The Biker Alpha's Cinderella

Chapter 5

Nova’s POV

I have never seen anyone confidently call themselves a monster, and something about the slight smile on this man’s face told me he wasn’t lying. I stared up at him, searching for any clue that he might be joking, but he wasn’t. Without the mask, he was even more terrifying. He looked dangerously handsome with the light on his face, and the scar above his eyebrow told me this man has seen his own fair share of darkness.

My mother's locket dangled from his thick fingers, swinging around, and he seemed to be enjoying this a little too much.

"Please, give it back," I whispered, my voice trembling. I hated how weak I sounded. I hated that my body was betraying me, leaning toward him, and wanting to merge myself with him. I thought I lost it forever, but here it was. He leaned in, and his scent enveloped me.

"You don't need this locket anymore," he said lowly, and I could feel his words vibrating through my body. "It's broken. And now that I've tasted your scent, a piece of silver isn't going to hide you from me."

My hand tightened around the canister of pepper spray in my pocket. "Who are you?" I asked again, and this man had a lot of confidence.

"Jax," he said simply. As if that name should mean something to me. "President of the Iron Claws."

My stomach dropped. The Iron Claws. They weren't just a pack; they were a gang. Rogues, exiles, criminals who rejected the Council's laws. They were known for illegal trading, violence, and turf wars.

I had jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

"I don't care who you are," I lied, my heart hammering loudly against my ribs. "Let me pass. My bus is coming, I have somewhere to be."

He chuckled darkly. "The bus?" He gestured to the street behind him, stepping back a bit. "Look around, little mouse." I looked. I hadn't noticed them because of the blinding snow, but now, shapes were emerging from the dark. Motorcycles. Dozens of them and their riders were silently watching us. They had surrounded the block.

"There is no bus," Jax said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "There is no escape. The men in those suits? The ones who broke your door down at the party? They are five minutes behind me. If you get on a public bus, they will stop it, burn it, and drag you out of the ashes. Those bastards don’t give up easily." I swallowed hard. He knew they were hunting me, but I wondered if he knew why.

"And what do you want?" I asked, gripping the pepper spray tighter. "A reward? My father will pay you millions for me. Is that it?" Jax's expression darkened. The gold in his eyes flared brighter.

"I don't want his money, and I never will." He leaned down, his face inches from mine. "I want you."

Panic spiked. I ripped the pepper spray from my pocket and aimed for his eyes. He moved faster than I could blink. His hand reached out, wrapping around my wrist before my thumb could press the trigger. He didn't squeeze hard enough to break a bone, but he squeezed hard enough to paralyze the joint. The canister dropped to the floor.

"Don't," he growled. "I don't want to hurt you, Nova. But I will not let you leave."

"Please," I whispered, the fight draining out of me as the cold seeped into my bones. "Just let me go."

"No." He didn't wait for an argument. He bent down and scooped me up. I shrieked as he threw me over his shoulder like a bag of flour. His shoulder dug into my stomach. I pounded on his broad back with my fists, kicking my legs.

"Put me down! You're kidnapping me!"

"I'm saving you," he corrected, striding toward the massive black motorcycle parked at the curb. "Stop wiggling, or you'll fall. I don’t want to hurt you."

He dumped me onto the leather seat of the bike. Before I could jump off, he swung his leg over, trapping me between his body and the handlebars. He reached forward and turned the key. The engine roared to life beneath me. The vibration traveled through the seat, making my teeth chatter.

"Hold on," he commanded, grabbing my hands and forcing them towards his body.

"I won't," I snapped, pulling them back. He turned to look at him sharply, and he wasn’t smiling anymore or looking at me in amusement. "Fine. Fall off. But if you break your neck, I'm just going to carry you the rest of the way."

He revved out of the parking lot, and I clung to him without thinking twice. The bike's speed and the increasingly cold weather made me seek any warmth I could get. I tried to keep my teeth from chattering, and I couldn’t stop the thoughts bubbling in my head. I couldn’t help this feeling of dread settling in the pit of my stomach.

The ride went on for a while, with my mind everywhere, trying to ignore the strong pull I was feeling towards this dangerous man. The bike halted suddenly, jolting me against Jax, who suddenly tensed up against me. He looked back, and I noticed the other bikes slowly halting too. He looked around like he was mind-linking them, and he turned around, driving back while the rest continued the journey.

“Where are we going?” I asked in a shaky voice, and he didn’t respond; he just revved, making the bike go even faster. He turned into a dark street alone, and the worst thoughts started pooling in my head. Why was he suddenly changing routes, and why wasn’t he speaking to me again?

He slowed down as we got closer to something that looked like an abandoned warehouse. The whole place was quiet, save for the sound of the bike, and my heart pounding loudly against my ribcage. He drove straight in with two other bikes still following us.

He parked in what looked like an empty hall, and I got off. He got off the bike after me, and his hand grabbed mine a little too tightly. I tried to wiggle my hand free, but his grip only got tighter. He pulled out a phone from his pocket with his free hand and started frantically typing.

I stood there desperately hoping I wasn’t even in deeper trouble than what I was running from. I heard a muffled sound from his phone before he put it against his ear, and he started whispering in an extremely low tone.

I looked around, trying to make sense of what this place was and why he and the two bikers broke away from the rest of the club, but it was too dark to make anything out. I tried to remove my hand from his again, but this time he shot me a cold look before he continued with his call.

“You’re hurting me.” I choked out as I felt the panic rising in my throat again, and all the feeling of being trapped came rushing back in full force. The suppressant was probably wearing off, and I could feel my hands start to go numb. He eased the grip, but not enough for me to break my hand free. I was trying to regulate my emotions now, and trying not to descend into a full-blown panic attack.

Suddenly, light flickered on from the middle of the space, and Jax instantly pulled me towards him, stepping in front of me. A man stood in the dark, sharp, pristine suit with that cursed lapel, and a face I’ve spent two years running from.

“Thessalyra Nova, you’ve grown so much. You look just like your mother,” My father called out softly, and my blood ran cold. All the feelings I’ve spent years trying to suppress came clawing back at once, and I almost forgot how to breathe.

“Good to see that you’re still a man of your world, Jax. I almost thought that years of ruling those rogue wolves would have robbed you of your loyalty, but here you are, honoring your promise.” He continued, looking at me with that smug smile. I felt the world stop, and I turned to look at Jax, who looked like he just seen a ghost.