#5.

“Follow me.”

The command was cold, clipped, stripped of patience. Athena’s body reacted before her mind could catch up, her shoulders stiffening as fear rushed through her veins like ice water. For a heartbeat, she couldn’t move. Her feet felt rooted to the ground, heavy, useless, as though her body had decided to betray her completely.

The man paused.

Slowly, he turned back to her, his gaze locking onto hers with unnerving sharpness. “First rule,” he said quietly, his voice low but lethal, “you always obey. Anything else will get you into serious trouble.” His eyes hardened. “And death, unfortunately.”

The word hit her harder than a blow.

Death.

Her heart skipped violently, slamming against her ribs as air lodged in her throat. Whatever fragile resistance lingered inside her shattered instantly. She nodded once, sharply, and forced her feet to move. She followed him at once, her steps quick, almost stumbling as fear drove her forward.

Outside, night air brushed against her skin, cool and unforgiving. A sleek black car waited nearby, polished to a mirror shine, its presence command silence. A man stepped forward and opened the door for him and then, without a word, Athena was ushered inside as well.

She curled inward the moment the door shut, hands clenched tightly in her lap. Her body shook despite her effort to stay still, a tremor she couldn’t control. She didn’t dare speak. Didn’t dare breathe too loudly. The car moved, smooth and relentless, carrying her farther away from anything familiar.

The ride felt endless.

Every second stretched, heavy with dread. She counted her breaths without meaning to, each one shallow, as her thoughts spiraled into panic. When the car finally slowed, her stomach dropped.

They had arrived at a massive pack house.

It dwarfed anything she had ever seen before, its sheer size overwhelming. Even from the car window, she could tell it was far larger than her old pack grounds, its presence imposing, powerful. The vehicle drove deeper into the territory, winding through wide paths and towering structures that spoke of dominance and control.

“Lower your head,” the man ordered. “Do not lift it.”

Athena obeyed instantly, bowing her head until her chin nearly touched her chest. Not that she had been looking anyway. Fear had already trained her body into submission.

As they passed through the pack, she sensed movement around them, wolves going about their lives, eyes sliding away just as quickly as they landed. No one stared. No one lingered. In this pack, everyone minded their business, as though survival depended on it.

She caught fleeting impressions from her lashes. The females here dressed differently from what she knew, long gowns that flowed to the ground, a strange blend of modern cuts and something older, almost medieval. Everything about this place felt wrong. Ancient. Dangerous.

The car finally stopped before a standalone mansion.

It loomed before her, vast and dark, its black exterior sharp against the night sky. There was something threatening about it, something that made her chest tighten but beneath that is an undeniable beauty. It was breathtaking in a way that felt cruel.

The man exited the car, and Athena followed, her legs unsteady under her. They climbed the stairs in silence, each step echoing too loudly in her ears. At the top, he stopped in front of massive doors, ones that looked less like an entrance to a throne room or office.

“Wait here,” he said curtly, gesturing for her to stay outside.

He went in alone.

Athena stood frozen, hands clenched at her sides, staring at the closed doors. From inside, voices drifted out, muffled but unmistakable. One of them, deep and powerful, unlike anything she had ever heard sent a violent shiver down her spine.

“Where have you headed since morning eran?”

The voice boomed through the room, authoritative and commanding. Athena’s knees nearly buckled. Her heart pounded so hard she thought she might collapse where she stood.

“I went to check for a girl that could breed your heir,” the man, Eran responded. “Since the others had failed.”

Her breath caught painfully in her chest.

Slow footsteps sounded, deliberate, heavy. Then they stopped.

“What girl?” the voice asked.

“A girl that was being auctioned,” Eran replied. “I don’t know why, my kingbut something compelled me to choose her.”

Silence followed, thick and oppressive.

“Where is she?”

She heard a footstep and the door opened.

Eran stepped back into view, his expression unreadable. “Follow me,” he told Athena.

Fear surged through her, sharp and paralyzing. Her legs trembled, threatening to give out under her but she forced herself to move. One step. Then another. She followed him inside, her heartbeat roaring in her ears.

And then she made the mistake of lifting her gaze.

The man standing before her stole the breath from her lungs.

He was tall, no, towering. His presence filling the space with an intensity that pressed down on her chest. Broad shoulders, powerful build, every inch of him radiating danger and command. His face was devastatingly handsome, carved with sharp angles and dark authority, his eyes burning with hatred and disgust.

Athena’s breath stuttered.

She dropped her gaze instantly, shame and fear crashing over her in equal measure.

“You brought me an OMEGA?” the king’s voice boomed.

Her vision swam, darkness creeping at the edges. She swayed, barely catching herself.

“We cannot be certain,” Eran said carefully. “She may be stronger than she appears.”

The king moved.

She felt him before she saw him, his presence closing in. He towered over her now, his shadow swallowing her whole.

“Look at me, female,” he growled.

Her body shook as she obeyed, lifting her eyes with visible effort. His gaze cut through her, stripping and assessing mercilessly.

“She is thin,” he snarled. “She cannot carry an heir. I am the Lycan King, for goodness’ sake. I require a strong woman.”

Athena stiffened, humiliation and fear knotting together in her chest. Eran stood rigid beside her.

Was this the Lycan King? The one whispered about in fearful tones? The monster the other girls had spoken of earlier?

She was in more danger than she had imagined.

“Send her back,” the king ordered. “Bring another.”

“My king,” Eran protested, desperation edging into his voice, “there is no other. Every female I encountered appeared just as weak, just as unfit.”

The king’s eyes flashed dangerously. “So this one will bear an heir?”

“No, my king—”

“Out.”

The single word slammed into the room like striking thunder. Eran stumbled back, bowing hastily before retreating, the doors closing behind him and leaving Athena alone.

Alone.

The king turned to her fully.

Her knees trembled so violently she thought she might fall.

“Remove your filthy clothes,” he growled, his voice low and brutal. “Let me see how many bones make up this fragile body you expect to bear me an heir.”