~four~

Soraya's POV

I wanted to scream, but my voice was stuck somewhere between my stomach and my throat. He was taking me? Where? Why? What the hell was going on?

“You—you can’t just—” Felicia began, but then stopped herself. Her lips parted, then closed again.

“I’ll deposit two million dollars,” he said simply, as if he were buying a painting or a new suit. “I’m taking her with me.”

Two…million?

Felicia’s eyes almost popped out of her skull. She coughed and then plastered on the fakest smile I’d ever seen.

“Of course, Mr. Darius! Absolutely. She’s yours, take her. Right away.” She even waved her hand like she was presenting me as a gift.

My brain felt like soup. I rolled my eyes inwardly. Flash money in that woman’s face and she’d sell her mother.

Darius turned around without another word and walked us toward the exit. My heart thumped wildly. I was leaving? Like, really leaving?

I didn’t know whether to be terrified or relieved.

He didn’t even glance back. We got outside, and the night air hit my face.

His car was parked by the curb—sleek, black BMW.

He opened the back door with one hand, hoisted me off his shoulder with the other, and threw me in like I was made of pillows.

My head hit the leather seat. “Ow!” I snapped, finally finding my voice.

He didn’t even react. Instead, he stalked around to the driver’s side, slipped in, and slammed the door.

He looked at me through the rearview mirror. His jaw was tight and his eyes unreadable.

Then he started the engine.

Vroom!

The car roared to life, and so did the hundred questions in my head.

Who was this man?

Why me?

And where the hell was he taking me?

And so, I finally found my voice. My throat was dry, my head spinning, but I managed to push the words out as the car sped smoothly across the quiet roads.

“Who are you?” I asked, barely above a whisper.

But this man didn't even respond.

I leaned forward slightly, my heart hammering against my ribs. “Who are you?” I repeated, louder this time.

His hands didn’t flinch on the steering wheel. His eyes didn’t shift. He didn’t even glance at me in the rearview mirror.

“Darius Dovenia.”

That was it, no explanation…Just a name.

But somehow, it echoed in my mind like a command…Darius Dovenia. It sounded like power.

And then, the car came to a smooth halt.

I looked out the window and my gaze settled on the massive building before me.

It looked like a modern-day palace with thick walls, golden lights, endless floors… intimidating, luxurious, and suffocating all at once.

Before I could process it, the back door was yanked open and Darius grabbed me by my legs again, lifting me up like I weighed nothing.

My hair dangled upside down, the blood rushing to my head as he carried me through a grand entrance with towering doors and guards that actually bowed.

Inside, servants stood in perfect lines, their heads lowered as we passed. Not one of them looked at me, not one of them dared to look at him.

I wanted to ask again—where the hell are you taking me? What is this place? But the words were stuck again.

We reached the foot of a grand staircase and just as we began to climb, a man approached.

He was tall and well-dressed, smiling like this was some kind of party. His brown hair fell to his jaw in soft waves, and he looked at Darius with familiarity.

“Darius, you’re back,” the man said smoothly. His gaze drifted to me.

“And who do we have here? Hello there,” he said with an annoyingly charming smile.

I just stared at him.

Darius didn’t reply. Instead, he gave the man a glance—nothing more, but something about that look must’ve said shut up, because the man stepped aside without another word.

And just like that, Darius was climbing the stairs again, dragging me over his shoulder like some sack of potatoes.

My face was burning, my head was pounding. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

We reached a door at the end of the hallway. He pushed it open, and I gasped.

The room was enormous, like five rooms fused into one. Everything screamed money and elegance: glass chandeliers, marbled floors, towering bookshelves, silk curtains, a fireplace, a grand piano for no reason, and a bed big enough to drown in.

Before I could take it all in, he threw me right onto the bed.

I bounced once, landed hard, and groaned. This was the second time I was thrown by him.

I swear a piece of my soul left my body.

What the actual hell?

Just before I could manage to get up with my hands still trapped in the blanket like some helpless burrito, the man had already turned around and left the room.

“Wait!” I called out, but my words couldn’t catch him. He was already gone, the door slamming shut behind him.

It felt like barely a minute had passed before the door opened again. This time, he wasn’t alone.

Two women walked in behind him, dressed in the classic black and white uniforms I’d only ever seen in movies.

Maids…

I stared at them, then looked back at him, my voice finally finding strength. “What is wrong with you? Who are you? What did you bring with you?”

He didn’t even blink. He simply glanced at me, then at the maids.

“Get her out of that blanket. Make sure she showers properly. Then bring her downstairs to have dinner with me. Get her clean clothes and handle her with care.”

And with that, he turned and left the room again.

The maids bowed their heads. “Yes, Alpha.”

Alpha.

I froze.

That word hit harder than anything else had since I arrived at this madness.

Alpha. As in... werewolf Alpha?

I knew werewolves existed, everyone did. In Tens ville, humans and werewolves had signed a peace treaty long ago. It wasn’t exactly common to see them, but I had seen one from a distance once.

Still, never had I been this close to one. Never had I been inside a werewolf’s house.

Let alone be kidnapped by one.

My heart began to pound louder. My mind raced with one terrifying thought.

What was he going to do with me?

Eat me?

One of the maids moved, approaching me slowly, probably to take the blanket off me.

“Don’t touch me,” I snapped, my voice ice-cold as I glared at her.

She halted, lifting her hands slightly in a placating gesture. “Just hold on, miss. We just want to remove the blanket and do as the Alpha instructed—”

“You’re werewolves,” I cut her off sharply, my voice rising in panic. “Don’t come close to me!”

They both froze.

The two maids exchanged glances, and one of them gave a little sigh, muttering under her breath, “I’ll go inform the Alpha.”

Inform the Alpha?

My breath hitched, and I gripped the edge of the blanket tighter.

A few tense minutes later, the door opened again. The same maid returned but she wasn’t alone, Darius was with her.

He stepped into the room, his gaze fixed on me like I was something troublesome he was already tired of.

“I hear you’re giving the maids a hard time,” he said flatly.

I didn’t reply. I just stared at him, my jaw clenched.

He walked toward me, and when he reached the bed, his fingers moved to the hem of the blanket wrapped around me.

“Would you like me to do what they’re supposed to do instead?” he asked, his voice dangerous. “Should I bathe you?”