CHAPTER 2 : POISON
1224 Words
ANNA'S POV: MY SUSPICIOUS
I ran down the stairs of the Alpha’s mansion, barely breathing as I saw Lydia, my stepmother, kneeling before Alpha Dominic. Her hands trembled as she pleaded for mercy, her voice cracking with every word.
“Please, Alpha,” she begged, lowering her head. “I didn’t come to cause trouble. I only came to see my stepdaughter. Please, let me go after that.”
Dominic’s silver eyes darkened with suspicion. His power filled the entire hall, pressing against my chest like a storm.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said coldly. “I don’t want anyone from your pack on my land. The only reason she’s here” his gaze flicked to me, “is because of a debt, and I didn’t ask for but was forced to accept.” He yelled, “All I need is my money. Your pack should give me my money and get Anna out of my pack. I don't need any of your packs here in my territory.”
My throat tightened. His words stung more than I wanted to admit.
“I don’t ever want to see your faces here again,” Dominic continued, his tone cutting through the air. “I’ll let you leave, for now. But if anyone from your pack steps into my territory again, I’ll make sure they regret it.”
Lydia pressed her forehead to the ground. “Thank you, Alpha,” she whispered shakily. “Thank you for your mercy.”
I stood frozen at the foot of the stairs, confused. Why would Lydia risk coming here at all? She was the one who gave me away to him. Why pretend to care now?
When Dominic waved her off, she stood and turned toward me, forcing a trembling smile onto her lips.
“My dear Anna,” she said sweetly, her voice dripping with fake warmth. She walked toward me and hugged me tightly before I could move away. “I just wanted to see you one last time, to make sure you were… fine.”
Her words didn’t match the sharpness in her eyes.
As she hugged me, something small slipped into my pocket. I didn’t notice until she pulled back, wiping her eyes like a grieving mother.
“I’ll pray for you, child,” she said dramatically before glancing at Dominic. “I’ll be on my way now, Alpha.”
Dominic didn’t answer. He just gave her a warning look, his jaw tightening.
Lydia turned and started to leave, but then stopped halfway. “Oh, Alpha,” she said softly, “may I use your restroom before I go?”
He didn’t even look at her. “Make it quick.”
Lydia disappeared down the hallway, her perfume lingering in the air.
I exhaled slowly, rubbing my palms against my dress. I wanted to hate her, to scream, but part of me still couldn’t understand why she’d come.
Then, everything happened fast.
Dominic’s head suddenly snapped up, his nostrils flaring slightly. His sharp eyes darted toward me.
“Don’t move,” he ordered.
His tone was so commanding that I froze instantly. He took a slow step toward me, his gaze fixed on my waist pocket.
“What… what’s wrong?” I asked nervously.
He didn’t reply. Instead, he reached out, sliding his hand into my pocket. My heart pounded violently in my chest as he pulled out a small glass vial, filled with a dark liquid.
My breath hitched. “That’s not mine!”
His eyes turned ice-cold. “Do you know what this is?”
I shook my head.
“Poison,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “And in this pack, possession of poison is forbidden. Anyone caught with it is either banished… or executed.”
The room tilted around me. “I swear, I don’t know how it got there!”
He didn’t believe me. I saw it in his eyes, the mixture of anger and disappointment.
Before I could say another word, he grabbed my wrist, his grip strong and unyielding, and dragged me up the stairs.
“Alpha, wait!” I struggled, but his pace didn’t slow. “Please! You have to believe me!”
He didn’t.
When we reached his bedroom, he slammed the door shut behind us and pushed me gently, but firmly, onto the bed. My heart raced wildly as he leaned down, his face inches from mine.
His scent surrounded me, and I hated the way it made me feel unsteady.
“What were you thinking, Anna?” he asked quietly, his voice rough and low. “Bringing poison into my territory? Were you planning to kill me and run away?”
I gasped, shaking my head. “No! I didn’t…”
“Don’t lie to me!” His voice thundered through the room. For a split second, his wolf flickered in his eyes, that silver glow sharp and terrifying.
Tears stung my eyes. “I don’t have any poison! You saw her, Lydia must have…”
He cut me off with a scoff, straightening to his full height. “Convenient. Blame the woman who just left.”
“Why do you even care if I’m being killed or not?” I snapped suddenly, my anger breaking through my fear. “You hate me anyway. You said it yourself, you didn’t ask for me, you don’t want me here! So what difference does it make?”
Dominic’s expression flickered. For a moment, something softer flashed across his face, but it vanished before I could name it.
“Because you’re under my protection,” he said finally, his tone lower now, controlled. “And in my pack, I decide who lives and who dies. You understand?”
I glared at him, breathing hard. “I would prefer to die than to be your wife.”
The air between us thickened. His eyes locked on mine, cold, unreadable, but under the frost, I saw something dark, something hurt.
He stepped closer again, his hand brushing my chin to force me to look at him. “Careful with your words, little mate,” he whispered. “Death isn’t always the worst thing that can happen.”
My stomach dropped. “You… you’re insane.”
He smirked faintly, though his eyes told another story. “Maybe I am.”
Then, just as quickly as he’d lost control, he stepped back. “Stay in this room. Don’t touch anything. If you try to run, I won’t stop the guards next time.”
He turned toward the door, his shoulders tense.
And before he left, he said one last thing without looking back..
“Next time you see your stepmother, tell her she’s playing a dangerous game.”
The door slammed shut.
I sat there, trembling, my heart hammering painfully in my chest. My fingers brushed the spot where the poison had been hidden.
Why would Lydia set me up like this?
And more importantly, how did Dominic sense it so fast, almost like he could smell the lie before it even happened?
Outside, a storm began to brew, thunder shaking the windows as lightning flashed through the glass. I hugged myself tightly, trying to calm the pounding of my heart after Dominic’s furious warning.
Immediately, the door to my room burst open.
A woman stormed in.
- Writer
