Her Subjugated Alpha

Chapter Two

Jax

"This isn't going to be easy," I muttered, raking a hand through my hair in frustration.

Jay, my wolf's voice sounded in my head, cool and pragmatic as always. "Ellie is stubborn, but she will come around eventually."

I shook my head, thinking of the rage and hurt in Ellie's eyes earlier tonight. "I've treated her terribly for years. She has no reason left to obey me."

"She is still your mate," Jay replied. "Her wolf will compel her to return to you."

I wasn't so sure. Ellie's inner wolf had always been on the timid side, allowing me to intimidate and control her these past years. But now something in her had changed. I sensed a new strength in her, a defiance I had never seen before.

Jay picked up on my uncertainty. "What are you proposing, then? The child must be born legitimate to lead the pack one day."

I nodded grimly. Emma was newly pregnant with my firstborn child. But if I did not make Emma my official second mate before the birth, my heir would be considered illegitimate. The pack elders were already reluctant to accept Emma, only agreeing provisionally due to my alpha decree.

"I need Ellie's consent to take Emma as second Luna," I said. "It's the only way the elders will approve."

"Then offer Ellie something she wants," Jay said. "Promise her freedom after the heir is born."

I considered this. It could work, but Ellie would likely see through such convenient timing. She knew I had no intention of ever letting her go.

Soft footsteps sounded on the stairs. I looked up to see Emma descending, her belly just barely starting to swell. She gave me a tentative smile.

"How did it go with Ellie?" she asked. "Is she very upset?"

I crossed my arms. "That's putting it mildly. She's furious and heartbroken."

Emma bit her lip, green eyes filling with crocodile tears. "I feel just awful about all this. Poor Ellie, having her mate stolen from her. And by her best friend, no less!"

I rolled my eyes at her dramatics. We both knew Emma felt no true guilt over seducing me. She had decided long ago that she deserved to be Luna, and didn't care who she hurt to get there.

"Enough fake crying," I said sternly. "We need a new approach with Ellie. Threats and commands won't work anymore."

Emma's shoulders slumped in resignation. "You're right, alphas orders just make her dig her heels in deeper. What should we do then?"

I pondered for a moment, then inspiration struck. "I need to make Ellie fall in love with me again. Remind her of the happy past we shared, before I became so cruel."

Emma nodded slowly. "So, romance her? Make her feel special and cherished?"

"Exactly. She'll lower her defenses and open her heart back up to me. Once she's emotionally invested again, she'll agree to accept you as second Luna."

My scheming mind was already whirring ahead. I knew Ellie's soft spots, the memories I could use to manipulate her emotions. She had loved me once, before years of neglect and unkindness hardened her heart. I could make her love me again - falsely, for my own agenda - if I tried.

Emma smirked. "I admit, it's quite cunning. The ultimate way to get her guard down. But can you stomach it?"

I pulled Emma close, brushing my lips over her claim mark. "Don't worry, she means nothing to me. You're the one I want."

Emma giggled, mollified by my kiss. As cunning as she was, her vanity was always her weakness. She needed to feel important.

"It will take time and effort," I said seriously. "I can't break down her walls overnight. But eventually, she will soften to me again."

"I trust you, Alpha," Emma purred, nuzzling my jawline. "Just don't let her get too attached. Remember, we're tossing her out the second I have your heir."

"Of course." I tilted Emma's chin up, meeting her gaze. "You will be my true Luna. Ellie is only a means to an end."

Satisfied, Emma kissed me boldly, her lips clinging to mine. I returned it with passion. Emma was so clever, the ruthless strategist behind this scheme. I deepened our kiss, murmuring words of devotion against her skin until she melted against me, trusting and pliant.

When she had drifted upstairs to bed, I considered going to confront Ellie right away. But no - better to let her anger burn out overnight. In the morning I could be waiting when she woke, fresh and optimistic, ready to appeal to her sentimental side.

I ascended the stairs with quiet footsteps, approaching the master bedroom that had been mine alone for years. Tonight I would share Ellie's bed again for the first time since our mating ceremony. The thought made me smirk with twisted amusement. If only she knew my true purpose in seducing her again after all this time.

Well, she would find out soon enough. When she was fully under my spell once more, helplessly in love and blinded by devotion. Then, after securing her compliance at last, I would break her heart more utterly than before. She would regret the nights she welcomed me back into her bed, falling for my false promises and tenderness.

I entered the bedroom, my eyes instantly finding Ellie's sleeping form amid the tangle of blankets. She had cried herself to exhaustion after our fight, still dressed in the same dinner clothes.

I stood over her, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest. She looked so delicate and vulnerable. It was almost too easy; like taking candy from a child.

Could she really still love me, after the way I'd treated her? Did some hidden part of her heart still cling to the hopeless wish that I might change, and become the mate she deserved?

Foolish Ellie. She had always been my weakest link, ruled by her soft heart. Once I had found that endearing. Now I saw it only as something to exploit.

I stripped down and slipped under the covers behind her. She stirred slightly but didn't wake, responding instinctively to my familiar warmth. I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," I whispered in her ear. "I'm here now. Everything will be better soon, you'll see."

Lies, of course, but they would seem like truth to her desperate ears. Ellie murmured something unintelligible, nestling into my embrace. Already she was slipping back under my spell, craving the affection I had so long denied.

I buried my nose in her hair, breathing in her rosemary scent, so different from Emma's perfumes. A surge of possessiveness went through me. Ellie was mine, for now. My mate, to use as I pleased.

Tomorrow the real manipulation would begin. But tonight I would enjoy the simple pleasures of her body, reigniting our neglected bond. She would wake tomorrow wrapped in my arms, feeling hope and love bloom anew.

Let her enjoy these tender moments while they lasted. My touch, my words, were all counterfeit. Soon I would have her exactly where I wanted. And then the real games would begin.

But all schemes could wait for now. Tonight Ellie slept peacefully, cradled against me as if the past years of cruelty had never happened. As if we were still the young mates newly bound by love.

What a pleasing fiction. One I intended to make very real for her, no matter the cost. Ellie would believe my lies, welcome me back with open arms. Until the final moment when I revealed the truth and broke her for good.

I smiled, relishing the anticipation, and buried my nose deeper into the warmth of her hair. She was already mine, she just didn't know it yet. This time I would ensure she had no escape, no way out from under my control. I would teach Ellie her proper place at my feet - where she belonged.

It was the only suitable end for the she-wolf who dared defy me. Her consent washed away all sin, they said. So I would obtain it, no matter what it took. I drifted off plotting each step of my intricate game. Let the real hunt begin.