05 – THE SUPREME ALPHA’S SLAVE

POV: AIRYS

I blinked a few times as he moved quickly, pulling me up without warning.

His strong arms wrapped around my legs, lifting me off the ground effortlessly. My body pressed against his, my head close to his chest. The heat he radiated contrasted sharply with the surrounding cold.

“I can walk,” I grumbled, even though I was secretly enjoying the warmth from his skin.

“You’ll bleed more,” Daimon replied, indifferent.

I made a face.

“That didn’t seem to worry you earlier when you were hunting me,” I pushed against his shoulder, trying to free myself. “Put me down.”

He ignored my attempt to resist.

“Your blood smells sweet. It will attract predators.” His gaze met mine with intense focus.

“Besides the predator who’s already carrying me?” I lifted my chin, challenging him. “I didn’t know the Supreme Alpha had a sense of irony.”

He let out a low laugh, a deep sound without any humor.

“For prey, you talk too much.” His tone was laced with irritation.

Daimon stopped in front of the car and gave me a cold look.

“Now I understand why they sold you.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words died before they could leave. An uncomfortable tightness grew in my chest.

What had I expected?

I had been sold like merchandise.

And between being handed over to a beast or to a brothel, maybe this was the less terrible option.

If this was the fate the Goddess had traced for me, then she was definitely doing a terrible job.

As soon as the door opened, I was pushed inside. Before I could react, Daimon slammed the car door with brutal force, denting the metal, then entered from the other side.

I frowned and turned toward him. His intense gaze met mine from the corner of his eye, analyzing my reaction.

“If you jump out of the vehicle again, you won’t just be hunted.” His voice came out hoarse, mixed with a deeper tone.

A shiver ran down my spine.

One of his eyes was blood red, while the other kept its earthy tone. His beast was partially in control.

My body tensed. I was trapped inside a car, locked in with an unstable monster.

“Fenrir was evaluating you…” He leaned a few inches closer, predatory.

My back pressed harder against the door, my fingers gripping the seat.

“Fenrir?” I hesitated.

Daimon licked his lips.

“You didn’t pass the first test.” His pupil dilated, blending both colors into one. “We don’t like wasting our time, human.”

I swallowed hard and nodded silently, having no idea what to say.

“If you fear death… maybe it was a mistake to buy you.” A low growl accompanied his words, impatient.

He turned toward the road, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel.

His muscles were rigid, his knuckles white from the force. His claws were exposed, far too long for his human form.

The murderous energy radiating from him was suffocating.

I didn’t move.

His breathing was deep and controlled. But everything about him felt like it was one second away from exploding.

I had never felt anything like this before.

“I didn’t ask for any of this…” I whispered, twisting my hands nervously in my lap.

In the rearview mirror, I saw Daimon watching me. His gaze was intense, assessing.

“Why did you buy me, Alpha?”

He didn’t answer. He simply removed his hand from the gearshift and placed it over mine, stopping my restless fingers.

My breath caught.

His fingers were rough, firm, and large enough to completely cover mine. There were fresh cuts and marks on his knuckles, as if he had punched something not long ago.

I slowly lifted my eyes and met his. He was already watching me.

“You’re freezing,” he commented without emotion, turning on the car’s heater.

The engine roared as he accelerated, ignoring the storm battering the road.

I tried to pull my hand away, but Daimon didn’t let go.

I frowned. This man was strange. Unusual.

“Why were you sold?” His voice came suddenly, firm.

He turned my wrist upward and pressed two fingers against my skin, feeling my pulse.

“You heard what my ex-husband said.” My voice sounded bitter. “I was accused of treason.”

The memory made my stomach churn. The humiliation, the lies… everything came rushing back.

“And what’s your truth?” Daimon asked, eyes still fixed on the road.

But his fingers remained there, feeling every accelerated beat of my heart.

I swallowed hard.

“The truth is simple!” I clenched my fist and pulled it back, turning my gaze to the window. “They accused me of treason. They said I spent the night with another man in a room next to the bar where I was drinking.”

“And did you cheat?” The shift in his posture was subtle but noticeable. “Do you remember what happened?”

Why was he so interested in this?

Was this another test?

I took a deep breath.

“All I remember is finding my husband in bed with my sister. In my own house.” Anger rose in my chest, burning. “I threatened to tell the lupine council about the betrayal. I wanted an audience with… you.”

I glanced sideways, trying to catch any reaction, but Daimon didn’t turn. Still, I noticed his nostrils flaring from time to time.

He was scenting something.

Lies? Or trying to read my emotions?

“After that, I went to the bar. I wanted to drown everything in tequila.” I closed my eyes for a moment, searching for fragments of memory. “I remember hearing Malik say I needed to rest… and Eloy smiling in the background.”

My hands tightened in my lap.

“My body felt heavy. My mind was pulsing. I hadn’t drunk enough to feel like that.”

Anxiety took over. I gasped a few times, incredulous at everything.

Then Daimon growled. The sound reverberated through the enclosed space, vibrating inside me.

“They drugged you.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a certainty.

“Yes.” My eyes filled with tears. “After that, I only remember a room and an imposing presence… There was that stare, those predatory eyes fixed on me, so sad… So hungry, so…”

I turned to Daimon. He stopped the car and looked at me with burning intensity, his earthy eyes shimmering blood red.

That look. That intensity.

He leaned forward, far too close, gripping my chin.

“So what?”

“Lost…” The words came out low and weak.

Daimon studied me for a long moment. His eyes analyzed every detail of my face. His breathing changed, growing heavier.

“Do you know who the man in the room was?” His teeth flashed for a second as he growled, and his claws clicked against the steering wheel. “Why did they send you to him?”

I searched my memories, trying to piece together fragments that didn’t fit. Nothing.

Why did he want this answer so badly?

Was it some enemy of the Supreme Alpha?

“I-I…” I stammered, searching for any answer. “No.”

Daimon grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me forward, pressing our foreheads together.

My skin burned.

I placed my hands on his chest in an instinctive reflex, trying to push him away, but he was solid, unyielding. He didn’t budge.

“Do you want revenge, human?” His voice resonated, deep and commanding. The question caught me off guard.

“I don’t…” I faltered and noticed a faint smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

“One day, you’ll have to decide whether you’ll be the prey… or the hunter, Airys Monveil!”

Daimon got out of the car without another word, leaving me alone with the chaos in my mind.

He knew who I was?

Before I could process it, I heard a metallic screech. The door beside me was ripped off its hinges with no effort.

I swallowed hard and stepped out of the car, feeling the icy air wrap around my skin.

In front of me, a massive gate rose. The engravings on its surface were ancient symbols—the writing of the Lycans.

My eyes fixed on them. Something felt wrong.

The words were shifting. The letters realigned themselves, as if they were being translated right before my eyes.

Before I could read them, a strong gust of wind swirled around my body, raising goosebumps on my skin. My breath caught in my throat as a low, ethereal whisper echoed with the wind:

“The Chosen One.”