The Alpha’s Forbidden Claim

Chapter 4

Aria’s POV

The wind howled outside my window, rattling the panes like angry spirits. I pressed my hands against the cold glass, trying to steady my racing heart. My wrist burned with the crescent mark, pulsing as if it had a life of its own. Every throb seemed to echo Lucien’s presence, even though he wasn’t in the room.

Then I heard it. A low, guttural growl coming from the forest. My breath hitched. The sound was close, too close, and it carried a weight I had never known.

“Aria.”

Cassian’s voice was behind me, calm, grounding. I jumped, spinning to face him. He held a lantern, his blue eyes shadowed but alert.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” he said, voice soft but firm.

“I...” I swallowed. “I heard… something.”

“Of course you did.” He gestured toward the forest. “They’re restless tonight. The pack senses it.”

I frowned. “The pack?”

Before he could answer, a figure emerged from the mist. Lucien. His black coat clung to him, soaked with rain, and his storm-gray eyes glimmered like lightning. He didn’t run. He didn’t hesitate. He simply stood there, staring at me.

Something deep inside me twisted. Fear, yes, but something else. A draw I couldn’t fight.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, voice low, dangerous.

“I...I didn’t know,” I stammered.

He stepped closer, and I felt it, the pull of him, the bond burning hotter with every heartbeat. The crescent on my wrist flared, glowing faintly.

“I warned you,” he murmured, voice rough, almost unbearable. “Do not provoke what cannot be controlled.”

Cassian stepped between us, pale eyes narrowed. “Lucien, she didn’t know.”

Lucien’s gaze snapped to him, sharp and commanding. “She is my responsibility. Not yours.”

Darius appeared suddenly from the shadows, golden hair wet, amber eyes flashing with amusement. “Always so serious, Lucien. Let her feel a little danger. It suits her.”

The warning in his tone sent shivers down my spine.

Lucien’s jaw tightened. He turned his gaze back to me, storm-gray eyes locking onto mine. “Stay behind me,” he ordered, his voice low but firm. “And do not look away.”

My heart thudded violently. Stay behind him? What did that mean? Before I could ask, the ground beneath us trembled. A ripple ran through the mist, and then the creature appeared. A massive wolf, larger than any I had ever seen, fur black as midnight, eyes silver and sharp as blades. Its teeth bared in a snarl, every muscle coiled for attack.

I froze, unable to breathe. The world narrowed to the creature and the men around me. Cassian’s hand gripped mine, grounding me. Darius’s eyes gleamed with reckless delight. And Lucien… Lucien shifted in front of me.

In a blink, he was no longer fully human. His body elongated, muscles rippling, fur black and glistening in the moonlight. His eyes, silver like the wolf before him, burned with raw power and control.

I screamed, stumbling back against Cassian, clutching his arm. The bond pulsed like wildfire, hot and impossible.

Lucien growled—a deep, resonant sound that vibrated through my chest. The wolf before him hesitated, then charged.

The fight was swift, brutal. Lucien moved with inhuman speed, fangs sinking, claws raking, every motion precise. I watched, terrified and mesmerized, as the Alpha of Silvermist Pack tore through the rogue, his dominance absolute.

The wolf’s scream echoed through the valley, and then silence fell. Lucien, human again, stood over the fallen intruder. Rain dripped from his hair, sweat and blood mingled on his skin. His chest heaved, eyes stormy, piercing.

I took a shaky step forward. “L-Lucien…”

He turned toward me, every ounce of his power and possessiveness radiating like fire. “Do not come near me,” he said, voice low, threatening. “Do not touch the bond.”

I shivered, but my gaze fell to my wrist. The crescent glowed brighter than ever, and the pull between us was undeniable. Something primal, unexplainable, and terrifying surged inside me.

Darius stepped close, voice teasing. “Looks like the Alpha is… protective.”

I looked at him, then back at Lucien. The tension was unbearable. I couldn’t decide whether I was drawn to Lucien, terrified of him, or utterly consumed by the bond.

Lucien’s eyes softened just slightly as he studied me. “This bond is dangerous, Aria. If you do not follow my rules, if anyone sees it…” His gaze darkened. “You will not survive.”

I felt a shiver of fear, but also a thrill. The danger, the desire, the power. It was intoxicating.

Cassian gripped my hand gently. “We’re here. You’re safe… for now.”

Darius leaned against a tree, smirking. “Safe? You’ve never been safe. Not here. Not anywhere.”

Lucien’s storm-gray eyes bore into mine. “Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” I whispered, though my heart was pounding like a drum.

“Good,” he said, voice low, close, almost a growl. “Because from now on, nothing will be simple.”

My chest tightened, my stomach fluttered, and my wrist pulsed against him. Every nerve in my body screamed with the intensity of the bond, and I realized I wasn’t just drawn to Lucien. I was tethered to him in a way I didn’t yet understand.

As he turned and disappeared back into the mist, I felt the weight of his presence leave me, and yet the bond pulsed stronger than ever. Darius and Cassian remained with me, but it wasn’t the same.

The night stretched on, filled with tension, longing, and danger. I couldn’t shake the image of Lucien in his wolf form, protective, dominant, untouchable. My pulse raced at the thought of him, and the bond throbbed like a living thing beneath my skin.

By the time I returned to my room, drenched and shivering, I knew one thing for certain. I was trapped, not by walls, not by rules,but by him. By Lucien.

And the moment I had feared most was coming.

The bond had awakened. And now, there was no turning back.