BOUND BY A RIVAL

ELLE POV My head spun violently as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings through the haze of alcohol. Nothing looked familiar, yet I clawed at my memory, desperate to piece together the events that had brought me there. Beside me lay a young man whose handsomeness made my heart skip, yet he slept peacefully, completely unaware that I was studying every line of his face. Adrenaline flooded my veins, making my heart pound in warning. I was in serious trouble. Lying next to me was the son of Alpha Ethan, my father’s fiercest rival, completely unaware of the storm I felt brewing inside me. As it dawned on me what a big mistake I had done, I quietly hurried to put on my dress and left the suite without any trace and without getting noticed. I only hoped that he didn’t recognize me from the previous night or I might as well count myself among the dead. First, I had slipped past the bouncer and into a club where only those over eighteen were allowed, my heart hammering with every step. I wasn’t much of a party person, but it was all my sister’s idea to drag me out for a little fun before I turned eighteen in just three days. My phone began to vibrate in my purse and I knew who it was. My sister. “Where the hell are you Elle?” She asked. “I’m at Louis Avenue, where are you??” “I’m at Winnie’s place. Dad has been calling non-stop asking about you, so I had to tell him you were with me… and asleep,” she said. I liked how good she handled situations especially when it involved our dad. “I’ll be right there in the next five minutes Ria.” I said softly. As I stepped out of the elevator, a young man blocked my path. Muscular, sharp-eyed, and with a presence that could make any girl’s breath catch. “Are you coming out of my Alpha’s suite?” he asked, his gaze lingering on me longer than it should. “Seems like it,” I replied, forcing my legs to keep moving toward the garage, my heart betraying the calm I tried to hold. “Do you need a lift?” He asked with hope that I would say yes. “Do you give all the women you see a lift?” “Not really, just those who I find pretty,” he said. “You’ve got to be kidding me. My car is right there; there’s no need for that.” I didn’t wait for him to say another word; I sped off and headed for Winnie’s place. Winnie is our cousin, but she’s always been like a sister to us. So why did Ria just leave me at the party and go straight to Winnie’s place? The question burned in my mind, twisting uneasily with every beat of my heart. I shook my head at the thought of it. My goal was simple: get to her place in five minutes and avoid getting scolded by my little sister. Alpha Logan’s looks were dangerously captivating, but beneath that charm lurked poison. His pack had always been our fiercest enemies, and he stood at the top, ruling over all four packs with a power that made every instinct in me warn of danger. Alpha head? Yeah, he commanded all four packs in the city of Vienna, his power reaching into every corner and leaving no one untouched. The Silvermoon pack was led by Alpha Leo, my father. The Bloodmoon pack had once been ruled by Alpha Ethan before he handed it over to his son, Logan. Then there was the Nightshade pack, led by Alpha Thane, and finally the Blackwood pack, headed by Alpha Alex. It took me some time to learn who ruled each pack, knowledge I needed before stepping into my role as Alpha. The weight of that responsibility pressed heavily on me, especially with my eighteenth birthday so close. A dull ache lingered in my lower abdomen. It was only then that the truth crept in slowly and painfully. I was naked, and whatever innocence I had carried with me was gone, taken without my understanding of when or how it had happened. Terror coiled tightly in my chest at the thought that I had lost my virginity to my father’s rival. If anything went wrong, anything at all, my father’s fury would be inevitable, and the consequences would be far worse than I dared to imagine. I finally realized I had been holding my breath as I replayed everything that had happened to me just hours ago. “What happened to you Ria, why did you leave the party?” I asked. “I was feeling uncomfortable so I had to leave.” “Without me?” “You were drunk and nowhere to be found. Can you explain why?” she asked, and I struggled to repeat the lie I had practiced on my way to meet her. “I drank too much and ended up falling asleep in one of the rooms.” “Are you sure about that?” she asked, looking at me sternly. “Yes Ria, I’m sure.” I lied. “Where’s Winnie?” I quickly asked just so I could avoid further questions. “She’s inside the kitchen cooking.” “I’ll hop in and say hi to her before we leave.” Ria nodded and followed me. After thanking my cousin for helping, we hit the road and headed home. I wanted to get some pills from the pharmacy, but the thought of Ria asking questions stopped me. Worse still, I could already imagine the pharmacist informing Dad that both of his daughters had come in to buy medication. I couldn’t stop thinking about the pull I had felt when I was with the powerful Alpha Logan. It was one I had never experienced before. Even when I tried as much as I could to resist him, I could only get more drawn to him and I selfishly liked it too. “Why are you smiling Elle.” Ria asked and I jerked out of my thoughts. “Nothing.” I replied. “C’mon, we don’t hide secrets from ourselves.” She said and it was the truth. “It’s nothing, Ria. If something were wrong, I would have told you.” “Okay. Since you don’t want to tell me.” Ria had always insisted on having her way. I couldn’t risk telling her about my encounter with Logan. If she found out I had anything to do with our family’s rival, there was no telling how furious she would be. Not to talk about Dad, I would be punished seriously and maybe disgraced in the pack gathering too. I shiver at the thought of ever being publicly disgraced by my father. But the universe had other plans that I didn’t see coming. One that changed my life in the worst way ever.