3

Fortunately, my lineage was powerful, and my control held. I was about to speak when her voice rang out like an intoxicating melody.

"And what am I to you?" she challenged, staring straight into my eyes despite her erratic breathing. "Just another piece of property to put on display?"

A cynical smile tugged at my lips. "You’re wrong... to me, you are nothing but a bargaining chip," I lied, though my eyes dropped to the deep cleavage revealed by her torn tunic. "I’ll use you to destroy Walter from the inside out. And in the meantime..."

In a heavy, lust-filled silence, I hauled her small face toward mine, forcing her to stand between my legs. The size difference was overwhelming; she barely reached my chest, but her fire rivaled my own.

My hands dropped to her hips, crushing her against my erection, wanting her to feel exactly what she was doing to me.

"In the meantime, I’ll make sure that every time you close your eyes, it’s my face you see. And every time you crave a touch, it’s mine you seek," I said, dragging the tip of my tongue lightly along her lip.

That simple act drew a gasp from her that I couldn't quite decipher. The sexual tension in the room was so thick it was suffocating. I swore I would only use her, but my pulse told a different story.

I couldn't take it anymore. I leaned in, desperate to taste those lush, pink lips, but a violent knock on the door shattered the moment.

"Alpha, we have a problem at the border."

Dammit. It was Dimitri, my Beta.

With a guttural growl, I snapped back to reality and released her abruptly. She looked at me with a mix of relief and confusion, but I couldn't help noticing her lips, swollen and parted from my touch.

"Don't move from here, little pup," I commanded, my voice laced with a possessiveness that actually scared me.

"I’m not a pup... my name is Rachelle," she snarled back.

"Rachelle..." I repeated, the name vibrating through every inch of my body.

Without another word, I stepped out of the study and locked the door behind me.

***

RACHELLE’S POV

The North Tower felt like a glass cage designed to shatter the spirit. The black stone walls exuded a chill that seeped into my bones, but my skin was on fire.

Ever since Derek had left me in this sanctuary, I had been trying to force the door open, but it was solid iron disguised as oak, unyielding and cold.

My only connection to the world was a narrow window choked with thick, iron bars.

How the hell did I end up here? My eyes welled with tears, a sob threatening to break free, but every time I closed my eyes, I felt the phantom pressure of Derek’s hand on my neck and the brutal heat of his body against mine.

"War property," I whispered to myself. The words brought a wave of nausea, followed by a traitorous, electric tingle in my gut.

"He won't hurt us..." my treacherous wolf murmured.

"What the hell are you talking about? He doesn't see us as a person; he sees us as prey he wants to devour. Didn't you feel his pulse?" I snapped, my teeth gritted.

"I felt it. He lied. He’s planning something," she replied with a soft, hungry purr.

It was useless to argue with her. She seemed enchanted by that male. I slammed my mental doors shut, blocking her out. I spent hours pacing the room, my feet sinking into the dark furs that carpeted the floor.

Just as I was about to collapse onto the sofa and surrender to sleep, the sound of a key turning in the lock put me on guard. I expected Derek to return and flaunt his power again, but I froze when a young maid entered.

She had mousy brown hair and an expression that dripped with pure disdain. She carried a tray of food and a silk dress that felt more like an insult than a gift.

"Dinner, rogue," she said, dropping the tray onto the nightstand with a sharp thud.

She swept her gaze over me, lingering on my tattered tunic and the dried mud caking my thighs. "You should wash. You smell like a cheap whore."

My fists clenched with fury. "Do they pay you to clean or to give your opinion?" I countered, crossing my arms.

She let out a twisted smile. "They pay me to remind you of your place."

My eyes widened at her audacity. But before I could fire back, she cut me off.

"Don't feel special just because the Alpha brought you here instead of the dungeon. You’re just another slut Derek fucks when he’s bored. In a week, you’ll be rotting in the lower cells with the rest."

I was about to explode when the door swung wide, slamming against the stone wall. The air in the room instantly shifted, becoming heavy and saturated with an expensive, suffocating perfume.

A woman walked in who looked like she’d stepped out of a high-society nightmare. She was tall, with raven-black hair and piercing green eyes that glinted with pure malice. Her black lace nightgown was so fine it was practically non-existent.

She approached me with a smirk, swaying her hips as if she owned every stone in this castle.

"You may leave, Martha," she ordered the maid without looking at her.

"As you wish, Lady Elena." Martha gave a deep bow and practically fled the room.

Elena circled me like a shark. She stopped inches from my face, forcing me to breathe in her scent of wilted roses. "So, this is the new whore everyone is talking about," she hissed.

I arched a brow, having no idea who this woman was.

"I’ve seen many like you pass through here, little tramp," she said, reaching out to touch a strand of my hair with visible disgust. "Broken little things who think that because the Alpha looked at them twice, they’ve secured a throne."

I remained silent, feeling my wolf snarl deep within my chest.

"Let me tell you something, bitch. Derek belongs to me. I’m the one who calms his beast every night. You’re just a disposable toy," she said with a cynical smile on her red lips.

Humiliation burned in my throat like a hot knot. She wanted to make me feel small, insignificant. But my Golden She-Wolf bared her fangs in my mind.

"Oh, really?" I spat, taking a step toward her, invading her space. "If you’re so sure of your place, Elena... why do you look so desperate?"

Elena’s eyes narrowed, but I didn't give her a chance to speak.

"Look at this," I said, gesturing to the luxurious room, the canopy bed, and the roaring fireplace. "I am the one in the Alpha’s personal quarters in the North Tower. I am under the Alpha's private guard. And you... you’re here, begging for attention and marking territory like a frightened stray. If you were that important, you wouldn't have to remind me."

Elena’s face transformed into a mask of pure rage. Her hand flew up to slap me, but I caught it mid-air, squeezing her wrist with a strength I didn't know I possessed.

"You better get the hell out of here before the Alpha finds out you’re bothering his property," I hissed, a low growl vibrating in my voice that made her tremble with fury.

Elena snarled, wrenching her arm from my grip. "Enjoy your stay, tramp. Because when he’s done with you, I’ll personally make sure you beg for death."

She stormed toward the door, throwing one last venomous look over her shoulder before the door slammed shut. The sound echoed through the tower, and a bitter laugh escaped my lips.

When the slam of Elena’s door finally stopped vibrating through the walls, the silence left behind wasn't peace; it was a suffocating pressure. Hatred boiled in my chest, thick and black as pitch.

It wasn't just hatred for that woman and her venom, but for the system that had turned me into this: a currency, a trophy, a "slut" in the hands of powerful men.

I pressed my temples, feeling as though my head would burst. I hated Derek for claiming me, Elena for humiliating me, but above all, I hated Walter. The mere thought of his name summoned the ghost of my past, dragging me back to the night my world turned crimson.

***

FLASHBACK

"Run, Rachelle! Don't look back!" my mother screamed, shoving me toward the kitchen cupboard as our cabin doors splintered into pieces.

Walter, wearing armor that shimmered under the moon, entered like a demon. My father tried to shift, but a silver blade pierced his chest before his bones could even finish snapping.

My mother’s scream was the last thing I heard from her before Walter grabbed her by the hair.

"Where is the golden-blooded brat?" Walter roared, his eyes shining with a sickly ambition.

My mother spat in his face. A second later, he slit her throat without a hint of remorse. I covered my mouth with both hands, choking back a shriek as I watched their bodies fall. Walter walked toward my hiding spot, pulled the door open, and knelt before my small, trembling frame.

"Poor creature," he said in a voice that pretended to be sweet, wiping my mother’s blood onto his cloak. "Your parents died protecting a secret that would destroy you. You are with me now."

He dragged me from the ashes of my life. He took me to the Fortress and locked me in a room filled with expensive toys that felt like chains.

"I will love you like they couldn't," he would tell me every night, stroking my hair while I shook beneath the sheets. "You are my sacred jewel. My protégé."

But his "love" was a silent torment. He isolated me from the world, forbade me from speaking to other children, and made me believe that only monsters lived outside.

***

Currently

I was alone again, shaking, not with fear, but with an adrenaline that burned through my veins. I moved to the arched window, craving fresh air, but when I looked down at the training courtyard below, my heart stopped.

Derek was there. Alone.

He was shirtless, his skin glistening with sweat under the freezing night air. His muscles flexed and coiled with terrifying power as he swung a heavy broadsword against a wooden post, splintering the wood with every devastating blow.

He was a spectacle of raw, unadulterated masculinity.

I stood paralyzed, watching him. My breathing grew heavy. Without realizing it, my hand slid down to my stomach, my fingers tracing the hem of my silk underwear