Chapter Three
990 Words
The clatter of a door bolt snaps Valeria awake.
Two men step into the room, tall and armed.
“On your feet,” one orders.
She blinks hard, her muscles aching as they haul her upright. Her wrists are raw from the ropes.
“Where are you taking me?” she demands, voice shaking.
“You’ll see.” They blindfolded her.
"What have I gotten myself into?", she thinks.
They led her to a large tent at the far end, its canvas darker, the guards bulkier. One pulls the flap aside and nods her through.
At the centre stands a man with his back to her, broad shoulders, dark hair, a presence that makes the entire tent seem smaller.
“Commander,” one of the guards says. “The prisoner.”
He doesn’t turn immediately. “Remove the blindfold.”
Rough fingers tug at the cloth over her head. She gasps as her vision returns to her.
“Who are you?” The man’s voice is deep, calm, and edged with steel.
Valeria swallows. “No one. I...I’m...I got lost.”
He turns.
The sight steals her breath. Sharp, dangerous beauty, chiselled jaw, storm-grey eyes, a faint scar running along his cheekbone. His aura feels heavy, magnetic.
"Is this the one they call Darius?" She thinks.
He studies her in silence, gaze sweeping from her matted hair to her face to the dirt on her torn trousers then finally the rope still binding her wrists. “You came from the northern forest. Why?”
“I told you. I got lost.”
He takes a step closer, boots silent on the rug. “The northern forest is forbidden. Dominion scouts patrol there. Only spies cross that border.”
“I’m not a spy.”
“Then what are you?”
“A woman who had a really bad night!” she snaps before she can stop herself.
One of the guards growls under his breath. Darius’s eyes flick to him; the sound dies instantly.
He looks back at her, voice lower. “You don’t know where you are, do you?”
“No,” she bites out. “And I don’t care. I just want to leave.”
“You can’t.”
Her temper flares. “Watch me.”
He arches a brow. “Feisty for an omega.”
“Omega?” She frowns. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb.” He circles her slowly, like a predator assessing prey. “I can smell it. You’re one of them, sweet scent, submissive nature.”
Valeria snorts. “Submissive? You really don’t know me.”
That earns a real reaction, his head tilts, faint surprise flickering in his eyes. “You’re brave, I’ll give you that. Or stupid.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
A few of the guards exchange amused glances. One murmurs something under his breath.
Darius turns sharply; the air shifts. A faint shimmer seems to pulse around him, heavy and suffocating. The guards instantly straighten, silence slamming back into the tent.
Valeria feels it too, like gravity pressing down on her chest. She meets his gaze anyway, refusing to flinch.
He studies her, then steps closer. Close enough that she can see the darker ring around his irises. “You should be careful, little omega. You don’t know what I do to liars.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m telling the truth,” she says, voice shaking but steady.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moves. The air between them crackles, anger, challenge, something else neither wants to name.
Darius’s jaw tightens. “Enough. Bind her until I decide what to do.”
The guards move to obey, but she jerks away. “Touch me and I’ll scream.”
“Do it,” he says softly. “No one here will come to save you.”
Her glare meets his, defiant. “You’re a real charmer, aren’t you?”
His lips twitch, not quite a smile. “You’ve got a mouth on you, very talkative.”
“Guess that’s another thing omegas don’t usually have. Look, I'm sorry for interrupting your cosplayer party, cool outfits by the way but I can be out of your hair soon, just point me in the direction of the nearest bus stop or something”.
For the first time, his composure cracks. He exhales slowly, eyes narrowing as if reassessing her entirely. The tension is almost tangible, thick enough to taste.
Then he moves.
In two strides he’s in front of her, one hand shooting out to grab her throat, not choking, but firm, controlling. She gasps, eyes wide.
The instant his skin touches hers, something snaps inside the air, an invisible jolt like lightning running through both of them.
Valeria’s breath catches. His fingers loosen involuntarily. Their eyes lock, his dark with shock, hers wide with disbelief and confusion.
For a moment, no one moves.
Then Darius tears his hand away, as if burned. Both of them stand panting, staring.
“What...what was that?” she whispers.
He doesn’t answer. His jaw clenches; the muscle there ticks.
“Take her back,” he growls to the guards. “Now.”
They hesitate. “Commander...”
“Now!”
The bark of his voice makes everyone flinch.
He turns, pushing past them, the tent flap whipping open as he strides into the daylight.
Valeria collapses onto her knees, ropes biting into her wrists. Her throat throbs where his hand had been, but the feeling beneath it, the spark still humming under her skin won’t fade.
The guards exchange wary looks. One mutters, “What did she do to him?”
No one answers.
Valeria lowers her head, tears blurring her vision as exhaustion drags at her. The last thing she sees before darkness edges in is the place where Darius stood, the air still alive with the echo of that strange connection.
- Writer
