chapter 4

Chapter 4

Noah

I looked up at the man standing in front of me, my breath hitching in my throat. He didn't look like a normal person. He looked like power given a human shape.

Without taking his eyes off me, he reached out and handed his glass to one of the men standing nearby. The man took it instantly, not saying a single word, as if he were a ghost.

My heart beat so fast it felt like a bird trapped in my chest. I tried to understand how I had ended up here, in this cold, expensive room, being stared at by a stranger who looked like he could break me with one hand.

The man didn't speak. Instead, he started walking slowly around me. He moved with a strange, smooth grace, like a predator circling its prey. His eyes were locked on mine the whole time.

It was an intense look, one that made me feel like I was something he wanted to devour. I felt smaller than I ever had before. Under his gaze, I felt completely helpless, a boy caught in a trap he didn't even know existed.

He stopped walking and gave a short, sharp instruction I didn't quite catch. Immediately, strong hands grabbed my arms again. They dragged me up to my feet, forcing me to stand straight even though my legs felt like jelly.

Now that I was standing, I could see his face more clearly. He had sharp, handsome features and eyes that were so dark they looked like endless night. His skin was bronze, and the tattoos covering his chest and arms seemed to move slightly under the dim lights.

He walked over to a large, ornate chair that looked more like a throne and sat down. He didn't look away from me. He simply pointed at me and waited.

It was a silent demand for an explanation, a gesture that showed he was the one in charge of everything in this room.

The man who had brought me from the apartment stepped forward. He kept his head bowed slightly as he spoke. "The old man decided to pay his debt through this way," he said, gesturing toward me.

The man in the chair let out a laugh. It wasn't a happy sound. It was cold, empty, and jagged, like breaking ice.

"The old man is weak," he said. His voice was hard and icy, echoing off the high ceilings. "Paying with his own son's life just to run away from death. It’s pathetic."

Hearing him talk about my father that way—even if it was true—made something snap inside me. All the fear and the pain from the last twenty-four hours suddenly turned into a hot, burning anger. I couldn't hold it back anymore. I had been beaten, sold, and kidnapped. I didn't care about being quiet anymore.

"Who are you?" I asked loudly. My voice was shaky, but I didn't stop. "And why did you take me? This is not fair! I didn't do anything to you!"

The man stopped laughing. He looked straight at me, his dark eyes narrowing. He stood up from his chair and walked toward me until he was only inches away. He reached out and lifted my chin with his fingers, forcing me to look him in the eye.

A slow smirk formed on his lips.

"I am already liking you," he said. His voice was a low purr, and the smile on his face sent a wave of chills through my entire body.

As the two of us stood there, face to face, something strange happened. I felt a sudden stir deep inside my chest. It was a warm, pulsing sensation that I had never felt before. It was confusing and overwhelming, making my head spin. My chest tightened until it was hard to breathe, and I felt a strange heat spreading through my skin.

I didn't know what it was, but it felt like I was being pulled toward him by an invisible string.

The man suddenly gasped. He let go of my chin and placed a hand on his own chest, right over his heart. He closed his eyes for a moment, his breath coming out in deep, ragged gasps. He looked like he was struggling with something inside himself, trying to push a powerful force away.

I watched him, frozen in place. I saw the muscles in his neck tighten and his jaw clench in pain.

From the corner of my eye, I saw something that made my blood run cold. For just a split second, his eyes flashed a bright, terrifying red.

They didn't look human. They looked like the eyes of a monster.

A low, vibrating growl escaped from his throat, a sound that no human could ever make.

The man who had brought me reacted instantly. He looked around at the other guards and shouted, "Leave us! Now!"

The other men didn't wait to be told twice. They turned and walked out of the room as fast as they could, closing the heavy doors behind them. Only the leader of the guards stayed. He moved closer to the man in the center of the room, his voice full of worry.

"Are you okay, Alpha?" he asked.

The man—the Alpha—took one last deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. They were dark again, but they were full of a new kind of intensity. "I am fine," he said, though his voice sounded strained.

He turned his attention back to me. He stepped closer again and placed his hand on the side of my neck. His touch was firm, but strangely, it didn't hurt. It felt hot against my skin.

He leaned in, his lips close to my ear, and spoke in a low whisper that only I could hear.

"Human mate. Impossible."

I was completely confused. The words didn't make any sense to me. My mind was racing, trying to figure out what was happening.

"Let me go," I begged. My voice was thin and shaking with a new kind of terror. "Please, I don't understand any of this. Just let me go home."

As soon as the word "home" left my mouth, his expression changed. The warmth I had felt for a second vanished, replaced by a cold wall of anger.

He pushed me away roughly. I wasn't prepared for it, and I stumbled back, falling hard onto the cold floor.

He didn't look at me with interest anymore. He turned his back to me and spoke to the guard who had stayed behind. His voice was filled with a sudden, sharp disgust.

"Lock him up," he ordered. "I don't want to see his face or feel his presence right now. Get him out of my sight."

The guard nodded quickly. "Yes, Alpha."

He started walking toward me. I tried to scramble backward on the floor, my heels digging into the carpet. Fear rose in my throat, thick and suffocating.

"Please, don't do this," I begged, my voice breaking. "I haven't done anything wrong. Please!"

But the guard didn't listen. He didn't even look like he heard me. He reached down and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, dragging me out of the room. I tried to fight, but I was too weak. We went down a long, dimly lit hallway that felt like it belonged in a castle or a prison.

Finally, he opened a heavy wooden door and threw me inside.

It was a small, cold room. The floor was made of grey stone, and the only furniture was a thin, dirty bed in one corner. My heart stopped when I looked at the walls. There were strange, metal tools hanging there—sharp hooks and heavy chains that looked like they were made for torture.

I felt a wave of pure terror wash over me as the guard stepped closer. Rough hands grabbed me, and I felt my clothes being ripped off. I tried to cover myself, to fight back, but it was no use. They left me with nothing but my boxers, shivering in the cold air.

Then came the sound of metal.

I felt heavy iron chains being locked around my wrists and then my ankles. They were tight and cold, biting into my skin. I felt like an animal, like a dog being tied up so it couldn't run away.

The man finished his work and walked out without saying a single word. The heavy door slammed shut, and I heard the sound of a key turning in the lock.

I was alone now. The room was pitch black except for a tiny sliver of light coming from under the door. The chains were heavy, weighing down my tired limbs.

The pain from the beatings earlier by Max and my father mixed with this new, sharp fear and a deep sense of shame. I had never felt so low in my life.

Tears filled my eyes, and this time, I couldn't hold them back. They spilled down my cheeks, hot and stinging. I curled into a ball as much as the chains would allow and cried quietly in the dark.

My whole body shook with the weight of everything I had been through. I didn't know where I was, I didn't know who these people were, and I didn't know if I would ever see the sun again.