Tainted Desire

Lydia

I was boiling with anger.

How dare he say that to me so bluntly?

I had known exactly what I had been sold for. I was not foolish enough to misunderstand the arrangement Uncle Abel had made with the Alpha Lord, but hearing Lord Magnus confirm it so casually made something hot and furious twist inside me.

My wolf bristled beneath my skin, finally finding her fire again after being forced into submission by Lord Magnus.

That had never happened to us before.

No one had ever made my wolf submit.

We did not like it.

I trudged along behind the servants Lord Magnus had ordered to prepare me, bile rising steadily in my throat as I thought about what awaited me in a few hours. I had never been with a man before. I had some idea of what happened between a man and a woman, having stolen several of Maria's romantic books whenever she was away, but stolen pages and whispered fantasies were the closest I had ever come to understanding intimacy.

I had no experience of my own.

And I certainly had never imagined that my first experience would happen like this.

Not with someone like Lord Magnus.

I could not deny that he was handsome, though. Unbelievably handsome. There was something almost unreal about looking at him, as though someone had taken every feature capable of making a woman lose her senses and placed them on one man.

But he was still a beast.

He was still the brutal Alpha Lord of Bridgevine.

He could crush me without even trying.

He could break me.

I knew he could.

Yet my body betrayed me every time I remembered those enormous, vein-covered hands. The thought of them holding me sent an unwanted shiver through my skin. I imagined his hands at my waist, his fingers tracing my arms, his strength surrounding me until there was nowhere left to run.

Would he be rough?

Would he be gentle?

The uncertainty was almost worse than knowing.

I groaned softly and shook my head, trying to force the ridiculous thoughts away.

Gods, I was losing my mind.

I felt disgusted with myself. I was supposed to be terrified, not standing there with my thoughts wandering toward the very man I should have hated. Lord Magnus looked like the kind of man capable of ruining a woman without realizing the damage he had caused.

The frightening part was that some reckless corner of me wondered what it would feel like to be wanted by him.

“This way, my lady.”

The voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I looked toward the elderly woman who had spoken, then glanced at the other two women accompanying us. I searched their faces, trying to find something—anything—but they stared back with calm eyes and carefully neutral expressions.

They looked used to this.

Used to their Lord bringing women into his home.

Used to preparing them for his bed.

The bitter taste that rose in my mouth made me want to scream.

I was just another woman to him.

Another stranger who would spend one night in his bed before being forgotten.

Sick bastard.

They led me into a large room that had already been prepared with everything they needed. Bowls of warm water sat on a table alongside bottles of oils and perfumes, while folded fabrics were arranged neatly across another surface.

For one brief moment, I considered turning around and running.

But where would I go?

I did not know this mansion. I had seen the guards stationed throughout the corridors, and even if I managed to slip past them, there was no guarantee I would make it beyond the grounds.

I would be caught before I got very far.

With a resigned sigh, I stepped into the room.

Perhaps this was simply my fate.

The women began helping me out of my old dress, and I stood still as they prepared me.

By the time they finished, exhaustion clung to every part of me.

I had barely slept properly in more than three days, and several times while they washed and prepared me, I had caught myself drifting dangerously close to sleep. Now, however, I stood before a large oval mirror and stared at the reflection looking back at me.

For several seconds, I did not recognize her.

I was clean.

Cleaner than I had been in years.

My brown hair shone as it fell freely down my back, its soft ends brushing the top of my hips. The women had washed and combed it until it looked healthier than I remembered it ever being.

The girl staring back at me looked almost unfamiliar.

The dress they had chosen was made from rich, soft fabric that felt impossibly light against my skin. It hugged the upper part of my body before flowing gently from my waist to my ankles. The gown emphasized the curves I usually hid beneath worn dresses and made my waist appear smaller than I had realized.

They had even applied makeup to my face.

I had to resist touching my cheeks, afraid of ruining their careful work.

I looked beautiful.

For perhaps the first time in my life, I felt beautiful too.

Unfortunately, none of it erased the nerves twisting violently inside me.

I knew why I had been dressed this way.

I knew what Lord Magnus expected.

The women eventually led me toward a small table filled with food and fruits I had only ever seen from a distance. My hunger surged at the sight, and before I could pretend otherwise, I was sitting down and eating.

Each bite tasted richer than the last.

I ate slowly at first, afraid of appearing greedy, but hunger eventually won. By the time I finished, my stomach was pleasantly full.

Without thinking, I patted it gently.

Then I remembered that I was not alone.

My face heated as I looked toward the women with a sheepish expression.

None of them reacted.

I might as well have been surrounded by statues.

“The Alpha Lord is ready for you now, my lady.”

The words came after several minutes of silence.

My heart stuttered.

My pulse quickened until I could feel it pounding beneath my skin, but I swallowed my fear and refused to let it show. I nodded, pushed myself to my feet, and followed them from the room.

The journey through the mansion felt longer than it had before.

We passed through several corridors before stopping in front of enormous iron doors.

My heart began pounding in my ears.

A guard stepped forward and announced my presence.

“My Lord, Lady Lydia is here.”

A low voice answered from within.

“Send her in.”

I recognized that voice immediately.

The guards pushed the doors open, and one of them gestured for me to enter.

For a brief second, I hesitated.

Then I stepped forward.

Just before the enormous doors closed behind me, I glanced back at the three women. For the briefest moment, I thought I saw something in their expressions.

Pity.

But I could not be certain.

They knew what I believed was about to happen to me.

Perhaps they were not statues after all.

The doors shut.

I turned slowly.

The room was dimly lit and enormous.

It felt like a cave.

Actually, it looked like one too.

I frowned as I took in the black walls and the sheer curtains hanging against them. A huge window stood on the far side of the room, covered by heavy deep-red curtains that blocked most of the setting sun.

Then there was the bed.

It stood at the center of the room like some enormous, unavoidable reminder of why I had been brought there.

Cave.

I could not think of this place as a bedroom.

There was no warmth here.

Even my tiny storage room had more life than this place.

“Not very accommodating, hm?”

The deep voice came from behind me.

I gasped and spun around, but I did not get the chance to move.

Large arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling my back firmly against a hard, warm body.

“Let me go!”

I struggled immediately, but it was useless.

His hold did not loosen.

Instead, a low laugh rumbled against my ear.

“Go where, hm?” he murmured. “There is nowhere for you to run, little omega.”

My body stiffened.

His warm breath brushed my neck, sending an involuntary shiver through me.

I snarled and fought harder against his hold, but the sound only seemed to amuse him.

“Relax,” he murmured. “Struggling will not get you very far.”

“Don't call me that.”

“What?”

“Little omega.”

He chuckled.

“But you are little,” he whispered. “And you are an omega. Am I wrong?”

Before I could answer, his lips brushed close to my ear.

Every thought vanished from my head.

Gods.

His arms suddenly loosened.

Before I could gather myself, his hands gripped my arms and turned me around.

I found myself staring up at Lord Magnus.

He was towering over me, a grin pulling at his lips.

His gray eyes had taken on a golden edge.

His wolf was close.

The realization frightened me.

It also did something else entirely inappropriate to my senses.

I had no idea what was wrong with me.

I should have been completely terrified, yet warmth continued creeping through my body. My wolf remained angry, but beneath that anger, there was an awareness I did not know what to do with.

His grin widened as though he could sense my confusion.

Perhaps he could smell it.

“Hello there,” he said.

His voice was low and deep.

My body shivered.

He stepped forward.

I stepped back.

“You don't have to do this,” I said, hating how small my voice sounded.

“I don't?”

He tilted his head, and his handsome face took on a thoughtful expression.

“But I bought you for this very reason, Lydia.”

His words stung.

Yet my cheeks warmed at the sound of my name in his voice.

Why did he have to sound so good?

Why did he have to look like that?

I swallowed and stepped backward again.

Magnus continued toward me.

Then my heel struck the edge of the enormous bed.

My breath hitched.

I lost my balance and tumbled backward onto the mattress.

His grin returned immediately, but something hotter burned behind his eyes as he looked down at me.

It took me a moment to realize that my gown had shifted during my fall.

My legs were exposed beneath the raised fabric.

I gasped and reached down to pull the material back into place.

Lord Magnus moved faster.

His hand shot forward and closed around my wrist.

I froze.

His fingers were warm and impossibly large around mine, while his golden eyes darkened with fierce intensity.

“Do not hide,” he said quietly.

His gaze held mine.

“You are safe from everyone in this house, Lydia.”

For the first time since entering the room, the certainty in his voice made me pause.

But then his expression changed again, and that dangerous smile returned.

“Except, perhaps, from me."