Chapter 3

Elena’s POV

I was jerked awake by the cold early morning air whipping against my bare skin.

A gasp tore through me as I shot upright. My insides no longer burned from the blind lust of the heat, and the ache in my heart seemed to have dimmed. For a quiet second, I felt a strange sense of peace.

Then my gaze landed on the man sleeping beside me, and adrenaline shot through my veins again.

I scrambled backward in sheer panic, pressing my hand against my mouth to silence a scream. 

The face. I knew that face. Everyone in the realm knew that face.

Adrian Blackwood.

The Alpha King. Ryan's future father-in-law. Fiona's father.

I had just slept with the man my ex-mate was marrying. The most powerful and feared Alpha alive, a man notorious for his hatred of women. And I was sitting three feet away from him in his shirt.

I couldn't breathe or think. 

I haven’t quite recovered from last day’s shambles, and I feel as though the goddess has toyed with me yet again.

Trembling, I slipped into his shirt, hastily buttoning it with shaky fingers as I fled into the forest before he even stirred.

By some miracle, I made it back to the pack borders without being seen. Yet before relief could settle, dread washed over me when I noticed a familiar car parked outside my cottage.

And sitting on the hood, waiting in the fading shadows of dawn, was Ryan.

He looked… disheveled. Judging by the state of his wrinkled suit and tousled hair, he must’ve been here for hours. His eyes snapped to me when I stopped dead in my tracks, and he promptly marched over.

“Ryan? What are you—”

His palm cracked across my face, silencing me. I stumbled back, my hand flying to my cheek instinctively. For the first time, my wolf reacted to him with something that wasn’t born from love or affection—a menacing growl.

“Whose shirt is that?!” Ryan snarled, his eyes raking over me as a mix of fury and possessiveness darkened his expression.

The sting on my cheek bloomed into pure rage. After rejecting me, publicly humiliating me, and throwing me out like trash, how dare he hit me and look at me like I belonged to him?

“I don't see how that’s any of your business, Alpha,” I spat bitterly. “Don't you have a charming fiancée to spoil?”

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. I braced myself for another blow, but instead, he stepped closer until his chest hovered near mine. His fingers rose to my face, unexpectedly gentle as they caressed the skin he had just bruised.

“I was worried sick about you, Elena,” he sighed. “You know how much I love you.”

I flinched, scurrying away from his touch before staring at him blankly. Was this some kind of joke? Hours ago, I might have believed him. Now, his lie made my stomach twist.

“Aren't you tired of lying to yourself?” I asked.

Ryan clenched his jaw, the mask starting to slip. “Can't you see the bigger picture?” he hissed, grabbing me by the arms before I could back away.

“Everything I’m doing is for us,” he continued, that fake softness returning to his voice. “Once I marry Fiona, I’ll become the Alpha King. And I will make you my Queen.”

I was about to shake him off when he leaned closer to whisper in my ear, “Until then, I’ll keep you as my mistress.”

His shameless words stunned me.

“I’ll buy you a house. I’ll provide for you and your mother so you don’t ever have to work again,” he continued, but as fury rose inside me, I barely registered what he was saying.

“Just think about it,” he pressed when I remained silent. “Your life will be so much better.”

“Forgive me, Alpha,” I finally muttered, my voice low and cold. “But I have absolutely no interest in being your dirty little secret.”

In a fit of rage, Ryan whirled me around before I escaped him, knocking the wind out of me as he slammed me against the side of his car. “You really wanna turn down my generosity?” he growled low, giving me no time to answer before his lips latched onto mine.

It wasn’t a kiss, but an assault. 

I was completely helpless as his fingers clamped around my breast. He squeezed hard, twisting my nipple between his thumb and index finger to force a whimper out of me.

“This is what you want, right?” he rasped against my mouth, sounding every bit like the sick psycho I now knew he was. “Only I can give you this.”

“Stop, Ryan!” I half-ordered, half-begged as he continued to ignore my struggles.

That only seemed to spike his anger. His grip tightened painfully before he buried his face into my neck, his sharp canines scraping against my skin. My heart stopped, terror flooding me as I understood what he was trying to do.

He wanted to forcefully mark me and chain my soul to his forever so I could never escape.

“Alpha, please! Let her go!” a sudden cry rang out.

My mother had rushed out of the cottage, throwing herself at Ryan’s feet. She grabbed at his legs, weeping as she begged him to stop.

Ryan froze. Slowly, he pulled away from me to look down at my mother. I almost felt relieved. Until I watched a sadistic smile spread across his face.

“Guards!” Ryan barked, and just like at the engagement party, soldiers came out of nowhere. Then his eyes returned to mine as he commanded, “Throw this old hag in the dungeons. She’s a spy working for a rival pack. I’ll have her executed for treason.”

My blood turned to ice as horror washed over me. Ryan had gone completely mad. He was ready to condemn my innocent mother just to break me.

“No!” I tried, but the guards still lunged forward, grabbing my mother by her frail arms. She cried out, looking at me in terror as they dragged her away.

Before I could do anything, Ryan leaned back in. “Now, Elena. Let’s try this again,” he whispered against my lips, twisted triumph burning in his eyes.

“Are you going to be my mistress… or would you rather let your mother die?”