Bound by Blood and Fate

YOU CAN'T FIX WHAT IS ALREADY BROKEN

Chapter 2: The Defiance

The ride back to Blackthorne Manor was tense.

Selene sat in the carriage, wrists bound with silver chains, her skin blistering where the metal touched. She refused to flinch, refused to show weakness. The moment she did, the Alpha would seize it, use it against her. She had seen it before—the way wolves relished breaking their prey.

Lucian sat across from her, his broad frame relaxed, but his golden eyes never wavered from her face. He wasn’t watching her like a man who had just purchased property. No, he was watching her like a hunter sizing up a wild animal, waiting to see if she would bite.

And bite she would.

The air inside the carriage was thick with his scent—pine, smoke, and something deeper, something raw. It invaded her senses, stirring something inside her she didn’t want to acknowledge. She clenched her fists, ignoring the way the silver dug into her palms.

“Staring at me won’t change your fate,” Lucian finally said. His voice was deep, steady, laced with quiet authority.

She smirked, leaning back despite the searing pain in her wrists. “And what fate is that, Alpha?” she taunted. “Am I to be your obedient little pet? Chained to your throne like a trophy?”

Lucian’s gaze darkened. “You are mine now,” he said, his tone calm but absolute. “What happens next depends on you.”

She laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. “I’d rather die than submit.”

His wolf bristled at her words. She could see it in the way his hands flexed, the way his jaw tensed. Good. Let him be angry.

Lucian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You think I don’t know that?” His voice was softer now, almost amused. “You don’t fear pain. You don’t fear death. But I wonder… what do you fear?”

Selene stiffened for half a second. It was barely noticeable, but Lucian caught it. His wolf stirred, sensing weakness.

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You can’t break what’s already broken, Alpha.”

Lucian studied her for a long moment, then reached out and grabbed the chain binding her wrists, pulling her forward with little effort. She gasped at the sudden closeness.

His face was inches from hers now, his breath warm against her lips. “You’re not broken,” he murmured. “But you are mine. And until you learn what that means, things will be… difficult for you.”

His grip on the chains tightened, and for the first time, real pain flared up her arms. A strangled hiss escaped her lips, but she met his gaze with defiance burning in her silver eyes.

Lucian let go, shoving her back into her seat.

Selene clenched her jaw, ignoring the strange warmth that spread through her chest at his words.

She would never belong to him.

No matter what it took, she would find a way to escape.

Even if it killed her.

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