ECLIPSE OF DESIRE

EPISODE TWO : CLAIMED BY ALPHA

Sophia

The windows exploded inward.

Glass rained down as vampires poured into Alexander's penthouse, their red eyes glowing in the dim light.

"DOWN!" Alexander roared, shifting mid-leap.

His massive black wolf form crashed into me, sending us both sprawling onto the marble floor just as a vampire sailed over our heads. Before I could catch my breath, more wolves burst through the doors a blonde woman in tactical gear, a scarred man with silver eyes, others moving like shadows.

"Protect the Luna!" someone shouted.

The battle erupted instantly.

I rolled out from under Alexander, silver blade in hand. A vampire lunged at me I drove the weapon into his throat. He shrieked and turned to ash.

"She can fight!" the blonde woman laughed, ripping another vampire's head clean off. "I like her!"

"Elena, left flank!" Alexander's growl shook the room as he tore through two vampires at once.

But these weren't like the alley ambush. These vampires moved with military precision organized, coordinated, and trained.

"They're after her specifically!" the scarred man yelled. "This is a grab mission!"

Three vampires broke through the defensive line, heading straight for me.

Alexander's snarl was pure murder.

He moved like black lightning the first vampire's skull crushed in his jaws, the second gutted by his claws. The third grabbed me from behind, hand clamping around my throat.

"Got you, princess—"

I drove my silver blade into his eye socket.

He shrieked. I twisted the blade, opening his throat. He turned to ash before hitting the ground.

Silence crashed over the penthouse.

All the wolves stared at me.

"What?" I panted, blade ready. "You thought I couldn't fight?"

Elena threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, I definitely like her."

Alexander shifted back to human form, his eyes still blazing gold. "Everyone out. Damian, secure the building. Elena, perimeter check. Move!"

The pack filed out, glances curious, assessing… some even hostile.

Great. I'd just joined a supernatural soap opera.

When the door closed, Alexander turned to me. "You shouldn't have fought."

"Would you rather let him kidnap me?"

"I prefer you safe." He stepped closer. Gold bled into his grey eyes, and his hands trembled slightly. "That was reckless—"

"That was surviving." I stood my ground. "I've been hunting vampires for five years. I'm not helpless."

"Why?"

The question caught me off guard. "What?"

"Why hunt them? Revenge?"

My throat tightened. "They killed my family. My mother, my father, my little brother. I was seventeen, hiding in a closet, listening to them die. So yes… revenge. And answers. I want to know why."

Something shifted in his expression understanding, maybe even sympathy.

"Viktor's ritual," he said quietly. "He's been hunting Luna bloodlines for decades, killing them before they could manifest their powers. Your family wasn't random, Sophia. They died protecting you."

The words hit like a knife to my chest.

"How do you know?"

"Because Viktor tried the same thing with my pack three years ago." He ran a hand through his hair. "The curse on my bloodline? It's his work. Revenge for a territorial dispute with my great-grandfather. Every alpha has died by thirty-five. I turned thirty-four last month."

"So you need me to break your curse."

"Yes." At least he was honest.

"And if I can't?"

His storm-grey eyes locked on mine. "Then I become a monster, and someone puts me down. Probably Damian. He's been waiting for an excuse."

"That's not funny."

"It's not a joke." He stepped closer. "I have six months, Sophia. Six months to either break this curse or die. The only way to break it is through the mate bond which requires you to accept me. Choose me. Claim me as yours."

"So I'm just your ticket to survival."

"No." His hand cupped my jaw, thumb brushing my cheek, sending sparks of electricity through me. "You're my only hope. But you're also in danger Viktor won't stop. So here's the deal: stay with me, let me protect you, and I'll help you get your revenge. I'll put Viktor on a silver platter."

"And in exchange?"

"Give me a chance." His voice dropped, rough and intimate. "Six months to prove we're meant for this. If you still want to leave after…" He swallowed hard. "…I'll let you go."

"Even if it kills you?"

"Even then."

The mark on my wrist pulsed warmly, like it was agreeing with him.

I should've said no. Should've run.

But when I looked into his eyes, I saw the truth. He meant every word.

And I was so tired of running alone.

"Three months," I countered. "You get three months to prove this mate bond thing is real. And I want full access to your intel on Viktor locations, weaknesses, everything."

"Deal." His smile was sharp and dangerous. "But fair warning, mate I fight dirty when it comes to keeping what's mine."

"Good." I stepped back, blade still ready. "So do I."

His eyes gleamed with pride and hunger mixed together.

"Welcome to the pack, Luna."

Then his phone buzzed. He grabbed it, face darkening.

"What?" I asked.

He turned the screen toward me. A news alert photo of Alexander mid-shift on the street, surrounded by screaming reporters.

BILLIONAIRE CEO ALEXANDER BLACK TRANSFORMS INTO MONSTER—EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE**

"s**t," I whispered.

"It gets worse." He scrolled down. "Viktor just sent me a message."

The text was simple. Chilling.

*I know what she is. I know what she can do. Give her to me by the blood moon, or I'll take her from your corpse. Either way, the Luna princess will be mine.*

My blood ran cold. "The blood moon… when is it?"

"Six months." Alexander's jaw clenched. "The same night my curse completed. He's been planning this."

"So we have six months to break your curse, stop Viktor's ritual, and somehow survive both."

"Essentially."

I laughed sharp and bitter. "Well, at least we have a deadline."

The elevator dinged.

We both spun, ready for another attack.

But it was Elena who stepped out, face grim. "We have a problem. The Council just called an emergency meeting. They saw the footage. They're demanding Alexander step down as alpha effective immediately."

"Like hell," Alexander growled.

"They're coming here. Tonight." Elena's eyes flicked to me. "And they want to meet Luna who started all this chaos."

Alexander moved in front of me protectively. "Over my dead body."

"That's exactly what they're planning," Elena said. "If you can't prove the mate bond is legitimate, they'll execute both of you for exposing our kind to humans."

My stomach dropped. "Execute?"

"Welcome to werewolf politics, sweetheart," Elena said grimly. "Hope you're ready for round two."

The elevator dinged again.

This time, five massive wolves stepped out all bigger than any I'd seen except Alexander. Their eyes locked on me with predatory focus.

The Council had arrived.

And they looked ready for blood.

Sophia

The five wolves circled us slowly, their eyes glowing in the dim penthouse lighting.

Then they shifted.

Five naked people stood in Alexander's living room like this was completely normal. Three men, two women all of them radiating power that made my skin prickle.

The oldest, a silver-haired woman with scars across her collarbone, stepped forward. "Alexander Black. You've exposed our kind to the human world. The footage is everywhere Twitter, i********:, CNN. We're trending globally."

"Viktor attacked my mate," Alexander growled, positioning himself in front of me. "I wasn't going to let her die for your precious secrecy, Councilor Morrison."

"Your alleged mate." A younger man with cold blue eyes sneered. "Convenient timing, wouldn't you say? Your curse is about to complete, and suddenly you find your fated mate?"

"The bond is real, Marcus."

"Prove it." Marcus's eyes locked onto me. "Let us see the mark."

My hand instinctively covered my wrist. "Excuse me?"

"All true Luna bonds leave a mark," Morrison said, her voice softer but no less commanding. "If you're truly Alexander's fated mate, you'll bear his mark. Show us."

I looked at Alexander. He nodded once, jaw tight.

Slowly, I pulled back my sleeve.

The crescent moon birthmark glowed faintly gold but now there was something new. A black wolf silhouette curled around it, like it was protecting the moon.

The Council went silent.

"Impossible," Marcus breathed. "The mark has already begun forming. But that takes weeks—"

"It started the moment our eyes met," Alexander said. "The bond recognized her instantly."

Morrison stepped closer, studying my wrist. "This is a true mate bond. I haven't seen one in fifty years." Her eyes lifted to mine. "Do you understand what you are, child?"

"A Luna. Werewolf royalty. Apparently extinct." I pulled my sleeve down. "And Viktor's favorite target."

"More than that." Morrison's expression was grave. "You're the last of the royal bloodline the only one who can break alpha curses. Your blood is power, girl. Literal power."

"Which is why Viktor wants her," Elena interjected from the doorway. "He's been hunting Luna bloodlines for decades. If he gets her blood during the blood moon ritual—"

"He'll become a daywalker," Morrison finished. "Immune to sunlight, silver, and wood. Unstoppable." She turned back to Alexander. "You've brought a war to our doorstep."

"Viktor brought the war," Alexander snarled. "Five years ago when he slaughtered her family. Tonight when he attacked her in my city. I'm finishing it."

"And the human exposure?"

"I'll handle it. My PR team is already spinning it as a publicity stunt for a new film."

Marcus laughed bitterly. "You think humans are that stupid?"

"I think humans believe what they want to believe." Alexander's eyes flashed gold. "But that's not why you're really here, is it? You want to know if I'm still fit to lead."

The room went deathly quiet.

Morrison's expression was unreadable. "The curse is progressing. We can all sense it. Your control is slipping."

"I have six months—"

"You have weeks before you become a danger to your own pack," Marcus cut in.