CHAPTER 4

ELIRA

My knees are screaming for a reprieve, but I ignore the pain and stay down. I hear the sounds of footsteps hurrying in my direction but I refuse to raise my head. I keep my gaze planted on the floor.

"Elira, we have to go. The Alpha is back and he's going to be so pissed if he comes in here to find that you're still in this position." Sarah, one of the maids that showed up at my room two days ago, pleads.

She grabs a hold of my arm and tries to tug me to my feet. I don't budge.

To say that I am weak is an understatement. I am drained of every last ounce of strength I possess. I have been kneeling in this same position for the last two days, devoid of food or rest. I am moving on mere stubbornness at this point.

"Please, Elira. Come on. We have to go."

I shake my head slowly, if I do it any faster, I am going to be dizzy. "Go on."

"Why are you doing this?" She cries out. "The Alpha doesn't care if you live or die."

My lips stretch in a weak smile. That's where she is wrong. Kael definitely cares about whether or not I live. It is best if I die where he can do nothing about it instead of letting him use me the way he plans to.

"Leave me here. I will be fine" I tell her.

She looks like she wants to say more, but we both hear the clicking of solid soles against the tiles, so with a quick squeeze of my hand, she turns and flees.

My body sways to the side and I almost topple over, but somehow I manage to keep myself in place, swaying slightly on my knees.

"You're still here." Kael sounds less surprised than I anticipated. "How much longer do you want to test me, Elira?" His shoes come into my line of vision, his strong masculine scent assaulting my senses.

I gulp back on air, refusing to lift my head or speak.

I hear the laughter in his voice even though he lets none out. "You have been without food for two days, without sleep for three. Even wolves have an expiration date, Elira. Is that what you're trying to achieve? Your death?"

"I'd rather die than take anything from you, Kael." My words are slow and barely audible, but they sure carry the tone of my hatred for the man in front of me.

He lowers himself in a squat, fingers tipping my chin upwards so he can stare at my eyes.

"You think I'd be affected by your death? Trust me, Elira, I wouldn't be."

"Then let me die."

"You're not ready to die yet. Not even close. You're simply doing this to spite me, and it has gotten both old and annoying."

He raises himself back to his full height and my head falls back into its lull.

"You really want to die? You want to get a taste of what death feels like? Fine." He turns around, speaking to people I didn't even know were in our vicinity.

"Take her to the courtyard. I want to show her what death feels like."

I sag with relief at the promise of death. Maybe he didn't have the guts to torment me like he claimed. He is nothing but a show off anyways.

As the guards take hold of each arm and pull me down the stairs, I let my eyes fall close. I am finally going to reconnect with my parents.

Fresh air hits me as we make it to the courtyard, neither one of the guards holding onto me saying anything.

They dump me on the ground and we wait for agonizing minutes before Kael's voice carries over the space.

"Prepare a bath for her. The kind with aphrodisiac and..."

The last word he says skips over me, I can't register it. I force my eyes open despite their heaviness, watching as a huge tub is lifted out from the building that sits to the side of the main house.

I watch as they fill it up to near overflowing. What is he doing?

His eyes lock on mine from across the space and he smiles. "Are you still proud?"

I stare him down, determined to let him see just how much I hate him. "I hate you."

He laughs. "Not yet. But you will."

He turns to the guards who have now finished preparing the bath. "Dip her head into the water and don't let go until I say so."

My eyes widen in fright. That water is bubbling with aphrodisiac, it will...

I struggle against their holds as they clutch my arms and pull me towards the bath.

"Let me go."

"Don't you want death anymore?"

"I'm going to kill you!" I spit at Kael.

"Not if I get there before you." He winks. "You want death, then I will decide what kind you get."

He takes slow steps in my direction, coming to a stop on the other edge of the tub as I am forced to lean over it from this end.

"We're going to kill one part of you every time you dare to defy me, and we will keep at it until you're nothing more than a sack of bones and flesh. I decide when you draw your last breath, Elira. Today's not that day."

With nothing more than a nod from him, his guards dump my head into the water. It invades my lungs, leaving me gasping for air as bubbles form beneath the water.

Something warm trickles into my nose, causing my blood to boil and my skin to feel like it's about to combust.

Goddess, no.

I'm suddenly yanked out of the tub, my mouth open on a huge cough. I can't think straight, I can't even breathe. All I can feel is the heat that's trying to drag me under and keep me intoxicated.

The aphrodisiac is seeping into my blood faster than anything I have ever felt before. All the warmth settles between my thighs, making me clench them as heat suffuses me.

No. Goddess, no.

Somehow, Kael's voice breaks through the barrier. "Still proud?" He asks.

"I. Hate. You." I reply between coughs.

"It will die before the end of the night. Dunk her."

The guards repeat the process and once again I'm consumed by intoxicating heat. All the liquid in my body rushes down to pool between my aching thighs.

By the time they pull me out of the water a second time, all I can think about is Kael. His warm hands, his beautifully muscular body, his...

"Still proud?" He asks again.

I don't know why, but my head shakes no. His smile blooms.

"Why not? Because you believe you've been drugged by aphrodisiac?" He makes a tsking sound and shakes his head. "You're so gullible, and you're a lying little slut. You're wet because you want me, because despite your words, every act of rebellion is aimed at drawing my attention."

Shame smacks me hard across the face and I gulp down on air. "You... you..."

"I tried to end your life, but all you could think of was being in my bed. Some slut you are, pining after the man that killed your mother and made you watch."

Tears start to rush down my face at his words. No. No.

"You're disloyal to your family, to your own words. A shame." His fingers grip my chin hard and he forces my eyes to meet his. "You eat when I say you do, sleep when I say you do, and do as I tell you. Or else..."