Chapter4
1219 Words
Serena POV
The moment I stepped inside the house, I knew something was wrong.
The air itself felt thick, almost hard to breathe. My steps slowed without me realizing. I could feel my pulse in my throat, each beating faster than the last. I tried to tell myself I was imagining it.
I had barely made it three steps toward the staircase when a shadow towered me from behind.
One of my father’s guards stepped forward.
He was tall and broad, wearing the black uniform that always made my stomach knot. His face gave nothing away, his jaw tight, his eyes locked somewhere over my shoulder instead of at me.
“Alpha wants to see you,” he said. His tone gave no room for questions.
My stomach sank like a stone. My father didn’t summon me unless there was trouble.
The closer we got to the throne room, the colder I felt. It wasn’t just the temperature, it was the weight in the air. My palms were damp, and my heartbeat was so loud.
We reached the massive double doors. They were carved with the emblem of our pack, a wolf's head with bared teeth. The sight made my chest tighten.
The guards on either side of the door pushed it open.
I stepped inside.
My father was there, sitting tall on his throne, the carved wood rising high behind him. His shoulders were straight, his hands resting on the arms of the chair. His eyes locked onto me the moment I entered, sharp and unreadable.
But my attention shifted when I saw her.
Alina. My twin sister.
She was seated to the side, one leg crossed over the other, her back straight, her chin tilted up just enough to look smug. Her eyes were fixed on me, and a small smirk played on her lips.
Something cold curled in my stomach. I didn’t know why she was here, but I didn’t like it. I didn’t like her smile. I didn’t like the way she looked at me like she was already ahead in a game I didn’t even know I was playing.
“Where the hell have you been?” My father’s voice cracked like a whip
I opened my mouth to answer, but Alina’s voice cut in before I could speak.
“She was with some man,” she said smoothly. Her tone was almost innocent, but her eyes glimmered with malice.
My head snapped toward her. “That’s not,”
“Be quiet.”
It wasn’t me he was speaking to,it was her.
My father’s gaze had moved sharply to Alina, and his tone was cold enough to slice through the air. She obeyed, but I caught the faint twitch of her lips before she schooled her expression again.
Then his dark eyes came back to me.
“You brought shame to this pack all because you lost the contract. We had put in a lot of hopes and money into that contract,” he said, each word slow and deliberate. “We have reached a conclusion that will save this pack from further shame.”
To show how sorry I was I promised him “ Father I take the blame. I'm ready to do anything for my pack “
Father stroked his beards. I know that look in his eyes. Whether or not I accepted he was going to accomplish what he wanted.
“Good. It seems we are on the same page, for that reason you Serena shall be married out. The wedding plans have already begun.”
“What?”
I felt the ground tilt beneath me.
“His name is Alpha Julian,he is very wealthy, that's all you need to know,” he said.
The words felt like they’d been dropped into my chest, crushing the air out of me.
“No,” I said, my voice shaking but firm. “I won’t marry him.”
His eyes narrowed, the faintest crease forming between his brows. “This is not a request, Serena.”
“It’s my life,” I shot back, my hands curling into a fist.
For a moment, silence filled the throne room.
“Why can't Alina be the one? What has she ever done for the pack?”
I saw the corner of her lips curve.
“The pack will need an Alpha when your gone, I'm taking your place as the awaiting- Alpha”
Why I'm I surprised? She finally got what she wanted.
Then father spoke.
“Guards.”
“Sorry father, I can't marry another man.”
As I was speaking two large men entered from behind me, their boots heavy on the polished floor. I didn’t need to look to know who they were. My skin crawled.
“Take her,” my father ordered. “Torture her until she accepts.”
My breath caught. “What,?”
I didn’t get to finish. One guard grabbed my arm, the other my shoulder, and they yanked me backward. My heels scraped against the floor, the sharp sound bouncing off the walls.
“Father! Please!” My voice cracked.
He didn’t even look at me.
Alina’s eyes followed me as I was dragged away, and the tiny smirk that returned to her lips made my blood boil.
The doors closed behind us, cutting off the throne room’s light. The hallway beyond felt darker, colder. I dug my heels into the floor, trying to resist, but their grips were like iron.
We turned a corner, and my heart sank even further. The door ahead was one I knew all too well, the door to the punishment chambers.
The air here was different. It smelled of stone, dampness, and something metallic that clung to the back of my throat.
The guards opened the door and pulled me inside.
The room was dimly lit, the walls lined with rough stone. Shadows gathered in the corners, and the air was so cold it made my skin prickle.
They shoved me forward, and I stumbled, catching myself on the wall. My palms scraped against the rough surface.
I turned, my back against the stone, my breathing fast and uneven. “You don’t have to do this,” I said, my voice trembling.
Neither of them answered. One stepped closer.
Then the first bite came.
It was sharp, sudden, tearing into the flesh of my shoulder. Pain shot through me like fire, and my scream echoed off the walls.
The second bite came on my arm before I could catch my breath. My knees buckled, but one of them grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking me back up.
“Accept,” one of them growled.
I shook my head violently. “No!”
The next bite sank into the side of my neck. My scream broke into sobs. My body shook from the pain, my vision blurring at the edges. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
“You think you have a choice?” the other one hissed in my ear.
My body had gotten weak, my wolf Zara was doing her best to heal the deep bites on my body.
I knew my father so well. He doesn't care if I was his child or not. He gets whatever he wants.
“I’ll marry him! Just stop!”
- Writer
