Chapter 11: ELEVEN

M A R K O V

“You did what?” Tristin asked, staring at me wide eyed.

I looked away from him. “I did what I had to do. I couldn’t allow her to know my true identity this soon.” I said, already knowing the judgment that would come after.

“So, using powers to bind her wolf was the best option? You know this will only cause more harm than good? The girl will only get weaker and weaker as the day goes by! That is so stupid, Markov. You have no idea what you have done! What if you killed her wolf?! What would you have done then?! Huh?!”

I growled, feeling my inner beast growling in rage. "How dare you question my decisions?" I shouted.

Tristin growled back, his eyes glowing. "How dare you treat her like a slave? How can you be so heartless? This isn’t you, Alpha. The plan was you gaining back your sense of humanity once you find her, but it looks like you're falling deeper and deeper into the abyss of madness!"

"Watch your tongue, Tristin, or I will have it ripped out."

"Go ahead. Rip it out. But, I'm not backing down. Your mate is suffering, and you don’t even care! This isn’t what we planned, you’re destroying yourself with your own hands!”

"How do you expect me to care?! How do you expect me to go easy on her? She doesn't understand! She doesn’t know anything! She is an outsider, Tristin! She knows nothing about us, nothing about our culture, and nothing about what it takes to be a monster’s mate!"

"That doesn't matter. She is your mate. She is a part of this pack. She is your responsibility. Don’t you understand how wrong it is? Don’t you feel bad for her?"

"Of course, I do! That's why I'm doing this. To protect her. To keep her away from this life. To keep her safe."

"Safe? She isn't safe with you! She is trapped here! She has no freedom! You are a slave owner, not her mate! How can you be so cruel?"

"Cruelty is the only thing that will save her. Cruelty is the only way to show her what I really am."

"And what is that?"

"A monster. A cruel monster."

"You're not a monster. You are her mate."

"And, a monster is still a monster, whether his mate is with him or not. Nothing can change that."

"Stop being stubborn. This isn’t working. This plan is not working. You have to tell her the truth. She deserves to know."

"No. Not yet. I can’t afford to lose her, Tristin. Don’t you fucking understand? The moment she finds out who I am and decides to leave me or starts hating me, I will lose myself. My inner beast will go mad. And, the next person I will kill is her. No. She has to stay with me. Forever. She has to stay here. Until the day I die. This is the only way to protect her."

"By trapping her in a cage and forcing her to obey your orders? Do you realize what you are doing, Alpha? Do you understand the gravity of the situation? This will only make things worse. This will destroy her. Her wolf will never forgive you. If you want to protect her, then you have to trust her. You have to open up to her. She will never accept you as her mate if you don't. She will hate you. This isn't the way."

"She will never accept me as her mate if she finds out what I am. Not now. Not ever. No one could fall for a beast, not even her. Have you seen her expression whenever the topic of the beast is being spoken about? Have you seen the fear in her eyes when she watched the news about a beast slaughtering and feasting on humans? How can she accept me if she can't even look at something that gruesome done by me?"

"It is not her fault. You have to make her understand. If not, then she will never see the real you."

"What makes you think she will believe me? She won’t trust me. I can't blame her for that. It's not her fault. I'm a monster, and I will always be a monster."

"But, you can change. You can prove yourself. If she sees you as a man who has changed, a man who is fighting against his inner beast, a man who has decided to protect her instead of hurting her, she will accept you. She will believe you. But, if you continue to be a dick, then she will never believe you. She will never trust you. And, your beast will lose control. It will become unstoppable. Don't be stupid, Alpha. Open your eyes and see what you're doing. You're losing her. And, the worst part is that you're doing it on your own. You're letting her go. You're giving up. Don't be selfish. Stop thinking about yourself and think about her. Think about her happiness. Think about her safety. Think about her life. Think about her future. She is not meant to suffer. Not with you. You are her mate, her protector, and her partner in life. Don’t make her your victim. Don’t force her to be the reason for your fall." Tristin said and turned around, leaving me alone in the room.

I clenched my fist. Tristin's words were affecting me. It was the truth. Everything he said was the truth. I knew that. I wasn’t blind. But, I was a monster. I was a beast. I was her enemy.

I was the very reason she was suffering. I was the reason for her pain. I was the reason for her torment. I was the reason for her nightmares. I was the reason for everything. And, she had no idea.

The only way to keep her safe was to make her my prisoner. The only way to protect her was to keep her locked away in my house. The only way to ensure her happiness was to lock her up.

She would never leave. She would never abandon me. She would never be hurt.

She would be mine.

Mine forever.

And, there was no escape.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down my nerves. But, I couldn't. I could feel her pain. I could feel her suffering. I could feel her confusion. I could feel her anger.

And, I was the one who was causing her all of that.

I was the reason she was going through hell. I was the one who was ruining her life. I was the one who was destroying her soul. I was the one who was tearing apart her sanity. I was the one who was breaking her heart. I was the one who was torturing her. And, I was the one who was enjoying it. I was the one who was loving every moment.

I was the one who was basking in her pain.

I was the one who was bathing in her misery.

The fear of losing her was real. She was living with her parent’s killer, a man who had killed more than a thousand people. She was trapped in a prison, a dungeon that was guarded by monsters, creatures that were known to be cruel and ruthless. She was living under the same roof as her greatest enemy. And, the worst part was that she had no idea. She didn’t know anything. She had no clue.

The pain of not being able to have her was unbearable. The thought of her being free was unthinkable. The thought of her leaving me was terrifying.

She had to stay. She had to be mine.

Forever.

But, could I really do this to her? Could I really force her to stay with me? Could I really bind her wolf and use my powers on her?

The answer was simple.

No.

I couldn’t.

I couldn’t trap her. I couldn't force her to be mine. It wasn’t right.

She was her own person. She was her own woman. She was her own wolf. And, she had a right to choose. She had a right to be free. She had a right to leave.

The answer was right in front of my face, but I couldn’t choose it. Never. No matter how much I tried to convince myself, I knew the moment she finds out the truth, she will be gone.

She would hate me. She would despise me. She would loathe me.

This was the only way to get her to be with me. Keep her in the dark and she will stay with me.

If she knew, she would run.

If she knew, she would do everything in her power to end me.

And, if that happened, I would die. I would kill her. I would kill myself. I would go crazy.

I could not let that happen.

So, I made a decision.

I will never tell her.

Never.

I will keep her in the dark.

I will never give her a chance to leave me.