The Slave Who Could Tame The Alpha

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 12

Alpha Ryker

The girl shrank back against the cold stone wall, her small frame trembling like a leaf in a storm. The moment her wide, terrified eyes locked onto mine, she dropped her gaze to the floor, her chin practically resting against her chest.

She was trembling and terrified, a mere servant in a flimsy nightdress and a faded shawl.

I didn't even know her name.

Yet, as I stood towering over her in the dim, moonlit corridor, my chest burned with an infuriating, overwhelming heat. My wolf was usually a cold, dormant beast that only demanded blood and order. But now he was thrashing violently against my ribs.

He wanted to reach out, to wrap a hand around her delicate throat, to pull her against my chest and breathe in every inch of her scent.

What is wrong with me?

It made no sense. She was a nobody, a wolfless slave. Yet ever since she set foot in my palace, she had caused an utterly pathetic amount of chaos inside my head.

I had seen the way she looked at Vance just seconds ago, the quiet admiration, the blush creeping up her pale cheeks as my soft-spoken brother smiled down at her.

A sudden, dangerous spike of jealousy flared through my blood, so sharp it made my jaw clench until my teeth ached.

Why her? What was so special about this pathetic, fragile creature? Women lined up to warm my bed, noble ladies threw themselves at my feet for a single glance, yet my wolf paid no mind to any of them.

But she, this helpless little maid, had my blood boiling with a reckless, primal pull I couldn't fathom.

"Bring wine to my chamber," I growled.

My voice was heavy, laced with absolute authority. I didn't wait for her response. I turned on my heel and walked away, my long strides carrying me up the grand staircase toward the royal wing.

Once inside my private quarters, I paced the vast room like a caged predator. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my trousers, my jaw set tight as I stared at the closed wooden door.

I was waiting patiently.

A quiet, tentative knock echoed against the heavy oak.

"Enter," I commanded, stepping back toward the edge of my grand mahogany desk.

The door creaked open, and she slipped inside, keeping her head bowed low as protocol dictated.

She held a silver tray with a crystal decanter and a single goblet, her hands shaking so visibly that the glass clinked softly against the metal tray.

She stepped closer, the soft rustle of her dress filling the quiet room. As she set the tray down on the small table near my armchair, I couldn't tear my eyes away from her.

Now, under the warm, amber glow of the firelight, I truly looked at her.

She poured the dark red wine, her breath coming in soft, uneven hitches. My gaze tracked the curve of her slender neck, the delicate slope of her shoulders beneath the thin shawl, and the pale, smooth skin of her face.

Up close, her beauty was striking, unpolished, raw, and completely breathtaking. Her straight, delicate nose, the long dark lashes casting shadows over her cheeks, and her lips... soft, plump, and parted just slightly as she focused on pouring without spilling a drop. Her face looked like it was kissed by the sun. She had freckles that resembled stars.

Everything about her was intoxicating. My wolf leaned forward inside my mind, practically purring with a dark, possessive need.

Yet, as she finished pouring, she took a step back, keeping her distance, her eyes glued firmly to the rug beneath my boots.

It infuriated me.

Every other woman who entered this room used every trick in the book to draw my attention.

They wore revealing silks, bathed in sweet perfumes, and cast lingering, suggestive glances my way, desperate for a taste of my power.

But this girl stayed hunched, desperate to shrink into the shadows, desperate to be anywhere else but near me.

"What is your name?" I asked, my tone low and cutting through the heavy silence.

She flinched slightly at the sound of my voice. She fumbled over her words, her breath hitching before she managed to squeeze out a response.

"L…Liana, my Lord," she whispered, her voice soft and sweet, like a gentle breeze over dry grass.

Liana.

The name rolled over my mind, setting off a quiet spark beneath my skin. I took a slow step toward her, the heavy thud of my boots closing the distance between us.

The air grew thick, suffocating with a rising heat as I stopped just an arm's length away.

I could feel the intense heat radiating off her body, I could hear the rapid, frantic beat of her heart fluttering in her chest like a trapped bird.

She wanted to run. I could smell the faint scent of her fear, but mixed beneath it was something else, something warm, sweet, and entirely hypnotic that made my head swim.

"My masseuse won't be coming tomorrow," I said, my gaze dropping to her trembling lips before rising back to her hidden eyes. "You'll fill in."

I knew exactly what I was doing. It was reckless, abusing my power over a servant just to satisfy a sudden, inexplicable itch. But I didn't care.

I wanted her near me. I wanted to feel those small, delicate hands on my skin. I wanted to break down whatever wall she was hiding behind until she finally looked up at me the way she had looked at my brother.

Liana froze completely.

She stood there, paralysed in sheer, unadulterated shock, her lips parting wider as the weight of my command sank in. She didn't dare raise her head, but the tension in her small frame was palpable, radiating disbelief into the quiet space between us.

"You are dismissed," I growled softly, taking a step back to give her room to breathe before my wolf did something entirely unpardonable.

She bowed frantically, nearly tripping over her own skirt as she scrambled toward the heavy oak door, slipping out of the chamber like a ghost escaping a nightmare.

I reached out, grabbing the glass of wine she had poured, and downed it in a single, burning gulp, my eyes fixed on the empty doorway she had just vacated.

I rang the bell that sat just a few meters from my bed, and Garruk was in my room in a few seconds.

“Alpha, you called.”

“Cancel my meeting with the masseuse, I have other important things to tend to.”

Garruk didn't ask questions. He just obeyed the order.

“Yes, Alpha.” He said as he walked out.

Tomorrow should come fast.