Bound by the Alpha

Chapter 2:The awakening

The morning sun streamed through the window, cutting through the haze of restless dreams and pulling Selena Rivers reluctantly into consciousness. She groaned, burying her face in her pillow as fragmented images from the previous night flared to life in her mind.

Golden eyes. The deep growl of her name. Claws flashing in the dim light.

Selena sat up abruptly, her chest tightening. She clutched her blanket, scanning her small apartment as if expecting one of those creatures to burst through the door. But everything was normal. The tiny studio was exactly as she had left it before her shift: books stacked on her desk, a half-empty mug of tea on the counter, and her coat slung carelessly over a chair.

Her hands trembled as she reached for her phone on the nightstand. She opened her search engine and hesitated. What could she even look up? Werewolves in New York City? Mysterious glowing eyes? It sounded ridiculous, even to her.

But there was nothing ridiculous about what she’d seen.

After a moment, she closed the phone and let out a shaky breath. Maybe she was losing her mind. Maybe the stress of long hours at the bistro and too many sleepless nights had finally caught up to her.

Or maybe—just maybe—it was all real.

Her phone buzzed, startling her out of her thoughts. A message popped up on the screen:

Ryan: Hey, don’t forget dinner at Mom’s tonight. 7 PM. Don’t flake again.

Selena sighed. Ryan, her younger brother, was good at keeping her tethered to reality when she felt like spiraling. Dinner with him and their mom might be just what she needed to ground herself after whatever last night had been.

Still, her stomach churned as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. The eerie feeling from the alley hadn’t left her. She felt…watched.

By the time evening rolled around, Selena had almost convinced herself it was all a dream. She arrived at her mom’s apartment in Queens with a casserole dish in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. The familiar smell of rosemary and baked chicken greeted her as she stepped inside, easing the tension in her shoulders.

“Selena, you made it!” her mother called from the kitchen. She appeared a moment later, wiping her hands on a towel. Her face lit up with a warm smile that always made Selena feel like she was home, no matter how chaotic her life felt.

“Hey, Mom,” Selena said, setting the food on the counter. Ryan appeared from the living room, phone in hand, and gave her a quick nod.

“Surprised you remembered,” he teased.

Selena rolled her eyes. “I always remember. I just…get busy sometimes.”

Ryan snorted but didn’t argue. The three of them sat down to eat, the conversation light and easy. Selena found herself relaxing as she listened to her mom recount a story about a nosy neighbor and Ryan’s latest tales from work.

For a little while, she almost forgot the events of the night before.

Almost.

But as the conversation lulled, a strange sensation crept over her again—the same prickling awareness she’d felt in the alley. Her fork paused halfway to her mouth, and her eyes darted to the window. The street outside was dark, empty except for the occasional passing car.

“Selena?” Ryan’s voice broke through her thoughts.

She blinked and turned back to him. “What?”

“You okay? You’ve been staring into space for, like, a full minute.”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, forcing a smile. “Just tired.”

He didn’t look convinced, but before he could press the issue, their mom changed the subject, and Selena was grateful for the distraction.

It wasn’t until later, when she was walking back to the subway station, that the unease returned in full force. The streets were quieter than usual, and the dim streetlights cast long, distorted shadows across the pavement.

Selena quickened her pace, clutching her bag tightly. She didn’t know where the feeling came from, but it was impossible to ignore.

When she heard the faint sound of footsteps behind her, she nearly stopped breathing.

Her pulse spiked as she glanced over her shoulder. The street was empty.

“Get a grip,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head. But the footsteps came again, louder this time.

Her heart pounded as she spun around, scanning the street. “Who’s there?”

Silence.

She turned back, only to come face-to-face with a man standing just a few feet away.

Selena staggered back, her breath catching in her throat. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in black, his face shadowed by the angle of the streetlight. But she recognized him instantly.

Golden eyes.

“You,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

“Selena,” he said, his tone calm but firm.

“What are you doing here? How do you know my name?” she demanded, her fear quickly giving way to anger.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said, raising his hands as if to show he meant no harm. “But you’re in danger.”

“Danger?” she repeated, her voice rising. “What are you talking about? Who are you?”

He hesitated, his expression unreadable. “My name is Damian. What you saw last night—”

“I don’t know what I saw,” she interrupted, taking a step back. “And I don’t want to know.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Damian said, his voice steady but laced with urgency. “You’ve been marked, Selena. They know who you are now.”

Her blood ran cold. “Marked? Who’s ‘they’?”

“Rival packs,” he said simply.

She stared at him, her mind spinning. Packs? What did that even mean?

“I don’t want anything to do with this,” she said, her voice shaky. “I’m just a waitress. Whatever this is, you’ve got the wrong person.”

Damian’s gaze softened slightly. “I wish that were true. But you saw too much, and now they’ve taken an interest in you. You’re not safe.”

Before she could respond, a low growl echoed from somewhere behind her. Damian’s expression darkened in an instant.

“Get behind me,” he ordered.

Selena turned, her heart leaping as a shadow moved in the distance. A figure emerged, its glowing red eyes unmistakable.

“You shouldn’t have interfered, Alpha,” the creature said, its voice a sinister rumble.

Damian stepped forward, his body tense. “She’s under my protection. Leave.”

The red-eyed creature snarled, stepping closer. Selena’s pulse raced as she backed away, her mind screaming at her to run, but her legs refused to move.

Damian glanced back at her, his golden eyes burning with intensity. “Go. Now.”

This time, she didn’t argue. She turned and ran, her heart hammering in her chest.

Behind her, the sounds of a fierce fight erupted, the clash of claws and snarls filling the night air.

As she fled into the safety of the subway station, one thought consumed her mind:

Her life was no longer her own.