Blood Moon Oath

Chapter 2 – The Alpha’s Claim

Selene’s breath came in shallow gasps as she stared up at the man before her. The black wolf that had torn through her enemies now stood in human form, his silver eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that sent shivers down her spine.

She should have been afraid. Any sane wolf would have been.

But fear wasn’t what made her pulse race—it was something far more dangerous.

Kael Draven.

The name was whispered in fear across the werewolf territories. Alpha of the Shadowfang Pack. Ruthless. Unyielding. A warrior forged in blood and power.

And now, the man who had just saved her from certain death was looking at her like she belonged to him.

"You’re mine," he had said.

Selene gritted her teeth and forced herself to sit up, ignoring the throbbing pain in her ribs. Her body ached, and exhaustion weighed her down like iron chains, but she wouldn’t show weakness. Not to him.

"I’m not yours," she spat, shifting away from him.

Kael’s smirk was slow, deliberate. "You will be."

Her wolf stirred at his words, drawn to the command in his voice, but Selene pushed the feeling down. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening. She had spent her life running, hiding, surviving. She didn’t need an Alpha. She didn’t need anyone.

She shoved herself to her feet, her legs unsteady beneath her. The forest around them was eerily quiet now, the bodies of the rogue hunters littering the ground, their blood soaking into the earth. The air was thick with the scent of death, but Kael stood there, calm and unbothered, like the c*****e didn’t faze him.

"You should be thanking me, little rogue," he said, tilting his head slightly. "If I hadn’t stepped in, you’d be dead by now."

Selene scoffed, ignoring the way her body swayed slightly from the pain. "I had it handled."

Kael chuckled, a low, rich sound that sent unwanted warmth through her. "Is that what you call being pinned to the ground, waiting for your throat to be slit?"

Her jaw tightened. "I don’t owe you anything."

"You owe me everything." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, and before she could react, he closed the distance between them in a single step. His scent—dark spice and cedar—washed over her, wrapping around her like an unbreakable chain.

Selene’s heart pounded. She tried to move back, but her legs betrayed her, still weak from the fight. Kael’s hand shot out, gripping her wrist before she could collapse. The moment his skin touched hers, a bolt of energy surged through her, sharp and undeniable.

The mate bond.

She yanked her hand away like she’d been burned, but the damage was already done. Kael had felt it too.

His smirk faded, replaced by something darker.

"You feel it, don’t you?" he murmured, his voice rougher now.

Selene clenched her fists. "I don’t believe in the mate bond."

Kael chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "That doesn’t matter. It believes in you."

She glared up at him, refusing to let him see how much his presence unsettled her. "Let me go."

His eyes flashed with something unreadable. "I can’t."

Selene’s breath hitched. "What do you mean, you can't?"

Kael’s expression hardened. "You stepped into Shadowfang territory. That makes you my responsibility now."

"Responsibility?" she echoed in disbelief. "I’m not some lost pup you need to claim, Alpha. I don’t belong to you or your pack."

Kael’s gaze darkened. "That’s where you’re wrong."

Before she could protest, he let out a sharp whistle. From the trees, several wolves emerged—large, powerful, and unmistakably his warriors. They surrounded her in a loose but inescapable formation, their golden eyes watching her every move.

Selene’s stomach twisted. This wasn’t good.

Kael took a step back, giving her space, but his voice was firm when he spoke.

"You have two choices, Selene. You can come with me willingly." His silver eyes burned into hers, a silent promise of what he would do if she resisted. "Or I’ll carry you."

Selene swallowed hard, her mind racing. She was injured. Weak. Outnumbered.

And most dangerous of all—her wolf didn’t want to run.

She should fight. She should claw and bite and escape into the trees.

But something in Kael’s gaze told her that this was only the beginning.

And that terrified her more than anything else.