The Bond's Price

Sam's POV

I woke to the faint sound of my own breathing. Or maybe it was someone else’s. My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing I realized was that I couldn’t remember where I was. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar, painted a pale gray that I couldn’t place. The bed beneath me was too soft, the sheets too clean. My body ached everywhere, a deep, dull kind of pain that made every movement feel like I’d been run over.

I tried to sit up, and my head spun violently. I froze, gripping the mattress. Something wasn’t right. Something was wrong.

Then I saw him.

Lucifer. Sitting in a chair at the edge of the room, legs crossed, hands resting lazily on his knees, that same infuriating smirk tugging at his lips like he owned the world.

“Where… am I?” I croaked, my voice weak. My throat burned.

He raised one eyebrow, tilting his head as if I’d asked the dumbest question imaginable. “You’re alive. That’s what matters. Everything else is secondary.”

I struggled to push myself upright again, ignoring the pounding in my chest. “Alive… why… where am I? What happened?”

“You’re in my penthouse,” he said, voice soft but deliberate. “You passed out. Almost didn’t make it. But now you’re here, and we’re going to make sure you stay that way.”

“Stay that way?” My heart raced. “I—I don’t want to be here. I—I want to go. I want to leave.”

Lucifer’s smirk widened. “You can try.”

I blinked. “Try?” My hands shook as I pushed myself to stand, legs weak beneath me. “You think I’ll stay here like a prisoner?”

“Prisoner?” He leaned back in the chair, arms crossed. “You’re free to go whenever you like. Just keep in mind…” His voice dropped, slow, deliberate. “…if you walk out of here, if you try to break this bond, you will die.”

I froze, the words sinking into my chest. “…What bond?” My voice cracked. “I don’t… I don’t remember agreeing to anything.”

“Not remembering doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.” His tone was casual, almost bored. “And I wouldn’t call it a bond. I’d call it… necessary.”

My mind swirled. I took a shaky step back, gripping the edge of the nightstand for balance. “Necessary… for what?”

“For you to live,” he said simply, as if that explained everything.

He sighed like I was being a bother.

“You are my mate, pretty Sam.”

“Do you really think I did all that to just keep you here for fun?”

He was being ridiculous. I wanted to laugh but then I heard it, my wolf purring…Mate!

What actual hell?

I shook my head, disbelief twisting my stomach.

“I—I’m… I’m not some… some pet!” My voice rose, weak but defiant. “I don’t belong here. I don’t… I don’t want this!”

“You don’t get to decide,” he said, standing, that slow, deliberate calmness that made my blood boil. “This isn’t about want. It’s about survival.”

I stumbled toward the door. My legs barely held me, my wolf still weak from the ordeal, but I had to get out. I couldn’t stay here. I wouldn’t. I didn’t care how close to death I had been. I’d rather face the streets than be trapped in… this.

“You’re really going to try that?” His voice was low now, and I could feel the sharpness behind it. “You’ll die if you leave. You’ve already broken a bond once, do you want to try it a second time?”

I froze. “…Break it?”

“You heard me.” He stepped closer, and my chest constricted at the heat rolling off him. “If you walk out that door, your wolf dies. You die. Your body can’t take it again. It won’t forgive you.”

I shook my head, trying to back away. “I… I don’t… I don’t care! I can… I can manage. I can—”

“You’re weak,” he said, interrupting. “And you’re going to stay weak until the bond settles. Until I allow your wolf to recover. Until then, every step you take without it is a step toward death.”

I pressed my hands against the door, heart hammering, sweat stinging my eyes. “I…I don’t care! I’m not… I’m not… I won’t let you—”

“You won’t let me what?” His voice was deceptively calm. He tilted his head, studying me like I was some interesting little puzzle. “Kill you? Mate you? You’re already dying. You can’t leave, and I’m the only one who can make sure you live.”

I faltered. My legs trembled violently, knees threatening to give out beneath me. “I—I don’t… I can’t…”

He moved closer, each step deliberate. “You can’t, because you’re tethered. You’re mine now. That’s just the way it is. Your wolf knows it, even if you don’t.”

I spun around, clutching at my head. “No! This isn’t right! I… I don’t…”

He grabbed my arms, surprisingly gentle for someone who could crush me with ease. “Listen. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to make sure you survive. That’s it. No speeches, no arguments. You don’t want to die? Stay. You want to walk out and gamble with fate? Go ahead and see how fast you regret it.”

I swallowed hard, the reality of my weakness pressing down like a vice. My chest burned, my lungs felt too small, my wolf restless inside me.

But what surprised me more was the burning heat of desire that rumbled my belly when I felt his touch.

I hated him for being calm. For making it seem like he didn’t care. For standing there like he could snap his fingers and control my very survival.

“Why are you… why are you even… why do you care?” I hissed, my voice shaking.

He tilted his head, smirk back in place, calm as ever. “Don’t get sentimental. I didn’t do this for you. I did it because I can. Because if I didn’t, you’d be dead. That’s all.”

I tried to step back, to push past him, but my legs wouldn’t obey. The bond was… heavy. Like chains wrapped around my soul, pulling me back, making every movement a struggle.

“You see?” he said, voice low and sharp. “You’re not in charge here. Your wolf isn’t strong enough. Your body isn’t strong enough. You can fight me if you want, but it won’t change a thing. You’ll die if you keep trying.”

I sank to the floor, knees shaking, hands clawing at the carpet. “I don’t… I don’t even… I can’t… I…”

“You’re exhausted,” he said softly now, almost like he had forgotten how sharp he could be. “Your body’s weak, your mind’s weak, and your wolf… your wolf needs time. You want to survive, you’ll stay here and let it heal.”

I looked up at him, hatred and fear and disbelief all twisted together. “I… hate this. I hate you. I hate… everything. I—”

“Good.” He crouched slightly, close enough that the heat of his body pressed into mine. “Hate me. Hate the bond. Hate yourself for being weak. I don’t care. Just live.”

I shook my head, trying to push him away, but the strength was gone. My wolf whimpered inside, every nerve screaming that leaving wasn’t an option, that I was tethered, that this bond wasn’t something I could break with my anger alone.

He let me struggle for a moment, then grabbed my shoulders, firm now. “You will not die today. Not on my watch. Not again. Your wolf needs me, your body needs me, whether you like it or not. Understand?”

“I… I understand,” I whispered, though my chest heaved.

“Good.” He straightened, calm as ever, stepping back just enough to let me breathe. “Now rest. I’ll be here. Don’t try to move again. Don’t even think about breaking this bond. It’s not a game. And if you try—”

“I’ll die,” I finished for him.

He smirked faintly. “Exactly.”

And then he was gone, moving toward the door, leaving me alone on the floor. The quiet was suffocating. The bond thrummed against my chest, heavy and demanding, reminding me that I was tethered in ways I still didn’t understand.

I hated him for it. I hated that I needed him. I hated that my wolf was restless, screaming for life, screaming for the very Alpha I despised.

And yet, beneath all of it, I knew he was right. If I tried to leave, I would die.

I had no choice but to wait.

And the thought of depending on Lucifer… made my stomach twist in fear and something else I didn’t want to name.