Chapter 12

Sienna POV

Safety is just a fragile illusion built by rich men behind tall stone walls. I spent my entire life believing this massive estate could protect me from the outside world. The intricate security systems and iron gates were supposed to keep the monsters at bay. But the true monsters do not pick the locks on the front gate to get inside. You invite them through the front door because they convince you they are the only ones who can keep the other wolves away.

Flinching at the aggressive knocking echoing through my quiet house, I pulled my heavy cardigan tighter around my chest. The thick oak door rattled in its sturdy frame with every brutal strike. Roman was out there screaming his terrifying countdown into the freezing wind.

"Three!" his voice boomed through the solid wood.

I squeezed my eyes shut and reached for the cold brass deadbolt. I had no other choice left. If I let him hit send on that phone, my sick father would go straight to federal prison.

I threw the lock back and pulled the heavy door open. The freezing night wind whipped into the grand foyer and sent a chill down my spine. Roman stood on the top step with pure malice burning bright in his dark eyes.

He did not wait for an invitation to enter my sanctuary. He lunged forward and shoved past me into the bright entryway. His heavy shoulder clipped my chest and sent me stumbling backward across the slippery marble floor.

I caught myself on the edge of an antique side table. A priceless ceramic vase rattled against the polished stone top. Roman kicked the front door shut behind him with a deafening slam that shook the framed paintings on the walls.

"You thought you could lock me out?" he spat. He marched toward me and backed me into the cold plaster wall. "You thought that freak could save you from me tonight?"

I pressed my spine against the wall to get as far away from him as possible. His hot breath smelled of copper and pure adrenaline. The dark bruise on his neck from Dante looked angry under the bright chandelier crystals.

"I was just trying to go to sleep, Roman," I whispered. My voice shook despite my desperate attempt to sound brave. "Lower your voice before you wake the estate staff."

"Do not tell me what to do!" he roared. He slammed his fist into the drywall right next to my head. White plaster dust rained down onto my shoulder and tangled in my hair.

I gasped and covered my face with both hands. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird looking for an escape. He was unhinged and desperate to reclaim his shattered power after the arena humiliation.

"You embarrassed me in front of my own team," Roman sneered. He grabbed my wrists and ripped my hands away from my face. "You stood up in those upper bleachers and tried to make me look weak."

"You made yourself look weak," I choked out. The defiant words slipped past my lips before I could bite them back. "You brought five massive guys to ambush one unarmed person."

His eyes widened in shock at my sudden rebellion. His grip on my wrists tightened to a crushing pressure. He shoved me harder against the wall until the back of my skull bounced off the drywall with a dull thud.

"He got lucky!" Roman screamed right in my face. "He got lucky and you helped him do it. You tipped him off about the midnight practice."

"I did not tell him a single thing about your stupid trap," I cried out. I twisted my wrists in his iron grip but could not break free. "He just knew you were lying in wait. He saw right through the entire ambush."

Roman let go of my right wrist and grabbed my jaw. His fingers dug brutal marks into my pale skin. He forced my head up so I had to look at his consuming rage.

"You belong to me, Sienna," he hissed. "You do not get to ride around in his expensive car. You do not get to hold his hand in my arena while my players watch."

Tears spilled over my lashes and burned down my cheeks. I hated how small he made me feel in my own home. I hated that I let him break my spirit down all over again.

"Let me go," I pleaded. I squeezed my eyes shut to block out his twisted expression. "I am so tired of this endless game."

"The game is not over until I win," Roman stated cold and flat. He released my jaw and stepped back. He wiped his hands on his denim jeans like touching me left actual dirt on his skin.

I slumped against the wall and rubbed my aching wrists. My chest heaved as I tried to draw oxygen into my burning lungs. He towered over me with a victorious smirk playing on his lips.

Roman paced across the marble floor. His heavy boots echoed in the massive space. He wanted to make sure I felt the full weight of his authority returning.

"You are going to fix the massive mess you made tonight," Roman demanded. He stopped pacing and pointed a rigid finger at my chest. "You are going to see Dante tomorrow morning on campus."

"No," I begged, shaking my head side to side. "He knows I was trying to spy on him. He will never trust me again after tonight."

"Figure it out!" Roman barked. He grabbed the front of my shirt and jerked me forward. "Cry. Beg. Use your body. Do whatever it takes to get inside his head."

He shoved me backward again. I hit the wall and slid down a few inches until my knees buckled. The cold floor offered no comfort to my aching bones.

"I cannot do it," I sobbed. I pulled my knees to my chest. "He saved my life tonight. I cannot betray him like that."

"He did not save your life, you stupid girl," Roman laughed. The sound was harsh and cruel. "He is just marking his new territory. He does not care about you at all."

The awful words felt like a knife twisting in my gut. I wanted to believe Dante was different from the rest. I wanted to believe the warmth in his car was real and genuine.

Roman pulled his phone from his coat pocket. He tapped the bright screen and held it down for me to see. My family financial records stared back at me in stark black and white.

"I want every single strategy he knows," Roman instructed. He slipped the phone back out of sight. "I want his exact offensive plays and his defensive weaknesses."

I stared up at him in complete horror. I could not face Dante again and lie to his striking face. The guilt was already eating me alive from the inside out just thinking about it.

"And if I refuse?" I asked. My voice was nothing but a broken whisper in the grand foyer.

Roman reached the heavy oak door and wrapped his hand around the brass knob. He turned his head and gave me a smile devoid of any human warmth.

"You steal the playbook tomorrow morning," Roman demanded. "Or else I will ruin you completely."