Bound by the Alpha

Chapter Two

The tension was suffocating. Damian’s golden eyes locked onto mine, unyielding, daring me to fight against what we both knew was real. My breath came in short, uneven bursts as I tried to ignore the way my body betrayed me—reacting to his nearness, to the pull I never wanted.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

He wasn’t supposed to be my mate.

I took a step back, my fingers twisting into the fabric of my dress like it could somehow anchor me. “You’re wrong.” My voice wavered, the false confidence crumbling even as I clung to it. “Whatever this is… it’s a mistake.”

Damian’s jaw ticked. His fingers flexed at his sides, the tension in his frame barely contained. “A mistake?” He repeated the word slowly like he was tasting it for the first time like he found it utterly ridiculous.

I swallowed hard. “Yes.”

I had spent my entire life believing in the mate bond, imagining a safe love, certain—nothing like this. Nothing like him.

Damian was cruel. Untouchable. My stepbrother.

He stepped closer, his scent—smoky, wild, intoxicating—curling around me, making it impossible to think. “Tell me, little omega,” he murmured, his voice a dark, silky whisper, “if this is a mistake… why are you trembling?”

I forced my gaze to meet his, willing my voice to stay steady. “Because you’re terrifying.”

Something flickered in his eyes. Amusement. Frustration. Possession.

“Good.”

A shiver ran down my spine. I felt too seen, too exposed beneath his scrutiny. I needed to get away, to think before this bond consumed me whole.

So I turned and ran.

The estate’s hallways were dimly lit, the shadows stretching long against the walls as I hurried to my room. My pulse pounded in my ears, my breath shaky as I shoved the door open and locked it behind me.

I pressed my back against the wood, exhaling unsteadily.

This couldn’t be real.

How was I supposed to live under the same roof as him now that I knew the truth?

Even now, with the door between us, I felt him—his presence pressing against me as if the bond refused to let me breathe without him.

Mate.

I squeezed my eyes shut. No. Not like this.

A knock at the door made me flinch.

I didn’t need to ask who it was. The bond made it impossible not to know.

“Lyra.” His voice was softer now, coaxing. “Open the door.”

I clenched my fists. “Go away.”

Silence.

Then

“You think a locked door will keep me away from what’s mine?”

My stomach dropped.

“Damian, don’t—”

A sharp c***k split the air as the door burst open.

My breath hitched. He stood in the doorway, golden eyes burning, his chest rising and falling with something dark and unrestrained.

I backed up instinctively, pressing myself against the far wall. “You can’t do this,” I whispered. “You can’t just—”

“Just what?” His lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk. “Act like your mate?”

I shook my head, grasping for something—anything—that would break through to him. “You don’t even believe in mates. You said that.”

Damian stilled, his expression unreadable. Then, in a single, fluid motion, he was in front of me, his hands braced on the wall beside my head, caging me in.

“I didn’t believe in them,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. “Until you.”

His words sent a shiver through me.

I turned my face away, my pulse hammering against my skin. “That doesn’t change anything.”

His fingers trailed along my jaw, tilting my chin so I had no choice but to meet his gaze. “It changes everything, Lyra.”

A lump formed in my throat.

This wasn’t the Damian I knew—the cold, distant stepbrother who barely acknowledged my existence. This was something else. Something dangerous.

“I don’t want this,” I whispered.

His grip tightened just enough to keep me from looking away. Not rough. Not cruel. Just… certain.

“Liar.”

I swallowed hard, my resolve slipping through my fingers.

He leaned in, his breath warm against my ear. “You can run. You can hide. But the truth stays the same.” His voice was a whisper of pure dominance, curling around me, sinking deep into my bones.

“You. Are. Mine.”

And then—just as suddenly as he had come—he was gone.

The door shut behind him, leaving behind nothing but silence.

I slid to the floor, burying my face in my hands.

This was only the beginning.

And I was already losing the battle.