ALLY

LYRA

I didn’t sleep, I hadn’t even done that especially since I was forced to be here. How could I sleep when the man I despised was constantly threatening me. I didn’t want to sleep and then ended up getting killed while sleeping. I laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling until my eyes burned, replaying every word he said, every look, every second he stood too close like the space belonged to him. My body stayed stiff, ready to bolt even though there was nowhere to go. That was the worst part, knowing it and still hoping.

By the time light started bleeding through the cracks in the curtains, my head was pounding.

I sat up slowly, half-expecting the door to burst open again. It didn’t. The silence felt like a trick. Like he was letting me calm down just so he could remind me who was in control later.

My breakfast was still untouched. The smell made my stomach twist, but I forced myself to eat anyway, not for him but for me. I would not be weak today.

I was halfway through when the pull hit.

It was subtle at first, a pressure in my chest. There was heat under my skin. Not pain…something worse and I realized it was needed. I gripped the edge of the table until my knuckles ached.

“So this is how you warn me,” I muttered.

By noon, I know he was close. I didn’t hear him, didn’t sense footsteps, but the air felt heavier. Like the room was holding its breath.

The door opened without a knock and Sinclair stepped in like he owned the hour, the space… my blood.

His eyes flicked to the empty plate, then back to me. “Good, you ate.”

“Yeah, I didn’t do that for you,” I said immediately.

His mouth curved, barely. “That’s what you think.”

I hated that he can still make my skin prickle with just a look.

“You’re late,” I add.

“I’m never late,” he replied with a frown. “This is my territory. I arrive when I choose.”

“Funny, that sounds like something a man says when he’s losing control.”

His gaze sharpened towards me. “Careful.”

I stood anyway, heart hammering. “You came to feed.”

“Yes.”

“Then we need to talk, and well.”

His eyes dragged over me slowly, deliberately. “You already made your demands.”

“And now I’m adding one.”

That stopped him and from the look on his face, I knew he realized I was serious about this. I didn’t care if I hurt anyone along the line, I was doing this not only for myself but to get back at all the people who had wronged me in the past.

Silence stretched between us, thick and dangerous. I can almost hear his wolf pacing under his skin.

“You’re pushing,” he said quietly. “Again.”

“I know,” I said. “But you’re still listening, so let’s not pretend you don’t need me.”

His jaw tightened. “Speak.”

I swallowed. This is the part where fear tried to crawl up my throat and choke me. I shove it down.

“I want revenge.” I finally said.

The word hung there, plain and heavy.

He didn't react at first and then he laughed but it wasn’t loud nor even amused. The kind of laugh that means someone else is about to regret something.

“On who?” he asked.

“My parents.”

That earned me his full attention. Good, now was the time to commence phase two of my plans and this time, I was not going to fail.

“The ones who sold you,” he said.

“Yes.”

“You want them dead?”

I hesitated, just a second. “I want them ruined.”

His eyes narrowed. “Be specific.”

“I want them stripped of status and power and then protection. I want them to live knowing they traded their daughter for a coin and lost everything because of it.”

He studied me like he’s dissecting a weapon. “You don’t sound like an Omega.”

“I’m not,” I snapped. “Not to them, not anymore.”

A beat, that was the only thing that warned me before he began all over again. I knew he was thinking about all of this seriously and I loved that.

“And what,” he asked, “does this have to do with my feeding?”

My hands shook, but I kept them at my sides. “If you want my blood, you help me do this.”

The room goes cold, not from the morning air but from the fact that this was something he definitely did not expect.

Sinclair took a step closer and then another.

“You think,” he said slowly, “that because I agreed to terms, you get to command me?”

“I think,” I replied, voice tight, “that you’re smart enough to see a trade when it’s offered.”

He stopped right in front of me, too close. I can feel his heat, his power, the restraint wrapped around something vicious.

“You are asking the Alpha of this territory,” he said, “to interfere in pack affairs that do not concern me.”

“They concern you,” I said. “Because they made me yours.”

I knew I had hit the nail on the head when I felt his voice hitchhike, like I had physically thrown him a punch.

His eyes darkened. “Careful with that word.”

“They sold me to a king who would’ve drained me dry,” I continued. “They knew what I was. They knew what would happen. If you think I’ll just bleed for you and forget that, you’re wrong.”

“You want vengeance for a transaction I was fully involved in,” he said.

“No,” I corrected. “I’m asking for balance and you of all people can agree with me that this is the best possible way to get it.”

His mouth twisted. “You want me to play executioner for a grudge.”

“I want you to remind them,” I said quietly, “that I wasn’t disposable.”

Something shifted and it wasn’t softness or recognition.

“And if I refuse?” he asked.

“Then you wait,” I said. “And you starve and your wolf claws deeper every day.”

His hand slammed into the wall beside my head making me flinch before I could stop myself. He was scary at that moment but I was determined not to show my fear even though it was getting increasingly difficult with every moment that passed.

“There it is,” he growled. “You’re still afraid.”

“Yes,” I said, my breath shaking. “I am and I’m still standing.”

His eyes flicked to my throat and to my pulse.

“You don’t understand what you’re bargaining with,” he said. “Revenge is messy and it spills.”

“I’ve already been spilled,” I replied. “This just decides who cleans it up.”

He pulled back abruptly, like staying close is costing him something.

“You are not worth a war,” he said flatly.

The words stung, harder than I expected.

“Maybe not,” I said. “But your survival might be.”

There was silence again and I realized he hadn’t expected me to talk to him this way. Well, too bad that I wasn't going to take all of this so easily. Since I had a bargaining chip, I was going to use it to my advantage.

Then, finally, “What exactly do you want done?”

Relief nearly knocked me over, but I kept my face steady. “You don’t kill them but you expose them, make them suffer, strip their dignity. Let everyone see what kind of people they are, selling off their own child.”

“And after?” he asked.

“After,” I shrugged, “they will never underestimate me again.”

He considered this but it was taking too long.

“This doesn’t make us equals,” he said at last.

“I know,” I answered. “It makes us temporary allies.”

A corner of his mouth lifted, he found this funny and I couldn't help the smile that also popped up on my lips.

“You’re not my ally. You’re too weak.”

“And yet, you depend on me, Alpha.”

There was another pause and this time around, he really looked at me like I was an object he was trying to make sense of.

“I’ll look into it,” he said. “That’s all you get for now.”

“That’s not enough.”

His gaze snapped back to mine. “Push again and I will walk out.”

I held his stare and then nod. “Fine. Please.” I choke out the last word.

He stepped closer again, slower this time. “Are you ready?”

My pulse jumped. “Yes.”

“You’re shaking.” he said, running his fingers through my hair.

“I guess I’m scared…” I half-heartedly admitted. Under all my bite, I knew I was playing with fire.

“Good,” he murmured. “Fear keeps you alive around here.”

He didn't touch me right away, he took his time, waiting as he watched. He made sure I didn’t look away.

Finally I took my wrist, slashing as I watched blood pool into a cup he brought along.

“This doesn’t make you powerful,” he said as he drank. “It makes you useful.”

I met his eyes anyway. “And it makes you dependent.”

Finally, after drinking to his satisfaction, he looked up. My heart lurched in my chest. His eyes were a pool of black, but just for a second before he locked it down.

“Rest,” he said, already stepping back.

“You’ll help me,” I reminded him.

His gaze lingered. “Don’t make me regret it.”

The door closed behind him as I sank onto the bed, my heart racing as my blood was still warm under my skin.

“This is my life now?” I whispered to myself. “No. No, I can’t let it be. He’ll take my revenge against my family. I’ll take my revenge… against him.”

Step one… get him addicted.