Bound By Blood

SELEN’S POV

I stood at the edge of the crumbling cliff, the full moon casting silver light across the abandoned ruins that once served as my sanctuary. My breath was steady, despite the cold wind blowing through my long, raven-black hair. Tonight marked my one year anniversary of exile. I had grown used to solitude, the constant fear of being hunted, and the betrayal that burned like poison in veins.

I was once the pride of my clutch, a princess born from an ancient bloodline. Now I was nothing more than a fugitive , blamed for a crime I did not commit. I scanned the forest below, every rustle of leaves, every howl reminded me that I was never truly safe.

Small sound behind me got me whirling around ,my fangs baring instinctively. But it was only a bat, a tiny creature fluttering into the night. I cured myself of being so jumpy. It has been a year and there is still no sign of my clutch sending someone after me. Perhaps,they truly believed I was the traitor I was accused of being.

Determined to clear my mind, I began a silent ritual,one of the few comforts I still allow myself, a dance that melted my movements with the whisper of ancient magic. I twisted my body and turned, each step a silent plea to the moon goddess for clarity, for strength,for wisdom from the past that chained me.

But as I danced, I felt an unfamiliar presence, a surge of power so dark and overwhelming that stole my breath away. Before I could react, the ground beneath me erupted, sending me falling. My vision blurred as shadows engulfed me, my head spinning into chaos.

The last thing I saw was a pair of piercing, ice blue eyes staring down at me with a mix of triumph and fury.

XXX

I woke with a sharp jolt, my body aching from the fall. My head pounded, and vertigo twisted my thoughts. The air around me was thick, laced with an unfamiliar scent-earth, musk and something darker, sharper. I tried to sit up, but my body felt heavy. My vision swam as I squinted at the bright, unforgiving light above me. The world was upside down disorienting, until I realised that I wasn't lying on the ground .

I was in a cage

Cold, metallic bar reflected the moonlight, casting an eerie glow around me. My heart slammed against my chest, my instincts screaming at me to escape. I gripped the bars, tugging, but they held firm. The cage was solid-built to contain someone far stronger than me. I cured under my breath, I had me captured.

“Calm down and focus selene” I scolded myself

It has been so long since anyone has managed to catch me. But this felt different. Whoever had taken me didn't just trapped me.They had planned for it.

The air felt wrong. It was so still, it was too oppressive, like a predator waiting to strike . I searched my mind for any clue of what had happened. The last thing I remember was an overwhelming surge of power, the dark presence that tore through the forest and dragged me down. And those eyes, ice-cold piercing blue eyes.

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to breathe. Panic was a luxury I couldn't afford. I needed to figure out where I was, what had happened and who was behind it.

I had been brought somewhere far, a place that smelled of wealth,power and secrets. The walls around me were not natural stone like the crumbling ruins of my old home. These were polished, deliberate. Made of something colder. I glanced around trying to get familiar with my surroundings. The room was dimly lit, with only the chandelier dangling above casting a fractured light. The air was thick and heavy with tension. I could hear footsteps in the distance. Too far to know if it was heading towards me, but enough to make my blood spike.

I wasn't alone

I reached for my powers, but a Sharp pain shot through my chest. My breath hitched as the energy that had always been a part of me was blocked, held at bay by a force I couldn't penetrate. Whoever had brought me here knew what they were doing.

I winced, trying to maintain control. Think, who could do this? Who had the power to track me down after all these years and cage me like this?

Then it hit me, Lucian Bloodclaw.

The name came to me in a rush, Lucian, the ruthless alpha who walked the earth after his father of course,who also like Lucian ruled with merciless authority. If anyone had the power and resources to capture me, it was him. His eyes had haunted my thoughts since I fell. I had heard the whispers of his power, but I never thought I would be on the receiving end of it.

The sound of footsteps drew closer, and I braced myself, positioning myself at the corner of the cage. My body was ready to spring , but I needed to know his game plan before I reacted to it.

The door cracked open and the figure who walked in was tall, his presence immediately filling the room. Lucian Bloodclaw.

My pulse quickened and my breath caught up in my throat . He was every bit as imposing as I had imagined. His broad shoulders and well defined physique outline in the moonlight. His short dark hair framed a face carved from stone and his piercing blue eyes locked onto mine with such intensity that felt like it could burn through me. His cold calculated gaze held me captive.

“You're awake” he said, his voice low and smooth, like silk wrapping around stone. It was unsettling in its calmness. “I wasn't sure if you would be. Most don't survive the journey.” I said nothing. My fangs ached, but I held my ground. I would not break.

“You've made a grave mistake.” I muttered, my voice laced with venom. “You'll regret this”

Lucian smirked, an almost imperceptible twitch of amusement crossing his face. “I'm sure you think so. But I think you will find that I'm the one in control here, you're not going anywhere, not without my permission.”

I tightened my grip on the bar of the cage. “And you think you can hold me here? You think you can keep me down?”

He stepped closer, his presence intensifying . The temperature in the room seemed to drop with each step he took. “I don't need to hold you down princess. You'll learn soon enough that you belong here- in my world. You always have.”

A chill ran down my spine. His words weren't just physical . They were deep, layered with meaning I couldn't quite grasp. He wasn't just talking about containment . He meant something more. Something terrifying.

I gritted my teeth “why?Why am I here? What do you want with me?”

Lucian eyes glinted with something dark, almost predatory. “You're a rare price Selene Nightshade, vampire princess of an ancient bloodline. you've been highly in the Shadows long enough. but now, your secrets are mine.”

My heart skipped a beat, secrets? what secrets did he know? I had hidden everything about my past, my true Nature. no one knew the truth. I never intended to reveal it. Especially not to him.

Lucian Wasn't done. He stepped even closer, the bars of my cage mere inches between us. The egg real colder. “As for why you are here…. let's just say I have plans for you. Plants that will ensure the balance of power shift in my favour.”

His words were like a cold blade to the chest. I wasn't just his prisoner. I was part of something far bigger. something that will force me to confront my past and my bloodline the very thing I have tried to escape.

the weight of his world pressed down on me like a physical Force. I realised, with a sinking

feeling that my life was not longer mine. it had been taken by someone more powerful than I had ever anticipated. and Lucian Bloodclaw, he was the one who didn't the key.

His voice broke through my thoughts, soft yet chiling “sleep well, princess.”

Before I could respond, the door slammed shut plunging me back Into darkness.

I was no longer just a fugitive, I was something else, a piece in a game far more dangerous than I had ever imagined. And Lucian bloodclaw was the one controlling the board .