04 – IN THE CLUTCHES OF THE SUPREME ALPHA

POV: AIRYS

I took a few steps back, my heart pounding against my ribs. He advanced slowly, his imposing Lupine form dominating the space, each step calculated, silent, and lethal. The icy air burned my skin, but the cold was nothing compared to the terror crawling down my spine.

“I refuse to believe the Goddess would send a monster to come for me,” I shouted, even though my voice trembled.

Fear. Rage.

A primitive instinct pulsed through my veins, screaming at me to run.

Daimon growled, the deep sound vibrating in his chest and reverberating through me.

“I’m just as surprised as you are, little bunny.” The taunt dripped from his lips with razor-sharp sarcasm as he continued to back me into a corner.

I felt the edge of the cliff beneath my feet. One more step and I would fall. My eyes dropped to the void below, where displaced snow tumbled in free fall.

“Jump!” The command came like a challenge—cold and cruel. “Or are you not only weak but a coward as well?”

I swallowed hard. He was testing me. He wanted to see how far I would go.

“I hit you once. I can do it again!” My hands clenched into fists, and I adopted a ridiculous defensive stance in front of a Supreme Alpha.

He laughed. A low, dark sound filled with amusement and contempt.

“You think you can defeat an Alpha?” His eyes gleamed as they analyzed every detail of my tense body. Then he tilted his head, drew in a deep breath, and closed his eyes for a second. “You’re hurt.”

I followed his gaze and saw the cuts on my knees, blood staining my cold skin.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, for damaging your merchandise.” I gave an exaggerated curtsy, loaded with provocation.

The cold should have numbed my mind…

Was I really provoking the Supreme Alpha?

“Human…” Daimon’s voice came out low and fierce. His eyes snapped open, intense and red like fresh blood. “You need to learn some lessons.”

Before I could react, he lunged forward. The movement was fast and precise. My body froze for a second before instinct screamed at me to pull back. I took a misstep. The snow beneath my feet slid, and a scream escaped my throat as I felt the emptiness below.

I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact.

But something yanked me back.

The thin fabric of my dress stretched tightly, and when I opened my eyes, I was staring at Daimon. He was now in his human form.

The cold faded into the background.

His eyes, once fierce, were now more earthy, with reddish tones that seemed to glow under the faint light. His face was marked by scars on his cheek and eyebrow, scattered across his powerful body.

He looked like he had been sculpted for war.

His dark hair carried copper reflections. The Russian accent made his voice even sharper, every word laced with authority.

My breath hitched as my eyes traveled downward. Tattoos covered his right arm, climbing over his shoulder, sliding along the side of his chest, and descending across his abdomen to his hip. My gaze followed the lines until I realized…

My face burned.

“You’re naked!” I exclaimed in shock.

Daimon growled, his teeth clenched.

“Silly human.” His voice was a warning, heavy with impatience.

His arm held the thin fabric of my dress in a firm grip, keeping me suspended over the abyss.

My feet didn’t touch the ground. The void below was terrifying. The wind whistled against my skin, and desperation made me clutch his arm tightly, desperately searching for support.

I looked down, but the darkness swallowed everything. I didn’t know how high we were; I only knew that a fall meant certain death.

“Please, Alpha…” I stammered, panic taking over. “I don’t want to die.”

My heart pounded hard and unevenly. My fingers squeezed his warm skin even tighter, hoping he would pull me back to safety.

Daimon tilted his head slowly, studying me with that sharp gaze. His presence was raw and oppressive, as if he could crush me without any effort. Every muscle in my body was tense, prickling with the dangerous energy he radiated.

“First lesson, little bunny.” He growled, controlled and threatening.

He took a step forward, taking me with him. Terror flooded me as I realized he was now standing right on the edge of the cliff, holding me as if I weighed nothing in his hands.

My face was much too close to his—close enough to see the sharp glint of his fangs.

The heat of his breath brushed against my skin.

“Only run if you’re sure you can escape.”

I swallowed hard, my body reacting on pure instinct. I nodded frantically, unable to form any words.

I wanted to believe it was only the fear of imminent death, the panic of being completely at his mercy.

But something inside me pulsed differently. Something that didn’t make sense. His presence terrified me and, at the same time, awakened something I couldn’t control.

He was dangerous. And I felt it in every fiber of my body.

“Any more lessons, or do you plan to let me fall?” The words slipped out before I could think.

I must have lost my mind.

Daimon stared at me, and for a second, I saw something flash in his eyes. Something intense, cruel… and interested.

A slow, calculated smile formed at the corner of Daimon’s mouth, as if he were savoring my surrender. His eyes analyzed every detail, as if deciding exactly what he would do with me.

Before I could react, he moved. Fast. Precise.

My body was thrown against the snow. The impact was cold, but I didn’t feel the ice. The heat radiating from him was suffocating. He hovered over me, his rigid muscles pinning me in place.

His fingers wrapped around my wrists, locking them above my head. I tried to pull free, but he only tightened his grip.

“Second lesson, human.” His voice came out low and drawn out, each word heavy with threat.

I felt the rough scrape of his fangs grazing my skin. My body went completely still as he slid to my ear and growled, low and dangerous:

“Don’t provoke my beast again. Next time, I might not hold back.”

My breathing grew unsteady. My eyes widened as they met his—so close, so intense.

He didn’t seem affected by the cold. But there was sweat on his forehead, a single drop sliding down his scarred skin. The muscles in his arms were tense and rigid, every fiber of his body on high alert.

I bit the corner of my lip without thinking.

Daimon’s eyes dropped to my mouth.

I tried to look away, but I felt the sharp tip of a claw under my chin, forcing me to lift my face. His hot breath brushed against my skin as he leaned closer, our mouths nearly touching.

“Lesson number three.” His other hand released my wrist and sank into the snow beside my head, fingers digging into the ice. “Control your scent if you don’t want to become wolf dinner.”

My eyes widened as I realized his hidden intentions. The earthy tone in them had completely shifted to blood red—the pure instinct of his beast…