CHAPTER TWO

Elena’s POV

He looked me in my eyes and gave me a small smile before turning away. Panic swelled in my chest. My father stood by the side of the door, watching it all. With teary eyes, I looked at him, the man whose blood rushed hot and brimming in my veins. Didn’t he care what this monster of a man was going to do to me? The heads of women hung from different walls of the Brimstone palace, alpha Salvatore's home. Did my father hate me so much that he was willing to condemn me to such a fate?

“Father, please!” I cried, but my pleas fell on deaf ears, and soon, I was dragged out of the palace, thrown into a carriage and locked away on my way to Brimstone Castle.

The guards didn’t seem to care that I was trembling, or that my wrists still bore the marks from the chains that had dragged me. Once the carriage stopped, I was hurled down to the ground.

“Careful, Xandax.” One of the guards snapped at the man who held me.

“She is the alpha’s property now. He’ll kill you if he sees so much as a scratch.”

I had been told one thing upon arrival—I was the alpha’s property now.

What that meant exactly, I wasn’t sure. The fear gnawed at me, but there was nothing I could do. No one was coming to save me.

They took me to a small room, and I was left alone for days. I barely saw anyone besides the maid who came to check in on me. Food was delivered in silence, and no one answered my questions. If he was going to kill me, why not do it quickly? Why did he have to keep me in a room and attempt to fatten me?

For more meat on my bones?

One night, everything changed.

I was summoned to the alpha’s chambers.

My heart raced as they led me through the dimly lit halls in the red silk dress. My breasts all but threatened to leap from the dress with how firmly it flung to my chest.

My footsteps echoed in the silence, my breath shallow. The closer I got, the more my stomach twisted with dread.

But as I stepped into the room, I was met with something entirely unexpected.

He stood by the window, his back to me, the moonlight casting long shadows across his broad frame.

His presence filled the space, dark and commanding, yet there was something oddly soft about the way he stood.

I couldn’t see his face, but I felt his energy, raw and powerful, vibrating in the air between us. Something in my stomach rumbled, and it was not from hunger. The last time I had felt this dreadful mix of emotions was during the mating ceremony before I found Ron was my mate. So why…

My eyes widened, and I pressed my lips firmly together to stop me from screaming, to stop them from shaking.

I took a hesitant step forward, my pulse hammering in my ears.

“You… summoned me?”

Slowly, he turned to face me, and I was struck by the intensity in his eyes. They were dark, but not empty as the stories had said.

“You’re the one I bought,” he said quietly, his voice low, deep. “The omega.”

I nodded, unable to speak. His presence was overwhelming, and yet… there was no cruelty in his tone, no immediate sign of the evil I had expected. Instead, there was a strange warmth beneath his words, as though he was fighting something inside himself.

“Princess Elena Alderwood. Is that correct?” He asked as he  approached me slowly, his eyes never leaving mine.

My breath caught in my throat, and I fought the urge to step back. But he didn’t move like a predator. There was no threat in the way he neared me, only an unsettling sense of control.

It unnerved me even more. I had prepared myself to be torn apart tonight, not to be spoken to softly. What was his problem? Why couldn’t I see through him?

When he reached me, he lifted a hand, and I braced myself for the harshness I was sure would follow. But his touch was light, as he brushed a strand of hair from my face. His fingers grazed my skin, and I shivered—not from fear, but from something else entirely.

“You’re beautiful, princess.”

“I’m not a princess anymore, alpha.” I hoped he couldn’t hear the  tears that  choked my voice.

“It doesn’t matter. The blood of a king runs through your veins. It’s something they can never take away from you.”

“Yet, you bought me. A princess.”

He smiled, and my breath hitched in my chest. For a second, just a split second, the room was suddenly dried of air. I forced myself to breathe, but I couldn’t. No one had warned me that the devil had such a beautiful smile.

“You are mine now. My own princess.” he said, his voice softer than I expected. “To do with as I please.”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding.

“What do you want most in this world, Elena?” he asked suddenly, his eyes searching mine.

I blinked at him, confused by the question. No one had ever asked me that before. What did I want?

“Love,” I whispered before I could stop myself. “I want… love.” If I had love, I wouldn’t have been sold like mere cattle to him. Someone would have spoken up for me, would have protected me.

For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his expression, something raw and vulnerable. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by a sharp, bitter laugh.

“Love?” He shook his head, his smile cold. “There’s no such thing. Not here.”

I frowned, confused by the hardness in his voice. “Then… Why did you ask?”

He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming again, but not in the way I expected. There was a passion in his gaze, something burning behind his cold exterior, and it made me uneasy.

“I can give you power,” he said, his voice low, magnetic.

“I can make your family pay for what they did to you. Your father, your sister, your scrawny boned mate,  all of them will suffer, and you will rise above them. But in return, you must give me your heart.”

My breath hitched. “My… heart?”

He nodded, his gaze intense.

“Yes. Give me your heart, and I will give you everything you desire. Vengeance, strength, power. You will never be weak again.”

“I don’t understand,” I said quietly. “I can’t give you my heart… unless I love you.”

His face darkened, and his softness vanished in an instant. His hand tightened around my wrist, though it wasn’t painful—just enough to remind me of his strength, his control.

“Silly little girl trying to play silly games,” he growled, his voice harsh.

“You do not need to love me. You only need to submit.”

His grip on me tightened, tears gathered in my eyes as I struggled to keep myself from screaming despite the immense pain I was feeling. The monster in him was finally revealing itself - as was expected.

“I can’t just give you my heart,” I whispered, meeting his gaze with all the strength I could muster. “That’s not how it works.”

His eyes flashed with something dangerous, something wild, and for a moment, I thought he might lash out. But then he released my wrist, stepping back with a frustrated growl.

“Then you will learn,” he said coldly, his voice dripping with fury. “You will learn that love is nothing more than a weakness. And you will give me what I ask, whether you realise it or not.”

“Guards!” He screamed, and two armed guards came rushing in immediately.

I stared at him, eyes wide.

“Bring me Collette.”

Who was that?

The guards nodded and left, and after what felt like an eternity, returned with a dark haired girl, completely naked.

“Come, Collette.” He beckoned to her, and she walked to where he stood before falling to her knees.

Confused, I watched her work through the breeches of his pants. What was happening? The next thing I knew, his cock was in her hands, big, rigid, strong.

I turned away, but he snapped at me.

“Watch, Elena!”

I turned to look at him.

“She won’t be here to show you next time.”

I swallowed hard. Next time?

Just as the girl slipped his cock into her mouth, my heart twisted painfully in my chest.

“Mate.”

My wolf cried weakly, and I froze on the spot.

Goddess, no. Please, no.