Bound to you

CHAPTER TWO

PRINCE LUCAS / NATALIA’S POV

I walked quietly and calmly through the trees. This forest had always been a place for me to think—to forget everything else.

The woods were still, reverent. The wind stilled. Even the trees seemed to acknowledge the presence of a predator.

Luther—my wolf—moved like a shadow, silent but powerful. Every movement was deliberate. In this form, our senses were sharper. Clearer. The scents were richer, layered. The darkness didn’t bother us.

We thrived in it.

Ahead, a deer picked its way through the underbrush. Its heartbeat fluttered—quick, panicked. Unaware.

But this wasn’t about hunger.

It was about dominance. The chase. The thrill.

Control.

Lucas needed control.

And Luther understood that.

A twig snapped.

The deer’s ears twitched.

Before it could react, we pounced.

It froze beneath us, trembling, fragile. Luther snarled, then slowly stepped back, releasing it. We rose and watched the animal flee into the trees.

We didn’t want the kill.

Not tonight.

Then—a gasp.

We froze.

Eyes snapped upward.

Her.

“It’s her,” Luther growled.

NATALIA’S POV

Today was the worst day of my life,I kept chanting the words in my head like my life depended on it.

I can’t believe I got lost in this big scary forest and there’s still no service.

It’s the wolf from my dreams.

I wanted to scream, but my body wouldn’t move. I was frozen with fear.

It stepped closer, and I instinctively took a step back.

It growled low, a warning rumble.

I shrank, heart racing. It came closer. I took another step back.

Was that a… frown?

What am I thinking? It’s a wolf!

It paused suddenly, almost like it was hesitating—like it was… conflicted?

I was losing my mind.

The wolf began to move toward me again.

I turned to run.

Too late.

It pounced.

I hit the ground hard, a scream tearing from my throat. “Help!”

It stared at me, c*****g its head like I was some kind of puzzle. I couldn’t stop staring back. Its eyes were just like in my dreams—silver and endless. Its fur was dark, soft-looking, and gleaming under the moonlight.

Focus, Nat! You’re being pinned by a wolf, not admiring a pet!

“Get off me!” I shouted, kicking and pushing at its chest. “Get off!”

But it didn’t budge.

*****************************************************

PRINCE LUCAS POV

Luther was relentless.

He wanted his mate.

But I wouldn’t let it go further.

I couldn’t.

I wasn’t strong enough to stop him from marking her that night. But I wouldn’t let him take her. Not fully.

What was she even doing here?

“Luther, release her.”

“I want her,” came his gruff, guttural reply.

“She’s human, you damn wolf.”

“I don’t care.”

She was trembling beneath us. Reeking of fear. So delicate. So pathetic.

I hated the Moon Goddess for this.

A human. That’s who she chose for me?

Now she had fainted.

She can never be my mate.

“Mate! Mate!” Luther whimpered, nudging her.

“Don’t call her that!” I growled.

“Save her,” he begged. “She’s okay. Just shocked. Now let me take back control—if you want to help her.”

Luther snarled in frustration… but relented.

I looked down at the unconscious human.

So… pathetic.

The Moon Goddess had cursed me.

I wanted to reject her right then—but Luther wouldn’t allow it.

And right now, I needed him on my side.

So she needed to be far away from me.

I shouldn’t have marked her. I lost control

I stood over her limp body, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest.

She was still alive. Barely.

“What the hell do I do with her now?”

She was never supposed to come back here. Maren and I had agreed on that. She was meant to stay far away from this kingdom.

But now?

Now I had to deal with her and that foolish wench of an aunt.

I shifted back into my human form and carefully lifted Natalia into my arms. Her scent—vanilla and lilies—wrapped around me like a curse.

She was too soft. Too human.

Too mine.

Luther purred in the back of my mind, pleased. I wanted to snap his neck from inside out.

We were supposed to find a strong, worthy mate. A she-wolf. A future queen.

Not a fragile human girl who fainted after one encounter.

I carried her through the woods in silence, the night pressing in around me. With every step, my fury built. Not at her. At myself. At the Moon Goddess. At fate. At everything.

*****************************************************

I knocked once—loud, sharp.

Maren opened the door in a panic, her eyes widening the second she saw the girl in my arms.

“What did you do to her?” she asked, horrified.

“She fainted,” I said flatly, brushing past her into the house.

“This wasn’t part of the plan—”

“She shouldn’t have been here in the first place,” I snapped.

I laid Natalia gently on the couch, brushing her damp red hair from her forehead. She looked so peaceful. So delicate. So… wrong.

I stepped back and turned my cold eyes to Maren.

“Why is she here?” I asked.

Maren looked down, guilt flashing in her eyes.

“This is her home,” she whispered. “And I’m her aunt.”

“Don’t play innocent,” I growled. “We had an agreement. Do you wish to see her dead?”

She stiffened, her whole body trembling. “No, Alpha.”

“She’s not just any girl anymore. She’s been marked.” I ground the words out like venom. “Do you understand what that means?”

“She’ll only be here for a short while,” she said quickly, desperate. “I swear it.”

I studied her for a long moment.

Maren wasn’t one of my subjects—but she knew better than to defy me. Everyone did.

I wasn’t Alpha yet. But I had Alpha blood. Royal blood. Descended directly from the Moon Goddess herself. With an unstable wolf clawing inside me, I wasn’t someone anyone wanted to test.

I was feared. Revered.

And for good reason.

“Very well,” I said darkly. “I’ll give you a month.”

“Alpha, please—just a little more time—”

I growled low, the sound vibrating through the room.

She flinched and dropped her head in shame. “I’m sorry, Alpha.”

“You will not be given more time. Get her out of my kingdom before I lose my patience.”

I glanced one last time at the stairs—where she lay above, unconscious. My mate. My mistake.

Then I left.

Hopefully for the last time.

The forest swallowed me as I walked back into the night.

But it no longer brought peace.

It hadn’t, since I marked her.

I hadn’t just taken a piece of her.

She had taken something from me too.

Now I could feel her. Every dream. Every emotion. Her pain. Her fear. Her emptiness. Her rare, flickering moments of happiness that vanished as quickly as they came.

And it ruined me.

Every time she cried, something inside me snapped.

I hated her for that power. For the way she reached inside me without even trying.

This bond was dangerous.

It would drive me mad.

I needed it broken. I needed her gone.

Luther disagreed. Of course he did.

He wanted her. Claimed her.

I couldn’t afford this distraction—not now. I was on the verge of becoming Alpha King. I needed a strong mate. A wolf. Someone worthy of the crown. My father would never approve of her.

He despised humans.

So did I.

They were weak. Vile. Disgustingly fragile.

And yet… I couldn’t stop thinking about her.