Claimed By My Alpha Stepbrother.

38

Seraphina

When I opened my eyes, Azriel was fast asleep, and my throat was dry and burning. The ache under my skin had gotten so much better. It was like my body was finally adapting to whatever was living in my head.

The room was pitch black, and the only sound was the steady, rhythmic rise and fall of Azriel’s breathing beside me. His arm was thrown over my waist, his fingers curled slightly against my ribs. Even in his sleep, he held onto me protectively.

I swallowed hard, trying to moisten my dry throat. It didn't work. I needed water.

Carefully, I eased myself out from under his arm. Azriel shifted, a low, subconscious rumble vibrating in his chest, and for a terrifying second, I thought he was going to wake up.

I froze, holding my breath until his muscles relaxed back into deep sleep. This was him resting properly in days between tending to my fever and us leaving. I didn't want to wake him. He had carried me, fought for me, and shielded me. He needed this rest.

I slipped off the wooden bed. My legs were shaky. My body was still recovering from the whole torture it had gone through walking. I had spotted a large jar at the corner of the open ground when we came in. Hopefully, it held water. I didn't care if it was clean at this point, as long as it wasn't toxic. I'd long passed my picky stage.

I padded quietly across the cool floor and pushed the door open.

The moon was bright tonight or morning . Couldn't tell the time. Or, maybe it was just my extra sharp senses doing their work again. I saw clearer and farther these days, and I could pick up even the tiniest sound. I didn't tell Azriel any of this. It would only make him more worried and guilty.

I'd barely stepped out when I heard the snap of a twig nearby. I turned around immediately, my eyes scanning for anyone.

My eyes widened when some irregular shapes suddenly started rushing toward me. They looked like humans, but didn't walk like humans.

They moved with a frantic, jerky speed, their heads tilted back as they violently inhaled the air.

One of them suddenly lunged at me, sniffing around me, growling with hunger.

I staggered back immediately. "What... what are you doing?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

I don't know if I was expecting an answer, but it definitely didn't come. Instead, more of them circled around me.

"Smell it," a woman hissed, her fingernails clawing at her own throat in frenzy. "It’s her. It’s her!"

"Mine," another growled.

Panic exploded in my chest. I turned to bolt back toward the room, shouting for Azriel, but a heavy body slammed into my side. I hit the dirt hard, the breath knocking completely out of my lungs. Rough, filthy, and trembling hands grabbed me with a terrifying, manic energy.

"Get off me!" I screamed, kicking out blindly. I kicked one of them in the jaw, but they didn’t even flinch.

Two men pinned my arms to the ground, their weight crushing my shoulders into the dirt. One of them leaned down, his face inches from mine. Animalistic growl tore from his throat, his teeth bared, strings of saliva dripping as he frantically sniffed at my neck. They weren’t trying to rob me. They weren't even trying to kill me. They looked like starving predators who had just caught the scent of blood.

'Let me out.' The voice in my head growled. It kept slamming in my head, demanding control. 'Let me go, or we'll die here.'

My fingers twitched, flapping frantically against the dirt as the pressure built to a boiling point. I couldn't fight them off. I was going to die there.

'Take it,' I thought, terrified but desperate. 'Just save me.'

I closed my eyes, preparing to let go and allow whatever entity was scratching at the walls of my skull to take the reins.

SCREEEEEEEEECH!

A sharp, piercing frequency ripped through the air. It wasn't a human scream; it sounded like high-voltage feedback amplified a thousand times over, vibrating at a pitch that bypassed the ears and struck directly at the brain.

The weight on my chest vanished instantly.

The people holding me let go, shrieking in agony. They fell into the dirt around me, clutching their heads, rolling and writhing as they groaned for dear life. Even with the pressure fading from my mind, my own head tingled with a sharp, blinding pain. I pressed my palms against my ears, curling into a ball on the ground as the sound vibrated through my teeth.

And then, just as suddenly as it started, the noise died down.

Silence descended on the courtyard, broken only by the pathetic whimpers of the people scurrying back into the shadows, dragging themselves away like scolded dogs.

I opened my eyes, trembling violently, my vision blurring.

Standing a few feet away, completely unbothered by the chaos, was the commander.

He looked entirely out of place in the dirt yard, his black turtleneck pristine, his hands folded casually behind his back. The moonlight caught the sharp lines of his face and the cold gleam in his green eyes.

"You really should be more careful, Seraphina," he said, his voice smooth, devoid of any adrenaline. "Especially considering what you are."

I pushed myself up onto my elbows, staring at him through my tangled hair. I was breathing fast causing my heart to race. "What... what did you just do? What do you mean, what I am?"

Before he could answer, the door to our room flew open.

"Get away from her!" Azriel roared. It sounded entirely non-human, and he was seething with fury.

His hand slammed into the commander with full force, and one moment, the commander was standing there all pristine, the next, he was flying through the air, tossed right into a heap of rusted iron.

Azriel didn't care. He didn't even look to see if the man was getting up.

He dropped to his knees in front of me, his hands instantly grabbing my face, his thumbs wiping the dirt from my cheeks. His eyes were wide, completely wild, the brown in his irises glowing with a dangerous, predatory light. His chest was heaving, his bare skin covered in a sheen of sweat.

"Are you okay? Did they touch you? Did he hurt you?" His voice was frantic, a ragged edge of panic cutting through his usual stoic tone. His hands flew down to my shoulders, my arms, checking for broken bones or any sign of blood. "Tell me where it hurts, Seraphina. Talk to me."

"Azriel, I'm okay," I choked out, grabbing his wrists to stop his frantic searching. "I'm fine, really. I'm okay."

"I smell them on you," he snarled, his jaw clenching so hard I thought his teeth would crack. "I'll kill every single one of them. I'll tear this entire place to pieces."

"Azriel, listen to me!" I pressed my hands against his chest, feeling the terrifyingly fast thud of his heart. "It wasn't him. It was the others. A group of people... they attacked me. They were acting crazy, sniffing me, growling. The commander saved me. He stopped them."

Azriel didn't even seem to hear a word I was saying. He was completely consumed by his instincts, his eyes scanning the surrounding darkness, his nostrils flaring as he picked up the lingering scents of the attackers. He didn't relax until he had thoroughly checked my neck, my wrists, and ensured there were no open wounds.

Only then did the rigid, terrifying tension in his shoulders drop a fraction of an inch.

With a low growl, he grabbed my waist and hauled me to my feet, immediately pulling me behind his back. He shielded me entirely with his body.

A metallic clatter broke the silence.

From the pile of barrels, the commander pushed a heavy iron drum off his legs and stood up. He brushed a layer of grey dust off his tailored trousers and adjusted his turtleneck. Aside from a small smudge of dirt on his cheek and slight breathlessness, he looked completely unfazed.

"A charming greeting," he said, walking back toward us with slow steps. He stopped just outside Azriel’s striking distance, a tight, mocking smile on his face. "Azriel, I don't believe you've introduced me properly to your Mate now that she's awake."

Mate? What did that even mean? A lot of things weren't making sense the more I got exposed to situations.

With arms stretched, "I'm Commander Vane. The only bridge standing between life and death for the both of you."

I didn't take his hand. Instead, I turned to Azriel in confusion and also to seek approval.

Azriel pulled me back further, snarling. He stepped fully in front of me to narrow the gap. "If anyone in this camp touches her again, I don't care about your plans or your monitors. I will tear this entire place down to the bedrock. I will rip your throat out myself."

The commander didn't flinch. Instead, he let out a soft, dry scoff.

"Then I suggest you watch her better," Vane replied, his green eyes shifting past Azriel’s shoulder to lock onto me. The look in his eyes wasn't anger. It was cold fascination. "After all, she is special. And my people... well, they have a natural hunger for things that are rare."

He turned his back on us, waving a dismissive hand as he walked toward the main building.

"Go back inside and get more rest, both of you," Vane called out over his shoulder, his voice cutting through the freezing night air. "We'll be leaving the moment day breaks."