Forbidden obsession: Claimed by my Mafia Stepdad

MOON WHISPERS

She had to run.

Aria slipped out of the penthouse at 2 a.m., heart pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. The evidence against Viktor burned in her mind like fire. She couldn't stay another night in his bed, wrapped in the arms of the man who had destroyed her family.

"Please let me get away," she whispered to the empty elevator. "Just this once. I need to be free from all of this pain and confusion."

The city streets swallowed her whole. She moved fast through dark alleys, clutching a small bag with stolen cash. Freedom felt so close she could almost taste it on her tongue.

Headlights suddenly pinned her against a cold wall.

"Going somewhere, princess?" Marco Rossi stepped out with three men. His smile was pure poison.

Aria backed up quickly. "Stay away from me. Don't come any closer."

Marco grabbed her arm and slammed her against the brick wall. "Kane’s little pet thinks she can run. Cute."

She fought back hard. She elbowed him in the stomach. "Let go of me right now!"

One of the men punched her in the face. Pain exploded across her cheekbone. She tasted blood immediately.

"Stop! Please stop this!"

Marco pressed a knife to her throat. The blade bit cold and sharp against her skin. "Let’s see how Kane likes his toy used."

He ripped her shirt open. Rough hands grabbed her everywhere. She screamed as another fist connected with her ribs.

"You’re nothing without him," Marco growled, pressing the knife harder. A trickle of blood ran down her neck. "Just a warm hole for the big bad don."

Tears streamed down her face. "I hate you. All of you."

They laughed cruelly. Another kick sent her crashing to the wet ground. She curled up tightly, broken sobs tearing from her throat. This was how she would die. Beaten and used in a dirty alley like trash.

A roar split the night like thunder.

Viktor appeared like a demon from hell. His eyes glowed bright silver under the moonlight. His face looked wrong. Too sharp. Too feral.

"No one hurts what’s mine," he snarled, his voice distorted with pure rage.

He tore into the men like a violent storm. Bones snapped. Screams were cut short. Marco tried to run but Viktor caught him by the throat and slammed him into the wall with terrifying force.

"You touched her." Viktor’s claws dug into Marco’s neck. "Big mistake."

Aria watched in horror as Viktor partially shifted. His muscles rippled unnaturally. Fangs flashed in the moonlight.

When it was finally over, Viktor turned to her. The glow in his eyes faded slightly. He dropped to his knees in the filth and pulled her into his strong arms.

"Aria. Baby, talk to me. Please stay with me."

"It hurts," she sobbed, clutching his shirt desperately. "Everywhere hurts. I just wanted to be free from all of this."

"I know. I know." He lifted her carefully as if she were made of glass. "You’re safe now. I’ve got you. Daddy’s here."

The drive back to the penthouse was silent except for her soft, broken cries. Viktor held her the entire way, murmuring promises and soft apologies against her hair.

"You should never have left the penthouse," he said quietly. "The city is too dangerous without me watching over you every second."

"I had to try," she whispered back through tears. "I can't keep living like this. Not knowing the truth about everything."

Back in the penthouse, he carried her straight to his bedroom. The full moon hung heavy and bright in the sky outside the windows, casting an eerie silver glow across everything in the room.

He laid her gently on the bed and stripped away her torn, bloody clothes with careful hands. Every new bruise he discovered made him curse softly under his breath.

"You're so brave," he whispered, his voice thick with raw emotion. "So f*****g strong. But you don’t have to run from me anymore."

"I’m scared of you," she admitted, her voice breaking. "Scared of what you are. What I saw you do tonight with those men."

Viktor climbed over her. His eyes still held that faint, otherworldly silver glow. "Don’t be scared of me. Let me make it better. Let me take care of you the way you need."

He kissed her. Deep. Desperate. Hungry. She kissed him back even though her body ached. The need inside her was stronger than the pain and fear.

"Please," she begged against his mouth. "Make me forget everything that happened tonight."

He entered her in one rough, claiming thrust. She cried out, her nails digging into his back.

"Fight it all you want," he growled, his hips moving hard and deep, "but your body already knows who owns it."

Aria moaned loudly. The pleasure mixed with pain created a twisted, perfect storm inside her. The moon seemed to make him wilder. Stronger. More intense than ever before.

"Viktor," she gasped. "It’s too much. You’re too much right now."

"You can take it." He pinned her wrists above her head. "Take all of me. That’s my good girl."

Every powerful thrust pushed her closer to the edge. She came hard, screaming his name into the night. He followed right after with a deep, guttural groan, burying himself as deep as possible inside her.

Afterward he held her close for a long time. His hands stroked her hair tenderly while she trembled in his arms.

"You’re mine," he whispered softly. "Moon and all. Never forget that."

He eventually rose to shower. The bathroom door clicked shut. The sound of running water started.

Aria lay there for a moment, her body sore but still buzzing with conflicting emotions. Then she forced herself up despite the pain. She needed more answers tonight.

She found the hidden journal in his study drawer. The old pages were filled with handwritten notes.

Her hands shook badly as she read the words.

"The curse takes everything. Only a pure-hearted woman can save the alpha from the beast."

And there, in clear, damning writing:

"Thomas Frost had to die. He knew too much about the pack. The hit was necessary."

Tears fell onto the old pages, smudging the ink.

Viktor had ordered her parents’ death.

But the final line made her blood run ice cold.

"The chosen woman will break the curse. Or die trying."

The shower water stopped running.

Aria clutched the journal tightly to her chest, her heart shattering all over again.

The monster who had saved her tonight was the same one who had destroyed her entire life.

And according to this book, she might be the only one who could save him in return.