The heavy, reinforced oak door of Jake’s private quarters slammed shut with a definitive, echoing thud. The two elite Beta guards who had escorted him up from the muddy courtyard remained outside, their boots clicking orderly against the stone floor before silence settled over the room.
It was a gold-plated cage. The room was expansive, filled with dark mahogany furniture, plush velvet drapes, and a crackling fireplace that did absolutely nothing to cut through the freezing, suffocating tension that filled the air.
Jake stood in the center of the room, breathing heavily. He was still stripped to the waist, his broad, powerful back and chest caked in dark mud and bleeding silver-whipped lacerations. Rainwater and blood dripped steadily from his dark hair, pooling on the expensive Persian
