THE ALPHA WHO ONCE LOVED ME

CLAIMED BY THE ALPHA

By the time we reached the estate, several wolves were outside guarding the gates. I had already called members of my pack to join us because we needed every ounce of backup we could get.

Tessa’s scent hit me before I even stepped inside. I could feel her emotions through the bond: fear, sharp and overwhelming. I had to reach her.

“You need to find her fast,” Sabine murmured beside me. “And Lucian… you won’t have a choice but to claim her.”

We broke through the front doors. Eli, Derek and the rest of the pack enaged the wolves in battle, buying me time to get to Tessa

The air inside was suffocating. Wolves stood frozen in corners like statues, their eyes glowing an unnatural red.

“Don’t kill them,” Sabine warned. “Find whatever’s controlling them. They’re wolves, just like you.”

And then I felt her.

Tessa.

Her terror slammed into me like a blade. She was underground. The basement.

I didn’t think twice before rushing to her, craving her presence like never before.

The hallways twisted in unnatural ways, the walls too close, the ceilings too low. This wasn’t a home; it was a place built to trap.

I kicked the basement door open. Light shattered across the room.

Patrick stood calmly at the centre, smiling. Behind him was Tessa; bound, trembling but still upright, gripping a small glass bottle with rigid determination.

Wolfsbane. Clever girl.

“You’re late,” Patrick drawled.

“I’m right on time.”

Wolves lunged from every corner. Walls cracked, furniture splintered. I tore through the chaos, focused only on him.

“Tessa,” I ordered, eyes fixed on Patrick. “Run.”

She didn’t. She threw the bottle.

It shattered at Patrick’s feet, releasing a burning, poisonous scent. He staggered, not defeated, but shaken. It was enough.

I attacked.

We clashed with bone-rattling force. He was strong for his age, but I refused to give an inch.

“Lucian! The necklace!” Tessa shouted. “It’s controlling them!”

I held him in place, long enough for Tessa to reach him and to grab the necklace while the wolves lunged at me tearing me with their claws.

She moved fast, ripping the chain from Patrick’s neck. The silver hit the floor and the wolves collapsed instantly. Patrick froze, real terror flickering in his eyes.

He reached for her.

She didn’t flinch. She snatched a knife from the debris and drove it straight into his chest. She's braver than I thought.

Patrick stared at her, stunned.

“You don’t understand anything yet,” he whispered."You won't survive without me."

"I'll do just fine." she replied.

The house began to shake. The walls groaned. The ground split. I grabbed Tessa’s hand — her skin burning not with pain, but with energy roaring awake beneath it.

Her eyes lifted to mine, glowing faintly, just as the ceiling erupted and moonlight poured through the cracks.

Patrick’s body slid to the floor. The controlled wolves started to regain consciousness. Sabine appeared at the doorway, breathless.

“The binding was containing her Bloodline Seer power,” she shouted. “It’s breaking!”

The moonlight wasn’t just light — it was pure energy feeding into Tessa.

“Lucian! We have to go!” Eli yelled as he fought his way downstairs.

But running wouldn’t save her. The power surging through her was building too fast. Sabine’s warning echoed in my head: The mate bond anchors a Seer’s visions, or she drowns in them.

If I didn’t claim her, the power would tear her apart. Or worse; summon the other Alphas.

I gripped her shoulders. “Look at me, Tessa. Trust me. If I don’t claim you now, the power will consume you.”

She didn’t hesitate. “Do it.”

There was no time for softness. I pulled her close and marked her at the exposed skin of her shoulder.

The bond hit like an explosion.

A blinding sphere of energy burst around us, throwing Eli and Sabine back. Power roared through me, shattering the Alpha Block I’d carried my whole life completely. For the first time, I was whole.

And then he appeared.

The Red Moon Alpha stepped through the fractured ceiling, massive and suffocating — but I didn’t feel fear anymore. He felt the complete force of my newfound strength and paused.

“You claimed her,” he snarled. “You’ve only hastened the prophecy.”

“The prophecy belongs to her,” I answered, placing myself in front of Tessa. “Not you.”

He charged. I moved faster.

We collided with a shockwave that cracked the concrete walls. His strength was brutal, but mine was precise and fueled by the Seer’s stabilizing power.

While we fought, Patrick, barely conscious, lunged toward Tessa with a shard of stone.

Before he reached her, a falling block crushed him against the wreckage. He died instantly.......or so I thought.

“This isn’t over, Lucian!” he roared as he walked into a portal that snapped shut behind him. “I’ll return when you’re broken!”

I staggered but stayed standing. My body hurt everywhere,but my core was steadier than ever.

I turned to Tessa. Whole. Alive. Mine.

I stared at her what felt like minutes before Derek interrupted.

“Uh, this is cute and all,” Derek called from the stairs, “but the building is about to collapse!”

We rushed outside, dragging the recovering wolves with us.

At the doorway, I glanced back.

Patrick’s body was gone.

Not a trace left.

I guess it wasn’t over then.

Outside, I cupped Tessa’s cheeks, met her eyes, and kissed her, finally claiming the moment I’d wanted for so long.

“Ahem.” Eli cleared his throat loudly. “We should get back.”

I pulled away from Tessa just as the wind shifted.

Sabine froze beside us.

“Lucian…” she whispered. “Look at the moon.”

We all turned.

And the moon which wasfull and bright moments ago began to bleed slowly into a deep, unnatural red.

It was the I knew that whatever happened with Patrick and the Red Moon Alpha was just the beginning.