2
1091 Words
MAEVE
My hand flew to my cheek, and I stumbled back, my breath shaking. Shame and fear crashed over me at the same time, hot and cold in the same breath. I wanted to explain, to say I hadn’t meant to step forward, that desperation had simply pushed me here, but the words lodged in my throat.
My eyes burned not from the slap, but from humiliation.
Movement sounded behind her.
A low, rumbling growl rolled through the room like distant thunder.
“Enough, Nyx.”
His voice was deep and rough, the sound vibrating through the stone walls and straight through my bones.
The woman…Nyx, someone had called her froze instantly. The anger drained from her sharp features, replaced by rigid obedience. Her shoulders stiffened as she bowed her head slightly before stepping aside, though her jaw remained tight.
Now it was just him and me.
Ronan Ashcroft rose slowly from the heavy chair at the far end of the room.
He was even taller than I had imagined. Larger. His presence filled the chamber so completely it felt like the air itself belonged to him. Every movement was deliberate and predatory, like a wolf circling something fragile.
His golden eyes locked onto me.
Even when I tried to lower my gaze, I could still feel them burning across my skin.
When he spoke again, his tone was calm, but there was a razor edge beneath it.
“And why are you here, little omega?”
The words rolled over me, deep and dangerous, but there was a flicker of curiosity there too.
“I’ve already heard the story,” he continued slowly. “But I would rather hear it from your own mouth.”
My stomach twisted.
My palms turned damp as every instinct screamed at me to run.
But I couldn’t.
Elias needed me.
“I… I need your help, Alpha,” I stammered, my voice trembling despite every effort to steady it. “My son… he’s sick. I went to the council, but they refused to see me. The doctor said if I don’t pay for the treatment…”
My throat tightened painfully.
“…he’ll die.”
The words felt like glass cutting my throat as they came out.
“Please,” I whispered. “I have nowhere else to go.”
He didn’t move.
His gaze stayed fixed on me, heavy and searching, as though he could peel every lie from my skin if one existed. The silence stretched until it felt suffocating, my heartbeat pounding so loudly I was sure everyone in the room could hear it.
Finally, he spoke.
“And what,” he asked slowly, “are you offering me for this help?”
Heat flooded my face.
I dropped my eyes immediately, bowing my head until my forehead nearly touched the floor. My body folded inward instinctively, trying to make myself smaller.
“I… I brought money as a deposit, Alpha,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “It’s not much. But I will repay everything. Every coin. I promise.”
A soft, amused chuckle drifted across the room.
Nyx.
I froze.
The sound made my face burn hotter. I could feel her eyes on me, sharp and mocking, slicing through the thin dignity I was trying so desperately to cling to.
I didn’t look up.
My fingers tightened around the envelope so hard the paper crinkled. My heart hammered wildly in my chest as I silently prayed Ronan might care about my words more than my shaking hands.
His voice cut through the silence again.
“Is that all you have to offer?”
The question squeezed the air from my lungs.
My lips parted, but no sound came at first. My throat felt dry as sand. My heartbeat drowned out every thought.
I wanted to say yes.
The money was everything I had.
But the faint smirk tugging at his mouth told me that answer would mean nothing to him.
Desperation spoke before reason could stop it.
“I… I will offer anything you ask,” I blurted.
The moment the words left my mouth, dread settled heavily in my stomach.
Why did I say that?
I wanted to snatch the words back, to swallow them whole before they reached him.
But it was too late.
They hung in the air between us like a binding oath.
And I could feel Nyx’s quiet amusement sharpening behind me.
Ronan moved.
He didn’t rush.
He didn’t need to.
Each slow step toward me felt like thunder rolling across the ground. The air thickened with every movement, pressing against my lungs until breathing became difficult.
Still, I didn’t move.
My body trembled no matter how hard I tried to hold still.
When he stopped in front of me, heat radiated from him, and the scent of smoke, pine, and something dark filled my lungs.
His shadow swallowed me whole.
Then his hand lifted.
Rough fingers caught my chin, tilting my face upward until my eyes met his.
The contact sent a violent shiver racing down my spine.
“Careful what you offer,” he murmured.
His voice was soft now, but the low rumble of it seemed to vibrate through my bones.
“I take great pleasure in collecting my debts.”
I swallowed hard.
The sound echoed loudly in the stillness between us.
His golden gaze held mine, deep and unrelenting, and for one dizzy moment I forgot how to breathe.
A slow, predatory smile curved his lips.
His hand gestured lazily toward the envelope clutched in my trembling hands.
“The money?” he said flatly. “Keep it.”
His expression hardened slightly.
“Bringing it here was almost insulting.”
My pulse spiked.
“There is only one thing I want from you,” he continued.
His eyes darkened.
“And you just promised me anything.”
I blinked.
One request.
Just one.
My mind raced through terrifying possibilities.
Punishment. Servitude. Something worse.
Still, I nodded slowly.
“Y-yes… anything,” I whispered.
Ronan leaned closer.
His breath brushed against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Strip.”
The word landed like a command carved in stone.
“Show me exactly how badly you need my help.”
His voice dropped lower.
“Every last piece.”
The order struck me like a physical blow.
My eyes widened as my mind struggled to understand what he had said.
Strip?
My fingers tightened around the envelope as if it could somehow shield me from the impossible demand.
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