Chapter 5 Chapter 5
Anya’s POV
Alpha Borin and Alpha Kai stared each other down, the air thick with the promise of violence. I was frozen, trapped between two towering forces.
What do I do? What am I supposed to do? My mind screamed. Do I say something?
The thought died instantly. No. I couldn't. I had no right to speak, no power here at all. A single word from me, and they would hurt me. Or worse, kill me for my insolence.
Alpha Borin's glare was murderous. Slowly, agonizingly, he lowered his sword, but it was not a surrender. His eyes, a terrifying mix of burning red and gold, were locked on Kai.
I watched in horror as his fangs began to lengthen, his very features twisting and elongating as the beast inside him clawed to the surface.
With a rough sigh that sounded more like a snarl, he visibly forced the transformation back. He didn't spare Kai another glance; his nastiness was reserved for me now.
He stalked to his horse, but before mounting, he turned and pinned me with that terrifying gaze.
"You're going to regret this, Anya."
And with that one last threat, he was gone, his pack trailing behind him like shadows.
I hadn't realized I'd stopped breathing. I watched him ride away, my body rigid, until the great gates boomed shut, sealing him out. Only then did the air rush back into my lungs in a shaky, pathetic gasp.
The immediate danger was over. But when I finally found the courage to turn, my brief relief vanished.
Alpha Kai was still staring at me. He had been staring at me the whole fucking time.
I lowered my gaze and waited.
He didn't stop as he reached me, but simply brushed past, his shoulder grazing mine. The contact sent an unwanted shiver through me. His command was a low rumble, not meant for anyone else's ears. "My chamber."
I shot a desperate look around, but the maids and guards wouldn't meet my eyes. Their faces were pale, their fear a mirror of my own. Oh, gods. Is he going to hurt me? Is this it?
My feet felt like lead as I followed him inside the massive room. He didn't turn.
"Close the door."
My hand trembled as I pushed the heavy oak. It clicked shut with a dreadful finality. I flinched when his voice came again, cold and sharp.
"And lock it."
I gulped, the sound painfully loud in the suffocating silence. My fingers fumbled with the heavy, cold metal of the bolt. Thunk. The sound sealed my fate.
I turned slowly and began the long walk toward him, my head bowed, my eyes fixed on the intricate patterns of the floor. Staring at the rug was the only thing I could do to keep from completely falling apart.
He sat on the edge of his massive bed, not lounging, but perched like a bird of prey. He watched me approach, and then he commanded, "Come here."
"A-Alpha..." My voice was a useless, trembling whisper. I remained rooted to the spot, a few yards away.
"You heard me." It wasn't a question. It was a statement of fact, laced with a dangerous, quiet patience.
That single, cold statement broke my paralysis. I moved immediately, my feet shuffling forward. I couldn't stop the hot, terrified tears that welled up and began to stream down my face.
"Now," he ordered, his voice deceptively soft. "Look at me."
Slowly, I forced my head up, my eyes meeting his. I swallowed hard, but my throat was bone dry. Just being this close to him, trapped and alone, made it impossible to breathe.
His gaze was intense, analytical, as he studied my face. He reached out and slowly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His knuckles grazed my cheek, and I flinched, my eyes instantly dropping to the floor.
His voice was sharp and immediate. "I said, look at me."
My head snapped up, my eyes wide with terror. Why is he doing this?
"A-Are you going to hurt me?" I whispered, the words trembling. "B-Break my neck? B-Because I... I brought chaos to your territory?"
My voice was so small it was barely a breath, but in the crushing silence of the room, I knew he heard every word.
He didn't answer immediately. His finger traced an agonizingly slow path from my ear, down the sensitive curve of my neck, to the hollow of my shoulder. I shivered, repulsed.
"I want to know," he mused, his voice a low vibration that seemed to thrum through me. "Why would Alpha Borin start a war over one human breeder? What's your secret, hmm? What makes you so fascinating?”
"I... I don't know what you're talking about!" I insisted, my voice shaking as I tried to pull away from his touch. "I'm just a human. I don't have any power... I'm nothing... just a human."
Desperation clawed at my throat. I looked him in the eyes, trying to make him see. "I can be your servant for the rest of my life. I'll do anything. Just please... please don't return me to him."
His eyes darkened, and his hand stilled on my shoulder. "Servant," he repeated, the word tasting like a curse. "Do you even know what that word means to me? You are here because you chose this."
His hand began to move again, this time tracing a path from my shoulder, down my arm, and then agonizingly, slowly, over my ribs to my waist. I was frozen, too terrified to even breathe. His grip settled on my hip, possessive and cold.
"It means," he whispered, his voice close to my ear, "that you are my personal slave."
"B-But..." I gasped, my blood running cold. All the rumors, the whispers from the guards... they all came crashing into my mind. "B-But they... they said... every woman you take to your bed... They shatter. They d-die before morning."
My confession, my fear, was met with an awful sound. He laughed. It was a low, soft, humorless chuckle that vibrated through his chest.
Before I could process it, his hand on my waist tightened like a steel vise. He yanked me forward, pulling me from my feet and crushing my body against his. My hands flew up, landing uselessly against his hard chest.
His face was inches from mine, his gaze full of something I couldn't name—not lust, but something colder, like cruel amusement.
"Do you really think," he murmured, his voice dripping with contempt, "that I'm thinking of fucking you?"
I was still pinned against him, his body a wall of unyielding muscle. I shook my head frantically, my voice a choked whisper. "N-no, Alpha..."
"Explain."
"I... I thought..." Heat flooded my entire face, a burning, shameful flush that crawled from my neck to my hairline. "I thought 'personal slave' meant... a sex slave," I finally stammered out, the words scalding my tongue. Damn it, Anya, you're so stupid.
His grip on me didn't loosen. If anything, I felt his muscles tense, but it wasn't with passion; it was with something else. Irritation? Disgust?