Chapter 2 - Obedience Through Starvation

Brandon’s POV

I’d never seen this girl before—the honey blonde woman, whoever she was.

She had clearly never entered wolf territory before; that much was obvious. Her scent was unfamiliar, yet intoxicating.

Her friend, though what the hell had she been thinking? Shacking up with some random guy like that? It didn’t make any sense.

The recklessness of it all made me shake my head. Now, we’d never know her story, because she was dead.

The vampire had been so considerate, hadn’t he?

Instead of turning the poor girl, he made sure to snap her neck. Quick, efficient, and silent. The dead don’t speak, after all.

At least, that’s what I thought had happened as Marc, Jake and Paul who cleaned up afterwards told me so.

Angelica’s POV

I woke up with the worst hangover I’d ever had. But it wasn’t just that—no, I was tied to a chair in the middle of nowhere.

Where the hell was I? Some kind of castle? The wallpaper was medallion-patterned, and there was baroque furniture all around me.

I blinked, trying to make sense of it all. “Fuck, I’m bleeding!”

“Indeed you are,” came a raspy voice.

I jerked my head around, scanning the room for whoever was messing with me. This had to be some sick joke, right?

A male wolf-man stood beside a dark, enigmatic figure. The man wore a navy blue extravagant silk creation, almost like he belonged to some ancient nobility.

He exuded an air of refinement, his platinum hair contrasting sharply with his intense eyes.

“Who the fuck are you? What do you want from me?” I demanded, trying to steady my breathing.

The man laughed. “I already got what I wanted from you. You’re mine, you see.”

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, the glittering fabric of my dress rubbing against the cold, uncomfortable chair. “You’re dreaming.”

“Am I?” The deep voice from the man chuckled in amusement.

“Don’t you feel the dark urge, Angelica? Don’t you realize you’re exactly where you belong? Here, with me.”

I froze. His words struck something inside me, but I fought to remain defiant.

“Don’t you feel the hunger? The thirst rising up in your throat? My loyal pet here brought you to me… and guess what?” He tilted his head and motioned toward the wolf-man standing next to him.

“He told me something very interesting, your friend. I want her.”

“My friend?” My head spun. I could barely think straight, and, oddly enough, I did feel something stirring inside me. Thirst. Thirst for blood?

The very thought made my stomach churn. “Who?”

The man laughed darkly. “The friend who tried to save you from my handyman. I don’t believe a mere stranger would risk their life for you, do you? She screamed your beautiful name—‘Angelica!’”

“Oh, you mean Beatrice,” I muttered, still trying to get a grip. “She’s new in my class. I don’t know her that well. I just took her out tonight.”

“An interesting friend indeed,” the man mused. “Risking her life for you like that.”

“Well, we aren’t even friends,” I admitted, a little embarrassed at how easily I’d dismissed Beatrice.

“Well,” the man said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “that makes it so much easier then!”

He clapped his hands together in a way that sounded unnervingly rhythmic. “Bring her to me, and you shall be rewarded.”

“Reward me?” I scoffed, my voice shaking with fury.

“You’re holding me hostage. Why the hell would I do what you say? Dream on, creep.”

“But Angelica,” he cooed, his voice laced with feigned honey. “Sweet, sweet Angelica. You don’t seem to understand. I own you now. I made you. You’re mine.”

I couldn’t hide my disbelief. “As if I’d do anything for you. Just let me go. My dad’s rich. He’ll give you money. We can both go on with our lives, and I won’t report you to the police.”

The aristocratic man chuckled darkly. The treacherous wolf-man joined in with a growl so deep it seemed to rattle the room. ”You dad’s money is no good here, Angelica…I have more money then a small country! What’s his little pennies gonna do?

I gasped for breath, this was bad, so so bad! It was the first time ever that the mention of my dad’s wealth fell short.

“Velan, my lord, she’s still a little slow-witted. She doesn’t realize what happened, hell, she doesn’t even understand what you are. Please, let me bring the slave in for her?”

Velan chuckled and squinted his dark eyes. “Sure, Marc, bring him in. Let her take a sip. After a day or two, she’ll be back, begging for more. No one makes it past day three anyway.”

Marc laughed, a cruel, knowing sound. “Let her know what real hunger feels like.”

“Wolf, throw her in the dungeon. It’s Friday, so I suppose she can be back in school like a good girl by Monday. Let me know when she begs.”

He turned and pointed at a servant, trembling in the shadows. The man looked terrified.

“Throw the wolf some bones when he’s done, will you?”

The servant nodded quickly. “Yes, sir.”

The werewolf-man Marc and the servant hastily exited.

Then Velan turned his back to me, focusing on more pressing matters.

“The wolf played his part well,” Velan muttered to himself, pacing back and forth. “He’s the one who made the connection.”

His mind lingered on the girl who had been with Angelica. “That mysterious girl… could she be the answer to everything? The missing hybrid? The one that slipped away?”

His fists clenched. “I need the bloodstone. I have to continue my legacy—no matter what.”

It didn’t take long before the wolf and the servant returned, dragging the ghost of a man with them.

At least, that’s what he looked like—sunken cheeks, hollow eyes, ribs protruding from his frail body, and dressed in rags.

“What kind of sick fetish is this?!” I screamed, now terrified. “Get him away from me!”

The wolf with the deep voice just laughed. “Oh, but Angelica, you want him.”

He gripped the weak man by the neck, forcing him down toward my face.

I tried to jerk back, but the chair held me fast, and suddenly, the servant had a firm grip on my hair, yanking my head back.

“Eat.”

The man’s horrifying appearance made my stomach churn, and I felt a wave of nausea wash over me.

But as my heartbeat slowed, something strange happened I could sense the man’s pulse. It was faint, but it was there.

Each thump of his heart seemed to echo in my ears, and the scent of him, something metallic and tangy, called to me.

I was horrified by myself, but before I could stop it, my fangs sank deep into his neck.

I didn’t know what devil had possessed me to do such a thing.

The man didn’t even resist. He was like a walking, helpless feeding machine.

“That’s enough for one day, Angelica,” the wolf said, his voice low and commanding.

“Now drag her out of here until she can see things clearly.”