Claimed by Both: The Luna's Forbidden Bond

Aurora POV The moon hung low and heavy over Crystal Lake like a silver blade ready to strike. I stepped out of the silver convoy into the cold night air, the wind whipping my long silver-blonde hair across my face. My black leather outfit clung to my body, the silver chains across my chest rattling softly with every step. I was no longer just the daughter of the late Alpha. I was Luna of the Moonlight Pack now. The only child. The sole heir. And because of that, I had been promised since I was a girl to the Alpha of the Crystal Lake Pack. Tristan. I had heard the stories. Cold. Ruthless. Unbreakable. The man who took power with blood still on his hands. Tonight I would meet him for the first time, and I already hated how my stomach twisted with a mix of dread and something I refused to name. My uncle Viktor’s face flashed in my mind as I walked forward. My father’s younger brother had smiled when he sent me away, that cold, calculating smile that never reached his eyes. He had always wanted the Alpha title. With me gone, he thought the path would be clear. I was the only thing standing between him and power. He would never say it out loud, but I knew. He wanted me gone. Permanently. I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin. I would not show fear. Not here. Not in front of the Crystal Lake Pack. Then I saw him. Tristan stood at the edge of the old dock, shirt open, chest bare to the cold wind. Tall, powerfully built, black hair, piercing silver-grey eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. Battle scars marked his torso like a map of violence. He was everything the rumors said and more. His hand was wrapped around the throat of another man. The Beta. Dark brown hair, golden-amber eyes, a broken chain tattoo climbing his neck. The two of them looked far too intimate. The air between them crackled with something raw and possessive. My stomach dropped. This was the man I had been promised to. The Alpha I was supposed to mate with to seal the alliance between our packs. And here he was, holding another man like he owned him. Tristan released the Beta and turned toward me. His silver-grey eyes locked on mine. He moved with the confidence of someone who knew the world would bend to his will. “Welcome to Crystal Lake Pack,” he said. His voice was deep and cold. “The pact will be honored.” I lifted my chin and met his gaze without flinching. “I didn’t come for pretty words, Alpha Tristan. I came to see if the man I am supposed to mate with is worthy of my pack’s bloodline.” He stepped closer. His presence was overwhelming. He caught my chin between his fingers and tilted my face up. His touch was firm, almost possessive. “You will find out exactly how worthy I am,” he murmured, low enough that only I and the Beta could hear. “Both of you.” Both of you. The words sent a shock through me. I glanced at the Beta Jayden. His golden eyes burned as he looked at Tristan, then at me. There was history there. Deep, complicated history and something darker. Something that made heat crawl up my neck despite my anger. I pulled my face away from Tristan’s grip. “You speak as if you already own me. I am Luna of the Moonlight Pack. I lost my father. I took his place. I will not be another man’s possession especially not one who already has a lover.” Tristan’s lips curved into a dangerous smile. “I do not choose, Aurora. I take both.” The air between the three of us crackled. Jayden’s breathing had changed. Tristan’s silver eyes held mine with cold intensity. I could feel the weight of their stares on my skin like a physical touch. This was not what I had expected. This was not a simple political mating. This was something far more dangerous. As we walked toward the pack house, I felt Tristan’s presence behind me like a shadow. Jayden walked on his other side. My uncle’s words echoed in my head. Do your duty and secure the alliance. But how could I secure anything when the man I was promised to clearly already belonged to someone else? I clenched my fists at my sides. I would not submit easily. I would not break. But as Tristan’s scent wrapped around me dark, masculine, commanding I felt the first crack in my resolve. My body was reacting to him, to both of them, in ways that made me furious with myself. The pack house loomed ahead, lights glowing in the windows. I could feel eyes on us from every direction. The pack was watching their new Luna arrive. They were watching their Alpha with two wolves at his side. I kept my head high as we entered. The main hall was warm and filled with the scent of food and woodsmoke. Tristan led us to a private corridor, his hand brushing the small of my back as he guided me. The touch was light, but it sent electricity down my spine. We stopped outside a heavy wooden door. Tristan pushed it open, revealing a large, luxurious room with a massive bed, a fireplace, and windows overlooking the lake. “This is yours for now,” he said. His voice was low, almost intimate. “Until the ceremony.” Jayden stood just behind him, silent but watching me with those intense golden eyes. I stepped inside and turned to face them both. “I will do my duty for the alliance. But do not mistake that for submission."" Tristan’s silver-grey eyes darkened. He took one step closer, then another, until he was towering over me. “You speak bravely for a woman who is already feeling the pull. I can smell it on you, Aurora. The way your body reacts to both of us.” My cheeks burned, but I refused to look away. “You are arrogant.” Jayden’s voice was rough from behind Tristan. “She’s right. This is going to destroy one of us.” Tristan smiled, slow and dangerous. “Then let it destroy us. In three days, under the full moon, I will mark you in front of both packs. And after that night, the real claiming begins.” The words hung in the air like a promise and a threat all at once. I held his gaze, heart pounding, body betraying me with unwanted heat. This was not the future I had imagined when I left my pack. This was something far more dangerous. And as Tristan and Jayden stood there, watching me with matching hunger in their eyes, I realized one terrifying truth. I was already caught in their web. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to escape.