006: HE’S BACK

ARYA

Alpha Daxton slowly pulled away from me, his gaze lingering on my face. I looked away from him. My heart pounded so hard, I was certain that anyone could hear it even from a mile away.

"You remind me of someone," he suddenly commented, but I refused to look him in the eye, knowing that he was probably speaking about my mother. The poor woman whom he'd killed.

"Look at me," his voice was soft, but I knew that his statement was an order. Fighting back would do me no good at this point, not while I was clueless about how to bring him down. So I quietly obeyed him.

When our gazes met, my stomach churned with unease. He had the kind of eyes that were unforgettable. Hunter eyes. Framed by long eyelashes and filled with a daring intensity, they had the ability to bring anyone to their knees.

"I've seen those eyes before," he suddenly told me, and I clenched my jaw, struck with the urge to roll my eyes.

"Shouldn't you be more bothered about the fact that I hate you?" I asked, and the corner of his lips tilted upwards. And then, without warning, he grabbed my hand and pressed it against his crotch.

My entire body locked up, my breath catching in my throat.

Heat scorched my cheeks as I felt the hard proof of his arousal beneath my palm. He was... large.

Even worse, the thought of him burying his length inside of me invaded my mind for a moment. And instantly, my core throbbed with arousal.

"This is what you do to me," he murmured, his voice dark and sinfully smooth.

"It doesn't matter if you hate me or not," he continued, his fingers tightening around my wrist.

"No woman has ever had this effect on me."

Pressing my thighs together, I squeezed my eyes shut, annoyance flaring inside of me.

I yanked my hand back, trembling with a mix of emotions bottled in my chest.

"I feel so alive, Arya. And it's because of you," he chuckled darkly, his canines flashing in the dim light.

“You're stuck with me now. At least until you kill me," he said, and I gaped at him, shocked.

There was a knock on the door. Alpha Daxton's gaze darkened with annoyance. Then he headed towards the door and opened it. I couldn't see who it was at the door, but as the person spoke to him, he tensed up. All of a sudden, he walked out of the room and slammed the door shut.

A few minutes passed. Then thirty.

So I sat down on the floor, unsure if it was okay to leave. An hour later, he still hadn't returned. So I started to doze off, exhaustion seeping into my bones.

The sound of the door jerking open jolted me awake and I looked up to see a familiar face stepping in.

The Beta.

Quickly, I rose to my feet, and he eyed me from top to bottom, a cold look in his eyes.

"You may leave. My brother won't be coming home tonight," he stated, and relief flooded me.

Keeping my head lowered, I started to head towards the door. But then he spoke, my feet coming to a halt.

"Stop."

In a blink of an eye, he was standing behind me. He was way too close. Squeezing my eyes shut, I balled my hands into fists, my stomach churning with unease.

He buried his face in the crook of my neck and pressed a kiss to my skin. Before I could recover from that, he smacked me in the ass, squeezing hard. I flinched, my pulse pounding in my ears.

"You smell divine," he drawled.

Bile rose in my throat. Every nerve in me screamed at me to lash out at him, but I forced myself to stay still. I couldn't afford to underestimate him. He was nearly as intimidating as Daxton, and that made him just as dangerous.

My thoughts came to a startling halt when something sharp was pressed to my throat.

"Don't be stupid. You belong to us now. If anything happens to my brother because of you, I'm going to tear you apart in the most painful way possible," he said, and I nodded, the hair at the back of my neck rising stiffly.

"Do you understand?" He asked, pressing the object harder against my skin.

"Yes, sir," I choked out, and he pulled away from me. I could feel his gaze on me even as I hurried out of the room without looking back.

...

Three days soon passed, but there was still no sign of my master. No one spoke of him either. It was odd. Either way, I needed to complete my mission as soon as possible. For that to happen, I needed information from others.

With this thought in mind, I decided to go to the garden where the other girls were.

I'd just stepped into the garden when I saw three girls standing by the corner, deeply engrossed in a conversation.

"...was arrested by the council. Didn't you hear? Our master is suspected of murder," one of the girls said, and my curiosity spiked up.

So I headed towards them, only for them to notice me. Their faces twisted into expressions of disgust. Then they walked away from me.

"Don't mind them," a voice chimed in. "They're just allergic to intelligence."

I turned to find a maid with bright blue eyes and a smirk that promised mischief.

"I'm Diana. Nice to meet you," she said, and I beamed at her, accepting her handshake.

Despite everything, I found myself smiling. "Arya."

"I know," she said cheerfully.

"Everyone knows. You're the new plaything."

My smile faded and Diana sighed.

"Don't take it personal. The hierarchy here is as rigid as a werewolf's morning wood," I snorted in amusement, and she grinned.

“Anyway, how are you holding up? Our master can be... intense."

"How long have you been here?" I asked instead.

"Two years," she said with a shrug.

My stomach clenched. Two years?

"Our master uses me for my body. I hear that you've been assigned to give him both your body and your blood. Are you okay? He can be very violent. It's much worse when he's in his beast form," she told me, and a shiver ran down my spine.

We both settled down on a bench, a cool afternoon breeze sweeping through the garden.

"Has he ever been, you know, fully...erect with you?" I asked hesitantly.

Diana snorted.

"He's impressive even when he's not at full mast. Not that it matters."

"Seriously, though," she leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"He's a tribrid. Werewolf, vampire, and maybe a warlock. He can survive almost anything. But there's a rumour that ginger and cinnamon weaken him. It’s just a rumor though.”

"What are you two whispering about?! Join me in the kitchen now!" At the sound of Aunt Sally's voice, we jumped to our feet and hurried after her.

After helping Aunt Sally in the kitchen, I returned to my room. I'd just walked into my room when I noticed the small bottle of transparent liquid on the nightstand coupled with a piece of paper.

Picking up the paper, I read its contents, a frown creasing up my brows. It read:

'It's a deadly poison that has a long-lasting effect. Use it on the tribrid alpha. It has a strong delirium effect. You can make him tell you his weaknesses.

P.S.: Your sister is doing fine.'

The knock on the door startled me. So I hid the note and the bottle under my pillow. Then I hurried towards the door and opened it.

A pale Diana stood there.

She looked worried.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, and she winced.

"Alpha Daxton wants you in his room now," she stated, and I froze, my blood running cold in my veins.

"He's...back?"

The words had barely left my lips when a guttural growl tore through the air, chills racing down my spine. A lump formed in my throat.

He was back.

Even worse, he was pissed about something. Shit.