An Alpha's Payment

FIVE

LIRA

“I... I don’t really know what Blood of Wolfsbane is,” I whispered.

He frowned sharply. “Your brother said you knew the difference between plants.”

“I…” I hesitated, unable to fully recall.

“Blood of Wolfsbane is Wolfsbane fed with our blood. The leaves take on a reddish tint. It’s not something a child would know—it’s rare, not freely grown. Your brother’s story doesn’t add up.”

“Oh.”

His crimson eyes burned into me. “I won’t stop until I find out who did this to you, Lira. I swear, they will pay for every second of the pain you’ve suffered.” He settled on the edge of his desk, eyes never leaving mine. “But right now, you need to see someone about that infection.”

I stayed silent, my mind spinning with the revelation that I’d been set up. Why hadn’t my brother ever thought of this?

“Come,” he said, standing. “I’ll show you our bedroom. You can shower before we visit the pack doctor.”

Frozen in place, I didn’t move. Did he just say our bedroom? As in, we share a bedroom? So that’s how it was—because I was his contract bride, he assumed he could have me whenever he wanted. A shiver ran down my spine at the thought.

I glanced up and caught him watching me. He stood by the open door, waiting. I adjusted my dress, making sure it still covered me, and stepped quietly into the empty hallway. The silence was almost peaceful.

As we walked, Alpha Kael named the rooms, but he seemed more focused on getting me to the bedroom than the tour.

His room was massive, with floor-to-ceiling windows like the rest of the house. The bed was pushed against one wall, draped with thin curtains tied neatly to each bedpost.

What surprised me most was the bathroom—there was a bath and shower in the same open space, with only the toilet tucked away in a small side room. No privacy at all. But he didn’t seem to mind.

His warm breath suddenly brushed my skin, making me jump. “You don’t need to be afraid.”

I couldn’t smell him, but he would have sensed the tremor in my emotions.

He crossed the room, pulling open the glass shower door and turning on the water. Steam quickly fogged the glass. Despite that, I still felt fear creeping in. He hadn’t given any hint of what he expected from me.

“Hey.” His rough fingers gently tipped my chin upward. “It’s just you and me. For now, I’ll let you shower in peace.”

He turned away, pulling his phone from his pocket and fiddling with it before setting it on the bedside table. “The alarm’s set for ten minutes. I’ll come back then with something for you to wear. Just stay in the towel, okay?”

He held my gaze, waiting for a response. I nodded. Ten minutes—luxury compared to the cold, rushed showers I was used to back home.

Moving to the door, hand on the knob, he glanced back. “I wish you’d talk more, Lira.”

Then Alpha Kael left me alone. I dashed to the shower like I’d stumbled into a fantasy—maybe this was all a dream, and I’d wake up in my basement again.

The scents of soaps and shampoos filled the air, heavenly and unfamiliar. I lathered, feeling my hair grow lighter and cleaner than it ever had. The hot water stung my wound, but I didn’t care. It was worth it.

A throat cleared nearby, and I froze, grateful for the steam hiding me.

“Lira? Are you done? The alarm went off five minutes ago.” His voice sounded loud in the tiled room.

I hadn’t even heard the alarm or noticed him return.

“Coming,” I muttered, shutting off the water and wrapping the towel tight around me, hiding the mess beneath.

Stepping out, I saw my ripped dress, underwear, and worn sandals were gone. Alpha Kael sat on the bed’s edge, a pile of folded clothes on his lap, along with a pair of trainers.

He smiled, handing me the clothes. “It’s not much, since no one here has a waist as tiny as yours.” He handed me a matching navy sweatshirt and joggers. “You’ll have to go without underwear for now—should get some in by tomorrow.”

He watched me closely as I pulled on the joggers and tugged the sweatshirt over my head before slipping out of the towel. Maybe he was used to women flaunting themselves or throwing themselves at him just because of his power—but I wasn’t like that.

“Let’s go.” He stood up, and this time I followed without hesitation. Something told me that if I didn’t get this wound checked, it would put him in a bad mood.

The pack doctor was young—nothing like the old, stubborn one back home who refused to let anyone else take charge.

She smiled warmly as we stepped into the pack hospital, gathering her dark hair into a neat bun. “Sage, this is Lira,” Alpha Kael said with a grin.

I kept my eyes low while Sage studied me. “Alpha Kael, what seems to be the problem—aside from the strange smell she’s brought with her?”

It wasn’t a mean comment like I was used to, more a curious observation.

“She’ll tell you when she finds her tongue,” Kael said.

“I have a wound,” I whispered.

“And it’s not healing?” Sage asked, puzzled.

“I don’t have my Wolf.” Saying it hurt—it was a constant reminder that I didn’t belong.

“Her Wolf was bound when she was a kid,” Kael explained. “That’s why her scent is off. Her Wolf’s still there—locked away, waiting to be freed.”

My eyes flicked up and caught his steady gaze. I’d always thought my Wolf was gone. Not trapped.

Sage’s dark eyes lingered on me. “Wow. Okay.” She took my hand gently. “Come on, let’s take a look at that wound.”

She led me to an empty room and asked me to lie down and show her the injury.

I lifted my sweatshirt just enough for her to see. Her eyes widened, and a flash of anger crossed her face as she took in the infected wound and the bruises around it.

Her fingers pressed carefully around it. “How long ago?”

“A few days,” I muttered, unsure. The beatings blurred into one another—any day without bruises was a good day.

Sage shook her head. “Longer than a few days. This infection’s been brewing at least a week.”

“Lira, you need to tell us the truth,” Kael ordered.

“I don’t know.”

“Lira!” His deep voice rumbled through me and I shut my eyes, afraid of his anger. Anger meant punishment, and punishment meant pain.

“I swear, I don’t know. The beatings happen so often… it just kind of… I’m always bruised.”

Silence followed. I didn’t dare open my eyes. Alpha Corin had warned me again and again—if anyone found out, he’d make my life worse.

I’d wondered if anyone didn’t already know the truth. Yet here I was, in another pack’s hospital, spilling my darkest secret.

“Heal her!” Kael shouted after what felt like forever before storming out, pulling a phone from his pocket.

“Forgive my brother. His temper’s quick, especially about things like this,” Sage murmured, gently examining my wound.

“Your brother?” I whispered, eyes now open.

“Ah, he told you, then. And I’m guessing he didn’t mention that Lucan is our brother too?”

I shook my head, guessing Lucan was one of the men who’d come to my brother’s house.

Sage chuckled. “Lucan’s considered our brother’s Gamma.”

“Gamma?” The term was new to me.

“Yep. Alpha Kael has a love-hate thing about me working here. He wants me to represent our family but knows this is where I shine.” She pulled a pot of cream from the cupboard.

“This needs applying three times a day. It should clear the infection. If it hasn’t improved in a few days, I’ll check it again. My brother’s waiting for you out front.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, taking the cream. I looked at the label but couldn’t read it—I never learned.

She nodded as I hurried out to find Alpha Kael pacing, snapping at someone on his phone. He hung up the moment he saw me and asked what Sage said.

“Cream. Three times a day.” I showed him the pot, and he took it.

“Good. Come.” He strode off, and I had to rush to keep up. I followed him through the house and into the office.

“Show me,” he commanded, unscrewing the lid of the pot.

There was no room for argument—not after the same sharp tone he’d used just moments ago when he tore open my dress.

I slowly lifted my sweatshirt. He crouched in front of me, carefully spreading the cold cream over the wound.

“I don’t want you to lie to me, Lira. Not ever. If you can’t remember, then that’s what you need to tell me. Understand? I don’t want to have to guess what you mean.”

“Okay.”

I couldn’t find any other words. My attention was caught by the warmth of his hands—one pressing firmly against my lower back to steady me, while the other gently rubbed the cream into the injury.

Until now, the only touch I’d felt from another man was the sting of a beating.

“Stop holding your breath,” he said, rising to his feet. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

It felt impossible to believe—his words and the way he acted didn’t seem real, given everything I’d been through.