Chapter 5: The Alpha's Orders

Chapter 5: The Alpha's Possession**

Damon sat on his bed in the cold, quiet room, staring at the limp woman on his bed emotionlessly. She had offered herself to him, despite knowing the chances of survival were slim. He had taken her countless times and doubted she would survive the next hour—women were indeed brainless. Damon got up from the bed, left in his black pants, and put on his black shirt before leaving the room.

He went outside the castle and watched the full moon as his eyes changed from gray to ink-black. He headed toward a tree where Rayven sat on a branch with his back resting against the thick bark. His other leg swung to and fro as he bit into an apple in his hand.

Damon climbed up and sat on another branch. It was virtually impossible for an onlooker to see them in the tree; they were like predators, waiting for their prey.

"Do you feel that, Damon? The crazy energy coming from the full moon?" Rayven asked, his black orbs turning to gold.

"Not in the mood to play with you," Damon said, resting his head on the bark of the tree and closing his eyes. Rayven chuckled, and both became suddenly quiet.

Damon took out a silk fabric from his pocket—the one his slave had used to tie Rayven's wound. He brought the soft fabric to his nose and sniffed it; indeed, she smelled like snow. Damon frowned. Was there a reason why things were different with her? A damn slave! Even if he wanted to hurt her, his inner wolf said otherwise, and now he was addicted to her scent. He had been sniffing the fabric since he took it from Rayven. Something tugged at the back of his mind, but he shook it off immediately. He would rather see the world burn than have a human as his mate.

"Feels like I'm in a theater," Rayven chirped, grinning.

Damon followed his gaze and his eyes zeroed in on the clock tower, where a little girl stood at the railing. He didn’t need a closer look to tell it was the girl—his slave. Perhaps she was better off dead, after all. Damon watched as she took a bold step and, just like that, fell from the railing, heading toward the hard ground.

One moment, he was reluctantly watching, and the next, his body moved of its own accord. He found himself below the tower, with the girl in his arms.

"Fuck his bloody wolf!" he cursed inwardly as he glared at her.

---

**...**

Zephyr struggled to open her eyes, and when she did, a soft gasp escaped her lips. She was back in her room. Slowly, she sat on the bed, holding her head. She looked through the window; it was nighttime. She wondered if everything that had transpired was a horrible nightmare.

She gasped when she remembered the Alpha had stabbed her after saving her. She examined her chest, but there was no wound there. She gasped in shock when she saw the ink-black cross tattoo on her chest, where the Alpha had stabbed her.

She heard a knock on her door and hesitated for a moment before getting up to answer it. She unlocked the door and gulped fearfully when she saw the head maid, Courtney, standing in front of her with a tray of food. She bowed deeply.

"Good, you're awake. You've been unconscious for two days," Courtney said, handing Zephyr the tray of food. Zephyr’s eyes widened—two days!?

"Finish that food in 20 minutes. I'll be back by then," Courtney said before leaving.

Zephyr was bewildered. She wondered what was going on and how she had been unconscious for two days. She also wondered why the head maid had brought her food—it was more than unusual for a slave to be treated like this.

Zephyr stared at the food suspiciously, wondering if it was poisoned. Not wanting to take any risks, she ate just the apple and drank from the jug of water in her room. She disposed of the remaining food afterward, and as expected, Courtney came back to her room 20 minutes later.

"Get yourself cleaned up," Courtney said, handing her a nightdress. Unlike her other dresses, this one was made of vibrant silk. Zephyr was stunned when Courtney gave it to her.

Without arguing, Zephyr took a bath and put on the nightdress Courtney had given her. She combed her black, wavy hair, and after she was done, Courtney finally dropped the bombshell.

"The Alpha wants you to service him tonight," Courtney said, and Zephyr staggered backward in shock.

"Wha...what?" she stuttered. All her life in the castle, she had been avoiding this moment—the moment where she would be forced to sexually entertain the opposite gender. She would have preferred to bury herself in work, but here she was now, and not just anyone—the Alpha!?

"I'm sure you're not deaf. Follow me," Courtney said sharply, leading Zephyr away.

Zephyr’s heart raced madly in her chest as she followed the head maid.

"Whatever the Alpha asks of you, you better give it to him if you wish to remain alive. Remember, you're just his tool, and you should feel blessed to be used by him. Don’t you dare refuse the Alpha," Courtney warned.

Zephyr's head was a mess, and her hands turned sweaty as they arrived at his suite. They stopped in front of his room.

"Be good," Courtney warned, then left Zephyr there alone.

Zephyr was a trembling mess as she knocked on his door, her hands literally shaking. After knocking for a full minute, Zephyr sighed. Well, she tried. He probably wasn’t in his room. She was about to leave, but just then, the door slightly opened, and goosebumps formed on her skin as she froze in place. She nervously pushed the door open and stepped into the dimly lit room.

For a moment, Zephyr was taken by the grand, magnificent room. Her own room was like a rabbit hole compared to what she was seeing. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the door close behind her. She turned around, and her heart almost jumped into her mouth when she saw the Alpha standing right in front of her—shirtless.

Zephyr bowed deeply. "Alpha..." The remaining words hung in her throat; she couldn’t imagine calling him by his name.

The Alpha took a step closer, then another. Zephyr kept her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Thank you for… saving me, my lord. I promise to never… attempt such again," Zephyr said in a low voice, almost a whisper. But thanks to his sharp hearing, he easily picked up her words.

"Good to know your brain has returned from its mini vacation," Damon said, his eyes raking over her body.

"I didn’t ask for you to hear that, though," Damon said, taking another step, leaving them inches apart. His finger flew to her chin and tilted it up, locking eyes with her gray ones. She was the first female he had met with eyes like his.

"Strip," he commanded, releasing her chin.

Zephyr quickly took two steps backward, instantly recalling Courtney’s warnings to obey the Alpha’s wishes.

Zephyr clutched the sides of her gown and looked up at him.  

"No," she voiced, making Damon’s forehead crease.

"No?" he asked. A slave just refused him? Impossible!

"I’d rather die than let you touch me," Zephyr said boldly.

  Damon's eyes zeroed on her gray orbs and a sardonic smirk formed on his pale lips. This was definitely her, his mate.