HIS LUNA, HIS PRISONER.

RHYNA'S POV "Long before you and I were born, Conan said, his voice low, serious, like he was speaking to the universe itself. "There was a prophecy," he continued, his green eyes boring into mine. "An Alpha will be bound to an enemy... a healer who holds the power of life in her hands. Together... they will either bring the pack salvation or destruction." I froze, my chest tightening. My hands curled into fists. "Fuck you," I spat, cutting him off before he could continue. "What the fuck does that have to do with me? You must be very, very delusional." My wolf growled sharply, a low, warning sound that vibrated through my chest. I knew exactly what it meant. It agreed with Conan. But I didn't care. "Fuck fate," I muttered, turning away, my jaw tight. He didn't move. He simply stood there, arms folded, watching me as if my words were the ramblings of a child. "Here," he said after a long pause, breaking the silence. "Take a look for yourself." He handed me a scroll, heavy and ancient-looking, bound in gold threads that shimmered faintly in the dim candlelight. The weight in my hands felt like a challenge. "What's this?" I asked, my voice sharp, skeptical. "Read it," he said. There was no inflection, no patience, just quiet authority. I grabbed the scroll roughly and unrolled it. The paper was thick, brittle at the edges, and the writing inside... it was written in deep crimson ink that looked almost like blood. My stomach twisted as I read the words, and I felt my chest tighten. "Amidst bloodshed and loss, when the moon hides its silver light, a healer shall enter the Shadowbound Claw Pack. The bond shall awaken, uniting the enemy and Alpha. Life and death will hinge upon her hands. From her will, the pack will either rise triumphant or fall to shadows. Only the courage of the unwilling shall determine the path of survival, and only the strength of the bonded hearts shall decide the fate of all." I flung the scroll to the floor. Tears blurred my vision, and I sank to my knees, hands pressed over my chest. My heart slammed wildly, refusing to calm, refusing to accept what I had just read. "That... that's not true," I whispered, my voice trembling, barely audible. "It can't be..." I looked up. Conan was still standing there, arms crossed over his chest, eyes unreadable but sharp, piercing. "This isn't me," I said, my words cracking. "You're mistaken, okay? You're... you're lying." My wolf growled deep in my chest, fierce and insistent. Every hair on my arms stood on end. This wasn't a lie. It never felt like one. "Please," I said, my voice breaking as I got to my feet. "Just... let me go." I turned toward the door, wanting to escape, to run far away from this mess, this turmoil, this war raging in my chest and mind. Every step I took felt heavy, weighted with dread and exhaustion. But he was faster. Before I could reach the door, his hand wrapped around my wrist. His touch was firm, unyielding, and it sent a jolt of heat through me. "Deny it all you want," he murmured, his voice low, dangerous, "but you know it's true." His breath was warm against my cheek. His scent filled my senses, overwhelming me, pulling at something primal I didn't want to acknowledge. I wrestled against him, desperate to free myself. "Leave me alone!" I shouted, trying to wrench my arm free. He didn't let go. Instead, he stepped closer, closing the distance between us until his presence consumed me. "And if not..." he whispered, dangerously soft, " don't make this hard for yourself. It's difficult enough on me already." My hands froze in place. His words burned, hitting somewhere deep in me. I hated him. I wanted to punch him, to shove him, to escape the power he held over me. And yet... I couldn't. "I'm the one who's supposed to be conflicted here," he said with a faint edge of pride, "not you." I felt my blood boil. "And why is that?" I asked, my voice sharp, trembling with a mix of anger and fear. Conan tilted his head slightly, his green eyes darkening. He studied me like I was a puzzle he'd been given the answer to, and I wanted to scream at him. My wolf thrashed inside me, angry, restless, rejecting, but there was nothing I could do to quiet it. He said slowly, almost deliberately, ignoring my question "this bond... this fate... it doesn't care what you want." My chest tightened, my throat burning. "Then I'll fight it," I said, my words cutting through the tense air. "I won't be your Luna. I won't be bound to you. I won't let this stupid prophecy... or you... control me." His lips curled, a mixture of amusement and frustration flickering across his face. "You think you have a choice?" he asked quietly. "You think the Moon Goddess asked you? You think she waits for your permission?" I took a step back, breathing hard, heart hammering. My wolf snarled, ears pinned, claws itching, and I knew we were both screaming the same defiance. "I... I won't bow," I said. "I don't care what's written in your damned scroll. I'm not the healer you think I am. I'm not the enemy you think I am. And I'm not yours." Conan's jaw tightened, but he didn't move. He simply watched me, still, calm, and somehow even more terrifying. "You think this is just about you?" he asked, his voice low, dangerous. "You think this is punishment, or cruelty?" I shook my head, angry, desperate. "I don't know what it is. I don't care! Just leave me alone!" "You can run," he said, finally stepping closer again. "You can scream. You can fight. But every step you take, every beat of your heart... it's tied to me now. You felt it before. That heat, that fire? That's not just fear. That's the bond waking inside you." I felt my stomach twist. My hands curled into fists, trembling. My wolf growled, whined, tried to push against the invisible chains tying me to him, but it was useless. "I... I didn't ask for this," I whispered. "I didn't choose this." "And neither did I," he said softly, almost vulnerable for the first time. "But the bond doesn't care about choice. It never will. It decides. It awakens. It punishes. And it protects. It binds us whether we like it or not." I wanted to scream, to hit him, to throw something, to prove that I was still in control. But every time I opened my mouth, my voice faltered. Every step I took, the air seemed to pull me closer to him. Every breath I drew tasted of the bond, the prophecy, the inevitability I was fighting so hard to deny. "You can keep denying it," he whispered, green eyes locking onto mine, "but your wolf already knows. Your heart already knows. The fire burning inside you isn't just rage. It's fate." I shook my head violently. "No," I said, my voice cracking. "No. This isn't real. It can't be. I refuse to accept it." Conan's lips curved faintly, a predator's smile. "You can refuse all you want," he murmured. "But the blood... my blood... your touch... it sealed it. There's no going back." My hands flew to my chest instinctively, the heat of the bond radiating like a fire, making me shiver, making my knees weak. I could feel him in me, in my mind, in my wolf, even when he wasn't touching me. And I hated it. I hated it so much. "You think this is easy for me?" he asked, voice low and dangerous. "Do you think I wanted this bond? That I wanted you? That I asked for this?" I swallowed hard, trying to speak, to argue, to push him away. My wolf roared in frustration and fear, but I stayed on my feet. "I didn't ask for it," I whispered again. "And I don't want it. I don't want you." His eyes softened ever so slightly, just enough to make me doubt my own words. "You can fight it. You can scream. You can hate me. But it won't change what's already begun." I felt my chest tighten, heat and fear and fury all colliding. I wanted to run, to escape, to deny, to fight. But even as I made for the door again, his presence filled the room, smothering, impossible to ignore. "Don't make this hard for yourself," he said, his words teasing and dangerous. "It's difficult for me already. I'm the one who's supposed to be conflicting here, not you." I froze. "I..." I swallowed, jaw tight, fists clenching. My wolf growled, lungs burning, heart hammering. "And why is that?" I demanded, defiance blazing through me despite the chaos in my chest.