Chapter 5

Aria's POV

When I woke up, my head felt like it was splitting open. Everything was blurry at first, my body was heavy, and for a moment, I didn’t even know where I was. Then I remembered the car, the forest, the chains, and Damian’s voice ordering that I be injected.

My hands moved weakly, but the sting on my wrists told me that the chains had been real. I touched my skin. It was raw, blistered. The silver burn was still there.

I forced my eyes open, I wasn’t outside anymore.

I was lying on a massive bed in a wide, shining room. The ceiling was high, and the walls looked like something out of a magazine white marble, glass windows so tall I could see the city lights far below. It looked like a palace or maybe it was one.

My heart started racing. I sat up too fast, and the world spun. “No… no, no, no.”

I was in his house.

I pressed my hands against my chest, trying to breathe. Then my anger turned to the real reason I was here: my uncle and aunt.

They sold me, they took my life and handed it away for money.

Tears filled my eyes, hot and uncontrollable. “I hate them,” I whispered. “I hate them both.”

I didn’t know how long I cried, but when the tears finally stopped, my eyes were sore, and my throat burned. I lay back, staring at the ceiling, wondering if I would ever get out of here alive.

Then, the door burst open, I jumped and a group of women stepped inside, all dressed in black uniforms. They moved quickly, like soldiers, not servants; their faces were expressionless.

One of them, the tallest, looked straight at me. “Get up,” she said sharply.

I hesitated. “Who are you?”

She didn’t answer, she just walked closer, grabbed my arm, and pulled me up roughly.

“Let me go!” I shouted, trying to twist free.

The woman’s hand came across my face, it was hard and fast. The sound echoed in the room, my cheek stung immediately.

“Don’t make this harder,” she said coldly. “The Alpha gave strict orders.”

I froze, Alpha, Damian and my stomach twisted.

They didn’t give me time to think. Two women grabbed me by the arms, dragging me toward another door. I struggled, kicking, shouting, but they were stronger.

We entered a huge bathroom that looked like a spa marble floors, silver fixtures, steam rising from a full bathtub.

“Stop! I can do it myself!” I yelled, but they didn’t listen.

The head maid nodded once, and they tore my clothes. I screamed, trying to cover myself, but they didn’t care. The sound of fabric ripping filled the room.

“Please!”

Cold water hit me a second later. They pushed me into the tub, scrubbing my skin with rough cloth, washing away the dirt, the dried blood, and the smell of the forest.

I tried to resist, but it was useless every time I fought, they held me down harder.

The head maid leaned over me, her face was blank. “You are in the Alpha King’s palace, you will behave like it.”

“I don’t belong here!” I cried. “I didn’t ask for this!”

“None of them do,” she replied flatly.

Her words hit me harder than her hand had.

They poured oil into my hair, washed it, combed it until it shone. Then they pulled me out, wrapped me in towels, and began working on my nails and face. I sat stiffly as they shaped, painted, and powdered me, like I was a doll being prepared for display.

They sprayed perfume on my neck, dressed me in a silk gown that fit perfectly, and fastened a thin chain around my wrist. It was gold this time, not silver.

When they were done, I barely recognized myself.

I looked in the mirror, staring at the reflection. My hair was smooth, my skin was clean, my eyes still swollen from crying. I looked like someone else, someone beautiful, maybe even royal but it wasn’t me.

I touched the glass. “What did you do to me?” I whispered.

“Alpha’s orders,” the head maid said. “He doesn’t want his wife looking like a stray.”

Wife, the word made my chest tighten.

I turned toward her. “I’m not his wife.”

She gave a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You will learn to say what you are told.”

They left for a few minutes and returned with a large tray of food, meats, fruits, and a bottle of water. The smell made my stomach twist with hunger, but I refused to touch it.

“I’m not eating,” I said quietly. “Not until I see him.”

The head maid frowned. “Don’t be foolish, eat.”

“I said no.”

She glanced at the others, two of them came forward and grabbed me by the arms again. I struggled, but one of them held my jaw firmly while the other spooned food into my mouth.

I tried to spit it out, but she covered my lips with her hand. “Swallow,” she hissed.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I obeyed, choking it down.

When they finally let go, I turned my face away from them, shaking. “Why are you doing this? What does he want from me?”

“Don’t ask questions,” the head maid said.

“You will have everything you need here, stay quiet, eat, and don’t make trouble.”

They started clearing the dishes, I sat on the bed, silent, my eyes fixed on the door.

Before leaving, I heard one of the younger maids whisper to another, thinking that I couldn’t hear.

“She is just another one, he will get bored of her like the rest.”

The other girl giggled softly. “Let’s see how long she lasts.”

The door shut behind them, I sat there for hours, too afraid to move, too angry to cry again. I thought about running, but I remembered the last time I won silver.

When it was night, the lights in the room dimmed automatically. I was alone, the silence pressed on my ears. I stared at the window, wondering how far I could get if I jumped.

Then something inside me snapped.

I went to the vanity and pulled out one of the pins they had used in my hair. It was small, sharp at the edge. I held it tightly, my hands were shaking.

The door guards outside would hear me if I screamed, maybe that was the point.

I took a deep breath and pressed the pin against my neck. The tip broke the skin and a small drop of blood rolled down.

I shouted toward the door. “Bring him here! I want to see Damian!”

There was no response.

I pressed harder, my voice grew louder. “If you don’t bring him, I will do it! I swear I will!”

The sound of footsteps came immediately. The door swung open, and the guards rushed in.

“Take that from her!” one shouted.

I stepped back, holding the pin tighter. “Don’t touch me! I’m serious! I will end it right here!”

They froze, one of them reached for the communicator on his belt.

“Call the Alpha now,” he said.

I stood there trembling, the pin was still pressed against my neck, my heart pounding so loud that I could hear it.