Threat

I slowly blinked as my head throbbed so hard it felt like someone was hammering against my skull. My vision was blurry, and I struggled to balance my surroundings. I tried to scramble up, but the sharp pain that shot through my skull was unbearable. Then I slowly realized I was on something soft. My eyes darted down, and I saw that I was lying on a bed.

Panic surged through me. I instantly yanked the blanket off my body, checking myself in fear. My heart nearly stopped, my gown was still on. Untouched. Intact. I exhaled shakily, almost collapsing from the wave of relief that washed over me.

Those evil alphas… I thought they would have forced their way on me. That was the whole point, wasn’t it? But nothing happened. Why, though?

The thought clouded my mind. Slowly, my memory drifted to Alpha Kaelrix, the one who told me I was being sold. As a sex toy. A thing. Not even a person.

So I was really sold by my family? Wow.

Tears clouded my eyes instantly. The way Kaelrix had stared at me earlier, cold, disgusted, it proved everything. I was nothing to them. A tool. A burden. A mistake they were eager to trade off.

I was just used as their tool, and now I could guarantee Elara didn’t even run away. It must have all been a plan, just to sell me off. Just because they never loved me. None of them did.

Consumed by my thoughts, I barely registered the room around me. When my awareness finally returned, my eyes widened, and I sat up straighter. The sheets beneath me were silky, smooth, and smelled faintly of roses. The room looked like something out of a dream, large, quiet, peaceful, long white curtains fluttering with the morning breeze.

It was beautiful. Too beautiful. Like the room of a king.

This room was far more stunning than anything I had ever seen in my pack. Nothing in my life compared to this. Not even close. Where am I? Why would someone who bought me place me somewhere like this? And why didn’t they touch me?

Where were the two brothers?

Were they waiting for me to wake up? To do whatever they wanted?

Panicked, I slowly slid off the bed, pushing the sheets aside. I was about to scramble toward the door when I froze, because he was there.

One of the alphas. The one with short black hair.

He sat on a couch like he owned the world and everything in it, dominant, unmoving, dangerous. My breath hitched, my heart slammed violently against my ribs, and my knees nearly buckled. His aura was deadly, thick, suffocating. His eyes locked onto mine, sharp and cold, like he was studying my soul, deciding whether to crush it or keep it.

He sat with his legs crossed, flipping a dagger between his fingers like it was nothing. Even my wolf shivered under his gaze, intimidated, alert, afraid.

I stumbled back, my knee hitting the bed as my heartbeat roared in my ears. What was he doing in here? Was he watching me sleep? And how come I never felt his presence?

“That’s what makes them deadly. You can’t feel their wolf,” my wolf, Lola, whispered, her voice soft but reassuring.

I exhaled shakily. At least Lola was still with me.

“Where were you going?” he suddenly asked, his deep, commanding voice filling the room. My hands trembled, and I sank onto the edge of the bed, but there was no way I was going to let him know he scared me.

I swallowed hard, biting my lower lip. “Why do you care? Don’t act like you own me,” I snapped, even though my voice wasn’t as steady as I’d hoped.

His lips curved, and he chuckled, a low, unsettling sound. He leaned forward, uncrossing his legs.

“Little lamb, you’re trying to act tough?” he teased, his eyes still locked on mine.

Something about that laugh made my skin crawl. This alpha in particular… he was dangerous. His aura screamed it, loud and clear.

“What do you mean?” I asked, refusing to back down. Fear or not, I wasn’t going to let him crush me.

Even though I had always been treated badly in my father's pack, one thing I had learned was to stand up for myself. No matter the situation, no matter the person, I had to speak up for me. If I didn’t, no one else would.

“I’m surprised,” he said, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Someone who fainted at the mention of sex is suddenly acting tough.”

Seriously? Who would be happy at the mention of sex with strangers, especially predators? This alpha was crazy.

“You mean I should be happy that you guys want to forcefully take my body without my approval?” I shot back, my eyebrows furrowing in anger.

“You were already sold to us, little lamb,” he replied calmly. “So you are ours. We decide what to do with your body.”

My hands trembled in pure rage. The nickname, little lamb,made something in me burn. I blamed my useless father for selling me out. I hated my pack. I hated my family. I wished they would all die.

I wished I could just run away from all this. From these beasts. From this hell.

I wished I could just die.

I lifted my chin higher, tears stinging my eyes, but I wouldn’t let them fall. Not in front of him.

“There’s no way I’m going to give you alphas my body willingly,” I snarled. “I don’t even like you. So it’s better you kill me and look for someone else, because I will never let you touch me.”

My nails dug into my palms, breaking the skin, but I didn’t care. I needed the pain. I needed something to ground me before I went insane.

I needed to run.

I expected him to snap at me after hearing all that, but he didn’t. Instead, he leaned back with an evil grin stretching across his lips.

“Don’t even think about running away,” he warned softly. “Because if you do… with just the snap of Kaelrix’s fingers, your entire pack will be wiped out.”

I froze. How did he know I was planning to run? Could he read minds?

“What if I don’t care about the pack?” I challenged.

He burst into laughter.

“What if?” He smirked. “Little lamb, the fact that you asked means you do care. Are you trying to test me?”

His voice was smooth, husky, and for a moment, my heart skipped, fear or something else, I didn’t know.

“Well, I don’t care,” I said stubbornly. “All I know is you and your mysterious brothers aren’t touching me or having my body.”

His smile widened.

“What if I try to fuck you right here, little lamb?”

he murmured, standing up slowly.

He began walking toward me—calm, dangerous, deliberate.