009: STRIP ME BARE, MASTER

ARYA

Everything that happened right after the kiss was a terrifying blur. Alpha Daxton ended the kiss and dragged me out of his study before tossing me to the guards like I was a lamb prepared for slaughter. I couldn't fight back, my knees felt like jelly, and there was a deep ache in my bones.

It was poison. There was no doubt about it.

Did he poison me with a kiss because he believed I was the culprit? I soon got my answer a little while later.

I was curled up on the concrete floor of the dark room when the door jerked open, the lights flashing on.

My master stood by the door, a blank look on his face. He still looked pale, beads of sweat forming on his temples. But if he was in pain, he didn't show it.

Slowly, he shut the door behind him. My heart sank when I saw the object in his grip. A knife.

My chest heaved as I scrambled backwards towards the corner of the room, my lungs straining for air. He approached me with heavy footsteps. Then he crouched in front of me, his intense gaze sweeping over my face.

"I warned you, didn't I?" He spoke in a hoarse voice, effortlessly brandishing the knife.

I swallowed hard, my throat burning like I'd swallowed grit.

"It wasn't...it wasn't me," I croaked, my eyes slipping closed.

He wasn't having it, though. He brought a hand to my cheek and patted it, steering me awake.

His eyes locked with mine, a silent menace etched in them. "Where is it?"

"What are you talking about?" I frowned, and he scrunched up his nose in irritation.

"Don't try to play dumb. It's only going to make you suffer," he hissed, and I shook my head weakly.

"I really...I really don't know what you're talking about, I swear," I said through gritted teeth.

He lifted his gaze to the ceilings and let out a sharp breath through his nostrils.

A muscle ticked in his jaw, and then, before I could process his next action, he grabbed the front of my shirt and ripped it open, using his knife.

Fear and rage surged inside of me, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth as I tried to get away from him. He held me down with a firm grip and proceeded to tear my shirt off my body. Alarmed, I attempted to twist away from him only to get trapped underneath him, my back hitting the floor. We were panting, tension filling the air.

I felt naked under his gaze, my worn black bra clearly visible to him. It was especially humiliating because my breasts were one size bigger than the bra. They were almost pushing out of the material.

Alpha Daxton's gaze dipped and rested on my chest, his gaze lingering for a fraction too long. He hesitated, but I caught it.

A flicker of something dangerous in his eyes. Something that made my stomach coil in a way that had nothing to do with fear.

"What? Are you really going to strip me naked?" I gasped, a heavy lethargy sinking in.

"I won't have to go that far if you tell me where you hid the poison," he stated, and I let out a cold, bitter laugh.

How was I supposed to convince him now?

"Do it then," I spat, my chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. "Strip me bare, Master."

His eyes darkened. For a second, I thought he might actually do it.

But then he released me, pulling away from me. I curled up into a ball, squeezing my eyes shut as the effects of the poison waxed stronger. I was burning up from inside, my heart threatening to explode in my chest.

Was this the end? I wondered as I wheezed, my fingers clawing against the floor as the agony tore me apart.

Through the haze, I felt him grab my chin and force my mouth open. Then I tasted it. Blood. I gagged, attempting to pull away from him. But his iron grasp held me captive until the crimson liquid had slipped past my throat.

A pulse of something raw and familiar flared beneath my skin.

My body recognized it. It was the bond.

It slammed into me like a tidal wave, burning hotter than the poison. He wasn't just feeding me any blood, I was drinking in his essence. His power.

A strangled sound left my lips as the world tilted, the pieces snapping into place. It was his blood.

It was healing me.

Almost instantly, my body went lax, and I started to lose consciousness, my eyes slipping closed. Before I fell into oblivion, I felt him lift me off the ground. And everything went blank.

....

I awoke with a gasp. Sitting up in bed, I brought a hand to my chest, the memory of the previous events replaying in my mind.

Knowing that I'd had such a close brush with death sent chills travelling down my spine. Pushing my hair away from my face, I glanced around the place, releasing a sigh of relief when I saw that I was in my room.

I wondered why Alpha Daxton had changed his mind about killing me. Also, whoever had poisoned him was dangerous. What if they ended up killing him before I got my revenge?

No, I can't let that happen.

Deeply bothered, I cleaned myself up and got dressed. The last thing I wanted to do was encounter my master, but I couldn't stay stuck in my room for so long. I needed to sneak into the library to find something about the moonstone.

Hopefully, I won't get caught this time.

The moment, I opened the door to step out of my room, I was greeted by a familiar face. Diana.

"Hi," she whispered, waving at me.

Giving her a smile, I walked out of my room, shutting the door behind me.

"What brings you here?" I asked.

"I was worried about you. I really thought he was going to kill you," she pouted.

Something about her just didn't sit right with me.

Was she lying about something or...

I eyed her, wondering if there was a chance that she was the culprit of the poisoning incident.

All of a sudden, she burst into tears and embraced me.

"I was so scared, Arya. You could've...." She sobbed and I winced.

"I'm okay now. I really am," I tried to reassure her.

When she pulled away from me, her eyes were bloodshot and teary.

"There's something I want to tell you," she began, wiping away her tears with trembling hands.

"What is it?" I asked, squinting at her.

She leaned towards me, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"I saw someone—"

A deep voice interrupted her, and we both jerked apart. It was Beta Mason. His blue eyes grew stormy when they landed on me.

"Get back to work, Diana," he said, and she hurried away without sparing me a glance.

"I don't know what you told my brother to get him to free you. But I want you to know this: I don't trust you," he said to me in a hair-raising tone.

"I'll be watching you. If I end up finding out that you really had something to do with poisoning my brother, I'll break you," he threatened, and I swallowed hard, keeping my head lowered.

Without any more words, he stormed off.

He'd spoken as though his brother was in a terrible condition.

Whatever poison that was used must have been rare and extremely potent, if he was still feeling unwell.

In that moment, my heart pounded a little fast, and I felt a strange emotion towards him. Concern.

I shook my head in denial. I knew it was probably as a result of our mating bond. Besides, he'd fed me his blood to save my life.

When I recalled the way he'd stared at my breasts, my cheeks flushed, a wave of embarrassment washing over me.

Now wasn't the time to think about such things. I needed to focus and accomplish my mission as soon as possible.

Beta Mason's threat rang over and over again in my head as I made my way towards the garden. I needed to think and restructure my plans.

I was still stuck in an endless cycle with no true progress. I didn't know what the moonstone was. But one thing was certain: it was in the Tribrid alpha's possession.

I needed to get to it before anyone else. I also needed to prepare a plan B for escape, just in case I needed to run to save my life.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I was just about to step out into the garden when I heard the sound of someone laughing. I froze, my eyes widening when I saw who it was. It was him. Alpha Daxton.

There were three children with him, giggling and climbing over him. My heart skipped a fucking beat when he laughed again, gazing at them with genuine warmth and tenderness in his eyes. He looked truly happy, and all earlier signs of his suffering were gone.

How could this be the same man who'd poisoned me with a kiss?

Without warning, he turned to look at me, the light in his eyes gut-wrenchingly beautiful.

No, shit.

"Enjoying the view, little wolf?" He asked, cocking his head, and my cheeks heated up immediately.

Just who was this man?