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My breath quickened. My instincts screamed. Something was wrong, wrong, wrong! I needed to get out of here. I needed to run as far as possible!
I jerked the knob in a desperate attempt to open the door. A few cold chuckles sounded at once. “Stay there and be quiet,” Tariq hissed. “Alpha Rune will join you soon.”
A dark kind of excitement lingered in his tone. I drew a deep breath, but instead of calming me down, it felt as if I were inhaling the essence of fear. I pressed my hands against the smooth surface of the door. “Please… let me out.” My voice was laced with nervous panting.
“Shut your mouth, bitch!” one of the guards bellowed.
I bit my lip, cutting my skin. My body began to tremble as my mind raced. Would Alpha Rune kill me tonight? Did Tariq and the guards know what would happen to me? Was that the reason behind their wicked excitement?
Slowly, I moved away from the door and looked around the chamber. Most of it was heavily coated by the darkness, with only a few lanterns and candles illuminating the vast space. My eyes instantly traveled to the large bed. Was I supposed to wait for Alpha Rune there?
A shudder traveled down my spine. I tried to muster my courage, but it was nowhere to be found. I walked to one of the tall windows overlooking the courtyard. I estimated my chances of escape in a second: they were none. Assuming I would somehow survive after jumping from the third floor, I would quickly end up in the hands of the numerous guards patrolling the area.
I started to debate hiding somewhere when I heard someone walking through the corridor. I rushed to the door and inhaled through my nostrils, recognizing Silas’s herbal scent. “Is she in there?” he demanded, his voice tense.
“Alpha would want her there,” Tariq answered dryly.
“Are you insane?! Not in his current state! He’s going to kill her!”
My heart leaped to my throat. Gods, I was right, wasn’t I? I had no idea what Silas’s words meant, but adding it to everything I had heard back in the camp, this “state” couldn’t mean anything good–certainly not good for me. I had to leave this place. Now! “Let me out!” I shrieked, banging on the door and praying that Silas would find a way to help me.
“You need to let her out of there,” Silas convinced. “You know damn well that Alpha cannot control himself right now, and-”
“And that is precisely why she needs to be there,” Tariq said firmly. “He chose her himself. Who knows? Maybe she’ll survive until the morning?”
Bastard. Soulless piece of shit! “Open the door!” I kept banging. “Please! Please, don’t do this!”
“Tariq, you’re making a huge mistake,” Silas snarled. “Alpha Rune wouldn’t want-”
“You’re not in charge here.”
8:02 Mon, Sep 22
Chapter 17
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“Neither are you!” Silas roared. Honestly, I hadn’t expected him to be capable of using such a tone. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to intimidate the arrogant squad leader. “I will talk to Beta Lanira. She needs
to know-”
“I’ve already spoken to her.” I could almost see the smug smirk on Tariq’s face. “She agrees that placing that bitch in Alpha’s room might be a good decision.”
“No… that’s impossible,” Silas gritted out. “I will talk to her myself.”
Tariq chuckled. “Be my guest. We can go there together.”
“Don’t go,” I croaked, panic threading my voice. The footsteps sounded. They were leaving. Silas was leaving, and somehow, I felt that my only chance of getting out of this room was leaving with him.
I wasn’t sure what happened to the guards that had come with Tariq. Maybe they had left, too, because a moment later, all I could hear coming from the outside was grim silence. I planted my hands against the door. “Hello?” My voice trembled, no matter how I wanted it to sound strong and confident. “Is anyone there?”
Seconds passed, and the darkness around me seemed to thicken. Something wrapped around my chest, turning every breath into a struggle. The air chilled, and even the fire in the lanterns turned colder. Goosebumps coated my skin, magnifying the rising anxiety.
The footsteps echoed through the corridor, the sound growing louder. I moved away from the door, my heart thundering. I knew that those steps didn’t belong to Silas, Tariq, or any of the guards. I could feel it—feel the power surrounding the predator as he walked to his lair.
My insides twisted. I moved back until my back hit the wall, opposite the door. My whole body began to rattle as the click of the lock sounded. I watched the knob turn and the door open. Then Alpha Rune appeared on the threshold…
His eyes were burning as if one of the pits of hell lived inside them. Tendrils of black smoke surrounded him like snakes ready to bite their prey. He stepped inside, and his eyes instantly landed on me.
“Alpha?” I choked out.
He didn’t answer. The door behind him closed, and the lock sounded once more. Then he began to prowl toward me. Only then did I realize he was coated with blood–not his blood. The patterns formed in drops and smudges, several different scents, different victims. “You shouldn’t be here,” he growled, but kept walking toward me.
I swallowed hard. “Then… let me go,” I whispered.
A dark smile danced on his lips. “Can’t do that.” A cruel purr. It was him, but at the same time, it wasn’t. Right now, he was the night, the darkness itself, the emissary of the three hells.
He grabbed the hem of his blood–soaked shirt and pulled it over his head. My eyes instantly traveled to his chest, and I gasped. “What’s this?” I breathed, staring at the dark spot in the center of his chest with countless threads spreading throughout his body. They looked like veins filled with venom. “Alpha Rune…?”
This time, my voice seemed to reach him. He stopped, his blazing eyes on mine. “You have something I want.” His tone was emotionless, filled with nothing but primal need.
8:02 Mon, Sep 22
Chapter 17
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I knew I should run, but suddenly, my knees were too weak to move. I could only watch as he swallowed the distance between us. The smoke surrounding him touched my bare shoulders, triggering sheer dread. Then his arms snaked around my waist, pulling me closer. “Please,” I whimpered, planting my hands on his chest and trying to push him away. He didn’t even budge, even though I used every ounce of strength I could muster. I looked into his eyes, begging the monster staring back at me. “Let me go.”
A grim smile stretched across his lips. “No.” Then they crashed against mine.
A wave of pain exploded, as if he were pure poison. I screamed against his lips, hitting his chest, trying to kick him. Nothing worked. His lips remained on mine as he breathed me, breathed my very essence, sucking the life out of me. The pain inside me increased, and my wolf howled, waking up what remained of my strength. I pressed my hands harder against him, feeling the odd threads of darkness move beneath my palms and fingers. Disease. He was ill. He needed a healer…
I closed my eyes, silently praying to the gods as I summoned my power. Then I opened my eyes and saw the faint light surrounding my hands. I knew I couldn’t give up. I had to fight this power–fight him.
The light around my hands grew stronger, and he hissed, freeing me as he stumbled back. I drew a deep breath, the pain inside me fading. He shook his head as if some of his consciousness returned, or maybe the monster inside him was simply punch–drunk. Whatever it was, I knew this was my chance. “I can heal you,” I said, walking toward him.
Before he could react, I pressed my glowing hand to his heart.
