Feral Bonds: The Alpha's Torment

Selene's POV "Do you know what it feels like to have your own soul reject you, Damian?" Whispering, I barely could see his eyes in the darkly lit woodland area. The only sound was the soft breeze rustling leaves, yet his eyes seemed to weigh more than a thousand storms. His black eyes drilled into mine, flashing with uncertainty and something deeper—something I chose not to see. the relationship. The tug. Connection. Though I could not flee from it, I could damn well try. His mouth closed, and his neck moved as though he were attempting to control himself. We were last this close, and I had been yearning for him to see me, to know that I was not the weak hybrid he believed I to be. But now all I wanted was to get away from the intolerable pain in my chest. Alpha of the Blackclaw Pack, Damian Steele stood before me like a towering god—too flawless, too strong, too far away. His facial scars recounted tales of wars waged, of monarchs he had killed, of adversaries he had smashed. And still, none of those wounds matched the one he left on me. "I never wanted to hurt you, Selene." His voice was harsh, like gravel being crushed into dust; the words escaped with a calm honesty that sent my heart pounding. But just now I was not very sympathetic. "You accomplished." Though I wasn't sure if it was bitterness or something deeper collecting inside me, I couldn't hide the raw feeling. His rejection seemed to be bringing everything I had created—all I had battled—down. "You're my buddy," he said, as if that would solve everything. "I never desired this." Nevertheless,—" I backed off, shook my head. "You never asked for me. Different from this. On my tongue, the words were harsh and bitter, like poison. "You wanted Damian, an obedient packmate not of mixed descent. You sent me away as if I were nothing, as though I had no value for your time. And you violated me. His eyes flared, the wolf in him blazing to the surface only momentarily. The air between us hummed with energy, and I could feel the tie dragging relentlessly, stifling. I objected, though. He snipped, stepping nearer, "I never meant to break you." His chest rose and fell with every breath, as though the weight of the moment was smothering him too. His broad shoulders stiffened. But I had no idea what you actually were. Selene, you are not only a hybrid. You represent the Seer. The one going to transform everything. I stopped, his words weight hammering into me. Theseer. I had never shared with him. Not directly. Not in the manner he required for understanding. You knew? Whispers filled my voice, incredulity guiding them. You knew, and you still rejected me? He skipped the response. Rather, he moved forward, his eyes never leaving mine. His body felt hot, his strength radiating off him, and the link clearly drew me toward him. All I could do to keep anchored in place was this. The quiet hung between us like a delicate thread, and I could feel my will beginning to break. He was my friend. I could not forget it no matter how much I detested it. I could never pardon him either though. "I had no idea what I was dealing with," he said at last, his voice rough with feeling. "I was terrified, Selene. And I pushed you away in dread as well. But as of right now, though I am what you are. And I'm not ready to part with you." I tightened my chest with feeling and gulped hard. "You cannot say that right now, Damian. You are not allowed to come back and apologise to me. For that, it is too late. His eyes flashed with suffering, but it was soon covered by something deeper. His wolf was irritable and hostile. And I felt it as well. "You suppose I regret it?" His voice was tight, and his sentences carried clear stress. "Every day I feel bad about how I handled you. But you are not any she-wolf, Selene. You are—" A snarl tore him off mid-sentence before he could continue. It came from the trees. Every muscle in my body stiffened and my heart missed a beat. Do you feel that? Whispering, my senses sharp and my eyes searching the forest's shadows, Damian's head swung to the side and his whole body stiffened. Though his wolf was on alert, he had something else in his gaze. Something that informed me went beyond simply another renegade pack endangering Blackclaw territory. There was a low chuckle far away that chilled my spine. "I see you've found her, Alpha," the voice said, sloppily hateful. "I have been waiting for this moment for a long time." I had no need to search to identify who it was. Graves, Lucien. The renegade Alpha stalked me for months. The one who had always known I was more than I appeared. Damian closed his mouth and balled his hands into fists. "Get back," he snarled, his eyes blazingly amber. Selene, you are not ready for this. I was not about to sprint, though. Not possible. Not following all the rules. "I'm done hiding, Damian," I answered, my voice strong despite the terror chewing at my stomach. "Your frail little friend is no longer. And I won't be here to see you fight my fights for me. Frustration mixed with something else I couldn't define in the rumbling from his chest. His hand rushed out, gently yet tightly gripping my wrist, his gaze softening for the shortest of times. "You're not ready for him," he said, his voice low and lethal. "Lucien is not any ordinary outlaw. He asks Selene, "You." I'm not about to let him take you either." But before I could reply, a stinging, searing pain surged through my whole body from my chest. My legs collapsed, and I yelled while the earth whirled around me. Damian's arms encircled me, steadiness maintained as the darkness crept in. His lips touching my ear, he said angrily, "I told you to stay back." "You are not prepared for this. Neither am I nor any other. But it was already too late. Already the game was in progress. And right now we both found ourselves caught in it. My eyesight faded as the echo of Lucien's chuckle permeated the haze of the surroundings. Damian's hold tightened, but it had little effect to stop the blackness from me. Then from the shadows a low, eerie voice emerged: "You think you can protect her, Damian?" Lucien spoke like a hiss, like a serpent poised to attack. "Her mine right now is mine. And you will see her die before you ever have a chance to save her. The gloom descended in. My body was burning with an inexplicable, gut-wrenching agony that left me gasping for breath while the world around me melted into a blackness. Though I could feel Damian's arms around me supporting me, it seemed as though I was floating away—falling into the chasm. His voice raspy with urgency, his hold tightened and I heard him snarl. "Selene, stay with me," he said, the terror in his voice shattering the surface of his often austere assurance. "Stay with me, awful!" I wanted to, so much. But the agony was intolerable and the gloom kept eating me whole. As I attempted to concentrate on Damian's words, my pulse raced; they felt so far away. The only thing that felt genuine was the icy, cutting sting of the unknown approaching me. Lucien... My voice only whispered, but the word seared in my throat like acid. I barely managed to croak. Though I could not yet see him, the renegade Alpha loomed. His evil seemed to me like thick and choking air. Damian's face hardened and his lips snarled. "Lucien... is here," he said in a low, venomous, threatening voice. Though he was attempting to keep it together, his tone revealed desperation—the terror he never let anybody see. Though my body would not react, I wanted to shout and fight back. The agony and the menace pressing in made my limbs heavy and paralysed. Though everything inside me was urging me to go, to run, I was caught—trapped by my own frailty and the storm Damian had started by initially rejecting me. A chuckle rang through the clearing, low, nasty, and mocking. My breath stopped, and I attempted to swivel in Damian's hold to face the sound source, but the shadows sucked everything. Still clinging to her, Damian asked? Lucien's tone sarcastic slid across the air like a dagger. "Right now, it makes no difference. Already mine, you are too weak to save her. You have always been far too weak for her. The words seem to me like a strike to the belly. Something inside me broke, an adrenaline surge racing through me in spite of the agony. I couldn't let him triumph. Not like this, not to someone like Damian, I cannot let him fade away. I had never seen Damian's eyes blaze with such intensity. "I promise to the gods, Lucien, should you touch her—" But before he could continue, a figure sprung from the shadows—fast, deadly, and covered in the gloom of the forest. And then—nothing. The globe became quiet. And all I could hear was my own pounding pulse as I saw the final traces of consciousness vanishing. The sound of the turning leaves vanished. Then a shrill, agonizing cry shot across the room. But not me either. Damien was it.