21- Shackled by the Alpha
POV Lunara Grimwald:
I just wanted a life with my sister. A life where I could finally be happy. Maybe find a boyfriend who truly loved me, who would propose because he enjoyed being by my side, not out of obligation. Then, maybe, I could think about having pups and never again worry about being rejected, deceived, or despised.
It was such a simple desire, but it seemed like such a distant dream. I wished things could be different. But they weren’t. I needed to get used to it and learn to shape them.
I was too lost, daydreaming, when the front door slammed open.
My eyes widened and I jumped off the couch, my heart pounding in my ears, racing.
Fear crawled over me, seeping into my muscles and freezing me in a single second.
But then, the scent of fresh pine and damp earth drifted toward me. I didn’t have time to sigh in relief before a large, strong hand closed around my neck and I was lifted. My feet dangled in the air as my breath caught in my lungs.
Edric’s eyes flickered between blue and gold.
“Do you think I’m an idiot, little wolf?” he growled, his hot breath brushing against me.
Rage emanated from every pore of his body, filling the room. And for the first time since I met him, I truly felt fear. Fear of him, fear of what he could do to me, of all the strength radiating from him, though he seemed unaware of it.
“W… what?” I gasped through the narrow passage of my compressed throat.
He was killing me, letting me suffocate little by little.
“You suddenly appeared in my territory, made me mate with you somehow, and now, for the first time in a long while, my pack is being attacked.” He pressed his fingers harder around my neck. “I want the truth. Now.”
I grabbed his arm, digging my nails into his skin, and began to thrash, trying to break free from his grip, panic setting in.
“P… please…” I whispered.
Black dots danced before my eyes. I was about to die suffocated. And that wasn’t exactly how I had planned to go.
I blinked, everything turning silent around me, growing more and more distant. I felt my racing heart buzzing in my ears and the single thread of air scraping through my throat. My hands, clutching the arm holding me, gave way. The skin wounded by my nails began to close, healing almost immediately.
Wolves tended to heal faster. The stronger the wolf, the quicker the healing. And that told me a lot about Edric.
He released me. I collapsed to my knees on the floor, coughing and swallowing all the air I could, feeding my lungs. My body trembled and tears spilled from the corners of my eyes.
Edric frowned, staring down at me. He felt what I felt, and he seemed to dislike it. I was frightened, scared, and… hurt. Not physically.
I leaned against the sofa and folded my knees, still struggling to breathe. The tears streaming from my eyes weren’t just fear. Not anymore.
“Who are the wolves, Lunara?” he asked. And I noticed a hint of desolation in his voice.
“You’re an asshole,” I snarled, my throat burning and my voice hoarse.
A malicious smile curved his lips.
“You’ll answer my question right now. I’m your alpha. You must submit to me.”
“You’ll never be my alpha,” I growled. He arched a brow.
He seemed to grow before me. He arched his back and puffed his chest, releasing a growl that started low.
“I became your alpha the moment you stepped into my territory and we mated. You owe me respect and obedience, like all the others,” he hissed. “You may be immune to my pheromones, but not to my command.”
I shook my head, refusing to beg him further. I knew how much it hurt, how horrible it was to be subjugated by an alpha’s orders.
“No…” I whispered.
His growl thundered, loud and grotesque. He bared his fangs and fixed his golden eyes on me.
I tried to control my body, to resist, but I couldn’t. I gasped, arching my back and lowering my head in submission. Everything in me hurt. It was a deep pain, as if my muscles were being torn, exploding from the inside out.
He, as an alpha, forced me into submission while I fought with all my strength not to, but failed miserably.
Tears burned my eyes and my hairs stood on end. I clenched my teeth so hard I tasted blood in my mouth.
My breathing grew thick, heavy, as if his hand were still around my neck, pressing me.
I hated him with every fiber of my being.
My body shook, I swallowed the scream of pain, refusing to show him how much it hurt, how much he was making me suffer. His power whipped through the air, buzzing in my ears. I pressed my forehead to the floor and squeezed my eyes shut, utterly submissive to him.
The rumble in his chest quieted.
“Who were the wolves?” he repeated.
I managed to break free of the invisible shackles. I got on my knees, a little dizzy and staggering, my body reacting to what had just happened.
An alpha’s command was absolute. Nothing could be done but to yield and succumb to their orders. Beyond humiliating, the pain was excruciating.
I didn’t look at him when I answered:
“Alessio’s males.”
He took a step closer. I shrank back, and he stopped.
“Who is Alessio?”
I took a deep breath.
“Alessio is my ex-fiancé. He’s the one I was running from in the forest when we met.”
I kept my gaze on the floor. I blinked furiously, trying to drive away the tears, but for each one that fell, another followed.
“Which pack did you belong to?”
I didn’t want to tell the whole truth, but I didn’t have the courage to lie. Not after how he treated me.
I cleared my throat, feeling the burn in it.
“I was from the Eastern Twilight Pack. And Alessio was from the Eastern Eclipse Pack.”
“Was?”
I turned my face toward the window and observed my reflection. The purple marks on my neck were already fading, disappearing from my skin.
“I was offered in a marriage agreement to Alessio when I was eight years old. It was an agreement made between our parents, to unite the packs and increase their strength. But on the day of my wedding, I discovered it was nothing more than a revenge plan between Alessio and his father, Alpha Kellan. They killed my entire family, and I ran, branded a traitor since I left without the alpha’s consent. Since then, Alessio has been hunting me, to kill me—or whatever else he wants to do to me—and complete his revenge,” I revealed, utterly unable to lie to him. I had no more strength, no more will.