THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN FLAME.

TALIA'S POV

I was still shaking when the door opened.

"Heard you were looking for me," a deep voice said calmly. "I heard your shouting."

He stepped inside like he owned the air, the room, the world itself. Tall. Composed. Unbothered. As if I hadn't been locked inside like a prisoner.

"Don't you understand the concept of silence?" he added coolly.

Oh, that did it.

Who the fuck did he think he was talking to?

Something inside me snapped.

I wasn't going to sit quietly and have a stranger tell me how to behave. I wasn't going to let some stranger drag me out of my life and treat me like a property.

I reached for the flower vase beside the bed and flung it at him with everything I had.

He dodged easily.

"Are you insane?" he snapped. "Will you come off it?"

I didn't answer.

I grabbed my shoe and hurled it at his head.

Why the hell was I missing?

Before I could grab the glass figurine next, he was suddenly in front of me-too fast, too close. His hand wrapped around my wrist, stopping me mid‑motion.

"Will you stop this madness?" he growled, pulling me against him, his grip iron‑strong.

I struggled, panic and fury colliding in my chest. "What is going on?" I demanded.

"Why did you bring me here? Who are you? Who were those people last night? I saw you-" My voice cracked. "I saw you transform into something. What was that?"

My chest rose and fell rapidly. "I demand answers. Now."

He stared at me, his eyes dark and unreadable, his grip still firm around me.

"You demand answers?" he repeated quietly.

His gaze dropped to my lips. Then back to my eyes.

And suddenly, my thoughts scattered.

Before I could react-before I could even breathe-his mouth crashed onto mine.

It wasn't gentle. It wasn't slow. It was consuming.

My legs betrayed me instantly.

His lips moved against mine with a hunger that stole the air from my lungs. His tongue teased my lips open, demanding entry, and when I gasped, he took advantage, his tongue sliding against mine.

Fuck.

The kiss was overwhelming-heated, intense, I felt heat surge through me. My hands curled instinctively into his shirt, my body responding despite my mind screaming in protest. A soft sigh escaped me before I could stop it.

And then, just as suddenly as it began, he pulled away.

He was still holding me, his breath uneven, his eyes burning.

"You're not going anywhere anymore," he said slowly. "You're bound to me. Till eternity."

The words crashed into me like cold water.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

I snapped, shoving him away from me.

I wiped my mouth, my heart pounding wildly. "Who are you? And what are you talking about?"

I pointed at him. "I demand answers-and I want them now."

Something shifted in his expression.

His eyes darkened, something dangerous flickering beneath the surface.

"Watch your mouth," he warned. "No one-" his voice dropped into something lethal, "-and I repeat, no one controls or commands me."

I froze.

Not from fear alone-but from the sheer weight of his presence.

I felt like I was unraveling, like reality was tilting sideways.

Then his tone changed.

"Yesterday's events bound you to me," he said. "You are my Luna. And you cannot leave."

My breath hitched. This would have made for a good laugh if at all I wasn't tense.

"My... what?"

"Your Luna?" I echoed weakly. "What does that even mean?"

My mind raced. Was this some kind of royal title? A priestly position? Some twisted fantasy he'd created?

"I don't understand," I whispered. "Is this some kind of a sick joke?"

His gaze softened-just a fraction.

Then he spoke again.

"My name is Ramon Sincarra," he said. "I am a werewolf."

My heart stopped.

"The Alpha of the Sincarra Claw Pack." he said.

The room felt like it was spinning.

"And you," he continued, stepping closer, his voice lowering, "became my mate last night."

I staggered back until my legs hit the bed.

"No," I breathed. "No, that's not possible."

"As of yesterday," he finished calmly, "you are bound to me for life."

I shook my head, disbelief flooding my veins. "That's insane. Werewolves aren't real. This isn't real."

His eyes glowed a bright green in the dim light.

"You saw me transform," he said quietly. "i know you felt the pull. You touched my blood. You survived what no human should."

My throat tightened.

"You're alive because fate chose you," he said. "Because you're mine."

Tears burned my eyes-not from weakness, but from fear, shock, and the weight of something far bigger than me.

"I didn't choose this, I don't want this" I whispered.

He stepped closer. "Neither do I."

Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.

"What happens now?" I asked softly.

Ramon looked at me like the answer was inevitable.

"Now," he said, "you learn what it means to be the Alpha's mate."

My heart thundered in my chest.

And in that moment, I realized my life,my freedom, my future,had just been rewritten by an unknown force without my consent.