. There, lying out in a pool of blood and water, was the largest wolf she had ever seen. Even from a distance, she could see that he was enormous—much larger than the size of a small horse. His fur, a deep, smoky black, glistened wetly in flashes of lightning. One great paw trembled weakly. His chest heaved and fell with shallow, gasping breaths. Golden eyes locked on her. Not the dull, crazy eyes of a wounded beast. No. These eyes were…intelligent. Knowing. Blazing with something hot and primitive. Aria's entire body shouted at her to run. To turn around and dash back down to town without giving a backward glance. But she didn't. Couldn't. Something within those eyes held her where she was. Something old. Something familiar. Another whimper, one softer. He was dying. Aria's heart writhed in agony in her chest. She was moving before she knew what she was doing, her hands trembling. "It's all right," she breathed, her voice trembling. "I will not harm you." The wolf didn't move. He just looked at her with those burning eyes, head dipped into the muck, sides still heaving. Up close, she could see a deep gash along his shoulder, the flesh torn and bloody. She winced. The wound looked bad. Really bad. "I’m gonna help you," she said, more to herself than to him. Not that she had any supplies. What was she going to do—apply diner napkins and hope for the best? Still, she couldn’t leave him. She wouldn’t. Carefully, Aria knelt beside him, reaching out a shaking hand. The wolf quivered but did not back away. Instead, he let out a low, rumbling growl that was not quite threat, but warning. "I know," she whispered softly, "You don't trust me. I wouldn't trust me either." Lightning struck again, illuminating the clearing in harsh, white light. For an instant moment, she thought she saw something more—a vision superimposed over the form of the wolf. A man. Tall. Strong. Wounded. She blinked quickly. Gone. Just the wolf, shaking there, battered and broken. "I’m losing it," she muttered. Still, she pressed her palm gently to his side, right above the wound. The wolf shuddered violently—but didn’t attack. A strange heat blossomed under her touch, radiating from the wolf’s body, traveling up her arm like a spark. The bond. The word popped into her mind unbidden. What bond? Aria jerked her hand back, breathing hard. The wolf whined again, softer this time, almost pleading. "I can’t carry you," she said, feeling helpless. "You’re too big. And I’m just." Just a broke, broken girl who couldn’t even save herself, much less a dying animal. Tears blurred her vision. She hated this feeling—this powerless, hollow ache in her chest. "I’m sorry," she whispered. The wolf’s golden gaze softened, something almost human flickering there. He nudged her hand weakly with his nose, as if telling her it was okay. Aria sat there in the rain, hand resting lightly on his soaked fur, not knowing how long she stayed. Minutes. Hours. The storm raged around them, but she and the wolf were trapped in a bubble of silence and broken promises. Finally, the wolf stirred. Slowly, painfully, he pushed himself to his feet, massive body trembling with the effort. "Wait—you’re hurt!" she cried, reaching for him. But he only gave her one long, slow look—a glance that seared itself into her very soul—and then he lurched into the trees, gone in the fog. Aria remained there, racing pulse, outstretched arm still rigid. Had it been a dream? The connection? The way he'd looked at her, as though she were something precious? The rain grew slow and drizzly. Another howl sounded somewhere far away through the trees—low and anguished. But Aria was no longer afraid. Something had changed. Something inside of her had changed. She wasn't yet aware that saving the wounded wolf had forever altered her. And that the creature she had hugged was unlike any ordinary wolf. He was the lord of the beasts. And that he had just proclaimed her to be his mate.