Chapter 12 Chapter 12
Anya’s POV
He stood before me, an inescapable, furious god. The last of my adrenaline evaporated, leaving only a hollow, paralyzing terror.
This was it. He was going to tear me apart, and there was nowhere left to run!
My legs, which had carried me so desperately, simply gave out. My knees buckled, and I collapsed forward, a puppet with its strings cut. I was so utterly terrified he was going to beat me to death that my body just... quit.
But I never hit the cobblestones.
In one impossibly fast, fluid motion, his powerful arms were there, scooping me up from my fall, hauling me against his hard chest as if I weighed nothing.
I slowly forced my eyes open, a pained groan escaping my lips. My entire body felt like it was weighted down with lead, every limb an agonizing effort to move. A moment of foggy disorientation gave way to a sharp, cold spike of panic.
This isn't my room!
This was all wrong—the silks, the furs, the sheer size of it... This was the Alpha's chamber!
My eyes flew wide. No, no, I can't be here!
I tried to scramble off the bed, but the movement was a mistake. A violent wave of vertigo crashed over me, my head throbbing, the opulent room spinning viciously. I collapsed back against the pillows, a small, choked sound caught in my throat.
A low, amused rumble came from across the room. "Relax, little human. I won't bite."
My head snapped toward the sound so fast it made me dizzy again. He was sitting in a large armchair near the fireplace, completely at ease, watching me as if I were a new, mildly interesting pet. That infuriating, predatory smirk played on his lips! I hate him!
"How are you feeling?" he asked with the same mocking tone. "Still scared of me?"
"Wh-What do you want from me?" I stammered, instinctively pulling the heavy fur blankets up to my chin like a shield. "I... I'm your servant. I... I shouldn't be in your bedroom, Alpha."
I dropped my gaze to the blankets, unable to hold that intense, knowing stare.
"Exactly," he said, rising from the chair. His eyes never left mine. "You are my servant. And a servant's sole purpose is to serve her Alpha. Am I right?"
His voice was a low purr, and I knew, with a sickening lurch, that we were not talking about the same thing.
"Y-Yes. I serve your food," I stammered, purposely misunderstanding him, clinging to the only safe definition I had. "I'm supposed to bring you your meals."
He stopped, threw his head back, and let out a genuine, throaty laugh. The sound was so unexpected—rich and deep—that for a split second, it was like music. But the relief was instantly crushed by a cold dread.
I shouldn't enjoy that sound. It was the laugh of an unpredictable beast, one who could change in a heartbeat!
His laughter was cut short by a sharp, authoritative knock on the chamber door. His amusement vanished instantly, replaced by a cold mask. "Come in," he commanded.
To my surprise, a woman I'd never seen before strode into the room. She was tall, impossibly beautiful, and moved with the predatory grace of a panther. Her eyes scanned the room, and the look of polite inquiry on her face curdled into a malicious disgust the moment she saw me—a disheveled human—in the Alpha's bed.
Her eyes flared, flashing a luminous, angry silver. "Kai. Who is she?"
Alpha Kai didn't answer her. He just crossed his arms, his expression hardening, his body language shifting to annoyance. "I wasn't expecting you, Beatrice. What are you doing here?"
"I came to deliver my father's message, of course," she snapped, her eyes raking over me with contempt. "But I didn't expect to find you entertaining... vermin."
"My 'entertainment' is none of your concern," Kai replied, his voice flat.
"A human?" she hissed, her voice rising. "In your bed? After all the arrangements, after everything my father and I have sacrificed to manage your... condition? You would shame me with this... this pet? This is an insult, Kai!"
"You're overstepping, Beatrice," Kai growled, his voice a low warning. "State your father's message, or leave."
I scrambled off the far side of the mattress, landing on shaky legs, and immediately lowered my head, staring at the floor.
Damn it. She's a werewolf, too. A high-ranking one. The power rolling off her in waves was enough to make me feel sick. This was a woman who could kill me without a second thought!
And then I saw, standing meekly in the hallway behind her... Carla. My new friend's eyes were wide, filled with a thousand frantic, terrified questions.
But it wasn't just Carla's questions I'd have to face. Beatrice's voice had been loud, her accusations public, carrying down the hall.
By now... everyone knew.