Bound By The Alpha's Secret

s**t. The rain was coming down like silver threads, cutting right through me. I pulled my jacket tighter and pushed forward on the dirt path. The shortcut through the woods? Yeah, I’d promised myself I’d never take it. But my shift at the café ran late, and the last damn bus was long gone. Every sound freaked me out the leaves rustling, an owl hooting, my shoes squishing in the mud. I don’t believe in stupid stories about monsters in the woods… but right now, I kind of wished I did. A branch snapped. Fuck. I froze. My breath puffed out in little clouds. My eyes darted around. “It’s just an animal,” I whispered, trying to convince myself. But the air smelled… weird. Metallic. Sharp. Dangerous. Then I saw him. Some guy was leaning against a tree, half-collapsed, covered in mud and blood. His shirt was torn, and his chest was heaving like he’d run a marathon. But it wasn’t the blood that froze me it was his eyes. f*****g silver. Like moonlight caught in water. “Hey… are you okay?” I said, stepping closer. “Do you need help?” He lifted his head slowly. “Leave,” he rasped. His voice was low, deep, and it made my chest tighten. “Go… before it’s too late.” I wanted to run. My instincts screamed at me to bolt. But… no. He was dying. I couldn’t leave him. “I can help! Please!” “I said go!” His growl shook the air. For a second, everything felt like it stopped—the trees, the night, everything listening. He tried to stand, but pain twisted his face and he fell back down. I dropped to my knees next to him. The smell of rain and iron hit my nose. His skin was hot, burning. But there was something else under it, something… humming. “You’ve lost a lot of blood,” I said. “I need to call someone.” “No phones.” He grabbed my wrist hard. “They can track you. They can track me.” “Who the hell can?” I asked, my voice shaking. He stared at me, eyes flickering between anger and something else I couldn’t name. “You shouldn’t be here, little one.” Lightning split the sky. And then I saw it his wounds were healing. His torn flesh… just knitting itself back together. I stumbled back. “W-what the f**k are you?” He didn’t answer. He forced himself to his feet, unsteady, eyes turning stormy gray. The air around him… it felt alive, dangerous, but not at me. Then a howl ripped through the forest. Long, mournful. Not human. He whipped his head toward it. “They found me.” “Who?” I started, but he grabbed my arm and yanked me behind a tree. “Shut up,” he hissed. Through the fog, I saw shapes. Tall. Lean. Silent. Eyes glinting. I counted four. They moved like hunters, sniffing the air. His hand squeezed mine. “Don’t move. Don’t run to the road. They’ll be waiting.” A low growl came from one of the shadows. One of them lunged and he moved faster than my eyes could follow. A sickening crunch, then silence. When it ended, he was alone. The others were gone. The moon peeked out from behind clouds. And f**k… he was beautiful. Silver eyes, breathing hard, dangerous as hell. I took a step closer. “You… you saved me,” I whispered. He turned to me, expression unreadable. “You shouldn’t have seen this.” “I won’t tell anyone,” I said, voice trembling. He laughed bitterly. “Doesn’t matter. The bond is already forming.” “What bond?” I asked, frowning. He stepped closer, and the air around us got… hot, curling in my chest. He reached out like he wanted to touch my face but stopped. “You have no idea what you’ve done,” he murmured. “You’ve tied yourself to a curse.” “Then untie it,” I said. “I can’t,” his voice cracked for the first time. “Fate doesn’t let go.” The wind swept through the trees. The moonlight dimmed. He blurred slightly, like a shadow about to disappear. “Go home, Luna Hale,” he said softly. “Forget this night.” My name on his lips made my heart stop. “How do you know my—” But before I could finish, he was gone. The forest was silent, like nothing had happened. Only the smell of rain and smoke lingered. Then I noticed it a faint mark on my wrist, glowing like a crescent moon. --- Kael’s POV The storm’s gone, but the curse isn’t. I can still feel her. Her scent. Warm, pure, cutting through the iron stink of my blood. I should have killed her. That’s the rule. Anyone who sees me has to die. But when her eyes met mine… something inside me shifted. Something old. I closed my hand. The mark on my palm burned in response to hers. The fates chose. It’s alrea dy too late. “She’s mine,” I whispered to the night. “And that’s going to f**k us both over.”