GETTING MARKED BY THE COLD ALPHA

CHAPTER 3: GETTING MARKED BY THE COLD ALPHA

ELENA:

I stood there, rooted to the spot, watching the man who had ripped my heart out three years ago act like he owned the very air I breathed.

After he finished whispering those threats in my ear, Adrian finally turned his attention to my father. It was the first time he’d even acknowledged the man since he walked through the doors. My dad was a powerful Alpha—or at least, I thought he was. But standing next to Adrian, my father looked small.

Adrian was decades younger, but he looked at my dad like he was just another subordinate, a low-level soldier he was about to give orders to. I gritted my teeth so hard my jaw ached. I wanted to reach out and slap that condescending, "I-own-you" look right off his face.

"I’m taking her tonight," Adrian said. His voice wasn’t a request. It was a command.

My father blinked, looking stunned. "Wait, Alpha Blackwood. That wasn't the deal. The agreement was a formal ceremony at the full moon. Elena needs time. She needs to say goodbye to her friends, and her family..."

Adrian didn't even let him finish. He let out a short, dry laugh that sent shivers down my spine. "I don’t have time for frivolous sentiments, Darius. The ink is dry. She’s my property now, and I don’t let my property sit around in another man's house. No one tells me what to do with what’s mine."

I looked at my dad, my heart screaming, expecting him to do something. Expecting him to stand up to him! Tell him I'm his daughter, not a piece of furniture! But my father just stood there, his face downcast, looking helpless. His shoulders were slumped, and he wouldn't meet my gaze. He looked like a man whose hands were tied..

Adrian didn't wait for a reply. He gave a sharp nod to one of his guards. The man disappeared into the crowd and returned a few seconds later dragging a gray-haired priest—an Elder from the Blackwood pack.

"Let's get this over with," Adrian snapped.

The priest stepped forward, his eyes milky and weird. He gestured for me to come closer. I didn't move. I couldn't move. My feet felt like they were encased in lead.

Adrian's eyes glazed over. Then the sound of a couple of shots rang out somewhere in the crowd, and we all turned to see two of our pack guards on the floor, buried in the pool of their own blood. Adrian's men had killed them because I hesitated. People screamed as they fled, leaving only our fearless warriors.

“Do you want more of your father's warriors to go?” Adrian stepped closer, his voice cold and lethal.

I was stunned speechless, my body shaking. How could he not have any regard for the sanctity of human life? Just then, I felt a trembling hand on my arm. My father didn't pull me back; he pulled me *forward*. He nudged me until I was standing face-to-face with my nightmare.

The priest started chanting in some ancient, guttural tongue. It sounded like gravel hitting a tin roof. My head was spinning. This was happening so fast. One minute I was cutting a birthday cake, and the next, I was being handed over to a monster.

"By the blood and the moon," the priest rasped in a human language, "I declare you man and wife. United in blood, bound in soul."

Then he looked at Adrian and nodded. "You may mark the bride."

My blood ran cold. *Mark?* Adrian stepped into my space, his heat radiating off him like a furnace. I tried to back away, but his hand gripped my waist, locking me in place. He lowered his head toward my neck.

"What are you doing?" I gasped, panic finally breaking through my shock. "Stop! Get off me!"

He didn't listen. I felt his hot breath against my skin, and then a low, vibrating growl echoed in his chest. I saw his eyes flash a terrifying, glowing white. His canines extended, sharp and lethal.

He’s going to kill me, I thought, trembling. He’s going to finish what he started with Marcus.

I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the end. Then, I felt it. A sharp, searing sting as his teeth sank into the junction where my neck met my shoulder. I let out a sharp gasp, my fingers digging into his expensive suit jacket.

The pain was intense for a second, like a hot iron pressing against my skin. But then, a weird wave of heat washed over me. The pain faded into a dull throb, and then... nothing. It felt like nothing had happened.

Adrian pulled back, licking a drop of my blood off his lip. He looked satisfied.

I reached up, my fingers trembling as I touched the spot. I could feel the raised skin—a permanent mark. A brand that proved I belonged to the man who murdered my first love. Forever.

"You have five minutes to get your things, Elena," Adrian’s voice cut through my haze. He sounded bored, like he was checking his watch for a meeting. "Five minutes. If you’re not at the door, you're leaving with nothing but that dress."

He let go of me and turned his back, acting like I was already a settled matter.

I turned to my father, tears finally stinging my eyes. "Why, Dad?" I whispered. "I thought you loved me. I thought I was your princess."

My father’s face went a dark, angry red. He gnashed his teeth, looking like he wanted to punch the wall in frustration. He reached out to take my hand, his voice shaky. "Elena, please understand—"

I stepped back, jerking my hand away before he could touch me. The look of hurt on his face was huge, but I didn't care. He had just handed me to a wolf who ate people like us for breakfast.

"This is survival, Elena!" he hissed, his voice desperate. "The Blackwoods were going to wipe us out. You were chosen. It’s a little sacrifice to save thousands of lives. Don't you see that?"

"A little sacrifice?" I laughed, but it sounded like a sob. "Dad, you didn't sacrifice me. You sold me. You sold me to my worst nightmare."

"Time’s up!" Adrian’s voice boomed from the end of the hall.

He didn't even wait for me to move. He marched back over, grabbed my hand in a grip that felt like handcuffs, and started dragging me toward the exit.

"Adrian!" my father called out, his voice cracking. "Don't... don't ever hurt my daughter."

Adrian didn't even pause. He didn't even turn his head.

"What I do with Elena from now on isn't your concern, Darius," Adrian called back over his shoulder. "You got your peace. Now shut your mouth and stay on your side of the fence."

I looked back one last time as the massive oak doors began to close. I saw Kamala crying in the corner. I saw my father standing beside my Mom on the dais. Mom was crying silently. I didn't even get the chance to hug her or kiss her cheek again. Dad waved at me, looking like a king who had lost his crown.

Then the doors slammed shut, cutting off the light and the music of my old life. But then, I heard a voice in my head, a mind link from my father.

“Elena, listen very carefully, you aren't going to the Blackwood Pack just to become a bride. You're going as a spy and the communication devices you need are installed in the red dress you're wearing.”

Before I could ask any questions, the link was cut off.

Adrian dragged me down the front steps of the manor. The night air was freezing, and the wind whipped my red dress around my legs. A line of black SUVs sat idling in the driveway, their headlights cutting through the dark like the eyes of predators.

"Get in," Adrian said, shoving me toward the open door of the lead truck.

"I didn't even get my stuff!" I yelled, trying to fight against his grip. "You said five minutes! It hasn't been five minutes!"

Adrian didn't respond. He shoved me into the back seat of the SUV, got in after me and told the driver to drive.