CHAPTER 005

—DAPHNE:

I could feel Bellamy’s want through the bond. I was sure he could feel mine as well. It felt wrong and yet terrifyingly right. I should be avoiding him. Instead, I was here in the pack, wanting him. With the way his gaze ran over my body as he confronted Roth, alight with a hunger that made me wet and aching for him, his scent was thick in the room. I felt heady with the rush of it and had to bite my lip to stifle a whimper.

My breathing came faster as I watched him. Bellamy stood there radiating the commanding aura of the Alpha he was, completely unbothered by his son’s temper. Meanwhile, I stood in the corner of the room staring at him like the thirstiest woman alive, my thoughts filthy and shameful in ways they never should have been. 

Craving another man’s cock after one taste, despite carrying the scar of rejection by another. And not just any other man—he was my ex-father-in-law. A man old enough to be my father. Heat flooded my face, but the shame did nothing to lessen the arousal twisting low in my stomach. If anything, it only made it worse.

The forbidden nature of it all should have disgusted me, instead, my body betrayed me every single time I looked at him, every single time I remembered the feel of his touch. I lowered my head, trying to hide the heat burning across my cheeks.

The brush glided smoothly through my blonde hair while Elian gently massaged my scalp with her slender fingers, drawing a soft purr from my throat. The soothing sensation slowly loosened the tension in my body, though my mind remained trapped on Bellamy and the dangerous attraction growing stronger between us.

I had always been destined for a life of nobility, all thanks to Alpha Bellamy. Elian’s eyes flicked toward mine anxiously through the mirror, her trembling lower lip making it obvious she wanted to say something. She hesitated for a moment before finally stopping the brush altogether.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked softly.

She immediately crouched in front of me. “I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, especially since it’s still sensitive, but I’m tired of standing there with nothing to say while those gossipmongers drag your name through the mud.”

Warmth spread through my chest at her words. Elian had stood beside me since childhood. Being five years older than me, she often felt more like an older sister than a maid. Even now, when everyone else looked at me with judgment and disgust, she remained loyal.

“It’s alright,” I murmured gently. “Their gossip doesn’t bother me. You shouldn’t let it affect you either.”

“They need to know their place. And...” She lowered her voice carefully, glancing around the room first. “That Roth bastard. How dare he? If anyone cheated, I’m sure he’s the one to blame.”

A soft laugh escaped me before I could stop it. The simple fact that she still believed in me made something heavy inside my chest ease slightly.

“Thank you,” I said.

Her eyes softened. “You don’t need to thank me for merely doing my duty, I—”

The door suddenly slammed open so violently it startled both of us.

Roth. His chest rose and fell heavily as he stood there glaring. Elian immediately shot him a fierce look, and I quickly tugged at her arm before she got herself into trouble for disrespecting him openly. Reluctantly, she lowered her head.

“Leave,” he barked.

Elian hesitated.  His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Are you deaf?”

“I’m still attending to Miss’s needs,” she replied boldly, without an ounce of fear in her voice. My stomach tightened instantly. Roth could punish her for speaking to him that way. I tugged harder on her arm. “Leave.”

She gave me a worried look. “But—”

“I’ll be fine,” I assured her softly. “I promise.”

Taking a shaky breath, she glared at him one last time before finally walking out. The second the door shut behind her, the room turned suffocating.

“Why are you here again?” he snapped harshly.

I nearly flinched at his tone, but I forced myself to stay firm. Alpha Bellamy had brought me here. Bellamy was the true authority of the pack, not Roth. I slowly rose to my feet. “You have no right barging into my room asking stupid questions. You lost that privilege.”

He stormed toward me, and every instinct screamed at me to retreat, but I held my ground as he stopped inches away from me. “You’ve sure grown bold in the few weeks you were gone.” He leaned so close I could feel his breath against my face.

“Leave my room,” I said through gritted teeth.

His hand suddenly grabbed my chin roughly, forcing my face upward. “Listen carefully,” he growled. “You’ll be gone by tomorrow. If not, you officially become my prey, and I don’t go easy on my prey.”

Anger surged through me so fiercely my hands trembled. He betrayed me, humiliated me, rejected me and not once had he shown remorse. Now he was threatening me too. “What happened to the love you claimed to have for me?” I asked bitterly.

A scoff left him before he laughed coldly. “You really are pathetic.” His eyes glittered cruelly. “Still clinging to feelings like some gullible fool. You were nothing more than a curiosity to me. I wanted to know what it felt like being with an outcast woman. Having you beneath me while you clung to me for protection.”

The slap came before I could think. The sound echoed sharply across the room. His face snapped sideways before rage exploded across his features. Before I could react, he shoved me violently onto the floor. A growl tore from him as sharp fangs slid into view and his eyes flashed yellow with fury. “Damn bitch!”

I kicked desperately, but against his size, I was powerless. “Let me go!” I screamed.

He just laughed, his eyes sparkling with cruelty.“Maybe I should just take what I want,” he sneered. “Why keep pretending when I can finally have this outcast pussy? Five years and you never let me touch it.”

Terror flooded my body so fast it left me numb. His hands ripped into my nightgown while I screamed instantly, panic clawing through me, but the sound only seemed to amuse him more. Fabric tore beneath his hands as he forced it apart. If only I had my wolf. If only I had the strength every normal wolf possessed.

Tears streamed helplessly down my face as he exposed more of my skin. Just as he reached for my exposed breast, the door burst open. Whoever entered caused him to freeze entirely. One moment he was on top of me; the next, a strong hand had pulled him off and slammed him against the wall. 

My breath came in harsh gasps. Our eyes met, his hazel eyes blazing with rage. Relief surged through me as Elian hurried to my side, wrapping a cloak around my trembling form and helping me onto the bed. I thought Roth must be unconscious; he didn’t move.

“Drag him out,” Alpha Bellamy ordered. Elian seemed reluctant to leave me alone.

I gave a small nod, signaling it was okay even though it clearly wasn’t. Even though I couldn’t shake the memory of his body on mine, Elian dragged Roth away, leaving only Alpha Bellamy and me. He sat beside me, breathing deeply. “I’m sorry,” he whispered gently.

I nodded weakly, clutching the cloak tighter around myself. My lower lip trembled uncontrollably and my hands wouldn’t stop shaking no matter how hard I tried to calm myself. Bellamy’s fists clenched tightly at the sight. “I’ll make him pay.”

Something dark moved through his voice, something dangerous enough to make me believe he truly could kill his own son for this. I looked up at him quickly. “No. Don’t kill him.”

A sad smile crossed his face, though the rage in his eyes never fully disappeared. I exhaled shakily, suddenly far too aware of the fact that I was completely naked beneath the cloak and sitting inches away from the man I couldn’t stop wanting. The same man I shouldn’t want. The same man whose touch still haunted my body at night while guilt slowly devoured me afterward.

“Do you want me to help you draw a bath?” Bellamy asked quietly after a long moment of silence.

“I’ll have Elian do it.”

In other words, I didn’t want him seeing me exposed. Not again. Not when one look from him already made my body weak and my thoughts sinful.

“Yeah... sure.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I—I just wanted to make sure you’re alright. I feel responsible for what he did, and I—”

I blinked in surprise. Was Alpha Bellamy actually stammering?

For some reason, the sight warmed my chest and eased some of the tension tangled inside me. “I understand,” I said softly. “Thank you for saving me.”

“It’s my duty.”

There he went again with duty and responsibility. A small smile tugged at my lips. “You sound like an old man whenever you say that.”

“That’s because I am old.”

I let out a quiet laugh. “No, you’re not. You’re actually really attractive. And fucking hot too. Definitely not old.”

The second the words left my mouth, his smile disappeared. The memory of that night crashed into me instantly. His touch. His mouth. His cock. The way my body had melted beneath him despite how wrong it felt.

His gaze slowly lowered to my lips before lifting back to my eyes, darker now with hunger. The air between us tightened dangerously, thick with everything we weren’t supposed to want from each other.

His gaze pulled at me like gravity while his lips parted slightly with slow breaths that sounded almost strained, almost desperate. My own body leaned toward him before I even realized it, and he leaned closer too. One more inch and his mouth would have been on mine.

One more second and I would have let him kiss me again despite the guilt, despite Roth, despite how filthy it felt wanting the father after once loving the son. Just as I was about to be lost in the sweetness of that moment, the door to my room swung open abruptly and Julian stood there. He had caught us. Everything came to an immediate halt.