Bought For The Alpha's Revenge

CHAPTER 2

LILA'S POV

The sensation in my chest where Ethan had touched me was still there, burning like a brand. Hot and electric and wrong in every possible way.

Ethan had backed all the way to his desk, his hand still pressed to his chest, staring at me like I was something that shouldn't exist.

"What was that?" I whispered.

"Shut up." His voice was harsh. "Don't speak."

"But I felt..."

"I said shut up!" He slammed his fist on the desk so hard a pen rolled off and clattered to the floor.

I flinched but didn't look away from him. Because despite the fear coursing through me, despite every logical reason to be terrified, that pull in my chest was still there. Still reaching for him.

"This is impossible," Ethan said, more to himself than to me. "You're wolf-less. Wolf-less wolves don't have mate bonds."

Mate bond.

The words hit me like cold water.

"No," I said immediately. "That's not... I can't have a mate bond. I don't even have a wolf."

"Then explain what just happened!" Ethan's eyes were wild now, the cold control completely gone. "Explain why I felt that!"

"I don't know!" My voice rose to match his. "I don't know what's happening to me!"

We stared at each other across the office, both of us breathing hard, both of us feeling that invisible thread pulling tighter between us.

This couldn't be real. Mate bonds were sacred and it was the Moon Goddess's gift to wolves who were meant to be together.

Not this. Not between a slave and the man who wanted to destroy her.

"Take off the chains," Ethan said suddenly.

"What?"

"The chains. Take them off." He was already moving around the desk, pulling a key from his pocket.

"Why?"

"Because I need to know if that's what caused it." He reached for my wrists.

"Don't touch me!" I jerked back, but the chains caught on themselves and I stumbled.

Ethan caught me by the arm.

The bond exploded again, stronger this time. I felt it surge through my whole body, lighting up nerve endings I didn't know existed. My chest ached with it, my skin burned where his hand touched me.

And worse, beneath all of that, something stirred inside me. Something that had been dormant and quiet my entire life.

My wolf.

I had a wolf.

"Let go," I gasped, but I wasn't sure if I was talking to him or to whatever was waking up inside me.

Ethan released me immediately and I collapsed against the wall, my legs giving out completely.

"What's happening to me?" I asked, my voice breaking. "I don't have a wolf. Helena made sure of that."

"Helena poisoned you," Ethan said, his voice tight. "Wolfsbane suppresses wolves. It doesn't kill them."

"What does that mean?"

"It means your wolf has been there all along." Ethan was pacing now, running his hands through his hair. "And the mate bond is waking it up."

"No." I shook my head. "This can't be happening."

"You think I want this?" Ethan spun to face me. "You think I want to be mated to the daughter of the man who murdered my family?"

"I didn't ask for this either!"

"The Moon Goddess has a sick sense of humor then," Ethan said bitterly. "Binding me to you of all people."

"Then reject me," I said. "Break the bond. I don't want it any more than you do."

Ethan went very still. "You don't know what you're asking."

"I know exactly what I'm asking. Reject me and we both walk away and pretend this never happened."

"It's not that simple."

"Why not?"

"Because bond rejection kills wolves!" Ethan's voice rose. "Especially wolves who've just awakened. Your wolf is too new, too weak. If I reject you now, it'll kill you."

The room spun. "You're lying."

"I'm not." Ethan moved closer but stopped himself before touching me again. "Your wolf has been suppressed for twenty-one years. It's barely conscious right now and a rejection would destroy it, and you'd die with it."

"So what then?" I asked, my voice hollow. "We're just stuck like this?"

"For now." Ethan's jaw clenched. "Until your wolf is strong enough to survive a rejection."

"How long will that take?"

"Months. Maybe longer."

"Months?" I couldn't breathe. "I have to stay here for months?"

"You were staying here anyway," Ethan reminded me coldly. "This just complicates things."

"Complicates? You're planning to torture me for revenge and now we're... we're..."

"Mated," Ethan finished. "Yes. The universe apparently thinks that's hilarious."

A knock on the door made us both jump.

"Alpha?" Marcus's voice came through. "Is everything alright? We heard shouting."

Ethan and I stared at each other. If Marcus came in, if anyone found out about the bond...

"We can't tell anyone about this," Ethan said quietly.

"Why not?"

"Because if my pack finds out I'm mated to Daniel Harper's daughter, they'll question my judgment and my ability to lead."

"And what about me?" I demanded. "What happens to me while we wait for my wolf to get stronger?"

"Nothing changes," Ethan said. "You're still my slave. Still here as payment for your father's crimes."

"But the bond..."

"The bond doesn't change anything," Ethan cut me off. "I still hate you. I still hate your father. And I'm still going to make him suffer by breaking you."

The words hit like physical blows.

"You can't," I whispered. "The bond won't let you hurt me. You felt it too when you grabbed me, when you touched me, it pulls us together."

"Then I won't touch you," Ethan said simply. "I don't need to put my hands on you to make you suffer."

"You're a monster."

"No," Ethan said. "I'm an Alpha who lost everything because of your family. The bond doesn't change that. It doesn't make us destined lovers or soulmates or any of that romantic nonsense. It's just a cruel joke from the Moon Goddess."

He moved to the door and opened it. "Marcus! Get up here!"

Heavy footsteps on the stairs. Marcus appeared seconds later.

"Take her back to the basement," Ethan said, not looking at me. "Make sure she's fed. Just bread and water."

"Yes, Alpha." Marcus grabbed my chain.

The moment he touched the metal, the bond flared in protest. I felt Ethan's instant spike of possessiveness, his wolf rising up angry that another male was touching what belonged to him.

His face went white.

"Actually," Ethan said through gritted teeth, "I'll take her down myself."

Marcus looked confused but stepped back. "Of course, Alpha."

He left.

Ethan grabbed the end of my chain, careful not to touch my skin. Even that small distance was enough to make the bond hum with satisfaction.

"This is going to be a problem," he muttered.

"You think?" I shot back.

We walked in tense silence down the hallway and down the stairs to the basement. Every pack member we passed stared openly now. Their Alpha never personally escorted slaves anywhere.

When we reached my cell, Ethan unlocked the door and gestured for me to enter.

I stepped inside, chains rattling.

He started to close the door, then stopped.

"Your wolf," he said quietly. "Can you feel it now?"

I focused inward and yes, there it was. A presence inside me that hadn't existed an hour ago. Weak and confused but definitely there.

"Yes," I admitted.

"Good." Ethan's expression was unreadable. "That means the wolfsbane is wearing off. Thea will need to examine you, figure out how much damage the poison did."

"Thea?"

"The pack healer." Ethan paused. "She's the only one who'll know about the bond besides us. I trust her to keep it quiet."

"Why would she help me?"

"Because I'm ordering her to." Ethan stepped back. "And because despite what you think, I'm not trying to kill you. Just make you wish you were dead. There's a difference."

"Not much of one," I said bitterly.

Something flickered in his eyes. Guilt, maybe. Or pain. The bond made it hard to tell where his emotions ended and mine began.

"Get some rest," he said. "Thea will be here in the morning to start your treatment."

"Treatment for what?"

"Sixteen years of poison doesn't leave your body easily," Ethan said. "Purging it is going to hurt. A lot. You'll wish I'd just killed you instead."

"I already wish that."

Ethan's hand tightened on the door handle. "Too bad. You don't get to die until I'm done with you."

He slammed the door shut.

I heard the lock click. Heard his footsteps retreat up the stairs.

Then silence.

I sank down onto the thin mattress and pressed my hand to my chest where the bond pulsed like a second heartbeat.

A mate bond. To the man who hated me. To the man whose family my father destroyed.

And somewhere inside me, a wolf I didn't know I had was waking up.

I didn't know which was worse.

The bond that tied me to my enemy, or the wolf that was supposed to set me free but would probably just make everything more complicated.

A sound from upstairs made me freeze.

Shouting. A woman's voice. Angry and shrill.

"Where is she? Where's the slave you bought?"

Footsteps thundered down the stairs.

The door crashed open.

A woman stood there, beautiful and blonde with green eyes full of rage. She was dressed expensively, carried herself like she owned the place.

"So you're Daniel Harper's daughter," she said, looking me up and down with disgust.

I said nothing.

"My name is Addison," the woman continued. "Ethan's future mate and I'm here to make one thing very clear."

She stepped into the cell.

"Whatever you think is happening between you and Ethan, whatever pathetic hope you're holding onto, forget it. He's mine. This pack is mine. And you?" She smiled cruelly. "You're just a tool he's using for revenge. When he's done with you, he'll throw you away like the trash you are."

"I know," I said quietly.

That seemed to surprise her. "You know?"

"He already told me. I'm just payment for my father's sins."

"Good." Addison's smile widened. "Then we understand each other. Stay in your place, slave. Don't cause problems and maybe you'll survive long enough to see your father destroyed."

She turned and left, her expensive shoes clicking on the stone steps.

The door swung shut behind her but didn't lock.

I sat there in the dark, my hand still pressed to my chest where the mate bond burned.

Addison thought she was going to be Ethan's mate.

But the Moon Goddess had already decided otherwise.

And somehow, I didn't think Addison was going to take that news well.