Chapter 5
Derek 's
She was still on her knees in front of me. Her body shook so hard that the heavy metal chains rattled against the concrete floor. The sound was sharp and constant in the quiet room. Every shallow breath she took lifted her chest too fast. She looked weak, like her lungs couldn't get enough air. I stood there and watched her, my own body tense and ready to snap. I could smell her fear. It was a sharp, bitter scent that filled my nose. It mixed with the salty smell of the tears she tried to hide from me.
And beneath the fear and the salt, there was her true scent.
It was warm. It was soft. It smelled like something pure that didn't belong in a place like this. That scent pulled at something deep inside my soul. It felt like a sharp hook had buried itself in my flesh and was dragging me toward her.
My wolf was awake and angry. He clawed at the cage inside my chest, hitting the bars harder than he ever had before. The word had already slipped out of my mouth earlier.
Mate.
Just saying the word had cracked something open inside me. It changed everything.
Every time I took a step closer to her, the wolf pushed forward. He was furious and restless. He wanted to take control of my body. He wanted to claim her right there on the floor. I clenched my jaw so tight that I felt my teeth grind together. I even tasted a bit of blood in my mouth from the pressure.
Marcus, my beta, took a step toward her. He reached his hand out, looking like he was going to pull her up and take her away. He probably wanted to get her out of the room before I completely lost my mind and shifted in front of her.
"Don't," I growled.
The sound came from deep in my chest. It was a warning. Marcus froze instantly. He didn't move another inch.
I ignored Marcus and kept my eyes on her. She looked so small. She was just a human girl shaking on my floor. I couldn't understand how this was possible. How did the universe decide that this was my match?
To me, humans were nothing. They were weak. They were breakable. They were meant to serve our kind or just stay out of the way. They were meant to disappear into the background of the world. A human was not meant to stand beside an Alpha. A human was not meant to be claimed as a queen. Most importantly, a human was not meant to be wanted this badly by someone like me.
The pull was getting stronger. I had to get away from her before the wolf won the fight. I turned my back on her so I wouldn't have to see her trembling.
"Get her out of my sight," I ordered. My voice was thick and rough.
Marcus gave a quick nod. He reached down and grabbed her arm to pull her up.
She didn't resist him. She didn't have any fight left in her.
She let him pull her away toward the door. Her head stayed lowered, and the chains clinked softly as she walked. The sound faded as they reached the hallway. Then, the heavy door closed behind them, and I was finally alone.
The moment they were gone, the silence of the room felt like it was crushing me. I grabbed a glass from the table and threw it at the wall with all my strength.
The glass shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.
Whiskey sprayed across the wall and the floor. The sharp smell of the alcohol filled the air, but it wasn't enough to drown out the memory of her scent. I needed more than just breaking things. I needed the pressure in my chest to stop.
Suddenly, I felt the change starting. My claws burst from my fingertips. They were long, black, and sharp. I felt a wave of heat wash over me. Pain tore through my arms as my bones began to shift and grow. My body was fighting the change because I was trying to hold it back. My eyes burned with a red light. I could see the reflection of that red glow in the broken glass on the floor.
The wolf let out a roar inside my head.
Go after her, he demanded. Claim her now. She belongs to us. She is ours.
"No," I growled out loud. My voice didn't even sound like mine anymore. It was deep and animal-like. "She's human. She's nothing to us."
I started to pace the room. I moved back and forth like a caged animal. My claws scraped lightly against the concrete floor, making a clicking sound. My chest rose and fell in fast, heavy beats. Every instinct in my body told me to follow her scent down the hall. My mind played a movie of me breaking down her door, pulling her close, and marking her skin until the bond was permanent.
But I wouldn't let that happen.
I couldn't let that happen.
What would happen to my reputation? An Alpha with a human mate would be a joke. The other packs would laugh at me. They would see me as weak. Then, they would challenge my right to lead. They would try to kill me to take my territory. I couldn't put the whole pack at risk for a girl.
The door opened quietly behind me.
I didn't turn around. I knew it was Marcus. I could smell his scent, and I could tell he was being careful.
"She's locked up," Marcus said. "I put her in the holding room and chained her to the wall. The door is bolted from the outside. She won't be able to escape."
I stayed still, staring at the wall where the whiskey was dripping down.
"Good," I replied.
Marcus hesitated for a moment. I could hear him shifting his weight. "Alpha… you're hurting. I can smell the pain on you. The shift is fighting you because of the bond. Is all of this because of her? Because she's human?"
I stayed silent. I didn't want to admit how much power she already had over me.
He moved a few steps closer. "If she's causing you this much pain, we can just end it now. I can go in there and put one bullet in her head. It would be over. The bond would break, and the pain would stop."
I spun around toward him in a blur of motion. My eyes were still glowing a bright, angry red. I felt my lip curl back to show my teeth.
"If you touch her," I said, and my voice was a promise of death, "I will kill you myself. Do you understand me?"
Marcus lifted his hands in the air to show he wasn't a threat. He looked shocked by my reaction. "Understood, Alpha. I won't touch her."
"Leave," I snapped.
He didn't wait around. He turned and left the room immediately.
Hours passed. The sun went down, and the warehouse grew cold. I didn't turn on any lights. I just sat in the dark chair with my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. I tried to think of a plan, but the wolf wouldn't stop talking to me.
She's cold, the wolf whispered. She's scared and she's all alone in that room. Go to her. She needs us.
"Shut up," I whispered back to the empty room.
You feel it too, the wolf insisted. You can't deny it. She's yours.
"I will never choose a human," I said firmly. "I will never let a human rule by my side. Never."
Midnight came. The entire house was quiet. Most of the men were asleep or out on patrol. I found myself standing up without even thinking about it. My feet moved on their own. I walked through the dark halls, my boots making no sound on the carpet.
I stopped right in front of her door. I just stood there for a long time, staring at the wood. My hand hovered over the handle, shaking slightly.
Then, I opened it.
The room was dim, but my wolf eyes could see everything. She was lying on the narrow bed, curled up on her side. She looked even smaller than before. One of her wrists was still chained to the wall, the metal looking heavy against her thin arm. Her breathing was uneven, as if she had been crying in her sleep. The thin blanket had fallen off the bed and was lying on the floor. I could see goosebumps covering her bare skin. She was shivering from the cold.
Something twisted inside my chest. It wasn't the anger from before. It wasn't hatred for her being human. It was something much softer, and that made it a lot more dangerous.
I stepped inside the room. I closed the door softly behind me so it wouldn't make a sound. I moved closer to the bed.
Her eyes flew open suddenly. She must have felt me there.
She scrambled back against the wall as fast as she could. The chain snapped tight with a loud metallic ring. Her back hit the cold concrete wall, and she stared at me with wide, terrified eyes.
"What do you want from me?" she whispered. Her voice was cracked and weak.
I didn't give her an answer. I couldn't find the words. I sat down on the edge of the bed instead. I felt the mattress dip under my weight.
She tried to shrink away even more, pressing herself into the corner. Her heart started to race. It was a fast, thumping sound that filled my ears. It was like a drum calling to the wolf.
I studied her in the dark. I saw the dried tears on her cheeks. I saw her swollen lip and the dark bruises that were starting to form on her skin from the earlier attacks. She looked so fragile. She was so undeniably human.
And she was mine.
My hand lifted without my permission. I couldn't stop it. My fingers reached out and touched her cheek. Her skin was soft. It was too soft. It felt like silk under my rough fingers.
A sharp pain struck my chest at the contact. The wolf surged forward again, wanting more.
I pulled my hand back quickly. I clenched it into a fist to keep from touching her again. My claws were still out, and they cut deep into my own palm. I felt the warm blood start to run down my wrist.
She watched me closely. She didn't say anything. she was frozen in fear.
Then, I lost the battle for control.
My hand shot out before I could think. I wrapped my fingers around her throat. I wasn't squeezing her. I wasn't trying to choke her or hurt her. I just held her there. It was just enough pressure for me to feel the fast pulse of her heart against my palm.
She froze completely. Her breath caught in her throat.
I leaned in close to her face. My eyes burned red in the darkness of the cell. My voice was low, and it sounded broken when I finally spoke.
"Why… you?"