THE ALPHA'S PROTECTION

Chapter 2: The Alpha's Offer.

Chapter 2: The Alpha's Offer.

The air in his kingdom, a walled estate at the edge of town, was electric with raw power that I could feel on my skin. The sharp glint of honed lines and designer touches that dominated my apartment were not present. Instead, I was surrounded by an enormous, plain room that overran with black wood, glinting stone, and a feeling of deep history.

Axel. He stood over me, a giant of imposing stature. The estate's low lights highlighted the unforgiving lines of his face, the cold fire in his eyes burning brighter. His gold-liquid eyes pierced me with a hunter's ferocity that sent shivers down my spine. He was meat and hard muscle, a living, breathing embodiment of control.

"You called," he rasped, his voice raw and husky. "Talk."

I poured out my story, the truth spilling out in a heap of terror and despair. I was shattered, my carefully constructed facade of confidence broken.

He didn't respond, his expression unfathomable. When I finished, the silence hung between us, punctuated only by my rough breathing.

"So you've got yourself into trouble for something you didn't do?" His lips twisted into a sneering grin. "And you need *me* to bail you out?"

"I… I don't know where else to turn," I faltered.

His gaze grew more austere, his eyes piercing deep into me, shattering my defenses. "I can," he accepted, his deep voice vibrating under an undertone of menace. "But at a fair cost."

My hope, so thready and fragile, was about to drain away. I had the queasy sense I already knew what that cost would be.

"You will stay within my parameters. You will listen to my commandments. And you will be utterly faithful to me." He paused so that the full load of what he was saying hit me.

"The world that is beyond these walls is a dangerous world. You are prey, and I will protect you. But you belong to me."

The words were a declaration, a command, and an irrevocable threat. My stomach tied itself into a hard knot. I weighed decisions, liberty without with the restriction of his guarding. The threat loomed over me and I had no alternative.

"I accept," I could manage to say, my voice barely above a whisper.

Something I couldn't entirely interpret—maybe satisfaction—flickered across his face. "Good." He motioned towards the big doors. "Then you are under my protection."

I hadn't even had time to respond, to even start to get my head around the magnitude of what I'd just done, when a tall man, hovering over Axel's head, appeared in the room. His face was a tight mask of angry purpose. The tension between the two men was palpable.

"Kael," Axel addressed the man, never wavering from looking into my eyes. "Take care of Ms. Walker's comfort and security. She is not to leave this compound, do I make myself clear?"

Kael nodded his head up and down in a brief, crisp bow. "Clear, Alpha."

I was parched, in his power. His command was law, and my fate now rested with him.

"And, Kael," Axel continued, a change in tone entering his voice, "I will be providing her with protection. They will never let their eyes off of her." He gave me a look, his gaze clashing with mine in a silent challenge.

"Come on, Ms. Walker," Kael said abruptly, with a jerk of his head to keep up. I knew this was only the beginning of my captivity.