Chapter 5 The Alpha King’s Mansion
The convoy tore through the darkened outskirts of the city, headlights slicing through the fog. The sound of engines rumbled like thunder in my ears as I sat in the back seat with Darius.
“Open this door and let me out!” I snapped for the hundredth time, but my words were swallowed by the hum of the motorcade.
He didn’t answer. Didn’t even glance at me. The low light from the dashboard cut across his sharp jaw, his expression set in stone, a mixture of patience and warning. His scent, pine and steel and something older than I could name, clung to the air and clawed at my sanity.
My fists clenched. I didn’t care who he was, Alpha King or not, I wasn’t going to let him treat me like a sack of flour.
“Do you always kidnap women you can’t control?” I hissed.
That got a reaction, a quiet, dark laugh, low in his chest. “Only the ones who try to stab me,” he said.
My eyes burned. “You broke into my home.”
“You left me no choice.”
“ I don’t want anything to do with you!”
He finally looked at me then, just long enough for me to catch the faint curve of his mouth that wasn’t quite a smile. “You’ll change your mind soon enough, little hybrid.”
“Stop calling me that!”
He didn’t.
The convoy veered off the main road, turning down a path flanked by towering pines that looked centuries old. The mist thickened until it pressed against the windows like smoke. I squinted my eyes, trying to see past the tint of the windows, but all I could make out were shadows.
We drove for what felt like forever. The air grew colder. My heart hammered in my chest.
Finally, through the fog, massive iron gates loomed ahead, black and ornate, carved with the sigil of a wolf’s head crowned by thorns. They opened without a sound, the heavy chains parting as if obeying an unseen hand.
Beyond them, a sprawling estate appeared, its silhouette breaking through the mist like something pulled from a nightmare and a dream all at once.
The mansion was enormous, ancient, its dark stone walls stretching upward into the night, its windows glowing faintly gold. Pine woods surrounded it on all sides, and the air smelled of damp earth and rain. The long driveway gleamed under the headlights, cobblestones slick with moisture.
“Where are we?” I demanded, twisting in my seat.
“Home.” He answered.
“Yours, not mine.”
“That depends,” he said simply.
“On what?”
Before he answered he grabbed me placing me on his lap. His fingers brushed the back of my thigh as he tightened his grip to keep me from wriggling. “On whether you keep fighting me.”
I went still, glaring at the window instead of at him. “You’re insufferable.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
The vehicles came to a stop before the grand staircase of the mansion. Servants — at least a dozen of them — stood waiting in neat rows on either side of the wide stone steps. Men in dark suits, women in gray dresses, all with their heads bowed respectfully as the Alpha stepped out of the car.
Darius opened the door and got out, carrying me effortlessly. I thrashed in protest.
I tried to kick him again, to force myself free, but he didn’t even flinch.
“Mara,” he called, voice carrying with authority.
An elderly woman stepped forward, bowing slightly “Good evening, Your Majesty,” said the older woman, her silver hair tied neatly in a bun.
“Mara,” Darius said, his voice firm. “Is everything ready?”
“Yes, Alpha,” she said with a small nod. Her eyes flicked to me, widening slightly, but she said nothing. Years of service must’ve taught her that silence was the safest response.
“Good,” he replied, adjusting my position over his shoulder, one massive hand keeping me secure. I thrashed violently, striking his back with fists and elbows. “Put me down! I swear I’ll kill you!”
“You’ll thank me later,” he murmured, almost tenderly, though the grip on me didn’t loosen.
“Put me down! I can walk!”
He didn’t slow his pace as he climbed the steps. “You’ll only run.”
“Damn right I will!”
That earned another low chuckle. “Exactly.”
The servants didn’t so much as blink. Their eyes flicked upward briefly, just once, at the sight of her struggling against him, but not one dared say a word. Their silence was suffocating, reverent, like he carried a goddess or a curse in his arms.
My hair was a wild tangle around my face. My old jacket hung off one shoulder, and my breath came in furious bursts. I caught the scent of pine smoke and rain as the heavy front doors opened.
The interior stole what little breath I had left.
Inside, opulence dripped from every surface.
The floor was pure marble, white veined with gold, polished so bright she could see the reflection of the chandelier above them. Crystals hung from it in cascading tiers, catching the firelight from the walls and scattering it across the room in glittering shards. Portraits of men and women in regal attire lined the walls — alphas, I realized. Their painted eyes followed me as Darius crossed the grand foyer.
It was too much. Too perfect. Too silent.
I continued pounding my fist against his back. “I said let me go!”
“Stop hitting me.”
“I’ll stop when—!”
I yelped as his palm landed on my ass.
“You—you absolute bastard!”
Darius’s boots thudded against the polished floors as he continued carrying me up the stairs, still slung over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. I pounded at his back with my fists, but it was like hitting a wall made of stone and muscle.
“Put me down!” I shouted, twisting, kicking, clawing at his shirt.
“Stop squirming,” he said, his tone maddeningly calm. “Unless you want me to drop you on your head.”
“That’d still be better than being here with you!” I snapped.
He chuckled — low, deep, a sound that sent unwanted shivers down my spine. “I doubt that, little wolf.”
“Put me down, you maniac!” I hissed.
He ignored me entirely, striding through the doors of one of the rooms.