Chapter 4 DORIAN'S QUARTER
As Dorian’s hand gripped my back firmly, I maintained the expression of shy, overwhelmed Beta shock I’d been playing for the Council. The violence of the kiss had nearly shattered my Beta mask. The journey everyone was watching had begun.
As we walked down the corridor, Council members watched us. Dorian increased the pressure on my back; it wasn't affection, but crude possession. When our eyes met, there was only icy calculation and undisputed dominance. To the outside world, we looked like two people rushing to the bedroom. Inside, I read his message: "You will live only as long as I allow you to."
Finally, we reached the massive double doors leading to Dorian’s private apartment. The door was made of dark, sealed metal. Dorian touched the sensor. It slid inward with a heavy hiss.
The pressure on my back ceased abruptly. Dorian shoved me inside, and the door slammed shut behind us. All sounds from the outside world were trapped.
My mask fell away. I arched my neck, taking a deep breath of Dorian's scent. It was not just rosemary and fuel; anxiety and constraint were mixed in.
"That was quite a show," I said, my voice devoid of the Beta tremble. "While the Council is debating, we can get busy trying to kill each other."
Dorian shrugged his jacket off his shoulders. The apartment was strangely devoid of personal touches. The massive bedroom was minimalist, feeling less like a home and more like a temporary bunker.
"How busy we get depends entirely on your obedience, Luna," he corrected. He loosened his tie. "Now, the rules."
He sat in a chair in the center of the room, knowing I would remain standing.
"First," he began, his eyes burning, "the only truth spreading outside is that I madly desire you. This role continues even when you step inside this door, should there be any risk of the Council overhearing. They will watch you closely."
"Second," he continued, "you will not question me. What I think, what I plan, or where I go is none of your concern. Your job is to appear wherever and whenever I demand. And third, you will obey me. You play the role of High Luna. A Luna who questions an Alpha's authority is a threat to the stability of the Pack. Behind this door, you will make no move outside of my instructions."
I took a defiant step toward him. "Or what? You'll hand me over to the Council as a spy?"
A slow, predatory smile spread across his face. He rose, closing the distance between us in a single step. The scent of rosemary and fuel hit me like a hot wave.
"No, Serra. If I realize you’re spying, for me... you would become a special project."
He reached out his hand, his fingers hovering right over my frantically beating heart. That slight pressure sent a tremor through me, yet I forced myself to endure.
"Remember," he whispered, "This is not just a facade. I will enjoy touching you, manipulating you, and ultimately seeing you as a weapon I own. Even my restrained power is enough to tear your Beta mask apart. I will not hesitate to hurt you. Therefore, obedience is your way of survival."
My eyes glowed with pure hatred. He was deliberately pushing boundaries to provoke me.
"Then I’ll set a rule, too," I replied, my voice steady. "I will throw the ugliness of your restrained power into your face at every opportunity. You are not an Alpha; you are a prisoner. And the key to the prisoner is with me."
This last word caused a flash of lightning in Dorian's eyes. He clenched his jaw.
"I will show you where to put your things," he said, abruptly changing the subject. "This wardrobe is enough. And tonight... as required by our role, we must share this bed."
My eyes widened. "What?! No! That is not written in the contract!"
"The contract," Dorian scoffed, "requires the continuity of the role. If the Council hears an Alpha and Luna sleep separately, the 'irresistible passion' story collapses. By keeping you here, I prove the display's realism and keep you under control.”
This was the climax of a trap. I knew Dorian would use my most vulnerable state (sleep) to surveil me. But the same applied to him. This was my chance to observe his weakest moment.
"Very well, Alpha," I said, adopting a submissive tone. "We will share the bed. But I swear to you, I won't sleep. I will watch you, ready for the slightest wrong move."
Dorian smiled with satisfaction. "That's the spirit I was looking for, Luna. Then prepare yourself. Tomorrow, everyone will see how much we are in love."
I turned my back and walked to the wardrobe, dropping the heavy, old canvas bag to the floor. My heart hammered wildly. On the surface, I was obeying, but inside, the Red Alpha was eager to play this dangerous game.
Dorian sprawled out on the bed's far side. He had unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt, and his muscular chest glowed slightly in the room's dim light. The scent of rosemary permeated the pillows.
I slowly approached the bed. I lay down beside him, turning my back to him. Only a few centimeters separated us. This distance was charged with hatred, intrigue, and the heavy weight of forbidden power.
We remained silent for long minutes. I could hear Dorian's deep, rhythmic breathing. Was he sleeping, or feigning it? I had to take the risk.
I slowly released my power, the Red Alpha within me. I allowed my power to silently glide toward Dorian. As it neared his constrained strength, it responded not with hatred, but with an unexpected resonance. Our powers were drawn together by a magnetic harmony. This was beyond hatred—it was the cruel joke of fate.
Slowly, carefully, I moved my back a little closer to his. I barely opened my eyes and studied his muscular back and shoulders in the dim light. My attention snagged on something precisely where his heart was, visible through the unbuttoned shirt.
It was not a tattoo. It was a barely visible, smooth seal, as if embedded beneath his skin. The seal was circular, featuring intricate knot motifs, and was almost invisible, only faintly catching the light.
This was what I had been searching for all this time. The cursed ritual that bound his power was physically sealed onto his body.
I held my breath. The seal faintly vibrated, even as Dorian slept. If this seal was the source of his power constraint... then this seal was also the key to freeing him.
Lying beside my sleeping enemy, in the bed of a cursed marriage, I had found the physical evidence of the secret that would bring about Dorian's end. That seal was the key to my own destiny.