Chapter Two: You're Mine Now
Ryker's fingers are still curled around my wrist.
I should fight him.
I should scream.
I should do something anything to break the spell wrapping around us like smoke.
But I don't.
Because part of me the part I've locked in a mental cage for years is breathing again. Stretching. Awakening.
My wolf.
She's awake now. And she's looking at him like he's home.
"No," I whisper, more to myself than him. "No, this isn't real. You don't know me. You can't just... claim me."
Ryker's silver eyes flick down to my lips, then lower, tracing the curve of my throat like he's deciding where to bite.
"I don't need to know you," he says, voice low and graveled with restraint. "My wolf knows you. And that's all that matters."
"No," I repeat, sharper this time, tugging at my hand. "You're insane."
He steps in closer, cornering me between the cold wall and his heat.
"No. I'm Alpha."
The word strikes something primal in my chest. Power coils around him like mist raw, dark, dominant. He could break me in half, and I don't mean that metaphorically. Every cell in my body recognizes that this is the strongest wolf I've ever encountered.
But I'm not some trembling Omega begging for a mark.
I shove at his chest. "Let me go."
He doesn't budge. Instead, his eyes narrow, nostrils flaring.
"You're scared. Good. You should be. Because if I can smell you, the others can too. And they won't stop at words."
My skin chills.
"What others?" I ask.
His jaw ticks. "The bloodline Alphas. They'll scent what I did virgin Luna. Untouched. Hidden. They'll tear this school apart to get to you."
"I'm no one," I whisper.
He leans down, lips brushing the shell of my ear. "That's the biggest lie you've told so far."
Then he unlocks my door with one hand, how did he even get the key? and pushes it open like he owns the place. He doesn't look back before stepping inside.
"I'm not going anywhere," I say firmly, heart pounding.
He glances over his shoulder. "You already did. The second I caught your scent, you became mine. Come inside."
"I don't belong to anyone."
His smirk is dark, dangerous. "You will. By the next full moon, you'll be marked."
I flinch.
Marked.
Everyone knows what that means. A physical bite. A blood bond. A mating claim so ancient, so primal, it binds body and soul.
"No," I whisper again, but this time... even I don't believe it.
He turns fully, then crosses the room with those long, deliberate steps. I take one step back, and my spine hits the wall again.
"You don't understand," I say. "If you mark me if anyone marks me it'll trigger"
"What?" His voice lowers, curious. "What are you hiding, little Luna?"
Luna. He said it again.
Gods, he's too close. His scent is everywhere woodsmoke and musk and something wild. My knees threaten to buckle.
I lie. "Nothing. I'm just not what you think."
His eyes search mine for too long. And then he says, "Fine. If you don't want to talk, then don't. But you're staying in the Alpha wing now. Under my protection. No one touches what's mine."
"I'm not yours."
He smiles with teeth. "Not yet."
Then, without warning, he reaches up slow, deliberate and brushes a strand of hair off my neck.
I stiffen.
His fingers graze skin. My skin. The place where a mark would go.
His voice drops to a growl. "But if I wanted to... I could mark you right here. Right now."
"Don't," I whisper.
His smile fades. "I wouldn't. Not like this. I'm not a monster, Lyla."
The way he says my name...
Wait.
"I never told you my name."
His expression shutters.
Shit.
I step back. "How do you know my name?"
"Doesn't matter," he mutters, jaw clenched. "I'm watching you now. No more hiding."
"You've been watching me?"
He doesn't deny it. "There are rumors. Whispers. About a Luna hidden in plain sight. I didn't believe them... until I smelled you."
I want to deny it. Pretend I'm not who he thinks. But he's staring at me like a man who's seen the moon rise after years of darkness.
And worst of all?
I want to believe him.
His hand reaches out again, but this time it's slow, gentle. He presses two fingers under my jaw, tilting my face up.
"Your scent drives me mad," he says softly. "It's taking everything I have not to claim you."
I swallow.
He leans in, lips hovering over mine but doesn't touch. The tension is unbearable.
And then
BANG. BANG. BANG.
The door slams open. A tall figure strides in, scenting the air like a rabid dog.
Another Alpha.
This one leaner, golden-haired, eyes burning like fire.
"Vayne," the new Alpha growls. "What the fuck are you doing with her?"
Ryker moves in front of me instantly, shielding me with his body.
"Back off, Castien," he warns. "She's under my protection."
Castien snarls. "You don't have the right. She hasn't chosen you. She's unmarked."
"She's mine," Ryker says again, voice colder now.
Castien's eyes flick to me. And the hunger there sends ice through my blood.
"She smells like prophecy," he mutters. "I want a taste."
Before I can move, Ryker lunges.
The two Alphas clash, bodies slamming into furniture, snarling, shifting mid-motion. Claws rip through air. Teeth flash. Growls shake the floor.
I scream.
Books shatter. The dresser splits. Blood splatters the wall.
They're fighting for me.
Over me.
And all I can think is
The bond is real.
Because the pain in my chest as Ryker takes a slash to the side is too raw. Too much.
It's not just fear anymore.
It's connection.
And I don't know if I'll survive it.