4. A MONSTER

ZEUS

The way he said "beast" made something twist inside me. There was an edge to his words, a dark promise that suggested something far worse than just violence. And…could it be? …his voice, it sounded like two voices merged into one, as if something else, someone else, was speaking along with him. An animal. Was my mind slipping, or had I really heard that? I couldn't afford to second-guess myself. Hours of captivity were already beginning to blur my senses, drawing me into a spiral of doubt. If I didn’t escape, I’d be lost to this man’s madness.

“Look, I really don’t know why you’re doing this to me.” My voice was steady, but desperation clawed at the edges. “I haven’t killed anyone. And if you believe I have, let’s go to the police. They’ll decide whether I’m guilty. I’ll accept punishment if they prove it, okay? Let’s handle this like civilized adults…”

“Police?” He chuckled, a low, dark sound that echoed through the trees, filling the silence with a sinister hum. I froze, feeling the weight of something terrible, something inescapable. He took a step closer, his shadow falling over me, blotting out everything else.

“Here, I am the authority,” he declared, his voice reverberating through the forest, twisting the night into something otherworldly. “I am the judge, I am the jury, and I am your executioner.” His hand gripped the back of my neck, yanking me forward until our faces were inches apart, his gaze piercing, relentless. “I am your god, and I am your devil here, Damon.”

The silence that followed was suffocating, pressing down on me as if his very words had woven a prison around me. And for a heartbeat, I was back in a place I thought I’d buried years ago, back to the day I’d sworn I’d never be in anyone’s grasp again. Twelve years had passed since that accident. The one time I’d felt powerless, utterly helpless, at someone’s mercy. I’d vowed that day to take control of my life, my fate, and never surrender it again.

But now? Here was this man, holding me in his iron grip, claiming dominion over me with a terrifying certainty. My heart hammered, old wounds stirring anger deep inside me, anger that outweighed the fear. I wasn’t going to let this stranger break me, no matter how dark his threats.

I met his gaze, refusing to back down, and forced my voice to stay steady. “I refuse to accept you as anything of mine,” I said, my tone hard and unshaking. “You are neither the god I worship nor the devil in my nightmares.”

For a moment, he just stared at me with an emotionless gaze, “Care to repeat that?” he asked, voice dripping with challenge, eyes dark and assessing. 

My pulse quickened, but I didn’t hesitate.

“Why?” I taunted, inching closer to him, my breath hot and steady against his. “Are you afraid you’re losing control?” I let out a low, mocking chuckle, letting him see the smirk I knew would provoke him. “I’m not scared of you. If you want to kill me, then pull out that gun, shoot me, and end this!”

He didn’t react. Not a single flicker of doubt or fear in his expression. Instead, his hand tightened on the back of my neck, fingers digging into my skin as he leaned in closer, his voice low, dripping with an evilness that sent chills up my spine. “You think I won’t? You think your life has any weight here, Damon?” he whispered, his words chillingly calm. “Then let’s find out.” With that, he seized my arm, his grip like iron as he began to drag me deeper into the forest.

Twisting my arm, he forced me forward, his every step an unspoken threat that echoed through my bones. “Where… where are you taking me?!” I shouted in a panic. Branches tore at my clothes as he pulled me along, while my heart started drumming in my chest with his silent treatment. It was nerve wracking and scary. Where might he be taking me? 

The damp earth squelched underfoot as he dragged me forward, his iron grip strong around my wrist. I could barely keep up, each step sending a fresh wave of nausea through me. I stumbled but fought to stay upright. He didn’t care if I was half-dead or bleeding. To him, I was nothing more than something to be dragged along. Maybe a stray animal he could shove around. I could tell this man hated me to the marrow of his bones.

That’s when I noticed it. The ground beneath my feet had grown strangely wet, and a smell, sour, swampy, began to fill the air. I looked ahead, my heart hammering as realization dawned. It was the stretch of wetlands, vast and ominous, a thick, soupy swamp nestled in the shadows of twisted trees and creeping vines.

The sight made my stomach turn. “Why are you taking me there?! I’m not going in!” I shrieked, my voice cracking under the weight of my fear. Panic overtook me as I thrashed, trying desperately to pull free from his grip. The idea of being led into that swamp…it felt like a one-way trip to a place I’d never return from. I could already feel the mud closing in around my ankles, swallowing me whole.

But he didn't so much as blink. His grip on my arm tightened as he pushed me forward to swamp, ignoring my every word. “NO!” I yelled, my voice breaking as I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable plunge. I saw my life flash before me, saw the faces of those I’d left behind, the things I hadn’t done, the love I’d never found. Desperation clawed at me, and for the first time, a small, broken whisper escaped my lips. “No… please…”

And then I felt it. his hand wrapping around mine, pulling me back with a brutal force. 

Gasping, I opened my eyes, to find myself stumbling backward, only to slam into his chest. I was panting, my heart racing, every nerve in me alight with confusion and fear. My mind reeled. Had he really just… saved me? After he’d been the one to push me toward that death trap in the first place?

“How could you…” My voice trembled, the words barely escaping my lips. I was a mix of disbelief and anger, my head spinning as I looked up at him.

A smile curled at the corner of his mouth, cold and mocking. “Did you forget?” he asked, his voice smooth, taunting. “I am a beast.”

As he spoke, his eyes shifted, darkening to an unnatural, deep shade of brown…wild, animalistic, yet powerful, something far beyond human. I felt my blood run cold as I realized what I was looking into. This man was more than dangerous; he was something else entirely. This wasn’t just a twisted soul with a vendetta. No, he was something darker, primal… monstrous.

He was not a human?

A whisper escaped me before I could stop it, my voice barely audible. “Who… who are you?”

He tilted my chin up not with his fingers but… my face turning white at the site of his claws, rough yet controlled, his face so close that I could feel his breath against my lips. “Call me Alpha.” 

His sexy voice entered my ears, making my heart skip a beat. 

Fuck my life. 

I was in the clutches of a monster!