Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the Beast
I screamed, lunging forward.
But I was stopped mid-stride. A wall of invisible force, cold as a tombstone, slammed into my chest, throwing me back. I watched in horror as the black liquid solidified into jagged, obsidian chains. This was the **Blood-Binding**. I could see the chains sinking into Rowan’s skin, not just cutting his flesh, but hooking into his very essence.
Rowan let out a sound that broke my heart. It wasn't the roar of a Beast. It was the choked, rattling cry of a man being hollowed out from the inside.