Mated To the Demon Alpha

2: The Rogue's Mercy.

Amelia's POV:

Pain.

That was the first thing I felt in the back of my head when I slowly drifted back to consciousness, and my body felt strangely heavy.

‘Where am I?’ I asked, as my eyes fluttered open.

Before I could fully register my surroundings, a kick landed against my side. "Wake up!" A rough voice commanded.

I gasped, rolling onto my back as my entire body screamed in pain. My vision was blurry, but through the haze, I could make out a figure standing over me.

Tall, broad shoulders, and with an aura that sent shivers down my spine. Finally, my eyes fully adjusted to the dim light—and I gasped.

The man standing before me was… beautiful.

But not in the way of soft smiles or gentle features. No, he was a creature carved from stone, sharp angles and unforgiving beauty.

He had a Midnight-black hair that was slightly tousled, and his cold blue was fixed on me. “Who are you?" His voice was deep.

I swallowed hard. "Amelia," I managed to respond.

"Amelia," He repeated, as if testing the name. Then his expression hardened. "Who sent you?"

"What?" I whispered, my voice barely above a breath.

"Are you a spy?"

I shook my head. "No! I swear, I—"

His foot pressed against my chest, forcing me back down onto the cold ground.

My hands clawed at his boot as he leaned in slightly. "You expect me to believe that you simply wandered into my land? That you ended up here by accident?"

"I—" I choked on my words. "I don’t know how I got here!"

His lips curled slightly, but there was no amusement in it. "Then let’s make this simple," He murmured, straightening. "You either tell me the truth now, or I’ll tear it out of you."

I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes. "I don’t know—"

"Why were you in my territory?" He cut me off.

“I don’t know. I was running, and—"

"Running?" His brows lifted slightly. "From what?”

I hesitated. I didn’t owe this man an explanation. I didn’t even know who he was. But before I could respond, he yelled. "Enough!” Then he turned to the men standing beside him. "Whip her until she talks."

My eyes widened. What?

"N-No!" I scrambled backward, my body trembling. "I told you—I don’t know anything!"

One of the guards grabbed me roughly, forcing me onto my knees. Before I could even process what was happening, the first lash landed against my back.

I screamed, my hands clawing at the ground as the pain shot through my skin. Another lash.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.

"Confess," The cold voice demanded.

"I don’t know anything!" I sobbed, shaking violently.

Silence.

Then—"Enough."

The whipping stopped, and I gasped for air, my forehead pressing against the floor. Every inch of my back burned, but the pain was nothing compared to the humiliation of being reduced to a bleeding and powerless She-wolf.

Footsteps approached, and stopped right in front of me. I forced myself to look up, meeting those cold eyes again.

He crouched slightly. "Either you’re telling the truth," He murmured, tilting his head. “Or you’re very good at lying."

I could barely find my voice. "I’m not lying."

He studied me for a while before standing to his full height. "We’ll see."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode toward the entrance. I gritted my teeth. "You’re a monster," I whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear.

He paused but didn’t turn back. "If I don't receive a believable answer from you tomorrow, then you will be fed to an actual monster." Then, without another word, he walked away.

His men filed out one after the other, leaving me alone in the dungeon. As soon as they were out of sight, I quickly curled up against the cold floor.

Why? Why is this happening to me?

First, Killian had shattered my heart. Now, I had fallen into the hands of a ruthless stranger.

‘The Moon Goddess must truly despise me.’ I said to myself, while crying bitterly.

And no matter how hard I tried to stop, I couldn’t because the tears just kept coming. I cried and cried until my body gave in, and I finally fell asleep."

Ice-cold water crashed down on me, forcing me awake with a gasp. My entire body froze from the shock as I blinked rapidly, struggling to process everything.

I felt a presence beside me, so I turned around and my breath hitched when I realized who it was.

I tried pushing myself up, but my back was still raw from the whipping, and the cold water only made the pain worse.

Leaning casually against the stone wall he asked once again. "Who are you?"

"Amelia." I gave the same reply.

"And what were you doing in my territory?"

"I don’t know," I whispered. "After getting rejected and humiliated by my Mate in front of the entire Pack, I fled and—”

“Rejected?" He cut me off.

I nodded weakly, clenching my fists in my lap. “And then I woke up here.”

He stayed silent for a while, before he sighed and said. "Xaden."

I blinked. "What?"

"My name," He said, tilting his head slightly. "Alpha Xaden."

Alpha?

Just hearing that title sent a fresh wave of fear through me. He wasn’t just some rogue leader or a warrior from a distant Pack.

He was an Alpha!

Xaden's voice brought me back. “Now that you know who I am," He said, calmly. "Let’s discuss how you’re going to make yourself useful."

I swallow hard. "Useful?"

Then, for the first time, I saw something in his expression shift. It was gone as quickly as it appeared, but for a brief second, I thought I saw… recognition?

He exhaled. “I’ll let you go."

“What?”

"But." He continued, stepping closer. "On one condition." He crouched in front of me, so close I could see the gold in his dark irises.

"You will be my spy," He said softly. "You will report to me any information I ask for. And if you fail…" He reached out, trailing a single finger along my jaw, making me shiver. "I will kill you."