Chapter Twenty

Lucia's heart pounded in her ears, memories of past trauma clawing at the edges of her mind. She yanked against the restraints binding her wrists, desperate to break free, but Ryder's superior strength kept her pinned.

His face inched closer, his breath hot against her neck. "I'm going to mark you again," he whispered, his canines glinting in the pale moonlight. "You'll be mine, whether you like it or not."

The raging wolf within her howled in protest, but Lucia found herself frozen, panic paralysing her as Ryder's teeth grazed her tender flesh. In a last-ditch effort, she summoned every ounce of her remaining strength and slammed her head upwards, feeling a satisfying crunch as his nose gave way under the impact.

Ryder roared in pain, his grip loosening just enough for Lucia to twist and thrash beneath him. Hope flared in her chest, but she knew her brief moment of triumph was fleeting. The true battle had only just begun.

The pounding of her heart was a deafening rhythm in Lucia's ears, drowning out everything else as Ryder's grip tightened around her throat once again, her head still spinning from the force of head butting him. His weight pressed her into the mattress, his hips grinding against her in a mockery of intimacy. Panic surged through her, raw and primal, as she realised with sickening certainty that she wouldn't be able to stop him this time.

Aiden and Declan were her only hope, but would they arrive in time? The thought of their failure sent a shiver of terror down her spine. Her wolf howled and thrashed against its confines, desperate to break free and tear Ryder apart for daring to claim what was not his.

"Please," she rasped, hating the weakness in her own voice. "Don't do this."

Ryder's lips curled into a cruel smile, his eyes glinting with possessive hunger. "Oh, but I must, my love. You belong to me." His free hand caressed the curve of her jaw, a twisted parody of tenderness. "And I won't let anyone take what's mine."

Lucia's breath caught in her throat as Ryder leaned in, his mouth hovering dangerously close to the sensitive skin of her neck again. She could feel the heat of his breath, the promise of pain and submission in every slow, deliberate movement. Her body trembled, trapped between the unyielding mattress and the weight of her captor.

The sound of a door crashing open shattered the charged silence, and Lucia's heart surged with desperate hope. Ryder's head snapped up, a snarl of fury rumbling in his chest.

The sharp sting of the needle pierced Lucia's skin, a drug flooding her veins. Her body went limp, the drug taking hold as Ryder's harsh growl filled the air. Panic flickered in her eyes, but her limbs refused to obey her desperate pleas for movement.

Ryder looks up, away from Lucia’s neck to see one of his wolves in the doorway. “What?” he growls.

Ryder loomed over her, his features cast in shadow, the predatory glint in his gaze unmistakable. "The Alphas are close," he hissed, the vibration of his voice sending a shiver down Lucia's spine. "I can't have them interfering with my plans."

Helpless, Lucia could only watch as he turned and swept from the room, his large frame disappearing into the dimly lit hallway. The fading sound of his footsteps left an oppressive silence in his wake, broken only by the laboured rhythm of Lucia's breathing.

Time seemed to slow, the drug distorting her senses. Shadows danced across the walls, taunting her with their fleeting forms. The air was thick with the scent of danger, an undercurrent of menace that clung to every surface. Lucia's wolf howled with fury, straining against the restraints that bound her, but her human form remained stubbornly motionless.

"Aiden... Declan..." Lucia's whispered plea was barely audible, lost to the unforgiving silence that surrounded her. Her heart pounded in her ears, a desperate rhythm that echoed the terror coursing through her veins. She couldn't shake the haunting certainty that Ryder's twisted plans were nearing their culmination, and she was powerless to stop him.

The sickly scent of wolfsbane lingered in the air, tainting the darkness that enveloped the room. Lucia's limbs felt weighted, her body betraying her as Ryder's shadow loomed over her once more. Dread coiled in the pit of her stomach, overwhelming the numbing effects of the drug coursing through her veins.

His gaze, cold and calculating, raked over her form, drinking in her helplessness. A malicious grin curled his lips as he lowered himself, his muscular frame pressing against her. Lucia's heart pounded in her ears, a thunderous rhythm that threatened to drown out his next words.

"Did you really think you could escape me, pet?" Ryder's voice was laced with a sickening triumph, his breath hot against her neck. "You belong to me."

Lucia's wolf howled in anguish, straining against the invisible bonds that held her. She tried to speak, to plead, but the words died on her lips, strangled by her own terror.

Ryder's hand snaked around her throat, squeezing just enough to elicit a strangled gasp. "Shh," he purred, his free hand caressing the curve of her hip. "I'm going to enjoy making you mine again."

Lucia's mind raced, desperate to find a way out, a glimmer of hope that Aiden and Declan would arrive in time. But as Ryder's fingers danced along her skin, she knew her fate was sealed. She was at his mercy, a helpless pawn in his twisted game.