Bound To The Alpha She Left

Chapter 2

Raymond’s POV.

“Wait.” The word tore from my throat before my overthinking brain could fight against it.

Elena’s body tensed beneath her white medical coat. She didn’t respond immediately, and I could tell she’d prefer not to. But it wasn’t as if she had the luxury to evade me now, did she?

Five years.

For five endless, suffocating years, I had searched every corner of the territory for a glimmer of her, only to finally find her standing less than two feet away from me in a brightly lit, sterile clinic room by a stroke of luck.

My wolf surged against my ribs, thrashing violently, demanding that I reach out, grab her by the waist, and haul her against my chest until her scent erased the stink of every compromise I had made since she left.

I forced my hands to stay flat against my sides, my knuckles turning white.

She lifted her chin slowly, her eyes locking onto mine with an icy calm that sent a sharp pang straight through my chest. Where was the timid, soft-spoken Omega who used to hide behind my back when the pack elders raised their voices? The girl I used to hold until dawn, promising her the world while my father’s empire crumbled around us?

She had grown claws, it seemed.

I was not a violent man. However, when Biana had struck her moments ago, my instinct had been to snap Biana’s wrist. My aura had flared, viscerally and lethal, ready to destroy anyone who dared lay a hand on my mate.

But before I could do anything, Elena had handled it herself.

It had taken everything in me not to smile. My wolf had let out a low, satisfied purr, utterly captivated. She wasn’t a fragile girl who needed my protection anymore. She was a commanding, brilliant woman who took what she wanted and refused to bow.

What did you go through in the human world to become this hard, my beautiful Elena? The thought brought a bitter taste of regret to my mouth. I should have done more to prevent her from leaving. I had missed too much time with her.

Too. Damn. Much.

“Is there a medical issue in regards to the patient, Alpha Raymond?” Elena’s voice was flat, stripped of all emotion. Professional. Detached. Like I was a stranger.

“Raymond!” Biana shrieked, clutching her reddened cheek, her expression ridden with fury as she scrambled toward me. “Are you just going to stand there? She assaulted your Luna! She could have killed our son!”

I didn’t even look at Biana. I kept my gaze locked on Elena, tracking the slight, almost imperceptible twitch of her jaw.

“Our son?” I repeated, my voice dropping an octave.

Biana froze, catching the subtle warning in my tone, though her face quickly shifted back into a tearful mask.

She knew the truth. Everyone in my inner circle knew the truth, even if the public didn’t. Biana’s marriage to me was a piece of paper signed purely in desperation—a temporary treaty to keep the Moon Pack from plunging into civil war after my father’s death. The child in the bed belonged to her true mate, a secret warrior from an allied border pack, hidden away to protect their political standing. Biana got the title of Luna, her child got my protection, and I got the stability required to solidify my power over the region.

It was a loveless agreement. A complete sham.

And every single day since, my throne had felt like a prison because the only woman who belonged beside me had left.

Elena had broken our bond and disappeared into the night. She had left behind a note, claiming that her life in the pack simply wasn’t enough for her.

To this day, those words felt wrong. Never once had she shown a single sign of being unhappy, and I had always wondered if there was more to the story. But seeing her now as a fully trained medical professional, maybe she hadn’t been lying after all.

Still, I knew what we shared was real. She had ripped my heart out of my chest and fled with it.

I hated her for leaving. I was furious at the five lost years. But looking at her now—independent, strong, and so unbelievably stunning—I knew one thing with certainty: I was never letting her slip away again.

I knew if I tried using physical force, my Alpha command or dragged her back in chains, she would hate me forever.

No.

I couldn’t cage her with iron. I had to build a cage so soft, so luxurious, and so legally airtight that she wouldn’t even realize she was captured until she was back in my bed.

“The child is stable,” Elena stated, breaking the silence, her eyes dropping to her wristwatch. “His airway is clear, and his vitals are normal. If you’ll excuse me, I have other patients.”

She made a move to step around me toward the door.

I didn’t grab her, even though it was all I wanted to do. More than anything.

Instead, I shifted half an inch to the left, blocking her path with my frame, letting the warmth of my body hover just inches from hers. Her breath hitched slightly—the only sign that my proximity still affected her.

“You aren’t going anywhere just yet, Dr. Elena,” I countered, my voice laced with a gentle, unyielding authority. “We have a great deal to discuss.”

She scoffed, letting a dry, bitter laugh escape her lips. “What? Are you going to demand I apologize to your Luna?”

She lifted her chin, her tone firm. “Because I won’t.”

Before I could say anything else, she brushed right past my shoulder and walked out the door, leaving me standing in the doorway.