CLAIMED BY MY ALPHA STEPBROTHER

CHAPTER 5

ELENA ROSSETTI

Three days have passed since I was captured by Darian and kept in this isolated mansion.

Three days in which I haven’t tried to escape anymore.

Not because I gave up, but because I’m waiting for the right moment. I can’t fail again.

As I walk through the long marble corridor, I wonder if my father is looking for me. He must be. But then, why hasn’t anyone come? Why does it feel like I’m completely forgotten?

My thoughts are interrupted by a firm and authoritative voice coming from one of the rooms ahead.

Darian.

My body stiffens automatically. I approach silently and realize that his voice is coming from the office. The door is slightly ajar, and I can see a man in a suit sitting across from him. The air in the room is tense.

"Are you sure about this?", Darian asks, his voice heavy with gravity.

The man tilts his head, confirming.

"Yes, sir. The contract is ready. The girl needs to sign it as soon as possible."

My heart stops.

They are talking about me.

I clench my fists and keep listening, feeling my blood freeze.

"She won’t accept easily.", Darian says, his expression grim.

"It doesn’t matter. She’s the chosen one, Mr. Moretti.", the man responds dryly.

My chest tightens. What does this mean? Chosen for what? Why is there a contract? Why does Darian believe I won’t accept?

The man begins to stand. I quickly retreat and run down the hallway before he sees me.

I return to my room, breathless and confused. My mind spins with possibilities. A contract… a fate already decided for me…

None of this makes sense.

At lunch, I eat alone. Darian has disappeared. The mansion feels emptier, more suffocating.

Night falls. During dinner, he returns. He doesn’t mention anything about what I heard, but his gaze on me seems even more intense. He’s waiting for something.

And then, when I finish my meal, Darian stands and walks toward me.

He’s carrying a black folder.

With a slow, calculated movement, he places the folder on the table and opens it. Several white sheets appear before my eyes.

"We need to talk.", he says, his voice firm but controlled.

I narrow my eyes.

"We have nothing to talk about.", my voice comes out harsh. I stand up, ready to leave.

But Darian grabs my wrist.

The touch is warm, strong. My body reacts before my mind does.

"This could affect your father’s life.", he says, his words sharp as blades.

I stop.

I slowly turn, my heart pounding. He lets go of my wrist and pushes one of the papers toward me. My gaze locks onto the words printed at the top of the page.

"Marriage contract."

My brain refuses to process it.

I lift my head to Darian and let out an ironic laugh.

"What is this?", I ask, unable to believe I’m reading it correctly.

Darian keeps his gaze fixed on me.

"You need to marry me."

I let out an incredulous laugh. The sound echoes through the hall, filled with sarcasm and disbelief.

"You must be kidding. Is this some kind of joke, Darian? You kidnap a woman and then say she needs to marry you? As if it’s the most normal thing in the world?", I say, pushing the paper back toward him.

He doesn’t move. Doesn’t blink. His golden gaze seems to pierce my soul.

"I’m not kidding, Elena. This contract needs to be signed as soon as possible."

"And what if I don’t sign it?", I cross my arms, defiant.

He takes a deep breath and moves closer. The heat of his body is almost palpable.

"Then your father will suffer the consequences, and so will you.", he replies coldly.

My stomach churns.

"What do you mean by that?"

There’s something serious in his eyes, something that paralyzes me.

"Your life is in more danger than you realize, and I’m the only one who can keep you safe."

I shake my head, sighing.

"Why, and from whom?", I ask, and he closes his eyes for a few seconds.

"Just sign the contract, Elena."

"I won’t sign anything without knowing what’s going on."

"Dangerous people want you dead. Under my protection, nothing will happen to you."

"Protect me from what?"

"Enemy werewolves."

I sit back down in the chair, blinking rapidly.

"Why are you trying to protect me?"

"Because I need to."

I lift my head and see his eyes on me. This time, there’s no irony or coldness. He’s speaking sincerely.

"What would happen to my father if I don’t marry you?", I ask, feeling tears in my eyes.

"Your father dies."

I close my eyes, realizing I’m getting into another complicated situation with marriages.

"And if you want to stop this, there’s only one way. You marry me."

My head spins. The air feels thick.

"This doesn’t make sense. If you want revenge against him, why are you involving me?", I murmur, shaking my head.

Darian tilts his head, studying me like I’m a complicated puzzle.

"Because you’re the most valuable piece in the game. Your father cares about you more than anything else. If I have you, I have everything.", he says, his voice low but relentless.

My chest rises and falls quickly. My thoughts are chaotic.

"This isn’t a marriage. It’s blackmail.", my voice comes out trembling but determined.

"Call it whatever you want. But it will happen."

My eyes burn with anger and frustration.

"I’ll never accept this."

He leans over the table, placing his hands on the wooden surface. His face is very close to mine now. His eyes are glowing intensely, and I feel the electricity in the air between us.

"Sign the contract, Elena...", he murmurs, and I look at the sheets before me.

"I... I..."

I begin to read the clauses of the contract.

Tears wet my face.

It would be a marriage with an undetermined date.

I would be completely his.

"I... I need time...", I say, standing up and running away. This time Darian doesn’t stop me.

He knows how complicated this decision is for me.

There are so many questions inside my mind right now.

Why do werewolves want me dead?

After hours of thinking about Darian’s proposal, exhaustion finally overcomes me, and my body sinks into the soft bed. My sleep is deep, dreamless, with no memories. Only darkness and silence.

Until something abruptly wakes me up.

A cold, rough hand covers my mouth, smothering any scream I try to let out.

My heart races in panic; my body tenses, trying to break free. My eyes widen in the darkness of the room, finding a pair of golden eyes, terrifying, glowing like a predator’s in the night.

It’s not Darian.

I try to scream, but the hand presses harder on my mouth. My chest tightens with fear.

"Shut up!", the man’s voice is low and cutting, as something cold and metallic presses against my temple.

A weapon.

Tears instantly spill from my eyes.

My body trembles. The man drags me out of the bed brutally, and I realize he entered through the window somehow.

My mind spins in desperation. Where are Darian’s guards? How did he get in?

I look around frantically and see the trail of destruction: fallen bodies in the garden, the men who were supposed to protect me dead on the ground. The air smells like blood.

My knees weaken, but he holds me tightly, pulling me by the waist. There are more of them. At least five shadows around. I try to scream Darian’s name, but a violent slap explodes against my face, throwing me to the ground.

The pain stuns me.

"Stay quiet, girl!", he growls, grabbing me again.

Far away, beyond the gates, I see a black van waiting. They want to take me.

No!

I use all my strength to kick him and break free, but another blow hits me, this time in the stomach. I fall to my knees, gasping, and a sob of desperation escapes my lips.

"Darian!", I scream, my voice full of terror.

The man pulls me roughly, but in the next moment, a deafening sound fills the air.

Gunshots.

My kidnapper curses, turning quickly.

Darian emerges from the mansion like a black storm, his golden eyes shining with a hatred I’ve never seen before. Behind him, his men appear, weapons drawn.

Chaos erupts.

The enemies draw their weapons, and the gunfire begins.

Shots slice through the surrounding air, and I scream as a bullet hits the ground near my feet. Darian’s men don’t retreat. On the contrary, something more terrifying happens.

They begin to transform.

Their bodies expand, skin tearing, giving way to dark fur and sharp claws. The sound of bones cracking fills the air. They aren’t just men.

They are werewolves.

But they’re not the only ones.

The enemies also transform. A war of beasts begins before me.

Darian advances like a deadly predator, his eyes fixed on the man holding me.

"Let her go now!", he orders, his voice low but filled with danger.

The pressure of the weapon against my head increases.

"Come closer and I’ll kill her!", the man shouts.

Darian doesn’t back down. He raises his weapon and aims directly at the kidnapper.

"And I’ll kill you before you have a chance to do that.", Darian replies coldly.

My eyes fill with tears.

My chest rises and falls rapidly, terror pulsing in every cell of my body.

I know that if I don’t do something now, I will die.

My eyes meet Darian’s, and something unique happens.

A silent understanding, an invisible bond, forms between us.

He trusts that I will do what’s right.

And I trust that he will save me.

With a scream, I bite the man’s hand with all the strength I have.

He yells in pain, and I use the moment to break free, kicking his leg hard and running toward Darian.

The shot explodes in the air.

The pain hits me hard in the stomach.

I scream, feeling the warm blood drip.

My body staggers, my legs losing strength. The ground feels distant.

Darian roars.

And then, before my blurry eyes, he transforms.

His body grows, the skin tearing, giving way to a large creature with fur as black as night.

His eyes glow like molten gold, and his claws are long like daggers.

The werewolf Darian becomes doesn’t hesitate.

He attacks the man who shot me with brutal fury.

The sound of bones breaking echoes in the air.

Blood pours out.

The body of my aggressor falls lifeless to the ground.

Darian turns to me in the next instant.

His eyes still glowing intensely, but filled with fear.

In the blink of an eye, he returns to his human form and rushes to me, catching me in his arms before I hit the ground.

“Elena!”, his voice is rough, almost desperate.

My vision is blurry, my breath faltering. Blood flows from my lips.

Darian presses his hand against my wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

His face is close to mine, his breath heavy.

“Stay alive!”, he orders, his voice trembling.

I sob, my weak hand holding his.

Tears blur my vision as the pain takes over completely.

“Darian…”, I murmur, my voice barely audible.

“You’re not going to die. I won’t let you.”

He pulls me closer, as if trying to anchor me to life with his warmth alone.

He holds me tightly as if he’s afraid of losing me, but why?

Tears stream down my face, and I know I’m on the edge.

My consciousness wavers; the darkness calls me.

I blink my eyes, gripping his hand tightly. I groan more, feeling my blood flow.

“Hold on, Elena!”, he shouts desperately.

And then everything becomes cloudy in front of me.

When I open my eyes again, I am no longer in the mansion.

I’m in my home with Ethan.

I sigh, managing to see his face before me.

I know my mind is hallucinating, but Darian’s face transforms into Ethan’s face.

I furrow my brow. Darian says something, but I can’t hear.

He touches my face, trying to keep me awake.

“Elena!”

But before I completely surrender, before my soul gets lost, I let slip the only words I know will change everything.

“Ethan…”, I whisper, seeing the shock in Darian’s golden eyes.

“I accept… I accept to marry you…”, my voice falters, a broken whisper.

The last thing I see before I lose consciousness are Darian’s golden eyes, wide with surprise and desperation.