Chapter 5

Nora's POV

Before he left the court room, I watched as the alpha grabbed my hand under the table, yanking me up. I could feel the gaze of every single person sitting around the table on me, and a blush creeped up my cheeks as I averted my eyes.

I struggled to maintain a brave front as Alpha Chester pulled me along, my hand imprisoned in his unyielding grip. We left the room together, passing several maids and guards who stared at us with curiosity. The corridor seemed endless, the walls closing in on me as my heart raced with a mixture of fear and confusion.

I struggled to keep up with him, as he was dragging me along without looking back. Several times I stumbled, gripping the walls for support, but Alpha Chester was relentless.

"Let go of me!" I finally spoke up, attempting to wrench my hand free from his grasp. Perhaps it was my courage to speak to him, or perhaps it was something else entirely, but Alpha Chester finally stopped and turned to me. His fingers tightened around my already sore wrist, and his eyes were grim and impatient.

He didn't respond, his face an unreadable mask. The silence between us was heavy, suffocating, and I couldn't help but wonder what awaited me in his room.

"Would you rather sit in that room with those insufferable people, Nora?" He asked in a low, menacing voice. And without waiting for my reply, he pulled on my wrist and continued leading me through the corridors. 

As we climbed the final staircase, my mind raced with questions. What would my life become now that I was mated to him? Would I have any say in my own destiny? Would I ever be free to choose my path? And the thought that plagued me the most—how could I face Alina after all of this?

I could still feel the intensity of her gaze, following me like an unavoidable curse. I could still feel her hatred burning through my fragile heart. Would she ever forgive me?

We reached his room, and Alpha Chester finally released my hand. My fingers tingled from the pressure of his grasp, and I rubbed them to restore some feeling. I stood there, my heart still pounding, as he faced me with a low, menacing growl.

"Are you alright after what happened in the courtroom?" he asked, his voice thick with tension.

I hesitated for a moment, struggling to find the right words. His question had caught me off guard: my mind raced, and fear knotted my stomach. But I couldn't let him see my vulnerability. I needed to stand my ground.

I finally managed to say, "Why do you care?" I couldn't help the defiance that crept into my voice. "You've made your choice, haven't you? You forced this life on me without even stopping to think of my own choices!"

His eyes darkened with anger at my response, but I didn't back down. Instead, I met his gaze with unwavering determination.

"Tell me, Nora." He growled. "Is being with me much, much worse than what you have been made to endure in your father's house?"

I paused: I honestly had no idea what to answer him with. Without another word, he pushed open the door to his chambers, his anger palpable in the air. He grabbed my arm and pulled me inside, the door closing behind us with a resounding thud.

My heart raced even faster as I found myself alone with him in his room. The walls seemed to close in on me, and I couldn't help but feel trapped. The fear that had been simmering beneath the surface threatened to overwhelm me, but I refused to let it.

Chester turned to face me, his eyes still filled with anger. "Answer my question," he demanded, his voice low and menacing.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "I'm not ready to answer your stupid question!" I retorted, my defiance surging.

His anger flared, his jaw clenched, and for a moment, I thought he might lose control. But I held my ground, refusing to show weakness.

In a swift, unexpected motion, he closed the distance between us, his hand snaking around my waist. I gasped, my heart leaping into my throat, but I didn't move away. I couldn't show fear, not now.

His voice was a dangerous whisper as he said, "You will answer my questions when I ask them. Do you understand?"

"You cannot control me," I replied, my voice barely more than a whisper.

His smile twisted into a smirk. "Oh, but I can. Have you forgotten so fast, Nora? I own you now. Body, soul and mating bond."

I swallowed hard, his words crashing against me like a wave. My fear was still lurking beneath the surface, but I nodded, unable to say anything more.

His grip on my waist tightened, and I felt his hot breath against my ear as he murmured, "Good girl." His words sent shivers down my spine, and I couldn't deny the way my body responded to his proximity.

But I refused to let my fear turn into desire. I had to stay strong, no matter what he did.

He released his hold on me and took a step back, his eyes still locked on mine. "You're mine now, Nora," he said, his voice low and possessive. "And there's nothing you can do to change that."

I clenched my fists, determined not to let his words break me. "We'll see about that," I whispered, my voice filled with defiance.

His lips curled into a predatory smile, and I knew I had just challenged a dangerous beast. But I couldn't back down. I couldn't let him think he could control me completely.

His lips traced a line from my ear down to my neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. Something clenched deep in my stomach, and I felt the last of the desire we'd shared before rekindle within me. 

He left burning kisses all the way to the top of my breasts, then let out a soft sigh that teased my skin. At that point I was ready to melt against him, but as he raised his head and I saw the menacing look in his eyes, my rage intensified.

Chester held me closer, his grip firm as I questioned him. I caught that cinnamon and aqua scent of his, that whiff of pure masculine energy that left me so intoxicated I couldn't think straight. His smell clung to me like a second skin, filling my nose up and stealing my will.

"Why is it so hard for you to reject me and let me go?" I demanded, my voice trembling with a mixture of anger and desperation. I couldn't understand why he seemed so determined to keep me by his side.

Pushing him away, I felt a surge of self-disgust for the way my body responded to his touch. It was as if he held some kind of power over me, and I hated myself for slowly giving in to him again.

However, Alpha Chester smiled in jest at my words, and his eyes darkened with an intensity that left me uncertain. I tried to stand my ground, but I couldn't deny the magnetic pull he had on me.

A heavy silence hung in the room, tension crackling in the air. Slowly, he began to strut toward me once more, his deep green eyes locking onto mine. I felt my resolve melting away like ice in the sun.

He growled, his voice low and commanding, "You are mine, Nora. Forever. I bought you, and now, you belong to me."

I trembled, my voice barely above a whisper as I weakly protested, "No."

He closed the distance between us, his presence overwhelming. His hand brushed a strand of hair from my face, and I couldn't help but shiver at his touch. His words were a reminder of the unbreakable bond that now tied us together.

"And asides the fact that I bought you," he said, his voice a seductive murmur, "We've consummated our mating bond. It's unbreakable, Nora."

I wanted to deny it, to fight against the truth of his words, but deep down, I knew he was right. The connection between us, born from the intense passion we'd shared during our mating ceremony, was undeniable. It was a bond that couldn't be severed, no matter how much I wished it could.

What did he see in me, anyway? Why did he want me so much? I was as unattractive as my sister Alina was beautiful. I was every bit as unappealing as any mere maid in this pack house, irrespective of the fact that I was a high-bred werewolf. Men didn't look at me twice—except when I was tripping over my own feet and falling flat on my face.

And slowly it came to me in one single wave of realisation. 

"This isn't love," I whispered, shaking my head slowly. "You don't love me, Alpha. You're just obsessed with me. Obsessed with the idea of loving me, obsessed with saving me from people you think are the villains. And in no way does that make living in this place," I waved my arms around to indicate the room. "Playing Luna for you and bearing your cubs, bearable."

Alpha Chester smirked, his thin lips lifting in a bland smile. "Call it whatever you like, Peach. It does not change the fact that you cannot do anything about your situation at the moment."

When I didn't reply, he continued. "Do you know what those monsters would have done to you in that slave establishment? They would not think about the fact that you're a daughter of a Wolf Elder. Those animals would have forcefully had their way with you, before selling you to the highest bidder. Do you really think I would allow that to happen?"

He leaned forward, and my nose caught that cinnamon and aqua scent again. "So in a way, Peach, I really did save you from a worse fate. I am your hero, and you should be grateful to me—" 

"You are not my hero," I growled, as the first tear slipped from my eyes. "You might have saved me from the tyranny of my father and the wickedness of my sister, and saved me from getting sold off like a mere animal at that slave establishment. But all you have done is create an even bigger prison for my heart."

I watched through my blurry, tear-filled vision as his gaze darkened. For a second, something flashed in his eyes; something dark and forbidding. And suddenly, it felt as though I had crossed a line.

His hands slipped up my shoulders and gripped them tightly, fingers curling over my bare flesh. The sunshine from the window behind me cast a bright light on his face, softening those hard edges I was already getting used to.

However, his voice was as hard as his hands when he spoke again. "I am the only one who is allowed to cage your heart, Nora. Me, and me alone. I do not want your sister; your father can go to hell for trying to force our union. I want is you, by my side, as my Luna and my mate. I want you to belong to me, heart, soul and all. And I will do all it takes, including trapping and caging that heart of yours that is so bent on growing wings. You are mine, Peach, and this is your future now."

His words were too much for me to bear, their weight pressing on my shoulders and rendering me helpless. I felt myself slipping to the ground, ending up on my knees before Alpha Chester. 

"Why won't you let me be free?" I whispered, my face streaked with tears shed and unshed. "I just want to be free from you, from my family and this pack. I want to live without this guilt inside me. Please, let me go!"

Alpha Chester stared at me from above, his face calm and grim. I watched as he swallowed, as his jaws tightened with emotion. "How can I set you free, when there are monsters out there to get you?"