Chapter 9 Chapter 9
Anya’s POV
"I apologize, Alpha!" I blurted out, my hands flying up in surrender. "I—I... I didn't mean to say that! I just—"
He stepped forward.
I flinched violently and squeezed my eyes shut, my entire body tensing for the blow I was certain was coming. I had finally pushed him too far. This was it.
But the strike never landed.
Instead, his large, warm hand clamped around my wrist. My eyes flew open in shock as he yanked me forward, pulling me off balance. He didn't stop until he'd forced me into the other ornate chair at the table, shoving me down into it like a disobedient child.
He released my wrist and sat in his own seat at the head of the table, his expression completely unreadable.
"Eat."
I just stared, my mind reeling, unable to process the command. He had to be joking.
His eyes narrowed. "Are you not going to eat?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet. "Or would you prefer I shove this food into your mouth myself?"
My hands shot out, trembling so hard I could barely hold the silverware. I immediately grabbed the knife and fork, fumbled with the chicken, and managed to saw off a tiny piece. I lifted it to my mouth, my throat so tight I could barely swallow.
How refreshing, I thought, the sarcasm bitter on my tongue. Dining with the Alpha.
He watched me for a moment, then tore a hunk of bread from the loaf for himself. "I can't eat all of this," he stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You brought too much."
He then... just started eating.
I froze, my fork halfway to my mouth, and watched him from beneath my eyelashes. He was just... eating. Like a normal person.
I thought he was dangerous. Carla said he was a monster at night. But... why does he seem so perfectly, terrifyingly normal?
I had only managed to swallow that one agonizing piece of chicken when his hand moved again, spooning more food onto my plate. A lot more. My eyes widened, my stomach clenching in protest.
"You're skin and bones," he stated, his voice flat, emotionless. "Eat."
"T-Thank you, Alpha," I murmured, my voice barely audible. I forced myself to take another bite, and another, eating until my stomach felt like it would burst. The entire time, I could feel his eyes on me.
"I... I think I'm full now, Alpha," I finally whispered, daring to look up.
He ignored me. Instead, he picked up his glass—the heavy silver goblet he had just been drinking from—and held it out to me.
My eyes widened. My breath hitched. He has to be kidding me. This wasn't just sharing food; this was something else. Something intimate.
"Drink," he commanded.
My hand was shaking so badly that I was afraid I would drop it. I slowly reached out and took the glass from him, my fingers brushing his. The metal was cold.
I couldn't look at him. I kept my gaze fixed on the table as I brought the rim to my lips, my skin touching the exact spot his mouth had just been.
I took a small, shaky sip, my entire body burning with a mixture of terror and a strange, profound humiliation. I didn't need to look up to know.
He was staring at me. He was watching me drink from his glass!
I couldn't take it anymore. The moment I felt I could, I stood up, my chair scraping loudly against the floor.
His head snapped up, his eyes instantly locking on me. "Did I tell you to leave?"
I shook my head, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. "N-No."
"Then stay."
A cold dread, heavier than anything I'd felt before, was coiling in my stomach. I glanced at the window, where the moon, now perfectly full, was bathing the room in an eerie, silver light.
"What are you trying to do to me?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "They said you're cursed. They said you... you change..."
"I'm testing you, little human," he smirked, and the expression was no longer human.
It happened all at once. His eyes ignited. The dark pupils vanished, replaced by a swirling, feral glow of crimson and molten gold. I heard a wet, clicking sound as his fangs elongated, sliding with horrifying ease over his bottom lip. He was transforming, right in front of me.
I'd never seen a real werewolf before, and the sight was so monstrous I couldn't even breathe.
My paralysis broke. I scrambled backward, tripping over my own feet. "No!"
He moved with a speed that wasn't human. His hand shot out and clamped around my wrist in an iron grip. It wasn't a hand anymore. His fingers were tipped with long, black claws, and they dug painfully into my flesh.
I shrieked as I felt a hot, wet rush. My blood burst free, welling up around his claws. "Ah! Get away from me! Let me go! Somebody, help me!"
Carla. Carla was right! The wolfsbane!
I clawed at my pocket with my free hand, my fingers fumbling for the dried sprig.
But before I could even grasp it, the monster in front of me stilled. The murderous, feral glow in his eyes flashed, and his head tilted. He slowly turned into human form---naked!
He lowered his head, his gaze locked on the blood dripping from my arm.
And then... he licked it.
I froze. I felt the horrifying, wet heat of his tongue lapping at the wound, his rough tongue rasping against my skin, cleaning my own blood from my wrist. It was so slow, so intentional.
My mind shattered. Tears of uncomprehending terror began to stream down my face.
"W-What... what are you doing?"
He was still licking the blood from my wrist, his gaze locked on the wound. His voice was a terrifying whisper that seemed to come from his chest, not his throat.
"Your blood... it... relaxes me."
My mind was screaming. He was a monster, half-transformed, and he was drinking from me. Before I could move, he released my bleeding wrist only to grab my waist, pulling me down as he advanced.
I fell backward onto the thick rug, and he followed, not as a man, but as a predator. He settled over me, one hand pinning my shoulder, the other bracing himself next to my head.
He was effectively caging me with his body!