Forcefully Claimed by Mr Edward

JULIA FROWN.

“You’re hurt. I can’t just leave you here,” I mumbled, more to myself than to him.

He didn’t respond. Instead, his piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, studying me with an intensity that made my skin prickle. It felt like he was searching for something, trying to read my thoughts, my intentions. The silence between us stretched longer than it should have, and I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. But I didn’t look away.

I tore the last strip of my dress and pressed it gently against his wound, hoping it would slow the bleeding. My hands shook—whether from the cold or the fear that had rooted itself in my chest, I wasn’t sure. Every instinct told me to run, but how could I leave him like this? His eyes followed every movement I made, his breathing labored, his face pale. Yet there was something else in his gaze—a sharpness that unnerved me.

“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper as I crouched beside him. He didn’t answer, just narrowed his eyes as though he was trying to make sense of me. I wasn’t sure what to do. I had never dealt with something like this before—someone wounded, someone who needed help, but who radiated danger. And here I was, not even sure if what I was doing would help at all.

“I’ll help you,” I murmured again, mostly to convince myself. I needed to believe I could make a difference, even though my hands were trembling.

He shifted against the tree, a low grunt escaping his lips as his body tensed. His eyes flashed, and I couldn’t tell if it was anger or pain. His gaze was piercing, and there was something wild in it, something that made me second-guess my decision to come closer.

He didn’t say a word. His silence only deepened the strange tension in the air. He kept watching me, scrutinizing my every move, making me feel as though I was the one who had done something wrong. It made my heart race for reasons I couldn’t explain. There was something about him, something dangerous.

“I have to go,” I said after a moment, my voice sounding small in the vastness of the woods. The cold night air bit at my skin, and a shiver ran through me. I had done all I could for him. Staying any longer felt like tempting fate, like inviting more trouble than I could handle. “I’ll come back tomorrow with more supplies. You’ll be alright until then.”

“No.” His voice was harsh and rasped, but it stopped me in my tracks. I froze, turning back to look at him. His eyes blazed with something fierce, something dark. “Don’t come back.”

I blinked, surprised by the harshness of his words. “But I—”

“Don’t,” he growled, cutting me off with a tone that was far stronger than I expected. It wasn’t a request—it was a demand. His gaze hardened, his body tensing despite his injuries. “I don’t need your help.”

I stood there, feeling the sting of his rejection. I had just tried to help him, saved him from bleeding out, and this was the thanks I got? I opened my mouth to argue, but the look in his eyes made me stop. He didn’t want me here. He didn’t *need* me here. And the way he looked at me—it was like I was more of a problem to him than his wound.

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to swallow my words. “Fine,” I muttered under my breath. The cold night seemed to press in closer, suffocating, as I took a step back. His gaze never left me, sharp and unyielding.

I turned away, feeling an odd mix of relief and something else I couldn’t quite place—like I had just escaped something dangerous, but also left something unfinished. My heart pounded as I made my way back through the woods, the trees looming like dark sentinels around me. The rustling of the leaves and the snap of twigs underfoot were the only sounds, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched.

His words, his tone, kept replaying in my mind. *Don’t come back.* He had been so cold, so final. It wasn’t the desperate plea of someone who needed help. It was a warning.

I didn’t understand him. Why would he push me away like that? I had done my best to help, yet it felt like I had done something wrong. His harshness had cut deep, and for reasons I couldn’t explain, it stung more than it should have.

The moonlight filtered through the thick canopy of trees, casting long shadows across the forest floor. Everything felt eerie, like the forest itself was alive and watching. I quickened my pace, eager to reach the village, my mind swirling with thoughts of the man I’d left behind.

Who was he? What was he doing out here, injured and alone? And why had he reacted so strongly to me offering help?

I finally reached the edge of the woods, the familiar dirt path to the village coming into view. My breaths came out in sharp, shallow gasps, and my legs burned from the hurried pace I’d kept. But I couldn’t shake the tension that had knotted itself in my chest. Even as I stepped out of the forest, the shadows seemed to follow me, lingering in the corners of my vision, making the night feel darker than it should have.

When I reached my aunt’s house, the familiar weight of dread settled over me. I knew what awaited me inside—her scorn, her punishments. But it was better than being out there, alone with my thoughts, alone with the memory of those cold, blue eyes.

I slipped into the house as quietly as I could, careful not to wake her. The bruises from the last time she’d caught me sneaking in were still fresh, and I wasn’t eager to add to them. As I crept into my small room, the weight of everything pressed down on me.

His voice echoed in my mind. *Don’t come back.*

I lay down on my bed, staring up at the dark ceiling, my mind racing. There was something about him, something dangerous. But there was also something else, something that made me feel... connected to him in a way I couldn’t explain. I shouldn’t care. I should forget about him. But I couldn’t.

And that was the worst part.

EDWARD FROWN.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I should have been focused on the pain, the sharp sting in my abdomen where blood still poured from the wound. But no, all I could see was *her*—a girl, a human, kneeling in front of me, torn fabric in her hands as she worked to wrap it around my injury.

Her blond hair was pulled into a messy bun, yet it looked like something sculpted by the gods. Loose strands framed her face, softening the sharp lines of her jaw, and her blue eyes—God, those eyes. They were deep, almost like the ocean, and I felt as though they could see right through me. Not just the pain I was in, not just the wound that had weakened me, but deeper, into my soul.

It was strange that in my state, weakened and barely able to move, I could take in every detail about her. The way her hands, small but strong, moved with a kind of grace that belied the nervousness in her voice. The way her breath hitched when she saw the blood, yet she didn’t flinch. The way she smelled—clean and fresh, like rain on the forest floor.

Then it hit me, like a blow to the chest.

*She’s the one.*

My mate.

No. This couldn’t be happening. Not her. Not a *human*. The bond, that pull inside me, was unmistakable. But my mind rejected it completely. She couldn’t be mine. She was weak, fragile, nothing like the strength that ran through our kind. She was a liability. A weak stupid human that doesn't even know danger.

I felt the primal force tugging at me, urging me to accept her, to let the bond take over. But I fought it. Anger boiled inside me—anger at fate, at the gods, at the universe for this cruel joke.

I couldn’t accept it. I *wouldn’t* accept it.

Her hands moved quickly, tearing another piece of her dress to tie around me. She kept talking, soft words that I barely heard over the roaring in my head. I could feel her concern, her fear, but it didn’t matter. She had no idea what she was to me. And I would make sure she never knew.

Before I could stop her, she stood up.

“I have to go,” she said, her voice quiet but firm. “I’ll come back tomorrow. I promise.”

*No.*

The word screamed in my mind, but it wasn’t out of panic. It was out of refusal. She couldn’t come back. I would hate to see her again, She don’t belong *with me*. If she did, her fate would be sealed. She would be pulled into a life she could never survive, a life I will hate to keep seeing

In a sick way, it would be kinder for her to die here, in this forest, than for me to be tied to her

I fought the overwhelming need to reach for her, to stop her, and instead forced the words out, cold and harsh. “Don’t come back.”

She stopped, her head turning slightly. “What?” she asked, confusion lacing her tone.

I swallowed, hardening my voice even more. “You need to leave. Now.”

Her brows furrowed, and she took a hesitant step toward me. “But you’re hurt—”

“I don’t need your help,” I cut her off, forcing venom into my tone. “You’ve done enough.”

Her mouth parted slightly, the hurt in her eyes unmistakable. I felt the pull in my chest tighten, but I refused it.

shoved it down, refusing to acknowledge it. She couldn't know what I was or what she meant to me.

“Fine,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes flickered with pain and confusion, but she didn’t argue. She just turned away, her footsteps soft against the forest floor.

I should have felt relief as she walked away, but all I felt was a heavy emptiness settling over me. This was the right choice. She didn’t belong in my world, and it would be better for me, I rather live this empty life than spend it with a human.

Yet, as she disappeared into the distance, I couldn’t shake the dark thought that crept into my mind.

It would have been better if she had never found me. Better if someone had killed her before she became my weakness. My bond to her was a curse—one I refused to accept. If she was gone, dead, there would be no pull. No bond. Nothing to tether me to this fragile human.

But she was gone now. Out of my sight. And I had to hope she stayed that way.

As my body weakened, succumbing to the blood loss, I heard footsteps—quick and frantic—approaching from the direction of the forest.

“Alpha, you’re alive?”

I blinked, forcing my eyes open to see Trevor standing over me, his face pale with worry. His hands moved quickly to assess my injury, but I barely registered the pain. My mind was still on her—on the girl I had just rejected.

“Alpha, we need to get you out of here,” Trevor muttered, his voice tight with concern.

I grunted, not really listening. My thoughts were consumed with the bitter realization of what I had just done.

“Alpha Edward?” Trevor’s voice broke through my haze. “Your eyes… they’ve changed.”

I tensed, knowing exactly what he meant. In our kind, when you meet your mate, your eyes change color—a sign of the bond forming. But I refused to acknowledge it.

“Did you meet her?” Trevor asked, his voice filled with awe.

I clenched my jaw. “I did.”

Trevor’s face brightened with excitement. “Where is she? What clan is she from?”

“She’s nothing,” I spat, my voice cold. “A human.”

Trevor’s smile faltered, confusion replacing his excitement. “A human? But, Alpha—”

“It doesn’t matter,” I cut him off sharply. “I don’t want her. She’s not my mate.”

Trevor stared at me, stunned. “But… the bond—”

“It’s a mistake,” I snapped, glaring at him. “She can’t be my mate. She never will be.”

Trevor hesitated, clearly unsure of what to say. But he didn’t press further. He nodded slowly, though his expression remained troubled.

“Let’s get you back,” he said quietly, helping me to my feet.

As I limped away from the spot where I had met her, I tried to bury the pain deep inside. I had made my decision.

Now I had to live with it.

Over my dead body will a human be my mate