Bound to the Savage Alpha

Chanel’s POV

She wasn't supposed to feel safe in his arms.

Not after everything she’d endured. Not when his reputation whispered of bloodshed and cruelty.

And yet, here she was—curled against Alpha Kios’s chest, listening to the steady beat of a heart everyone said he didn’t have.

“I’m not him, Chanel,” Alpha Kios murmured as he was about to mark her. “I won’t hurt you... even if it kills me to let you go.”

But before she could respond, the scent of pine and regret hit her like a storm.

Daniel.

The mate who once chose another. The mate who now burned with the need to claim her back.

Only this time, Chanel wasn’t the same girl who’d begged to be chosen.

This time, she had power.

This time, they’d have to fight for her.

——

Even though I could see Daniel from where I stood hidden, I decided to mind-link him, testing if he'd sense my presence first.

“Hi, babe. Where are you?” I asked, giggling.

He tensed. But before he could respond, a blonde woman rushed toward him, throwing herself into his arms. He caught her effortlessly, and then she pressed her lips to his.

I froze. My fingers curled at my sides, but there was no anger coming, only a strange, hollow blankness, as if my mind was refusing to process what my eyes had just witnessed.

It wasn’t until he pulled back that I recognized the woman. It was Miranda, the alpha's daughter from a new allied pack.

"I'm at Gary’s event," he replied through the link. ‘You should sleep, Chanel. This is a business event. It’s for our pack.’

A sharp, bitter laugh almost escaped me. He had no idea I was here, watching him betray me in real time.

The past five years flashed in my mind like cruel reminders. Five years of stolen moments. Five years of secrets, of whispered promises under the moonlight.

"Can we be together?" I had asked him weeks ago as I lay in his arms, my fingers tracing over his chest. " I don’t want to keep waiting."

He had kissed my forehead, saying. "We have to wait a little longer, Chanel. I promise I’ll never leave you. No one will ever replace you."

The sound of Alpha Gary's voice snapped me out of my reverie. He tapped Daniel’s shoulder and said, "I see you’re getting comfortable with your mate."

Mate?

Daniel chuckled, gazing at his woman, and winked at her. “Miranda and I have a lot to look forward to. She’s the perfect Luna for me.”

Alpha Gary arched a brow and took a sip from his glass. “And what about Chanel?”

Daniel let out a low laugh, shaking his head. “Chanel? She was just a practice partner. A way to pass time until my real mate comes along.”

My body trembled with rage as I pressed a hand to my mouth, swallowing the scream burning in my throat. Wait, was this even real? How dare he use me!

Miranda turned to Daniel, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing a kiss to his lips. “That girl deserves the hurt. She thought she could ever be more than what she is.”

Alpha Gary frowned slightly, his gaze shifting between the two of them. “You both seem to hold a lot of contempt for her. Why go through all the effort just to make her a fool?”

Miranda rolled her eyes before fixing Daniel with an expectant look. “Because she was the reason I didn’t get the top one in college. She outperformed me, embarrassed me, and stole what should have been mine. But Daniel promised to avenge me.” She leaned closer, running a possessive hand down his arm. “Because I’m his mate. I should be his priority.”

Daniel nodded without hesitation. “You are, Miranda. Always.”

I turned and fled, shoving past dancing couples, desperate to escape before my emotions consumed me. Then, I slammed into something solid, and large hands gripped my arms before I could fall. I lifted my gaze and met a pair of piercing silver eyes of a familiar man.

'Alpha Kios?' I thought, and even my wolf whimpered at his aura.

He was the Alpha of the Deathfang Pack—a man as feared as he was powerful. He was the last person I should be near.

“Sorry,” I breathed, trying to step back, but his grip tightened slightly.

"You look like you just cried. Are you hurt?"

I swallowed hard. Of course I was.

"Who did this to you?"

I hesitated. What would it change if I told him?

His thumb brushed my wrist, warmth jolting through me. "You're shaking. Tell me why."

"It doesn’t matter. I was just stupid to trust a man," I whispered, avoiding his gaze.

"No. He was a fool. And fools deserve to suffer."

His words caught my attention. Did he have any idea who I was talking about? "How do you know?" I asked, finally meeting his eyes.

"I can make him regret it. I can give you something better."

I sucked in a breath. "What are you saying?"

His fingers trailed up my arm, settling on my shoulder. "Do you want a mating bond with me?"

"A mating bond?" My pulse skittered. Did I hear him right? My mind reeled, struggling to catch up. "You want me as your mate?"

Kios let out a low, amused chuckle. "You're thinking too hard, little wolf. Do you want him to win?"

My mind scrambled to dissect his words. Was this an impulsive offer, or had he truly considered what he was proposing? But then Daniel's words calling me a practice kept repeating in my mind, and I realized that maybe this mating bond was a chance for me to take back control of my own life.

"What do you say? This is a one-time offer." Kios said impatiently.

"Yes," I finally said. "But we keep it a secret until the right time."