BLOODBOUND

Chapter Two - Alexander Vale

I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

All morning, Alexander Vale’s face followed me everywhere.

His photograph was on my phone screen, on the newspaper outside the café, and even on the television mounted above the student lounge.

Apparently, he had just returned to the city after spending several years overseas.

Everyone knew who he was. Everyone except me.

“Why are you staring at him?”

I nearly dropped my coffee.

My best friend, Maya, slid into the seat across from me.

“I’m not.”

She glanced at the newspaper in front of me.

“You’ve been staring at that picture for five minutes.”

I folded the newspaper quickly.

“Do you know him?”

Maya laughed.

“Who doesn’t?”

She lowered her voice.

“Alexander Vale is insanely rich. His family owns hotels, companies, clubs… practically half the city.”

“And?”

“And,” she whispered, “there are rumors about him.”

“What kind of rumors?”

She looked around before leaning closer.

“They say his family isn’t just involved in business.”

I frowned.

“What does that mean?”

Maya shook her head.

“Forget it. They’re probably just rumors.”

Before I could answer, my phone vibrated.

Unknown Number.

My stomach dropped.

I stared at the screen.

Another message appeared.

You were warned.

My fingers went cold.

Maya noticed my expression.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

I locked my phone.

But then I heard it.

A low voice behind me.

“She’s right. You should forget about me.”

I froze.

Slowly, I turned around.

He was standing there.

Alexander Vale.

He looked even more intimidating in person.

Black suit. Dark eyes. Expression unreadable.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

“You,” I whispered.

His gaze remained fixed on mine.

“Yes.”

My heart began pounding.

“How did you get in here?”

A faint smile touched his lips.

“I own the building.”

Of course he did.

He stepped closer.

I instinctively stepped back.

His eyes dropped to the space between us before returning to mine.

“I told you not to go home last night.”

“I don’t take orders from strangers.”

“You should have.”

“Why?”

His expression changed.

For the first time, I saw something beneath the coldness in his eyes.

Fear.

Not for himself.

For me.

“Because someone is looking for you.”

My breath caught.

“Who?”

Alexander didn’t answer.

Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small black envelope.

He held it toward me.

My name was written across the front.

In red ink.

I stared at it.

“What is this?”

“Something your family should have told you a long time ago.”

My hands trembled as I took the envelope.

Alexander leaned closer.

His voice dropped to a whisper.

“Your blood isn’t ordinary.”

I looked up at him.

“What does that mean?”

His eyes darkened.

“It means, little one…”

He paused.

“You were never supposed to find me.”

Then he walked away, leaving me standing there with the envelope in my hands—and a thousand questions burning through my mind.

I opened it.

Inside was a single photograph.

My mother.

Standing beside a man I had never seen before.

And on the back of the photograph were six words:

THE BLOODLINE HAS FINALLY AWAKENED.