The door behind my back closed with a dull thud, cutting off the world. The walls stifled the sound of the lock, leaving only the oppressive silence of the study. It smelled of old parchment, cold stone, and stale smoke. I didn't see my father. He stood by the window, a massive figure carved from shadow, watching the twilight gather in the courtyard. My training doublet was still stained with mud from the hunt, and my knuckles were raw.
"She is trash, Cale." Edric's voice was low, calm. Too calm. Every word was a sentence that required no confirmation. "A mistake. A stain on our blood. She shames the lineage of Alphas."
My inner wolf growled. A snarl rose from deep within my chest, demanding protection. Of its territory. Of its... something. I couldn't let it loose here. Not now.
"You know what this means." Edric turned slowly. His slit-like eyes, gray as a winter sky, pierced through me. Not a shadow of warmth, not a sign of fatherly affection. Only the steel gaze of a leader assessing a weak specimen. "You must eliminate her. Or... break this foul connection. Before the next full moon. The choice is yours."
I felt the ground shifting beneath my feet, but I couldn't show it. Never.
"She... she poses no threat." My voice sounded dry. I tried to maintain an indifferent tone, but the words felt clumsy. "I'm... using her. Just... a temporary toy."
Father stepped away from the window, and the light of the dying candles fell across his face. The wrinkles on his forehead were deep, like runes carved in stone.
"Temporary? Your scent... it has changed." Edric narrowed his eyes, inhaling. His nostrils flared. "You smell of her. Deeply. Too deeply for a 'toy'."
I clenched my jaw. A cold, sharp fury pierced me. But I couldn't betray myself. My wolf demanded I tear his throat out, but my mind screamed: Not now, idiot! Not now!
"She... she is submissive. Like a slave." I tried to sound convincing. My gaze flickered over his face, catching on his heavy mantle and the fur collar concealing his neck. "What do you... what do you want me to do? Finish her? Just like that?"
Edric narrowed his eyes again. "Just like that? It is not 'just like that,' Cale. It is a necessity. A political necessity. Have you forgotten our obligation to the Riverwood pack? To Crowstone? Your future mate is already waiting. You cannot allow this... trash to stand in the way of our lineage."
"My future mate..." I interrupted him, not letting him finish. "I understand. I understand everything, Father. But she... I need her. For now."
"Need her for what?" His tone grew even colder. "To satisfy base instincts? You are no Alpha if you cannot control your... lust. You have harlots in the city. Hundreds of them. Why do you need this... filth?"
"She isn't filth!" My voice cracked, but I immediately regained my composure. "She... she is different. Her fear. Her submission. It's... what I need right now."
Edric slowly shook his head. "Your weakness. That is what this is. I saw the way you looked at her. Your obsession."
"Obsession? It is control, Father. Absolute control." I feigned a laugh. It was dry, almost like a cough. "You taught me yourself that the most important thing is power. Over everything. And everyone. I am simply... putting your lessons to use."
"You are using them wrong, boy. Wrong!" Edric suddenly raised his voice, but quickly regained his footing. "Do you think I don't see how you've been spiraling since you brought her here? Do you think I didn't hear the screams coming from the cellar?"
"She resisted. What kind of slave is she if she doesn't resist?" I shrugged, trying to project indifference. "I broke her. Now she is mine. I won't... give her up. But I will break her even further, if it makes you feel better."
"Break her? Or sink into this swamp along with her?" Edric walked to the desk and slammed his palm against the old oak. The dying candles flickered, casting long shadows. "I am giving you time, Cale. But not much. My patience is not infinite. And you know what happens to those who test it."
"I know." I nodded. My eyes burned. "I will do it. You'll see. She... she will be gone. Soon. But not now. I need... I need time."
Edric stared at me for a few more seconds, his slit-like eyes piercing me to the bone. I held his gaze, refusing to look away. I endured.
"Get out." His voice was quiet, but it signaled the end of the conversation. "And think about what I said."
I turned and left the study. The door closed again, and I felt the pressure from all sides nearly crushing me. My lungs burned. Freedom was but an illusion.
My quarters were in another part of the castle, but my feet carried me down the creaking stairs. The cellar. Damp, smelling of mold and straw. And her. Her scent. Fear.
I stopped before the iron door. The guards, two massive Alphas, straightened up.
"Leave." My voice was low, a growl. "Now. Do not dare return until I call for you."
They exchanged looks but obeyed. My trembling fingers unlatched the heavy bolt. The door creaked open, letting the darkness of the corridor into the small room.
The smell. Her smell. Mingled with the scent of fear, urine, and blood. The dim light from the hallway fell onto the straw where she lay, huddled in a corner. A thin chemise clung to her body. Her hair was tangled. When my shadow fell over her, she flinched, waking up, and let out a soft moan.
I stepped inside. I slammed the door shut, cutting off the outside world.
"You are mine." The words tore out of me, coarse and commanding. "No one. No one has the right to take you."
She tried to crawl further into the corner like a cornered animal. I took a step, then another. I knelt and grabbed her arm. My fingers squeezed her forearm, digging into her thin skin. I pulled her up, forcing her to her knees. Her eyes were wide, filled with wild terror. She said nothing. She only watched.
I jerked her chin up, exposing her neck. The old mark, made after the hunt, had already begun to heal, turning into a pink scar. Her skin was delicate, fragile.
My nose caught her scent. Sweet, cloying, beckoning. I leaned in. My teeth closed on the exact same spot. They sank in. Much deeper than the first time. I heard her skin snap.
Alina howled. It wasn't just a scream, but a piercing wail of pain, so pure and primal that it echoed off the stone walls. Her body jerked, thrashing in my hands like a trapped bird. I felt her blood gush out, hot and pulsing against my mouth.
I ignored her pleas. Her moans, her attempts to break free. Her scream turning into a gurgle. I poured my will into her blood, into her very being. A mark. A chain. A brand. She is mine. Only mine.
When I pulled away, her head fell limply against her chest. Fresh blood trailed down her collarbones, staining the thin chemise. My lips burned with the taste of her.
I threw her back onto the straw. She fell like a sack of grain, sobbing quietly, her body trembling. I didn't look back. I simply walked out. I slid the heavy bolt into place.
Standing in the corridor, I looked at my shaking hands. Why are they shaking? From anger? From arousal? Or from doubt? Had I lied to my father? How deeply had this Omega settled inside me? Deeper than just a "toy." Deeper than a "slave."
From beyond the castle walls came a long, foreign howl. Wild, cold, carrying death.
I froze. Silverclaws. They are already here. My reckoning.