Chapter 35 Chapter 35
Anya’s POV
Suddenly, three sharp knocks echoed through the heavy door.
"Alpha?" It was Miguel.
Panic flared in my chest, but Kai moved faster than I could blink. In one fluid, possessive motion, he shoved me forward, burying my face into the crook of his neck and pressing my body hard against his chest.
His large hand splayed across my back, shielding my exposed breasts from the door.
His voice was a low, dangerous rumble against my ear. "Is it urgent, Miguel?"
The door creaked open, and Beta Miguel stepped inside. He kept his head bowed low, his eyes fixed firmly on the floorboards. He knew his Alpha well enough to know he shouldn't look up.
"Alpha," Miguel said, his voice brisk but respectful. "The carriage is prepared. The horses are restless. We need to depart immediately before the storm breaks."
Kai didn't loosen his grip on me. "Right."
Miguel offered a quick bow and backed out of the room, closing the door with a soft click.
The moment we were alone, Kai pulled back just enough to look me in the eye. His pupils were still blown wide, his breathing heavy. He ran his thumb over my wet, swollen lip.
"You got lucky today," he whispered, the promise dark and heavy in the air.
He released me, and I scrambled backward. My hands shook violently as I fumbled with the laces of my dress, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might bruise my ribs. Gods, that was close. I managed to retie the silk, covering myself just as he grabbed his coat.
He didn't give me time to compose myself. He snatched my hand in his, interlacing our fingers, and pulled me out of the chamber.
We walked into the main courtyard together. The air was thick and gray, the storm Miguel promised already rolling in. A crowd of servants and guards had gathered to see the Alpha off.
I spotted Madam Divina near the front. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw our joined hands, and a single eyebrow arched in silent judgment. But she dared not speak. As Kai passed, she lowered her head in a deep, submissive bow, swallowing whatever venom she wanted to spit at me.
Kai stopped at the black carriage. He didn't wait for a footman; he placed his hands on my waist and lifted me inside effortlessly.
As I settled onto the velvet seat, a movement above caught my eye. I glanced up at the high tower of the fortress.
There, standing rigid in the window, was Beatrice.
She wasn't moving. She was just watching us, her stare burning with a pure, unadulterated hatred that chilled me more than the coming storm. She looked like she wanted to tear me apart limb from limb.
She doesn't understand, I thought, shrinking back into the shadows of the carriage as Kai climbed in beside me. She thinks I want this. She doesn't know I'm just as trapped by this controlling monster as she is.
As the carriage lurched forward, the iron wheels grinding against the stone, a heavy silence filled the small, velvet-lined space.
Kai leaned back against the cushions, stretching his long legs out, looking entirely too relaxed for a man who had just ravished me a minute ago and terrified half his pack.
He let out a contented sigh, turning his glowing gaze toward me. "We are finally on our way," he murmured. "Aren't you excited, Anya? To finally uncover the truth of your bloodline?"
I felt a cold knot form in my stomach. "My bloodline?" I let out a shaky, hollow laugh. "Alpha, I lived in that orphanage my entire life. The nuns... they never told me a single thing about my parents. They swore they didn't know. If they didn't tell me in eighteen years, how do you expect them to tell you anything now?"
A dark, chilling smile curled his lips. It wasn't a nice smile. It was the smile of a predator who knows exactly where to bite.
"Simple," he drawled. "I am the Alpha. I don't ask for secrets, Anya. I force them into the light. I will make them sing."
My blood turned to ice. Make them sing?
"They are nuns," I whispered, horror dawning on me. "They are devoted women of God, Alpha Kai. They took vows. You can't just... force them. How? How would you even make them speak if they swore an oath?"
He shrugged, picking a piece of lint off his coat, casual as death. "Pain is a very effective key for unlocking vows. I'll torture them until their God feels too far away to help."
I gasped, shrinking back against the carriage door. "You... you can't do that! They raised me! They're innocent!"
"I can do whatever I want," he replied smoothly.
He leaned forward, trapping me with his intense, terrifying gaze. His hand reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch burning my skin.
"And I will do it," he whispered, his voice sounding almost... romantic. "I will break every bone in their bodies if I have to. I will do it... for you."