Mated In The Shadows

Chapter Three

Ana

After spending months in the dungeon, my dad finally deemed it fit to see the good-for-nothing daughter he had. Bruises littered my skin, evidence of the beating I received when I found myself back at the very place I swore to leave.

The door swung open, and I found him seated at a mahogany desk in the spacious office. To his left stood my sister, and I knew this wasn't good. And the presence of Vincent pacing back and forth made the atmosphere tense. He seemed worried.

But why?

I couldn't say.

The guard turned and left. His mission was done since I was now in the Alpha's office.

"You asked to see me, father" I stuttered.

I couldn't call him dad because he was never one. Calling him father felt awful in my mouth.

His eyeballs continued to move around the paper he held. Some transparent glasses are hanging in the eye socket.

Like he never heard me.

Vincent paused, and I zoomed out to see some sweat sprinkled on his forehead.

I cleared my throat. "You asked to see—"

You don't need to remind me of that," he barked.

My feet trembled.

Now he deemed it fit to put down the paper. "There is some situation that requires your immediate attention," he lowered his glass on the table.

My feet quivered when he found his feet. He made a nod to my sister, after which she handed him a piece of white paper.

"It appears you aren't as worthless as I thought. Take, sign this, and be quick about it," he ordered, stretching forth the white paper.

"What!" I blurted after scanning the paper. Not willing to consider the thoughts of what I saw, I tossed it aside and turned towards the door. But I jerked backwards when a hand grabbed my hair.

That paper wasn't just any paper. It was my death warrant. And it needed my signature.

"You better sign it and save yourself trouble," a loud growl echoed. Vincent registered. He was way so angry that he pulled me by the hair and slammed me on the table. My father could not be bothered. He would have done worse had he had the chance.

"Signed it," barked a voice I struggled to recognize due to the pain that coursed through my body. I was determined not to sign my death warrant.

Yes. A death warrant.

The name and signature I saw next to the spot I was to append mine read: Alpha Seth. The thought of hearing the name Seth sent shivers down my spine; for I had heard nothing but how he enjoyed killing. He had murdered an entire park and had unleashed his wrath on some ladies who couldn't shift. He considered them cursed and not worth living with.

Were these some bedtime stories?

Hell no. I was a living witness to his wrath.

I was present when a decapitated head came into sight on opening a box that was supposedly a birthday present. In it, emerged a letter carrying some bold words that read: Another curse eliminated. And beneath the words was the bold signature I saw a while ago; and my father was ready to send me to hell even though I was only seventeen, and still had more years to live.

But I was not about to cut my years short because I continued to wriggle my body on the table.

"Signed the damn thing! Or die!" A loud growl escaped.

But I was undaunted.

I wriggled further but suddenly, I felt myself under a firm grip. And like a piece of paper, I hung it in the air before coming down on the desk, which split into two. And at that moment, I knew he was ready to kill his own daughter unless I signed the death warrant.

I grabbed the pen and my fingers trembled while the pen moved under my grip.

But that wasn't all. Fearing I might escape, I got locked up in a room where I waited for the man I had just got married to.

Yes. The signature meant I just married the man who would probably murder me once he finds out that he had married a wofless and worthless girl.

Only if he ever found out, for I was determined to live longer.

My heart pounded when the door swung open, but I regained myself knowing it was somebody other than the man I was expecting.

The piano blared when he ran his fingers on it, and I knew he was there to make more trouble. But I had already signed my death warrant, and I couldn't understand what the hell he wanted.

"I'm sorry things played out this way. And sorry that the men had to rough handle you to bring you back. They were just following your father's orders." He shrugged and took a seat beside me.

I pulled away from the seat. The mere thought of his presence stings.

He crossed his legs and said, "You know, once he finds out that you are wofless, he will murder you like the rest of the girls." He found his feet and whispered, "why not allow me to ride you before he kills you." A sinister grin hovered on his lips.

Vincent was a threat at that moment, but the real threat was yet to come.

Yeah, Vincent was right. I may be murdered in my sleep, but he seemed to have forgotten that I knew his misdeeds.

"Back off," I barked, pushing him backwards.

He staggered.

"You seem to forget that I know a lot about you. Don't forget that your park doesn't yet know what truly happened to their Alpha," I threatened.

His eyes flared wide open. He could not but come back to his senses.

I struck some nerves. Impressive. I never knew that my words would be that convincing.

"You can't prove anything!" he stuttered with both hands in his pocket.

"Yeah, maybe. Or maybe I can just tell whoever is coming to pick me up how you tried to murder his step-father. Who knows, I might as well get the chance to look down on your corpse. I threatened further.

Rage.

But that I couldn't describe when he lurched at my throat, and tossed me to the floor. And I screamed at each swing of his belt. But all hell broke loose when the door opened.

No.

Open would not describe a door that shattered into pieces.

And what did he use against the door? Only the man with the heavy footsteps could say.

Suddenly a voice threatened, "Touch her, and your hand will never touch anything for the rest of your life."