Chapter 2 Esmeralda's POV

The revelation hits me like a storm, leaving me breathless. Alpha Sheldon, the man who I had come to fear, is my mate.

The bond between us feels undeniable, yet terrifying. The air crackles with tension as he continues to stare at me. He immediately covers the remaining distance between us, his looming figure towering over me. He leaned in slowly, bringing my hair to his nostrils and inhaling my scent.

My heart thuds in my chest and my body feels tingly as I watch him, mesmerised. This is my mate. Mine.

But how could I belong to someone so ruthless, so brutal? The questions swirl in my mind, yet my body betrays me, drawn to him with an intensity I could not control.

Alpha Sheldon takes another step forward, his icy blue eyes darkening as if he senses the shift in the air. "Do you feel it too?" His voice is low, a dangerous rumble that sends shivers down my spine.

My heart races and my mouth runs dry. I nervously lick my lips as he inches closer, bringing his fingers to my jaw. His touch sends a spark through me and I sigh with a soft groan, leaning into him.

More, more, I want more.

The bond is pulling me, binding me to the one man I am supposed to fear more than anyone. But how could I accept this? How could the Moon Goddess be so cruel?

My voice trembles as I whisper, "Mate."

Alpha Sheldon's expression doesn't change, but something flickers in his gaze. It makes me tremble in pleasure. It was something dark and possessive. He reaches out, his hand brushing against my cheek, sending sparks of electricity through my skin and suddenly he grabs my chin, hard.

His icy blue eyes were simmering with a dangerous heat. Without warning, he leans down, his lips hovering just above my skin and grabs me by the waist, our bodies almost merging into one. My heart hammers in my chest, the tension between us thick, suffocating. I feel his breath ghosting over my cheek, his presence overwhelming every inch of my senses.

Then, slowly, he drags his tongue along my cheek in a possessive, lustful sweep. The action sends an electric jolt through me, my body freezing under the intimate touch. The sensation feels foreign, and yet a traitorous part of me shivered in response.

"Mine," he murmured against my skin, the single word drenched in possessive hunger. His voice was low, dark, filled with a desire that made the air between us heavy with unspoken tension leaving me trembling.

He suddenly breaks apart from me, chuckling as he did and stopping abruptly. He was being unpredictable, and I was trying to calm my raging nerves.

"You belong to me now," he continued, not caring about my expression, his tone cold but with an undercurrent of something more. "You will fulfil your duty, Esmeralda. But make no mistake, this bond changes nothing. You will bear my heirs, and that is all."

His words send a cold wave of dread crashing through me, but the bond between us still pulses with heat, confusing me even more. I wanted to fight it, to push him away, but my body ached for his touch.

"Why me?" I manage to ask, my voice quivering. "Why did it have to be me?"

Alpha Sheldon's lips twist into a smirk. "Fate is cruel, isn't it?" He leans in closer, his breath hot against my ear. "But don't think for a moment that this makes you special. You are still here to serve, to give me what I want."

His words hit me harder than any blow. The cruel smirk playing on his lips twists the knife in deeper. I wanted nothing but to cuss at the injustice of it all, the coldness of his words cutting through the warmth of the bond that seemed to wrap around us both.

I clench my fists at my sides, trying to suppress the rage building inside of me. My emotions were a mix of anger, sorrow, and helplessness.

I hate him. I hate how he can command my body with a single touch. But more than anything, I hate how I can't seem to resist it.

He watches me with a calculating gaze, as if he can see the battle waging inside of me. His cold, cruel smile never wavers. He steps closer, and I find myself frozen once again, his presence making it hard to think clearly. His hand moves to my neck, his thumb brushing over the sensitive skin there, and I gasp softly, betraying my inner turmoil.

"Don't touch me!" I yell, despite myself but he ignores me, continuing his explorations.

My blood chills as his hands tighten around my neck. It is not enough to choke me but I still tremble at the contact. He pushes me backwards, and in one swift motion, I am pressed against the bed. I know what is coming. It was why I was picked after all. My heart quickens as his lips graze the shell of my ear.

My wrists are pinned above my head with one of his hands and he hovers over me, his hands grabbing my waist, his face inches from mine. I want to scream, to push him away, but something deep inside of me,something primal and beyond my control, responds to his dominance.

"You're mine Esmeralda" he whispers, his voice a dark promise. "And you will never escape me."

His calloused hands roam over me, possessive and unyielding, as though marking every inch of my skin. His rough hands were a testament of his cruelty, of all the battles he has fought, of all the women he has touched before me.

Before I can even process what's happening, the room fills with the sound of his heavy breaths and my soft, unwilling groans. The tension between us snaps like a stretched out string, and everything shifts.

I feel the pull, stronger than before, and for a moment, my world blurs.