He’s Going To Kill me

Stepping out of the car feels exactly like stepping onto a battlefield without a shield.

The crushed white gravel crunches loudly under my cheap, tight shoes. The mountain wind bites immediately through the thin beige lace of my dress, raising goosebumps along my arms. I wrap my arms around my ribs and stare up at the massive stone fortress that belongs to Alpha Luke. The estate is a sprawling monstrosity of dark grey rock, arched windows, and iron gargoyles perched on the rooflines. 

I take one step forward, and the whispers begin.

They do not even try to hide it. The courtyard is packed with guests in suits and shimmering silk gowns. As I walk toward the grand entrance, heads turn. The conversations stop, replaced by a wave of sharp, predatory laughter. A woman in a dark blue dress points a champagne flute at me, her lip curling in disgust. A man beside her shakes his head, his eyes raking over my ill-fitting gown like I am a piece of rotting meat left on the porch.

I keep my eyes fixed on the heavy oak doors. I tell myself to just keep walking. My father is depending on me. I am trading my life to buy his freedom, and a few insults are a small price to pay.

"Well, if it isn't the abomination."

A tall figure blocks my path. I stop, my toes pinching against the narrow front of my shoes. Chloe stands in front of me, flanked by two other girls from my high school. Chloe is nearly six feet tall, with a mane of fiery red hair and eyes the color of polished copper. She wears a sleek emerald gown with a slit that rides all the way up her muscular thigh. She looks like a queen. Beside her, I feel like a peasant begging for scraps.

"Move out of the way, Chloe," I say. My voice sounds thin and reedy in the open air.

Chloe laughs, a sharp bark of a sound. She steps closer, forcing me to tilt my head back just to look her in the eye. "Is that what you are wearing to marry a Great Alpha? You look like a potato sack. I guess your stepmother finally gave up on trying to make you look presentable."

The two girls behind her snicker. One of them, a blonde named Maya, leans in. "I still cannot believe Alpha Luke is actually going through with this. What is he going to do with a fragile little human? You cannot hunt. You cannot fight. You do not even have a wolf to offer him."

My throat tightens. The scratchy lace collar of my dress feels like a noose. "That is none of your business."

Chloe reaches out and grabs a piece of my skirt, rubbing the cheap fabric between her thumb and forefinger. She drops it like it burns her. "It is our business when an abomination taints the bloodline of a leading pack. I just hope you do not give birth to a human pup. Imagine Luke's face when he gets a weak, deaf, blind little human instead of an heir. He will probably drown it in the river."

The air leaves my lungs in a sharp gasp. The cruelty in her eyes is crazy. They want me to break. They want me to fall apart right here on the gravel so they can prove I do not belong in their world.

I clench my hands into fists at my sides, my nails biting into my palms. I force myself to look away from Chloe. I push past her, ignoring the heavy shove she gives my shoulder in return. I walk faster, my awkward heels clicking a chaotic rhythm against the stone steps leading up to the mansion.

The grand foyer is even worse. The ceiling stretches up for three stories, dominated by a massive crystal chandelier. The room is packed with more wolves, more judging eyes, and more cruel smiles. The scent of roasted meats and heavy perfumes makes my stomach churn violently.

I need a minute. I just need one quiet corner to breathe before I have to stand at an altar and sign my life away.

I slip through a side door, leaving the chaotic reception behind. The noise instantly muffles as the heavy door clicks shut. I find myself in a long, dimly lit corridor. The walls are lined with dark mahogany paneling and oil paintings of fierce, ancient wolves. The air here is stale and cold.

I walk blindly, my hands trailing along the smooth wood of the wall to keep my balance. My vision blurs with the tears I fought so hard to keep contained outside. I wipe my cheeks angrily, the cheap powder Jess slathered on my face turning to a gritty paste under my fingers.

The hallway branches off into a maze of smaller corridors. I take a left, then a right, looking for a bathroom or an empty guest suite.

Then, a sound breaks the quiet.

It is a soft, breathy moan, followed by the heavy thud of flesh against wood.

I freeze. The sound comes from a room a few yards ahead. The door is pushed open just a crack, a sliver of warm yellow light spilling out onto the Persian runner in the hall. My first instinct is to turn around and run back to the foyer. It is not my house. It is not my business.

A low, familiar laugh drifts through the crack in the door.

My stomach drops into my shoes. I know that laugh.

I step forward, my shoes completely silent on the thick carpet. I hold my breath, leaning closer to the gap in the wood. I peer into the room.

It is a massive home office. A dark leather sofa sits in the corner, and a massive desk dominates the center of the room. Alpha Luke is standing by the desk. He is a terrifyingly huge man, his broad shoulders stretching the seams of his tailored black suit. His dark hair is slicked back, and his jaw is covered in a rough shadow of stubble.

But it is the person sitting on the edge of the desk that makes my blood run completely cold.

Jess.

My stepsister has her arms wrapped tightly around Luke's neck. Her dress is hiked all the way up to her waist. Luke is standing directly between her spread legs, his large hands gripping her hips with bruising force. He kisses her collarbone, and Jess tilts her head back, letting out another breathy moan.

I press my hand flat against the cold wood of the doorframe. My legs feel like they are made of water.

Jess pulls back slightly, her chest heaving. She runs a hand through Luke's dark hair, her amber eyes locking onto his.

"I still don't understand why you insisted on marrying that abomination," Jess says, her voice thick with annoyance. "She's a human, Luke. She is useless."

Luke lets out a dark, rumbling laugh. He presses a hard kiss to her jaw. "She has something I want."

Jess frowns, trailing a finger down the lapel of his suit. "What could she possibly have? She doesn't have a wolf. She doesn't have money. She is just a sad little girl."

"Don't worry," Luke says. His voice drops into a dangerous, icy register that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "You'll know in good time. But I promise you, Jess, once I get what I want from her, she'll be as good as dead."

The words hang in the air between them. They hang in the hallway, wrapping around my throat like a pair of cold hands.

Jess rolls her eyes, completely unfazed by the threat of murder. "I don't want her as good as dead. Just dead is fine. I am so tired of looking at her ugly face."

Luke laughs again. It is a cruel, victorious sound. He pulls her closer by the hips. "Done, my queen."

He leans down, burying his face in her neck. His hands slide down to the hem of her hiked-up dress. I watch, paralyzed by a sickening mixture of horror and betrayal, as his fingers hook into the waistband of her underwear and pull them down.

"I just need her for a little while," Luke mutters against her skin. "I need you to be by my side during the next blood moon. After that, the human is gone."

They shift, the desk groaning under their combined weight. The sound of their bodies coming together echoes in the large office, frantic and loud.

I stumble backward. My heel catches on the thick carpet, and I barely catch myself before I fall.

Dead.

He is going to kill me.

I turn away from the door. I do not care about the wedding. I do not care about the pack. The only thing pumping through my veins right now is the blind, primal instinct to survive.

I start walking. The walk turns into a jog, and then I am running. I tear down the dark mahogany hallway, my lungs burning as I rip the scratchy lace at my collar to get more air. I am an abomination. I am a weak, fragile human surrounded by monsters.

But I am not going to stay here and wait to die.