The Hockey Alpha's Second Chance Slave Mate

Unseen Forces

"Focus, Luna," Marcus's voice, deep and forceful, broke through her thoughts. His eyes were fixed on her, observing her every move. "You're not paying attention."

"I'm fine," she said, but her body betrayed her as she wavered in her stance. She couldn't shake the bond, how her heart beat when he was near, and how it seemed to get stronger every day.

"Luna," he whispered gently as he got closer, his body giving out heat. He put his hand on her shoulder, and the sensation shocked her. "We need to talk about this."

"I don't want to talk about this, Marcus." I can't... "It's not just us." She got tense and moved away.

"Then what is it about, Luna? What about your family? "Your pack?" He lifted an eyebrow, and a smile crept across his lips.

Her heart fell. "I'm not going to betray my family," she murmured, her voice cracking even though she didn't want it to.

"Then what?" He pushed. "What are you going to do?" You can't keep running away from this.

Luna bit her lip, and doubt crept into her chest. It was getting harder to deny the relationship, but her family's expectations were getting heavier every day.

"Luna," Marcus murmured again, this time in a gentler voice, as if he were trying to get through to her. "You can't run forever."

A voice she knew pierced the silence, harsh and merciless, before she could answer.

"Luna!" The voice of her father cut through the air. "Now is the time to choose."

Luna stood in the kitchen with her back straight and her hands at her sides, thinking about what her father had said. The tension in the air grew thick as her mother's harsh look swept over her like a storm.

"You've crossed a line, Luna," her father said, his tone low and menacing. "Have you been seeing Marcus?"

"I haven't betrayed you," she said, although she wasn't sure if she believed what she said. Luna took a deep breath to calm down.

"You have," her mother said sharply. "That bond has blinded you, and you're letting it affect your judgment." Luna, this situation is bigger than you.

Luna gulped hard as the weight of her family's hopes and dreams hit her. "I haven't picked anyone," she said softly. "I'm just trying to make sense of this."

"Don't lie to us," her father yelled as he stepped forward. "You've been picking him." That link has been controlling you.

Luna tightened her hands, her rage building in her chest. She snapped, "You don't get it." "It's not as easy as that."

Her mother shook her head. Her voice was gentler, but it was still nasty. "It's easy, Luna. You may pick us or him. Choosing him means you are choosing treachery. And you know what happens to people who betray others.

The words hurt, and Luna felt the weight of their expectations on her. She would rather not make a choice. She couldn't.

Her mother's voice got lower, which was scary. "The pack is split. And if you stay with him, it will break us all up.

Luna's chest clenched as her mother told her what she had to say. Could she truly stay with Marcus, knowing how much it would cost her?

Marcus whispered softly, "I didn't want this, Luna," as he stepped closer, his voice full with anguish. "But I can't stop it. I can't help but feel this way.

Luna didn't answer right away. She felt her chest tighten as she stared up at him. "You don't get it," she continued, her voice shaking. "You don't know how the situation is affecting me." The stress my family puts on me. How they gaze at me.

Marcus said in a quiet voice, "I know more than you think." "I know how you feel, Luna. I know what it's like to have to pick between loyalty and love.

She looked him in the eye, her heart racing. "Then why didn't you just leave all of this behind? Why didn't you pick your family?

He added, "It's not about family," in a strong but genuine voice. "It's about us. It's about who we are. And I won't let this go, no matter what.

Luna gulped hard, and the words felt like a strike to the stomach. She wanted to back off and go back to the safety of her family's environment. But there was something deep inside her that wanted to stay, and it was difficult to ignore.

Marcus moved closer, and their hands brushed against one another, which made something happen between them. The relationship flared up, and the energy between them was almost too much to handle.

He said in a gruff voice, "Luna, you don't have to fight it." We are stronger when we work together.

But just as the bond was about to take her over, Luna pushed back, and a cold chill ran down her spine. "I can't," she said, her heart tearing.

Marcus's eyes got darker, but his voice stayed steady. "You can't run forever."

As Luna walked back and forth in the woods, away from her pack's watchful eyes, her chest clenched. She hardly noticed that the moon was behind a curtain of clouds. Marcus was all she could think about. The pull between them was so powerful that it had only become stronger in the last few days.

She had attempted to fight it and break the tie, but it was like attempting to stop the water with her bare hands. It got more and more difficult for her to pretend she wasn't attracted to him every time they were close to each other and their eyes connected. She could feel it deep in her chest—the bond was beckoning to her, and the closer she went, the more she felt like she was going to drown in it.

She tried to push the thoughts away by closing her eyes, but she couldn't. She couldn't ignore the fire in her veins or the pull that made her heart race when he was around.

She spun around, her heart beating, when she heard footsteps. Marcus was there, standing in front of her and taking up all the space around them.

"Luna," he whispered quietly, his voice full of sorrow. "We need to talk."

Her heart raced, but she strained to stay calm. "I don't want to do this anymore, Marcus," she whispered, her voice shaking even though she tried her hardest. "I can't keep acting like this bond isn't real." "I can't keep acting like you don't matter."

He moved closer, his eyes focused on hers with a look of resolve. "Then stop acting, Luna." I won't let you leave.

The words almost broke her, and her chest felt constricted. They caught her. She felt torn between her family, Marcus, and the unbreakable bond she had. She was in too deep.

A figure stepped out of the shadows before she could say anything. It was a shadow from Marcus's pack, and its eyes glowed with an odd brightness. The figure answered, "You're both wrong," and a chilly smile spread across their face.

Luna stopped moving, and her body became stiff as she gazed at the stranger next to Marcus. The intensity of their shining eyes made her hair stand on end.

"Who are you?" She yelled, her voice wavering yet firm.

Marcus's eyes darted to the stranger before he turned back to her with a serious look on his face. His voice was full of urgency when he said, "We don't have time for this." "Trust me, Luna. This link is stronger than we are. We don't even know what factors are at work.

Luna swallowed hard. The attraction between them got greater with every second that went by. She would rather not give in or trust him, but everything in her screamed for her to follow him and embrace the bond for what it was.

"Please," Marcus begged in a low, desperate voice, "don't fight the feeling anymore."

He reached for her and pulled her toward him before she could say anything. His lips hit hers hard, and the kiss caused ripples throughout her body.

Luna's heart raced, and every part of her body tingled with the connection that had formed between them. For a moment, everything else—the danger, the relationship, and the consequences—faded away. It was just him and her, and she couldn't deny how much she needed him.

But just as she was about to give in, a frigid voice broke the moment. It was harsh and full of hate.

"You're mine, Luna," Bernard's voice resonated from the dark, making the air cold. "No one else can have you but me."

Luna jumped back, her pulse racing and her breathing quick. She looked up, her eyes wide with horror. Was this the cost of loving Marcus?