Bound To The Monster Alpha

ANNA'S POV: THE WEDDING NIGHT I woke up in a stranger's bed with blood on my wedding dress. Not my blood. At least, I didn't think so. My hands were clean when I checked them, trembling in the darkness. The room spun as I sat up, my head pounding like someone had cracked my skull open. Where was I? The last thing I remembered was standing at the altar in that cheap lace gown, staring at the most terrifying man I'd ever seen. Alpha Dominic Black. The monster my stepmother had sold me to like cattle. He'd looked at me with those cold silver eyes and said, "I do." Then everything went dark. Now I was here. Wherever here was. The room was massive, all dark wood and expensive furniture. Moonlight poured through floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a space that screamed wealth and power. This had to be his room. The Alpha's room. Panic clawed up my throat. Had he...? I checked myself quickly. My dress was still on, though torn at the shoulder. No new bruises except the ones Lydia had given me yesterday when I'd tried to run. Nothing felt different. So why was there blood? A low growl came from the shadows. I froze, my heart slamming against my ribs. Slowly, I turned my head toward the sound. Golden eyes stared back at me from the darkness. Not human eyes. Wolf eyes. "Who's there?" My voice came out as barely a whisper. The eyes moved closer. Then he stepped into the moonlight, and my breath caught. Dominic Black stood there shirtless, his muscular frame covered in cuts and bruises. Blood streaked his chest and arms. His dark hair was wild, his jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping beneath his skin. And his eyes. They were still glowing that inhuman gold. "You're awake," he said, his voice rough. "Good. That means you're not dying." "Dying?" I scrambled backward on the bed. "What happened?" "Someone tried to kill you at our wedding." He moved to a table and poured himself a drink, his hand surprisingly steady despite the blood. "They poisoned the wine during the ceremony. You collapsed before you could drink it, but the assassin had a backup plan." My mind raced. "What kind of backup plan?" "The kind with a silver blade aimed at your heart." He downed the drink in one gulp. "I stopped them." That explained the blood. "You killed someone at our wedding?" "Three people, actually." He turned to face me, and something in his expression made me press back against the headboard. "The assassin, and two guards who tried to help him escape." "Why would anyone want to kill me? I'm nobody." His laugh was cold. "You really don't know, do you?" "Know what?" "Why your stepmother was so eager to get rid of you. Why she practically threw you at me despite knowing my reputation." He set down the glass. "Anna Hale, you're not human. You never were." The words didn't make sense. "That's impossible. I've never shifted. Never felt any wolf instincts." "Because your father suppressed your nature. To protect you." Dominic moved closer, and I saw something flicker in those golden eyes. "He was a Guardian. One of the ancient bloodlines that existed before packs, before the first Alpha. And that makes you the last of your kind." I shook my head. "You're lying. My father was just a pack leader. He..." "He was murdered three years ago because someone found out what he was. What you are." His voice dropped. "And now that you're married to me, every pack with an agenda knows exactly where to find you." The room spun again. "So you knew? When you agreed to this marriage, you knew what I was?" "No." His jaw clenched. "I thought you were just a debt to collect. A way to settle what your father owed me. I didn't know about your bloodline until tonight when that assassin came for you." "What did my father owe you?" Something dark crossed his face. "Everything. He destroyed my family and ran like a coward. Left me to pick up the pieces." The hatred in his voice was palpable. "So you married me for revenge." "Yes." He didn't even try to soften it. "But now you're worth more alive than dead. At least until I figure out who sent that assassin and why." My hands balled into fists. "I won't be your prisoner." "You don't have a choice." He turned away. "There are guards outside this door. Wolves patrolling the grounds. You run, you die. Simple as that." "Then kill me yourself and get it over with." He stopped, his shoulders tensing. When he turned back, his eyes had shifted from gold to pure silver. Dangerous. "Don't tempt me." "Why not? You hate me anyway. Might as well finish what that assassin started." In two strides, he closed the distance between us. His hand shot out, gripping my chin and forcing me to meet his eyes. "I should hate you. You're the daughter of the man who killed my father. Who destroyed my pack. Who left me with nothing but ashes and a curse I'll carry until the day I die." "I didn't do any of that!" "No. But you're his blood. And that's close enough." His thumb brushed across my lower lip, and electricity shot through me. His eyes widened slightly, like he'd felt it too. He released me abruptly, backing away. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we start figuring out who wants you dead and why." "Where are you going?" "Somewhere that doesn't smell like you." He headed for the door. "What's that supposed to mean?" He paused, his hand on the doorknob. "It means you're making this harder than it needs to be." "Making what harder?" "Hating you." The door slammed behind him. I sat there in the darkness, my chin still tingling where he'd touched me. My heart raced, but not from fear. The enemy of my enemy wasn't my friend. He was still my enemy. I had to remember that. Even if every cell in my body was screaming otherwise. I didn't sleep. How could I? Every shadow looked like an assassin. Every sound made me jump. By the time dawn broke, I was exhausted and terrified and so confused I wanted to scream. A knock came at the door. "Luna? I have breakfast." I recognized that voice. Eva, the kind maid from last night. "Come in." She entered with a tray, her eyes widening when she saw me still in my blood-stained wedding dress. "Oh, Luna. Let me draw you a bath. You can't stay like this." "I'm not your Luna." "The Alpha marked you as his wife in front of three packs. That makes you Luna whether you like it or not." She set down the tray and moved to the bathroom. Water started running. I followed her. "Eva, what happened last night? After I collapsed?" She hesitated, wringing her hands. "There was chaos. The assassin tried to finish you off right there on the altar, but the Alpha..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I've never seen him like that. He went completely feral. His wolf took over, and he just... tore through them." "And nobody stopped him?" "Nobody could." She tested the water. "When an Alpha loses control like that, you stay out of his way or you die. Simple as that." I thought about the blood on his chest. The golden eyes. "Is he always like that?" "He's been getting worse. Ever since..." She caught herself. "Since what?"