Chapter Five

The rattling of the door knob had me hissing awake just in time for it to fly open and the silver eyes of the man to find me curled up on the bed.

“What, you won’t even knock?” I snickered and watched his eyes travel downwards to my splayed legs. I slapped them closed, but it was already too late, the heat blooming on my cheeks as his face darkened and could have made an omelette special.

“Girl can’t even get some privacy in her cell.” I harrumphed, but it fell flat when he ignored me to drop the tray on a small bedside vanity I hadn’t noticed the night before. 

There were bulbs fitted on the walls of the cave and a glass roof ceiling. I made several mental face-palms. 

Of course, he’d have more livable conditions for his inmates, he’d been doing this for thousands of years! 

The sky had probably been too dark for me to notice the other night as I watched him flick one of the bright white fluorescents on before his grey eyes met mine again and I inhaled sharply.

The man-because he was all man now- was beautiful, his full light blonde hair fell in waves to the top of his shoulders that were broad enough I could have sat on it like a damn throne. Was it just his coat? I couldn’t tell as he watched me.

It was all he’d been doing, watching. He’d darkened his eyelids with something, I couldn’t tell if it was natural, but whatever it was, I hoped he never stopped using it.

 I felt a rush of adrenaline when one line of his full beige-toned lips lifted in a smile, or snarl-sure as hell couldn’t tell from the grey sea of his dead eyes- before he turned to leave.

That wasn’t right. What about the other girls? What had he done with them?

“Now hold on a goddamn minute you piece of shit!” I cawed and he seemed to have a shuddering sigh, wheeling on the balls of his bare feet to face me. It was disarming when he looked at me like that like he knew everything and I knew nothing.

“Nothing but a farthing child,” Uncle Ben’s wheeze needled in my head. It was not pleasant. 

The man crossed thickly veined hands over his chest and arched a dark brow at me.

Oh, hell no! I know he’s not about to give me an attitude! He locked me in here! With a rat fungus! Overnight! Kidnapped me damn near! 

I took a deep breath because that was what I’d been reduced to now, breathing contests with mysterious Lucan beasts. 

Something in his face told me I didn’t want to annoy him, it was never a good idea to annoy killers, but what did I do? I opened my big, fat mouth like a farthing child.

“A-a-and what is this?” I called, stammering slightly and stilling the shake in my hands before pointing out the tray.

“Food, eat it, Reynolds.” The gravelly baritone of his voice filled the room and I damn near screamed. 

He speaks! The great Lycan of the mountains speaks! But how had he known my name? Sure as hell didn’t have time for a chat when he was carting me into his prim little dungeon…okay, room, but that wasn’t the point here!

 I wanted to throw the gold tray across the room screaming, but if it was food, I would eat it. 

Even if it was the flesh of some poor animal. I was a wolf, not a saint.

“What did you do with the sisters? My friends? Is your appetite that large YOUR HIGHNESS? I howled with all the dramatics of a performing ballerina before his lips flattened to an annoyed line. 

I couldn’t stop now, not while I had his unwavering attention.

“What are you giving them food to? Fattening us up before you lead us to slaughter ya big bully?” I grated, looking at his face which was clear now, in the light, before shifting my eyes to the slightly rusted orange of the blue door frame beside his head.

Maintaining eye contact with him felt like plunging needles into my eyeballs.

I suddenly felt a wave of pure terror as he approached me, leaning over my doubled-back frame to look me dead in the eyes.

He looked like he was about to say something, his full lips parting wordlessly before he huffed and backed away. 

The beat had gone to my stomach, it was impossible not to dawn over him, the rugged man looming that was now scratching the smooth line of his chiselled jaw like he was trying to figure me out.

I told myself that it wasn’t butterflies, it was a biological reaction to an attractive wolf, a very attractive old wolf who did not look a day over twenty-five.

I shook myself, tramping down on the heat that had started to bloom in my core as he turned to leave.

“I’m going to escape Lycan, feed me all your want, tie me to the fucking bed, lock your steel doors all you want, but I will be leaving this place.” I seethed. If I could only just find out how.

The man changed then, the smooth lines of his angular face morphing into a mask of hate as he closed the distance between us in the time it took me to blink and gasp soundlessly before his icy hands wrapped around my throat.

“H-h-help-“ I tried to scream, but the burlap of his fist choked out any words that might’ve left my windpipe as darkness crowded in on the edge of my vision. My feet left the soft foam of the mattress as he dangled me in the air lightly, raising me so I could be level with his eyes. 

“Don’t mistake my silence for weakness marching, I’ve had patience enough with you.” His voice was like steel as he breathed the words over my face, his fingers tightening on my neck so much that I felt my eyes bulge from their sockets.

I beat at his chest, wincing in pain when my fingers connected with solid flesh. Before he lowered me to the bed almost gently, releasing me as I fell back gasping, shaky hands clutched to my throat.

“What  we’re not going to do, is the insipid girl leaves this room or tries to escape.” The man echoed, flexing his raised indexes at the last bit so that I caught a flash of black stoned gold rings before they disappeared back down.

“Aww, did I make the big bad wolf angry because I didn’t want to be his little puppet?” It was on the tip of my tongue, but I realized I quite liked the way my heart was beating in my chest as opposed to beating in his pot of stew, so I kept my mouth sealed, wisely biting the words that were pushing against the inside of my lips.

“If you think it, Nola, I would know, and if you do much as throw any of your tantrums again or try to make yourself sick, I’ll cut up your little friends' limb by limb, and we’ll have ourselves a sweet slumber party,” He growled, running thick fingers through my short tree-bark coloured hair as a shiver ran through my spine.

A small part of me, however much I tried to deny it, wanted a slumber party, to have such an intense Alpha share my bed. I knew somehow, with the way his hands shook with rage beside him and his face remained a mask of calm, that we wouldn’t be doing any sleeping.

 I wondered what he was like with other women, if he’d ever allowed himself to be with other women, or if he bit their heads off mid-moan.

“I’ve heard maiden hearts taste especially scrumptious.” The Lycan Alpha hissed and my fantasies died on the spot.

“O-okay,” I stammered, humbled. His grey eyes followed my fingers as I tucked a wry lock of hair behind my ear before wringing my hands nervously.

What now?

“What happens now is you eat your food, Nola. And then sit like a good little village girl until I come to get you.” The Werewolf said, the tight set wires of his jaw beguiling the shaky tone he spoke with.

“Okay,” I whispered and he nodded, seeming content to have made his points- threats clear.

“Okay.” He mimicked in a deep monotone and I got the jitters again. I didn’t even know how he was addressed!

“W-what is your name?” I tried, looking anywhere but his face.

“Hector.” The Lycan beast deadpanned, and then he turned and left the room, the click of the door engaging behind him as the cave fell to silence.