HEARTS OF DIVINE RUIN (The MoonGoddess and The AlphaKing)

"Luna," he growled softly, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't lie to me."
Something inside her cracked at the harshness of his tone, and she felt the sting of unshed tears pricking at her eyes. But she swallowed them back, lifting her chin defiantly. "I am not obliged to tell you anything Alex and even if i tell you , you won't understand—"
"Then make me understand!" he demanded, voice rough with unrestrained anger. "You think I can't handle the truth? That I'm too weak to help you? Tell me what the hell is going on, or—" he leaned in, his gaze burning into hers, "—I'll drag you back, tie you down if I have to, until you have no choice but to talk."
The ferocity in his tone sent a shiver through her. She opened her mouth, then closed it, utterly caught off guard. No one—no one—had ever dared to speak to her like this.
Luna's shock quickly morphed into defiance, a fiery light sparking in her eyes as she took a step closer, meeting his intensity head-on. "Drag me back?" she scoffed, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Do you really think you have the strength to do that? Or the guts to follow through?"
She tilted her head, a mocking smile curving her lips. "You want to know everything, Alex? Then prove it. Prove to me that you're not just another arrogant fool who thinks he can tame a goddess with brute force and empty words."
His eyes flared with rage, jaw tightening as her taunt hit its mark. "Don't push me, Luna," he warned, voice low and lethal. "You want to test my limits? Fine. But when I break through those walls you've built—when I make you tell me everything—don't blame me if I don't let go."
"Good luck with that, Alpha King," she shot back, holding his gaze without flinching. "I'll be waiting."
A thick, electric tension crackled between them, his nostrils flaring as he fought to control himself, and for a moment, she almost believed he would snap—grab her, drag her somewhere they could be alone, and force the truth out of her, just like he threatened. But she wasn't about to back down. Not when she was the only one with the upper hand.
"Go on then," she dared softly, voice almost a purr. "Tie me down, Alex. Make me talk. Let's see if you really have the strength to hold me."
The way his face twisted—caught somewhere between fury and dark, dangerous desire—sent a thrill of excitement through her, even as it made her heart race.
"Damn it, Luna!" he growled, taking another step forward, their bodies almost touching. "Why do you always have to make this so impossible?"
"Because impossible is the only way I know," she whispered back, her gaze unwavering. "But if you really think you can change that, you're welcome to try."
The silence that followed was thick and heavy, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he glared at her, his fingers twitching at his sides as if he was moments away from grabbing her and forcing her to stop dancing around him. But then, slowly, he stepped back, shaking his head in frustration.
"Damn you," he muttered under his breath, turning away from her—but the tension in his posture told her this was far from over.
Luna's smile faded as she watched him go, her own anger simmering just beneath the surface. Let me in, he'd demanded.
I can't, she thought bitterly. Not when it might be the last thing I ever do.
But his footsteps halted after walking a distance and he turned back towards her , this moment Alex stormed back in and lifted her effortlessly onto his shoulder, Luna's shock was instant and palpable. "Put me down, you brute!" she shouted, pounding her fists against his back, her kicks landing uselessly against his thighs as he held her firmly, not slowing for even a second.
Damn Human. she cursed her powerless human self.
"Alex! Damn it, put me down!" she yelled again, writhing and struggling as he carried her like she weighed nothing more than a sack of grain. But he didn't respond—he just pushed through his bedroom door, kicking it shut behind him, and threw her onto the bed with enough force that the mattress bounced under her weight.
She scrambled up, fury and disbelief in her gaze, but before she could move, she heard the distinct sound of a belt unbuckling. Her eyes widened in horror. "No... You wouldn't actually —" she breathed, backing up slowly until her back hit the headboard. Panic flashed through her as he began crawling toward her, a predator closing in on cornered prey.
"Alex... Stop," she tried, voice trembling despite herself. "This is not the time to—"
But he didn't stop. He reached for her wrists, yanking her hands forward, ignoring her thrashing and struggling as he looped the belt around her wrists in a tight bind. "What are you—?!" she gasped, but then she felt the tug as he secured the belt to the railing of the bed, effectively trapping her in place. She scoffed as she realised his action. He actually tied her to the bed.
"Let me go!" she demanded, eyes blazing as she pulled against the restraint, but it was no use. This mortal body—weak and fragile compared to what she used to be—couldn't break free. And he knew it.
"Not until you stop running from me," he growled, his voice low and edged with raw determination. His face was inches from hers, the heat of his body searing through her as he braced himself on his forearms, caging her in. "You're going to talk to me, Luna. You're going to tell me everything."
She glared at him, fury and indignation warring on her features. "And what if I don't?" she spat, struggling harder. "What will you do, huh? Keep me tied up forever? I'll never—"
"Yes, you will," he cut her off, voice harsh. "You will, or I swear to whatever gods you used to know, I won't let you go until you're screaming it at me."
Her breath hitched at the raw intensity in his tone, and she stared up at him, wide-eyed. "You've lost your mind," she whispered, trying to sound defiant but failing.
"Maybe," he admitted, his gaze burning into hers. "But you drove me to it."
Luna pulled against the belt again, feeling the leather bite into her skin, but he didn't move, didn't even flinch as she fought. His gaze was steady, relentless. "Tell me what you're hiding," he demanded softly, his voice a dark caress. "Tell me why you're so eager to get away. What is the death mission that Lucifer was talking about , Luna? Why are you so hell-bent on pushing me away ?"
"None of your business!" she hissed, her face inches from his, eyes flashing. "I don't owe you anything, Alex! I don't—"
"I'm making it my business," he shot back, leaning in closer, so close she could feel the heat of his breath ghosting across her skin. "Because you—no matter how hard you try to fight it—are mine. Mine to protect, mine to worry about. And I am not letting you walk out of here without giving me the truth."
Luna's breath caught in her throat, her pulse pounding wildly at the sudden possessiveness in his words. Mine. Her mind reeled, disbelief flashing through her as her heart hammered against her ribs, each beat betraying the turmoil his unexpected declaration had thrown her into. She stared up at him, wide-eyed, searching his face for any sign that he realized the weight of what he had just said.
But he didn't even flinch. His gaze remained fixed on hers, fierce and unwavering, his expression set in a storm of determination. It was as if he hadn't even registered the significance of his own words, as if the claim had slipped out in his anger without him grasping what it truly meant. And that made it worse. Because while her entire world seemed to tilt off balance, he appeared completely unbothered, the intensity of his focus never wavering.
Before she could process it, before she could even think to respond, his hand shot out, catching her chin firmly. She instinctively tried to turn away, teeth gritted in defiance, but he held her steady, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"Look at me, Luna," he murmured, his voice a dangerous blend of anger and something far deeper, far more potent.
It sent shivers down her spine, her heart stuttering under the weight of that tone—low and dark and filled with a rawness that both terrified and thrilled her. "You think you can just walk out of here? That I'll just let you go off on some half-cocked death mission and stand back, doing nothing?"
"It's not your fight!" she shouted, her voice breaking as the anger faltered, the truth bubbling up unbidden. "It's not your fight, Alex! It's mine! Mine alone! And if I fail, then—then—"
"Then what?" he demanded, his grip on her chin tightening, eyes blazing with a rage she had never seen in him before. "Then you die? Is that it?"