Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Anya’s POV

I lowered my head, my mind racing. I tried to take a deep breath, but it hitched in my throat as I heard the heavy thud of horses arriving outside the Alpha's palace. A choked gasp escaped me.

His voice was cool and void of emotion. "Looks like he's here. Follow me."

I wanted to weep. The rising panic felt like bile in my throat. I didn't want to see him. I couldn't see the psychopath, Alpha Borin. If I could just melt away, I would. I would give anything to run and never look back. Please, I begged silently, someone kidnap me instead. Anyone but him.

My legs trembled as I followed the Alpha, a numb dread settling over me. As he walked past, everyone bowed their heads. This man was truly dangerous!

And then, as the grand doors swung open, Alpha Borin stepped down from his horse. His boots hit the stone with a finality that echoed in the sudden silence. His cold eyes landed on Kai.

"I believe you have someone who belongs to me, Alpha Kai."

Alpha Kai glanced at his Beta, his expression unreadable. "Miguel, bring the girl out."

Beta Miguel stepped back inside. The moment he saw me, his hand clamped around my upper arm in a rough, bruising grip.

He hauled me through the doorway and thrust me forward, presenting me like a piece of property to Alpha Borin, who stood waiting.

I kept my head bowed, my hair falling around my face, desperate to hide. A violent tremor ran through me as he stalked toward me, his footsteps the only sound in the suffocating silence.

He stopped just inches away. I flinched as he reached out and brushed the hair from my cheek, his touch possessive, chilling me to the bone.

He hooked a finger under my chin, forcing my head up, compelling me to meet his dark gaze.

"There you are," he whispered, a terrifying smile playing on his lips. "I told you not to run. But you just kept running away... Do you want me to get angry?"

"N-No," I stammered, my voice fracturing even as I fought desperately to hold back a sob.

I hate his touch. I hate the way he stares at me, his eyes crawling over my skin, filled with a sickening lust. I hate that my mind can only picture him as a beast, a monster who would ruin me night after night, forcing me to be his breeder.

But why? Why would he want a human girl for that? Why me?

His hand shot out, his fingers twisting painfully in my hair and yanking my head back. The sudden jolt sent a fresh wave of tears to my eyes. "Now, you're coming with me."

He turned his smug, possessive gaze on Alpha Kai. "Thank you, Alpha Kai, for returning this girl to me—"

"Who said she's yours?"

Alpha Kai’s voice boomed, cutting through the thick tension and stopping everyone cold.

My heart stuttered to a halt. My head whipped toward him, my eyes screaming a plea he couldn't possibly understand: Save me. And yet, another part of me just wanted to dissolve, to fly away from them both.

Alpha Borin froze. His hand fell from my hair, and he shoved me roughly to the side as if I were a sack of grain. He turned to face Kai, his own voice low and dangerous.

"She's my bride. My human slave. My woman to fuck every single night. You can't take what belongs to me."

Alpha Kai stepped forward, seemingly indifferent to the fact that he was courting open war. A cold, challenging smile touched his lips.

"Your woman? She fled your territory, Borin. She crossed onto my land, injured and seeking refuge. By the old laws that govern our territories, your claim was broken the moment she sought sanctuary here. She is now under my protection. She belongs to my pack."

Alpha Borin’s face contorted, his features twisting into a mask of pure rage. His voice dropped to a lethal growl. "Are you insane? To challenge me for a piece of human chattel? Retract your words, Kai, or I swear on my father's grave, your pack will pay the price for your arrogance. I will burn this entire valley to the ground before I let you keep what is mine."

Alpha Kai merely gave a curt nod to his guards. They moved at once, stepping between me and Alpha Borin, their hands on their weapons as they firmly pulled me back behind Kai’s line. I gasped, trapped in the crossfire as the two Alphas locked gazes. The air crackled with a silent, murderous energy.

Kai’s smile widened, but it held no humor. "Then let's ask her. Let the girl decide if she wishes to return to you."

I squeezed my eyes shut, a sob tearing itself from my chest. Please, just let this end. I forced my head up, my vision blurred by the tears streaming down my face.

Both Alphas stared, their expressions unreadable and intense. They weren't looking at me with pity; it was something colder, more akin to fascination. As if my very terror was the prize they were fighting over.

I bit my lower lip so hard I tasted copper and found my voice. "I want to stay here," I choked out, the words barely audible. Then, louder, staring directly at Borin, I declared, "I don't want to marry you! I... I reject your proposal!"

"You dare reject me?!" Alpha Borin roared, the sound vibrating with a power that shook me to my core.

His civility was completely shattered. In one fluid, violent motion, he ripped his sword from its sheath. His eyes bled into a furious, unnatural crimson, the irises glowing with a feral light.

He looked less like a man and more like a beast straining against its skin, ready to burst free at any second.

But before he could take a single step, Kai moved.

His own eyes flared in response, not just red, but a blinding, molten gold rimmed with scarlet—the color of controlled dominance. With a speed that stole my breath, his own sword was out, the sharp shing of steel cutting the air as he leveled the point directly at Alpha Borin's throat.

Kai’s voice was lethally calm, the opposite of Borin's animalistic rage. "Are you sure you want to make an enemy of me?"