The Alpha's Bond: Forbidden But Wanted

"Stand still and stop looking at the floor," my father hissed into my ear. I shifted my weight and gripped my champagne glass until my knuckles turned white.

He thinks I am a prop, so I will act like one. We stood at the entrance of the Castellanos great hall.

The room smelled of expensive leather, wood smoke, and the heavy scent of fifty wolves. I followed him into the crowd and prepared to be ignored.

"Smile for the cameras, Elena," he commanded without looking at me. I stretched my lips into a fake grin.

This is going to be a long night. I moved toward the back wall of the hall. I wanted to stay away from the candlelight and the noise.

The most powerful bloodlines in Spain were currently performing their rituals. They circled each other with careful greetings and deliberate posturing.

These families have hated each other for centuries. I watched them from the shadows like I always do.

"You look bored," a voice said from my left. I turned to see Marcus, a sub-Alpha from a minor pack. He leaned against the stone pillar and smirked.

"I am just appreciating the architecture," I replied. He let out a dry laugh and took a drink.

You are a terrible liar, Elena.

"Your father is looking for a match for you tonight," Marcus whispered. He leaned closer and his breath smelled of bitter gin. I stepped back and put more space between us.

"He will be disappointed when he finds nothing," I said. No one wants an unmarked woman of twenty-one. I am a glitch in the bloodline. The burn started at my left wrist.

It was sharp and sudden, pressing into the inside of my skin. I looked down at my arm out of habit.

There has never been anything there my entire life. I waited for the sensation to fade, but it grew stronger. My skin began to glow with a faint light.

"Are you okay?" Marcus asked, his smile fading. I did not answer him because I could not breathe. Something is happening to me. A gold pattern began to trace itself up my forearm.

It moved slow and deliberate, cutting through my skin like a hot blade. I recognized the shape immediately. I had seen that pattern on the news and in history books.

It was the crest of the most dangerous man in the country. This cannot be happening. The pain shifted from a low burn to an absolute fire. It felt like my bones were breaking and knitting back together.

The mark wrote itself across my chest and down my thigh. My knees gave out before I could decide to fall. The glass in my hand hit the stone floor and shattered.

The sound of breaking crystal cut the hall into a dead silence. Every wolf in the room turned toward me at once. Fifty pairs of eyes watched as I collapsed.

I am the center of attention for the first time in my life. The gold light crawled up my neck and pulsed with heat. No one moved toward me to help. They just stood there and watched me scream.

"She is manifesting," a woman shouted from the front of the room. The words moved through the crowd like a physical wave. I pressed my hands flat against the floor to stay upright.

"The Vinculo Primordial," an old man whispered near the stage. He sounded terrified, which made my own fear grow. I am shaking so hard I might break.

The mark finished its work and the heat peaked. The name it put on me was not Castellanos. The gold light was not the color of my family.

The bond had chosen Bastian Valdemar as my mate. He is the Alpha who has spent three years destroying my father's business. He is our greatest living enemy.

I heard his name move through the room in thirty different tones. Some people sounded disbelieving and others sounded hungry. They knew the world had just shifted.

My father's boots appeared in front of my hands. I recognized the expensive leather and the silver buckles. I raised my eyes to meet his.

Don Rodrigo Castellanos stood over me with his hands behind his back. He looked down at the gold light on my skin. He is calculating my value.

"Papa," I said, my voice cracking. I wanted him to pick me up and take me home. I wanted him to tell me this was a mistake. He did not answer me or offer a hand. He crouched in front of me and grabbed my glowing wrist. He turned it over to examine the crest.

"Does it hurt?" he asked in a low voice. He sounded like he was asking about a broken piece of furniture. I nodded and tried to pull away.

"Yes," I gasped out. The fire was still humming in my veins. I need it to stop.

"Good," he said with a cold smile. "Pain means it is real." He released my wrist and stood back up. He turned to face the fifty guests of the Sangre Antigua. He was already performing for them.

He looked down at me one more time. His eyes were bright with a dark kind of energy. He is not worried about me at all.

"Finally," he said, his voice quiet and certain. "A use for you."

I tried to stand up but my legs were still weak. I leaned against the cold stone wall and gripped my arm. What is he going to do?

"Get her cleaned up," my father told two of his guards. They grabbed my elbows and hauled me to my feet. You are hurting me, I thought.

"Where are we going?" I asked as they dragged me toward the side door. My father didn't even turn around to look at me. He was busy talking to a group of Alphas.

"To the border," the guard on my right said. He had a grip like a vice. I struggled against him but it was useless.

"Why are we going to the border?" I asked. I felt a sick feeling in my stomach. The gold mark on my arm pulsed in response to my panic.

"Because the Valdemar Alpha is already waiting for you," the guard replied.