0005

Remi POV

“Alpha…” the guard whispered, visibly trembling as we got to the front door. He was one of the two guards assigned to watch me, and from the way he shook, he looked like he knew he was in trouble.

But the Alpha ignored him, walking past as he kept pulling my arm through the front door.

I groaned in pain, too tired to cry anymore. My voice was strained, and my whole body was sore.

Some of the staff were still around the entrance, watching as I was dragged in. I weakly stretched my arm out, hoping one of them would feel pity and call the cops or something—but they just stared blankly at me.

Another tear slid down my cheek, and I slowly lowered my hand.

“You found her,” came the voice of the woman he called his wife.

“She wasn’t much of a challenge. It was like a late-night jog,” he said, and the woman chuckled.

She slowly approached me, staring down at me. “So what next?” she asked.

“I’ll keep her locked up for a while. You know I don’t enjoy my prey wounded,” he replied.

I felt sick at his words. It was still too hard to accept the man in front of me wasn’t human—and probably neither were the rest of them. But how could they so casually speak about someone like that, especially when I was lying half-naked, covered in my own blood? How could they feel no bit of remorse?

“Tch,” he clicked his tongue, turning away from me. “What a damn shame. I wanted a taste tonight.”

My stomach twisted.

“I’ve never had a human before,” he added, running a hand through his hair with a low growl. “And now my whole damn mood is ruined.”

The woman, his wife, pouted dramatically as she walked over to him.

“Oh, Damon, you poor thing,” she cooed, cupping his face with both hands like he was some wounded lover instead of a monster.

Then she kissed him slowly.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered against his lips. “You still have me tonight.”

A small smile curled his lips as he finally let go of my arm, completely ignoring me now as he pulled her into the kiss, deepening it.

I wanted to throw up.

He suddenly scooped her into his arms, her giggles echoing in the hallway.

“Lock her up,” he barked at the guards, not even sparing me a glance as he carried his wife off like some victorious king.

I didn’t even have the strength to fight anymore. The second he let me go, I curled into a ball on the floor.

The guards hesitated at first, probably unsure if they should touch me again, but then one of them, who looked older, grabbed me by the hair and yanked me to my feet.

“Get up,” he snapped.

I whimpered, trying to stand on my own, but my ankles gave out again and I stumbled forward.

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered, gripping both my arms and practically dragging me across the hall.

No one looked at me. Not the staff, not the guards, not even the maids who stood near the walls with their heads down. I was invisible. Less than that.

We reached a hallway that was colder and darker. The ground wasn’t made of marble anymore but stone.

The guards opened a heavy metal door resembling that of a prison cell and I was tossed inside like trash.

I hit the ground and immediately began sobbing as the door slammed shut behind me.

A few minutes passed. I was still curled up, shivering, trying to keep my eyes closed and my mind blank when I heard footsteps.

I looked up and saw the two guards were passing. But this time, they weren’t alone. They were dragging someone.

And my eyes widened when I saw it was the old woman. The one who had told me to run.

She looked lifeless, and I would have thought she was dead, but her hand twitched slightly.

Blood was dripping from her mouth. I looked closer and gasped, they had cut off her tongue.

Perhaps it was because she had tried to warn me, but that just sealed the deal of how ruthless they truly were.

If they could do that to her, a woman who had lived under their roof and served them probably for years… what would they do to me?

She had only whispered a warning—and they butchered her for it.

And me?

I was the girl who ran.

The girl the Alpha had to chase.

I pressed myself further against the wall, trying to make myself smaller. I didn’t sleep that night.

I remained in the cell for three days. Still shirtless and lying on the cold floor.

I had tried once to find something to cover myself, but there was nothing in the cell but stone, so I gave up. I just stayed curled up, trying not to cry too loud.

Each day someone came. They brought me food, helped me to the toilet, treated the bruises on my back—which thankfully weren’t as deep as I feared—and then they would force me to drink a bitter concoction that made my stomach twist.

I didn’t know what it was, but it always left a nasty taste in my mouth and made me sleepy.

By the end of the third day, most of my pain had dulled and my back wasn’t bleeding anymore.

Every night I prayed to a God I didn’t even believe in that my father had realized I was missing. That he’d reported me and that the police were searching for me.

I clung to the hope that any moment now, they would burst through these stone walls, guns drawn, shouting my name.

Then came the fourth night.

I was lying down, my arms wrapped around my chest as I tried to find a comfortable position on the stone floor, when I heard the door unlock.

Two guards stepped in silently. Following behind them were four maids.

That was new. Only one maid and guard usually came to tend to me.

Before I could speak, the guards lifted me up. I didn’t fight, as usual, but instead of taking me to the filthy old bathroom again, they walked me toward another corner.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Don’t ask stupid questions,” one of the guards snapped before tossing me through a doorway.

I landed in a room. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was decent. There was a soft rug, a bed, and a door that led to a bathroom.

“Get her ready quickly… you know the Alpha doesn’t like being kept waiting,” one of them said, and my eyes widened.

“Wait—no,” I breathed, stumbling toward the door. But the guards had already left, and when I grabbed the handle, it didn’t budge.

“Hurry up and get in here,” one of the maids scolded. And before I could even protest, they started undressing me.

“No, wait—stop!” I cried, trying to fight, but they were fast and strong. I was stripped bare in seconds.

They bathed me in warm water, scrubbing every inch of me, washing my hair and cleaning under my nails. I hadn’t had a proper bath in three days, so they took their time, and in the process, I zoned out.

I was still trying to process what the guard meant. Still trying to tell myself that maybe—just maybe—they were preparing to let me go.

“Put this on,” one of the maids said, pointing to the lingerie lying neatly folded on a stool.

That’s when it all clicked. My blood ran cold.

The next moment, I was standing in a different room. A much bigger one.

One glance and I knew it was his. The scent, the intimidating size of the bed, the fireplace, the dark, rich curtains—it all screamed Alpha.

And I was standing in the middle, trembling in a piece of clothing that barely passed as lingerie.

It exposed more than it covered. The only thing that was fully hidden were my nipples.

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to keep what little dignity I had left.

When the door opened, my knees buckled, and the second I saw his tall frame, I collapsed to the floor, crawling toward him and grabbing his leg like it was the only thing holding me to the earth.

“Please… please don’t do this,” I cried, tears burning hot down my cheeks. “I’ll do anything else. Anything. But not this.”

He looked down at me and shook his head. “Get up,” he said.

I sniffled, wiping my face. My body shook as I slowly stood up.

“Please…”

“Shh.” He placed a finger on my lips, forcing me to choke back my pleas.

His eyes weren’t cold. They were warm and gentle as they roamed my body, but the moment he smiled, my stomach twisted.

He leaned in and firmly gripped my ass, making me gasp as he yanked me closer. Our faces were just inches apart now, and I could feel his breath on my skin.

And then he whispered, “How fast can you take this off?”