IT'S YOUR MASTER

CHAPTER 6: IT'S YOUR MASTER

ELENA:

I heaved a sigh as I watched the door click shut and I heard Adrian’s heavy footsteps fading down the hall. His voice still echoed in my head, telling me to break a single rule of his and experience what's worse than death. What a devil!

I stripped that red dress off and let it slide against the floor. I stepped away from it and turned it inside out, my fingers trembling as I hunted through the expensive fabric. My dad had told me the tech was state-of-the-art, woven into the very soul of the garment.

After more than three minutes of searching, I found it hidden inside the thick, reinforced hem of the neckline, right under the heavy ruby embroidery. It was tiny—smaller than a grain of rice—a micro-circuitry board that looked like a stray thread until you felt the hard plastic casing. There was another one stitched into the waistband, a flat, flexible strip that acted as a high-frequency antenna. It was genius. To anyone else, it just looked like extra boning to keep the dress tight.

I pressed the microscopic button hidden behind the largest ruby on the chest. There was a faint, almost silent *beep* that I felt more than heard.

"Elena?"

My dad’s voice came through a tiny bone-conduction speaker in the collar. It was so clear it made me jump.

"I’m here," I whispered, clutching the dress to my chest like a shield.

"Status. Are you in the Blackwood estate yet? Is the Blackwood Alphas treating you badly?"

I looked at the door, my heart hammering. "I just got here, Dad. I'm in my room. They've been making threats. Adrian is clearly... he's a jerk. And he’s got guards everywhere. This place is a fortress. I don't know if I can do this."

"Yes you can. Ignore his threats. He's just trying to scare you. Keep an eye on him. Make friends with the guards, his Gamma and Beta. Then, you try to find what their plans are concerning the Black-Quartz Ridges in our land. Every piece of intel brings us closer to bringing that pack to its knees. Do not fail me, Elena."

I opened my mouth to tell him about the way Adrian promised to show me what's worse than death, or how scared I actually was of getting caught doing what he wanted me to do, but the line went cold. He didn't ask if I was okay. He didn't ask if I had eaten. He just wanted the win. I cut the connection, feeling a hollow ache in my chest that had nothing to do with the Blackwoods.

I shimmied back into the dress, struggling with the zipper myself this time. I couldn't risk leaving it lying around. If Anna, the maid found it or if Adrian came back and saw me poking at the seams, he might get suspicious.

I sat back down on the edge of the bed, glancing around like I was looking for something in particular. My stomach let out a loud, angry growl. I hadn't eaten since that morning back at my own estate, and honestly, the smell of the appetizers at the party felt like a lifetime ago. But no one had come by with a tray. No one had asked if the "package" was hungry.

*Fine,* I thought, pulling my knees up to my chin. *Starve me. See if I care. I won't beg for scraps from those who already want me doomed.*

I must have drifted off into a light, shaky sleep, because the next thing I knew, a sharp knock came at the door, making me bolt upright.

I blinked, disoriented. I looked at the clock on the wall. **12:45 AM.** Who the hell was knocking at this hour? My heart climbed into my throat. I stood up, my legs feeling like jelly, and crept toward the door. Even through the heavy oak, I could smell him. That scent of cedarwood, cold rain, and something dangerous that made my wolf pace in circles.

"Who is it?" I asked, my voice coming out steadier than I felt.

A low, rumbling growl vibrated through the wood, sending a shiver straight down my spine.

"It’s your master, Elena. Open the damn door."

ADRIAN:

I couldn’t sleep.

Purity was draped across me, her skin soft and her arm heavy on my chest, but for the first time in my life, her touch felt like an annoyance. Usually, having her in my bed was exactly what I needed to shut my brain off, but tonight, my system was haywire.

It was probably the mark. I could feel it pulsing in my own veins, a phantom heat that wouldn't go away. When I’d bitten Elena Thorne, her blood had hit my tongue like a drug—sweet, metallic, and addictive. Now, that blood was in my system, acting like a damn compass, always pointing toward the room at the end of the hall. It was a pull I hadn't prepared for.

Stay focused, Adrian, I told myself. She’s the daughter of the enemy.

The plan was simple. We didn’t just want the Thorne Pack out of spite. My father and I had our eyes on their territory for years. The Thorne Pack sat on the Black-Quartz Ridges, a massive landscape filled with rare minerals that could make our pack the wealthiest in the hemisphere. And Darius doesn't even seem to know how to harness it. Plus, their location was a strategic goldmine—they held the mountain pass that controlled all trade between the northern and southern packs. If we owned Thorne land, we owned the world. Elena was just the key to the front door.

I sighed, shifting my weight. Purity’s hand slipped off my body as I turned to face the wall. I shut my eyes tight, trying to force sleep to come, but all I could see was red. The red of that dress. The red of Elena’s eyes as she looked at me with enough hate to burn the house down. She was so damn defiant, even when I was dragging her away from everything she knew. She didn't seem bothered when I told her I was gonna show her what was worse than death. Her strong spirit was something I was determined to break.

I jumped out of bed, the silk sheets feeling like sandpaper against my skin. I didn't even grab a shirt. I just headed out of the room, my bare feet silent on the cold marble floors.

I stopped at the door to Elena’s new room. My hand hovered over the knob, my heart thudding in my chest like a drum.

"Adrian?"

I spun around, my eyes flashing. Purity was standing in the middle of the hallway, her blond hair a mess, looking at me with confusion.