Fantasy

In our world, finding your fated mate is supposed to be the ultimate blessing. A sacred bond that makes you whole. I used to dream of that moment.
    Then I turned eighteen and found mine. Alpha Marcus. The ruthless, calculating leader of my pack—and the man who cast my family out to be less than nothing after my father died protecting his. He keeps our bond a secret, parading his chosen fiancée in my face for a political alliance. The bond is a curse; every time he touches her, it’s like knives twisting deep in my gut, an agony I can’t escape.
    Tonight, at the annual Alpha’s Gala, I was invisible—just another outcast serving drinks. But then a different Alpha, Damien, offered me a kindness I hadn’t felt in five years.
    Marcus saw everything. He dragged me into an empty corridor, his powerful body caging me against the wall. His scent was intoxicating, his presence overwhelming.
    “Did you enjoy the attention, little outcast?” he sneered, his voice dangerously low.
    “You have a fiancée,” I choked out, the words tasting like ash.
    “You. Are. Mine,” he growled, his grip tightening on my arm until it burned. “Don’t you ever forget who you belong to, no matter who I f*ck.”
    For a second, I saw his mask of indifference crack. He leaned in, his lips just a breath from mine, and I saw the raw, possessive hunger in his eyes. He owns my body, our bond, and my entire future.
    But he will never own my spirit.