Chapter 4: The Alpha’s Obsession

Celia paced back and forth in the lavish room Damon had imprisoned her in.

The soft glow of the setting sun filtered through the high balcony windows, casting long shadows across the luxurious furniture.

The walls, lined with rich tapestries depicting the Blackwood lineage, mocked her attempts at freedom.

She was trapped.

Every window was sealed with heavy iron bars, every exit guarded by Damon's warriors, and now, even her thoughts were shackled to the maddening idea that Damon's obsession wasn't just about the mate bond.

The bond she had spent every waking hour fighting.

Damon had made his intentions clear from the moment he had laid eyes on her.

She was his.

But as each hour passed, she could feel the weight of his presence, his eyes, always watching.

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Celia's heart skipped when she heard the heavy footsteps approaching her door. She didn't need to see who it was; the steady, rhythmic sound belonged to none other than Killian, Damon's Beta.

The door creaked open, and Killian, a towering figure with a dark, brooding expression, stepped inside.

His black hair fell messily over his forehead, and his gaze was sharp, assessing.

"You're not allowed outside," Killian stated flatly, his tone indifferent as he crossed the room.

Celia's eyes narrowed.

"You're here to keep me locked up?"

Killian didn't answer, his eyes scanning her with a cold calculation.

Since Damon had claimed her, Killian had been assigned the task of ensuring Celia didn't escape.

He was the watchful sentinel, the ever-present reminder that her world was now under Damon's rule.

Celia's jaw clenched as she forced herself not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear.

"You think I'll just sit here and be a good little mate, do you?"

"I think you'll be whatever Damon orders you to be," Killian replied, a slight smirk pulling at his lips.

She hated that smirk.

Hated the way he spoke as if she were nothing more than a possession.

But it wasn't just Killian who had made it clear.

Damon had, too.

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The days passed like hours.

Damon's obsession with her was suffocating.

Every time she tried to walk the halls of the estate, she was followed, as though she were a delicate treasure he feared losing.

She saw him every evening, seated at the head of his grand table during meals, his gaze always lingering on her with an intensity that made her skin crawl.

He would not allow her to leave his sight for long, even in the privacy of her chambers.

Why?

What was it that Damon Blackwood needed from her that made him go to such lengths?

Celia couldn't deny the attraction that brewed between them, even if she hated it.

The mate bond pulsed between them, a constant reminder of the desire that swelled in her chest.

It was unnatural, this pull to him, but she refused to acknowledge it.

Despite Damon's insistence that she would be his, Celia's resistance only grew stronger.

She fought the bond every day.

Every hour.

Every second.

It was when Celia had caught sight of the pack members' whispers that the reality of her situation truly set in.

She had been walking down a narrow corridor of the estate when two pack warriors, a male and a female, had passed by her.

Their eyes flickered to her, and then to each other.

"Is she really the one?" the male whispered, his voice full of awe.

The female answered, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yes. She's the Alpha King's mate."

Her breath caught in her throat.

The weight of their words settled like a stone in her stomach.

The Alpha King's mate.

The entire pack knew who she was, what she was. She wasn't just any prisoner or captive.

She was Damon Blackwood's chosen.

The realization hit her with the force of a thunderclap.

She was part of the Blackwood legacy now.

But as the days passed, she began to understand that Damon wasn't just keeping her close because of the mate bond.

There was something more.

The Protection

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One evening, after dinner, Celia had been escorted back to her chamber by Killian.

She had tried to slip past him earlier, hoping to sneak into the shadows, but her every move was watched.

Damon's presence seemed to loom even when he wasn't physically near her.

Killian stopped her at the door with an unreadable expression.

"Damon's orders," he muttered, pushing the door open for her.

But there was something different in his eyes.

A flicker of something that suggested it wasn't just the Alpha's orders weighing on him.

A caution.

"What's happening?" Celia asked, her voice steady.

Killian's gaze darkened, but he didn't speak.

He just watched her with an intensity that was hard to ignore.

As she stepped into the room, a low growl vibrated through the air.

Her instincts screamed at her to run.

But before she could process what was happening, the ground trembled, and a distant noise split the air.

Battle horns.

Celia's blood ran cold.

The familiar sound of war.

The Blackwood Pack was under attack.

She rushed to the window, her pulse pounding.

Through the heavy glass, she could see the flickering torches of the warriors as they moved along the outer perimeter.

Something was wrong.

The sound of shouting and the clash of weapons echoed across the grounds.

Damon's warriors had already mobilized.

"Killian," she whispered, fear creeping into her voice.

"What's going on?"

He didn't respond immediately.

He merely turned and walked toward the door.

"Stay here," he ordered, his tone more serious than it had ever been before.

"No," Celia snapped.

She wasn't going to sit idly by while the estate was under siege.

There was no way she was going to be kept in the dark.

But as she turned to confront Killian, the sound of shuffling footsteps reached her ears.

She turned quickly, only to find Damon standing in the doorway, his golden eyes blazing with urgency.

"We need to go," he ordered, his voice low but commanding.

Celia froze. "Go where?"

Damon's eyes flickered to her, his jaw set with determination.

"An assassin has entered the pack. They're here for you."

The words hit her like a slap in the face.

She had been right all along.

This was bigger than just the mate bond.

Someone was after her.

And Damon Blackwood was determined to protect her—no matter the cost.