Chapter 5 Bound by the Moon

The night was thick with silver light, the moon spilling across the rooftops like molten metal. I could feel its glow brushing against my skin, pulling me toward the alley once again. I knew I shouldn't go every instinct screamed that danger waited. But my heart... my heart refused to listen.

And, of course, he was there.

He emerged from the shadows as though the night itself bent around him, amber eyes burning brighter under the moon's gaze. Every step he took was precise, controlled, yet impossible to ignore. My chest tightened, and I realized with a jolt that fear and desire were tangled impossibly inside me.

"You came," he said, low and deliberate. "Even after knowing."

"I... I couldn't stay away," I admitted, voice trembling. I couldn't explain why, couldn't explain the pull that drew me to him, the way my heartbeat seemed to sync with his presence.

A small, dangerous smile curved his lips. "Curiosity. Fascination. Or something... deeper."

Before I could answer, the air shifted. Shadows twisted unnaturally around him, like smoke caught in a violent wind. My pulse hammered in my ears. He wasn't entirely human tonight. The faint gleam of claws, the slight distortion of his form, sent shivers down my spine.

And yet... he stepped closer.

My legs froze. My body betrayed me. Every fiber of my being screamed to run, but I couldn't. Couldn't even think about moving. His amber eyes bore into mine, searing and demanding.

"I warned you," he murmured, voice low and intoxicating. "I am not safe. And yet... you're still here. Still standing. Still looking at me."

I swallowed hard, words catching in my throat. "I... I don't know why I'm here. I don't understand why I feel."

He cut me off with a sharp, possessive movement. His hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him. Heat radiated from his body in waves. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. And yet, every instinct in me whispered... stay.

"You belong here," he said, his breath brushing against my ear. "With me. Here. Now."

My heart surged, a mix of fear, excitement, and something deeper something I hadn't dared to name. The danger didn't repel me. It drew me in.

"I... I don't understand..." I whispered.

He tilted my chin with one finger, forcing my eyes to meet his. "You will," he said, eyes flickering with something feral, something unrestrained. "Because once the moon touches you... once I mark you... you won't want to leave."

The shadows behind him swirled violently, and for a moment, the Alpha vanished or maybe he became something else entirely. His hands remained on me, grounding me, holding me in place.

"I'm yours," he murmured, the words like fire against my skin. "Mine in the moonlight. Mine whether you want it or not."

A shiver ran through me. Fear, yes but also something entirely uncontrollable. Desire, connection, inevitability. My heartbeat echoed his, and I realized with a jolt that he wasn't just dangerous. He was... part of me now.

The moon shone brighter, casting our shadows together on the alley walls. And in that light, I understood: nothing in my life had prepared me for this. For him. For the way he made my pulse race and my soul ache all at once.

And yet... I didn't want to escape.

Because I already belonged to him.

I thought I was afraid. I thought I could resist. But when he pressed closer and whispered my name... I realized I had no choice. The Alpha had claimed me, and there was no turning back.