Chapter 5: The Forbidden

Elena’s POV

Different thoughts slipped into my mind as I made my way towards Alpha Andrew's chamber. I couldn't stop asking myself why he'd sent for me. Did he want to talk about what was at hand? Possibly, he did—but what exactly would he say?

My heart sank as I stopped in front of the door, wondering if I should knock or just go in. Slowly, I raised my head and glanced at the guards standing nearby. Neither of them looked my way, their eyes fixed blankly ahead.

With a deep sigh, I grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. There he was, standing near the window with a glass of drink in his hand. His posture was as cold and unyielding as the Alpha I once thought I knew.

I stood at the door, my heart pounding loud enough I was certain he could hear it. After a long silence, I walked into the room and closed the door behind me, deciding to draw his attention even though my instinct screamed against it. My voice came out softer than I intended.

“My Alpha.”

He didn’t turn immediately. He lifted the glass to his lips, drained it in one swallow, and then finally faced me. “Why are you still here? Didn’t I make myself clear?”

I frowned, struggling to grasp what he meant. Ever since he rejected me, we hadn’t spoken to each other. Then what the hell was he talking about?

I swallowed the lump in my throat and blurted out, furrowing my brows in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I rejected you, Elena. In front of everyone. You should have left already—like the weak little omega they think you are. There are other packs. Why are you still here?”

I blinked rapidly, unable to believe my ears. He was asking me to run away? To abandon everything? Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I refused to give him that satisfaction.

“This is my pack,” I said firmly. “My home. I can’t just leave.”

He clenched his jaw, and then slammed the glass against the table. The sharp sound echoed through the chamber, making me flinch.

“You can’t? Or you won’t?” His voice dropped into a dangerous growl as he stalked toward me, his fists clenched at his sides.

My heart was hammered, but I forced myself to remain calm. “I’m not leaving. My family’s buried here, my life is here. You don’t get to cast me out like I’m nothing.”

A cruel sound rumbled in his chest—half-growl, half-laugh. His eyes narrowed, sharp and merciless. “You think you have a choice?”

In a blink, he closed the distance between us and seized my throat, slamming me against the wall. His grip wasn’t enough to choke me, but firm enough to remind me how easily he could. My pulse throbbed wildly under his palm. It was hard to breathe, but I didn’t fight him. 

The bond between us hummed, alive and cruel, refusing to let me feel only fear. I hated it, hated that even as he threatened me, my body craved his nearness even when his touch was cruel. Slowly, he lowered his face until his burning eyes locked on mine.

“Do you know what you’re doing to me?” he snarled. “Every second you stay, you make me look weaker. You make me—” He cut himself off, tightening his jaw as though finishing the thought would wound him more than me.

“If rejecting me made you stronger,” I whispered, my voice breathless against his hold. “then why do you still care?”

There's silence in the room when I finished speaking. However, his grip didn’t loosen, but his thumb brushed unconsciously against my neck, sending unwanted shivers through me. The fury in his gaze flickered, and his chest began to rise and fall with uneven breaths as though he fought himself as much as me.

I closed my eyes, torn apart by the heat of his nearness. The bond burned like fire in my veins, a pull too intoxicating to ignore. I should have turned away. I should have hated him. But when his eyes softened, when his lips hovered inches from mine, my heart betrayed me.

I wanted him now more than ever. I wanted to feel him deep within me. His grip shifted, no longer cruel but possessive, almost reverent, as his head dipped lower. I could feel his hot breath against my face, and the nearness of his mouth. My lips parted before I could stop them, caught between dread and aching anticipation.

Andrew leaned closer, so close I could taste the whiskey on his breath, feel the warmth of him searing through every inch of me. His eyes dropped to my mouth. And just when his lips landed on mine, the door slammed open with a loud bang.

We jerked apart, our gazes snapping to the intruder. It's none other than Regal, his mother. The woman who hated me more than death itself. Her gaze flicked from Andrew’s hand still resting against my throat, to my flushed, trembling frame, and then back to his face. 

For a moment, I began to wonder what was going on through her dark heart. Is she going to drag me by the hair and throw me out? I pressed my lips together and continued to wait patiently, glancing at her now and then.

To my utmost surprise, her lips curved into a smile that made my heart sink in my chest. Clara once told me that if Regal smiles at anyone whom she's not close to, it usually means one thing.

"War!"

And by the look on her face, I could tell she wasn't happy to see me in her son's chamber, and must be thinking of how she'd ruin me completely.