BOUND TO THE MONSTER ALPHA

POV: Elena Hayes The first time I saw a wolf, I thought I was going to die. The second time, I realized I probably should have. But I didn’t know any of that when I stepped out of the twenty-four-hour grocery store at 11:47 p.m., carrying a paper bag filled with bread, milk, and the cheapest instant noodles I could find. All I wanted was to get home. It had been a long day. My feet hurt, my head ached, and my phone battery was dangerously close to dying. The last thing I needed was another problem. Unfortunately, the universe seemed determined to give me one. My phone vibrated. UNKNOWN NUMBER I frowned and opened the message. Don’t take the usual road home tonight. I stared at the screen. Who sends messages like that without explaining themselves? I typed a reply. Who is this? The message showed as delivered, but no response came. I rolled my eyes and slipped the phone into my handbag. Probably another prank. I had enough things to worry about without entertaining mysterious strangers. The street was unusually quiet. A few cars passed in the distance, and the streetlights flickered above the empty sidewalks. I pulled my jacket closer around myself and continued walking. Then I heard it. A low growl. I stopped. At first, I thought it was a dog. There were plenty of stray dogs in the neighborhood, and I had learned to avoid them after one chased me down the street when I was sixteen. But this sound was different. It was deeper. Almost human. I turned toward the narrow alley beside an abandoned building. Nothing. I took another step. The growl came again. This time, it was closer. My fingers tightened around the grocery bag. “Hello?” I called, immediately regretting it. Silence. I should have kept walking. Instead, curiosity got the better of me. Something moved between two parked cars. A massive black animal stepped into the light. My breath caught. It was a wolf. Not a dog that looked like a wolf. Not some oversized animal from a documentary. An actual wolf. Its fur was as black as midnight, its shoulders broad, and its golden eyes fixed directly on me. I stumbled backward. “Oh, my God.” The animal didn’t move. It simply watched me. Then I noticed the blood. A dark red stain covered part of its side. One of its front legs trembled slightly, and its breathing sounded strained. It was injured. Every sensible thought in my head told me to run. But something about the way it looked at me made my feet refuse to move. “Easy,” I whispered. The wolf lowered its head. I swallowed. “Okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” A ridiculous thing to say to an animal that could probably tear me apart in seconds. I slowly placed my grocery bag on the ground and reached into my handbag for the small bottle of water I carried everywhere. The wolf’s ears twitched. I took one careful step forward. Then another. Its golden eyes never left mine. And suddenly, something strange happened. The fear inside me faded. Not completely, but enough for me to wonder why I had been so terrified in the first place. The wolf moved closer. I held out the bottle. “Here.” It sniffed my hand. For one impossible second, I thought it might actually accept my help. Then a second growl came from behind me. I froze. The black wolf immediately moved between me and the alley. Three pairs of glowing eyes appeared in the darkness. Three more wolves. Unlike the injured animal, these ones looked perfectly healthy. Their lips curled back, revealing sharp teeth. One of them stepped forward. I stumbled backward. “No. No, no, no.” The injured wolf snarled. The newcomer answered with a vicious bark that sounded almost like a challenge. What was happening? Why were there so many wolves in the middle of the city? And why did they look as though they were preparing to fight? The largest of the three lunged. Everything happened too quickly. The black wolf launched itself forward, crashing into the attacker. Their bodies collided with a force that sent them rolling across the pavement. I screamed. The other two turned toward me. My body finally remembered how to move. I ran. My handbag slipped from my shoulder, and my groceries scattered across the sidewalk. I didn’t stop to collect anything. I heard claws scraping against the road behind me. A sharp pain suddenly tore through my arm. I screamed again as something knocked me to the ground. My palms scraped against the pavement. I turned. One of the wolves stood over me, its teeth inches from my face. I couldn’t breathe. “Please,” I whispered. The animal opened its mouth. Then a terrifying voice thundered through the street. “GET AWAY FROM HER!” The wolf above me was suddenly thrown sideways. I scrambled backward, my entire body shaking. A man stood several feet away. He was tall, impossibly tall, dressed in black trousers and a dark shirt that clung to his broad shoulders. His black hair was slightly disheveled, and there was blood running down one side of his face. But it was his eyes that made my stomach drop. Golden. The exact same shade as the injured wolf. He looked at the animals. “Leave.” It wasn’t a request. The wolves lowered their heads. One of them whimpered. I stared at the man in disbelief. What kind of person could make three enormous wolves back away with a single word? The man took a step forward. The wolves retreated into the darkness. Within seconds, they were gone. I remained on the ground, struggling to understand what I had just witnessed. The stranger turned toward me. “Are you injured?” I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. He looked impatient. “I asked you a question.” I flinched. “Your… your eyes.” His eyebrows drew together. “What about them?” “They’re…” I stopped. They were glowing. Not reflecting the streetlights. Actually glowing. He glanced away for a moment, and when he looked back, they appeared almost normal. I must have been losing my mind. “I’m fine,” I finally managed. His gaze dropped to my arm. Blood was running from a deep scratch near my elbow. “You’re bleeding.” “It’s just a scratch.” He approached. I immediately pushed myself backward. “Don’t touch me.” He stopped. For the first time, something resembling surprise crossed his face. People probably didn’t tell this man no very often. “What’s your name?” he asked. “Why?” “Because I asked.” “Well, I don’t remember agreeing to answer every question you ask.” His jaw tightened. I was terrified, but apparently my survival instincts had decided to take the night off. He studied me for several seconds. Then he inhaled sharply. His entire expression changed. It was subtle, but I noticed it. His shoulders stiffened. His nostrils flared, and his golden eyes darkened. “What?” I asked. He didn’t answer. Instead, he took another step toward me. “What’s your name?” This time, his voice was quieter. “Elena. Elena Hayes.” The moment I said it, he went completely still. His expression became unreadable. Then he whispered something that made absolutely no sense to me. “Impossible.” I frowned. “What is?” He stared at me as though I had suddenly become the most dangerous thing in the world. “Who are your parents?” I blinked. “What does that have to do with anything?” “Answer me.” “My parents are dead.” Something flickered across his face. “How long?” “Since I was twelve.” He looked away. For a moment, I thought he might say something sympathetic. Instead, he turned back toward me with an expression colder than before. “You’re coming with me.” I stared at him. “Excuse me?” “You heard me.” “Absolutely not.” His eyes narrowed. “You have no idea what is happening.” “You’re right. I don’t. But I know I’m not getting into a car with a stranger who commands wolves like they’re his personal security team.” For the first time, the corner of his mouth moved. It wasn’t quite a smile. It was something much more unsettling. “You have a remarkable talent for making terrible decisions.” “And you have a remarkable talent for being rude.” He stared at me. Then he extended his hand. “Damian Blackwood.” The name meant nothing to me. I ignored his hand and pushed myself to my feet. “Well, Damian Blackwood, thank you for saving me. I’ll be going now.” I turned. A sudden wave of dizziness swept through my body. My vision blurred. I reached for the nearest wall, but my knees gave way. Before I could hit the ground, Damian caught me. His hand wrapped around my waist. The instant his skin touched mine, something strange passed between us. A sharp warmth spread through my chest. My heart slammed against my ribs. And somewhere deep inside me, something seemed to wake up. Damian froze. His fingers tightened around my waist. His face changed completely. The cold, controlled expression disappeared, replaced by something I couldn’t identify. Shock. Disbelief. And something dangerously close to fear. “No,” he whispered. I looked up at him. “What?” He leaned closer, breathing in as though trying to confirm something. Then his eyes flashed gold. “Mate.” I frowned. “I’m sorry, what?” He stared at me. His voice dropped into a terrifying whisper. “You’re my mate.” Before I could ask what that meant, a deafening growl erupted from somewhere inside my head. And Damian’s expression turned murderous. Because whatever he had just discovered about me… He clearly wished it had never happened.