Hunted By My Cruel Alpha

CHAPTER 2

SOFIA BELLINI

When I open my eyes, I groan as I feel the pain in my head.

I blink, not recognizing where I am now. This is not my bedroom.

And then I start to remember everything that happened in the forest.

I sit up on the bed quickly and touch my forehead, feeling a bandage.

Where am I?

“Let’s start with your name.”

I freeze when I lift my head and see someone sitting in an armchair in the dark, watching me.

The room is dark, but I can recognize his face.

He’s the same man in the suit.

“What… where am I? What did you do to me?”

He doesn’t move.

“I said, let’s start with your name.”

I feel anger growing inside me, even knowing I must be facing some kind of insane maniac.

“You kidnapped me… you killed a man. You’re not normal. You were a creature… you—”

He stands up, and my eyes widen as I back away until my back hits the wall behind me.

Now I can see him better.

He’s very tall, his hair is black, and his face is cold.

“The longer you avoid my questions, the longer you’ll stay locked in this room.”

My head hurts too much when I try to speak.

“Sofia… my name is Sofia…”

He tilts his head slightly, as if registering the information.

“What were you doing in the forest at that time?”

I stay silent.

“Why are you asking me these questions?” I ask, and he scoffs, irritated.

“Answer the question.”

“I… I was going home. It was a shortcut.”

He stares at me as if trying to figure out whether I’m telling the truth or not.

“You saw something you shouldn’t have.”

Tears return to my eyes.

“Are you going to kill me?” I whisper.

He takes a step toward me, and I move farther back.

“I can’t kill you.”

I lift my face, confused.

“Why?”

He steps closer to the bed, getting too close.

“Because you have something that belongs to me.”

“I don’t have anything of yours,” I answer quickly. “You’re crazy.”

His gaze slowly drops to my belly.

“The baby you’re carrying is my son. You were inseminated by mistake.”

“What?”

“You’re lying,” I say, desperate.

He doesn’t react.

I stand up quickly and run toward the door.

I don’t even get close.

He moves too fast.

He slams his hand against the door, stopping me from leaving, and when I try to push him, he shoves me against the wall.

“Let me go!” I scream.

“Be quiet,” he orders.

I scream anyway.

“Help! Someone help me!”

“I told you to be quiet…” he whispers, and my eyes widen.

“Who… who are you?”

He doesn’t answer my question.

“You hit your head hard. Maybe something happened to the baby.”

“He’s not your son!” I scream, tears finally falling. “You can’t do this!”

I turn my head, and without thinking, I grab the first thing I see.

I grab the lamp and try to hit him, but he’s faster.

He grows angrier, and then his eyes turn darker.

The lamp shatters on the floor when he rips it from my hands.

“What the hell are you?”

He steps closer. So close that I can feel his breath against my face.

“Well, let’s just say I can be your worst nightmare…”

“You should never have gone into that forest,” he says quietly.

The door suddenly opens, and another man walks in.

They look alike, but this one is younger. He looks at us, confused.

“There’s something you need to see, Anthony,” he says.

Anthony. That’s my kidnapper’s name.

“I’ll be right there,” he answers, not taking his eyes off me.

The other man looks at me with concern.

“Please. Help me,” I whisper.

Anthony laughs.

“Keep an eye on her. It seems she likes to run. And make sure the baby is fine.”

He lets go of me and leaves, leaving me alone with the other man.

“If you want to survive in this place, you need to learn to never irritate Anthony,” he says, leaving me confused.

“I need to get out of here, please…”

He takes a step toward me and points at my belly.

“You’re carrying the child of an alpha. He would never let you go. Even if you ran, he would always find you…”

I’m left alone in the room again for hours. I cry until I have no tears left.

I try to find a way out of this room, but the windows and the door are locked all the time.

No one comes in. No one talks to me.

When I hear the door opening, I go on alert and see two people enter wearing white clothes, and then Anthony comes in as well.

“They’re here to check on the baby,” he says.

They speak a language I can’t understand.

They examine me without asking permission.

One of them places something on my belly, and the other takes a sample of my blood.

“What’s happening?”

No one answers.

Anthony just watches, arms crossed, his gaze far too attentive.

When they leave, I look at Anthony, who is watching me far too seriously.

“Are you going to explain now?” I demand angrily.

“The baby is fine,” he says simply, coldly. “But you’re not.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your vitamins are low. Iron. Other things. Humans are… far too fragile. You need to be strong to carry my child.”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m an object!”

He arches an eyebrow, amused.

“You still don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?” I ask, my voice shaking.

“You’re not going anywhere until this baby is born.”

“And after that? Are you… are you going to kill me after he’s born?”

Anthony stares at me for long seconds but doesn’t answer.

He leaves and locks the bedroom door.

“No!” I run to the door, pounding on it hard. “Come back here! Open this door! Anthony!”

“I hate you!” I scream, tears streaming uncontrollably. “I hate you more than anything!”

Minutes later, someone leaves a tray of food inside and leaves.

I push the tray away.

I won’t eat or obey.

I end up sliding down next to the door and falling asleep on the floor.

ANTHONY DE ANGELIS

The room is too quiet now. She’s not screaming anymore.

That should be good, but it isn’t.

I open the door slowly.

Sofia is on the floor, sleeping on her side. The food tray is still there. She didn’t eat anything.

D*mn it.

I go in and close the door behind me.

I step closer and watch her for a few seconds.

Her red hair is spread across the floor, and her face is far too pale.

She needs to eat.

I grow irritated quickly.

I crouch down and pick her up carefully, despite my anger.

She’s lighter than she should be.

I carry her to the bed and lay her down with excessive care, almost against my will.

My eyes drop to her belly.

Without thinking, I place my hand there and close my eyes.

When I open them, she’s waking up.

I step back quickly and leave the room.

On the stairs, I run into Alaric.

“She’s not eating. If this continues, she’ll get sick. She could die,” I say angrily.

“Part of that is your fault. You treat her very badly.”

“I don’t need to treat well a woman who’s only carrying my child.”

Alaric looks at me seriously.

“She’s the mother of your child, Anthony. A little kindness won’t kill you.”

I roll my eyes and head to my office.

I open the file I requested about her.

Sofia has no family.

She grew up in an orphanage. Moved around many times.

No one is looking for her now.

I hold a photo of her smiling, feeling something strange inside me.

The next day, I get the news that she still hasn’t eaten.

I lose my patience and go to the room, determined to yell at her.

But when I enter, I stop when I hear her in the bathroom.

I rush in and see her on her knees, groaning and vomiting into the toilet.

I hold her hair when another spasm shakes her.

“Get away from me!” she snarls, pushing me with what little strength she has.

“You need to eat,” I say, irritated. “It’ll get worse if you don’t.”

She turns to me, her eyes full of tears and anger.

“I’m not yours. I don’t follow your orders. Leave me alone.”

I want to scream. But she’s far too weak.

I leave the room, slamming the door.

I go down to the kitchen and open the fridge. I see a container of ice cream.

I grab a few more things and take the tray to her room.

I place it in front of her.

“Eat.”

She looks at it suspiciously.

“Did you poison it?”

“Don’t be stupid,” I growl.

She doesn’t move.

“If you don’t eat, I’ll have you force-fed.”

That works.

She starts eating slowly. Very little. But she eats.

When I turn to leave, her voice stops me.

“What are you?”

Without looking back, I answer:

“Better you don’t know.”

I enter the office and slam the door, seeing my brother waiting for me.

“Will the Council accept this? Accept that your heir will be born from a human?”

“They don’t have a choice.”

“The annual full moon meeting is coming. You know that. Everyone will be here. What do you plan to do with Sofia?” he asks.

I take a deep breath.

“Hide her.”

He frowns.

“Hide her?” he repeats. “For how long?”

“For as long as necessary.”

Alaric looks at me for a few seconds before speaking again.

“Maybe that’s not the best option. They need to know you’ll have an heir soon.”

“Why do you care so much about her?” I ask, irritated. “Since when did this become your problem?”

He doesn’t look away.

“Maybe because you don’t have a heart. But I do. And I know how to recognize when someone isn’t a bad person.”

I laugh.

“What are you suggesting I do with her? Give her flowers and say romantic things? Don’t be stupid, Alaric.”

“I’m not asking you to fall in love with her. Just to treat her better. To make her trust you. For the sake of your child.”

“Why would I do that?” I ask.

“Because none of this is her fault. She didn’t ask for any of this. She’s a victim too, Anthony. She’s the girl who woke up and found out she’s pregnant with a child she never asked for.”

I look at my desk and see that her photo is still there.

“Let her out of that room. Let her feel the air, the sun. It’ll be good for her. For the baby.”

I take a step toward him until we’re face to face.

“Fine,” I say quietly. “But if she runs away, the problem will be yours.”

He nods.

I spend the entire morning out, dealing with pack matters.

When I finally return to the mansion and step out of the car, something makes me stop.

Sofia is in the garden, wearing one of the dresses I had bought for her.

She’s picking a rose, and I watch as she closes her eyes and smells the flower.

That bothers me more than it should.

I tense when I see Alaric beside her, saying something that makes her smile.

I walk toward them angrily.

“Sofia. Go back to your room.”

Her smile disappears immediately. She looks at me with anger now.

“I need to talk to you,” I add.

In the room, she crosses her arms.

“What do you want now?”

“The mansion’s annual party will be in a few days,” I explain. “Everyone needs to meet you.”

“I’m not going to any party.”

“That wasn’t a request.”

She tries to walk past me.

I grab her arm before she can. I stand too close.

“Can’t you obey me at least once?” I whisper, studying every detail of her face.

She doesn’t answer.

“My brother likes you. Be grateful for that. Or you’d never have left that room.”

She pulls her arm back.

“He’s different from you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

I take a step back. I need distance.

I turn and leave the room before I say something I can’t control.

At night, I’m heading to my room when I hear her vomiting again.

I ignore it. Or I try to.

I open the bedroom door and freeze when I see her.

Sofia comes out of the bathroom wearing only a white lace nightgown.

She lifts her head and fixes her green eyes on me.

For a second, neither of us moves.

My gaze drops to her breasts and to her belly, which is already starting to grow.

She notices my look and quickly covers herself.

“Get out of here,” she growls.

“I just came to see if you were still alive,” I reply coldly.

“Unfortunately for you, I am.”

I try to control my anger, but it’s too late.

I take a step, and she backs up until her back hits the wall.

Her eyes widen as I approach.

“Don’t test my limits. I’m not good. I’m not gentle.”

She lifts her chin, even afraid.

“Then end this. Kill me…” she whispers bravely.

That’s the end for me.

Something about her triggers something inside me.

I grab her face with both hands and kiss her.

It’s not soft. It’s not gentle.

It’s a kiss full of anger.

For a second, she stays still, but then I feel her lips move against mine.

My hands grip her waist tightly, pulling her closer to me.

She gasps against my mouth, holding onto my shoulders so she doesn’t fall.

Her taste is unlike anything I’ve ever known. I’ve never kissed a human before, and I’m enjoying it.

With one single movement, I lift her body, making her wrap her legs around me.

Our kiss grows faster, and before I tear her nightgown, I realize what I’m doing.

I open my eyes and set her down on the floor quickly.

She’s flushed, then looks at me angrily.

“Never do that again…” she whispers.

“Your body was asking for more…” I murmur, and her eyes widen.

“I hate you,” she says, pushing me.

I snort and leave the room quickly, still tasting her.

I just crossed a line I never should have.