HER MATE'S CRUEL VENGEANCE

Now a monster

"Can I have a moment of privacy?" I asked quietly, keeping my voice soft to pretend that I am defeated.

“Privacy?” The warrior stared at me as if I had spoken in some dead language. I forced my eyes to roll with exaggerated exhaustion. “At least turn around. I know I’m probably going to die soon, but I’d rather not be stripped of every last shred of dignity before it happens.”

A grin broke out across the his face as he winked at me. I felt a shiver go down my spine, and not in a good way, but then he slowly turned his back to me, arms crossed over his broad chest.

I didn’t waste any minute, the moment he fully turned.

My legs felt like they were still wobbly, heavy and unreliable, but I forced them forward. The world tilted sickeningly with every stumbling step toward the open cell door. Three steps. I don't think I even got half way there before i felt large arms wrapping around my waist and pulling me hard against a chest.

“Sneaky little thing,” he murmured, his breath hot against my ear, voice dripping with mocking amusement. “But we’ve learned never to trust wolves like you.”

I twisted violently in his grip, elbows driving back, nails raking at whatever skin I could reach. A frustrated snarl tore from my throat as my wolf surged uselessly beneath the surface, still suppressed by whatever Ronan had injected into me.

“Let me go!” I hissed, kicking out wildly. My heel connected with his shin, but the warrior only laughed low in his throat, tightening his hold until breathing became difficult.

“Feisty even now,” he said, almost admiringly. “Alpha Darren warned us you’d try something stupid. Guess he knows his little mate better than you think.”

He spun me around effortlessly and shoved me back against the damp stone wall, one massive hand pinning both of my wrists above my head. His other hand snatched the threadbare, blood-stained shirt from where it had fallen and thrust it against my chest.

“Put it on,” he ordered, eyes gleaming with cruel entertainment. “Or I’ll do it for you. And trust me, princess, you won’t like the second option.”

My chest heaved with ragged breaths. Humiliation burned hotter than the drug still coursing through my blood. I snatched the ragged garment from his hand, fingers shaking with a mixture of fury and weakness. Turning my face away from him, I pulled the oversized shirt over my head as quickly as I could. The fabric was coarse and reeked of old sweat and dried blood, hanging loosely on my frame like a shroud.

The warrior watched every movement with open satisfaction, never stepping back far enough to give me any real space.

“Better,” he grunted once I was covered. He released my wrists only to grab my upper arm in a bruising grip. "Let me go and call our Alpha but dare do anything stupid",

Less than ten minutes later, heavy footsteps approached again.

Darren and his guards.

The moment Darren stepped into the cell, his cold gaze swept over my ragged, pathetic appearance. There was no pity, no flicker of the mate bond only icy detachment that chilled me more than any threat.

My once-destined mate had become a true monster.

"Tell me, spoilt princess," he drawled, his voice smooth and cruel, "how does it feel to be locked in your dead father’s filthy cell, dressed like the worthless orphan you’ve become?"

His men burst into laughter as if it were the funniest thing they’d heard all night. The word "orphan" echoed in my skull, igniting fresh fury.

My chest heaved with ragged breaths while they all watched me. I wanted nothing more than to fight, but my body was too weak and too drained.

Darren noticed it and a wicked smile curved his lips instantly. When I remained silent, he stalked forward, dropping into a crouch in front of me. His fingers seized my chin in a bruising grip, forcing my eyes to meet his.

"I asked you a question, spoilt princess. Answer me." He growled.

"I thought when I rejected you, it was over between us," I hissed through gritted teeth. "Why come back now with all this hatred focused on me? Wasn’t my rejection enough?"

A dark chuckle escaped him. "I made a vow to destroy everything you loved. And unlike you, I keep my promises. You’re just like your father, weak, entitled, and foolish. I won’t make the same mistake twice. I’ll end you myself." He glanced at his men. "Right, boys?"

Their sinister laughter filled the small cell, sending a fresh wave of fear down my spine.

"I’ll end you too," I snarled, fury overriding reason. Before I could stop myself, my unchained leg lashed out, aiming straight for his groin.

"f**k!" he roared. His grip on my face tightened painfully as he yanked me closer.

The proximity awakened my wolf. Despite the hatred burning between us, our wolves strained toward each other with desperate hunger. Darren’s eyes flashed crimson as his own wolf rose to the surface, locking gazes with mine. The mate bond pulsed between us was impossible to ignore, yet we both fought it with everything we had.

I wanted to tear him apart, but his scent, dark strawberry and smoldering ocean blue eyes made my lips part involuntarily. A soft, traitorous moan slipped free before I could swallow it.

The sound snapped something in him. His hand left my chin and wrapped around my throat instead. He didn’t squeeze hard enough to cut off my air, but the dominant pressure was unmistakable.

"Fight it all you want, spoilt brat," he murmured, voice low and dangerous. "I’m not killing you anytime soon. This bond between us is going to be dealt with. Once I’ve claimed you properly, you can live however you like as long as it’s with my permission. You’re about to learn what it feels like to be nothing more than a breeder for a stronger alpha. That was always your greatest fear, wasn’t it? Being reduced to nothing but a pretty vessel for pups?"

I didn’t answer. Instead, I studied the sharp, primal changes in his face. He had grown into a powerful male who radiated raw alpha energy. His blue eyes shifted with his moods, and his midnight-black hair fell across his forehead and shoulders, making him dangerously captivating.

His gaze also traveled over my own changes. I was no longer the awkward teenager he once knew. My body had matured, fuller breasts, wider hips, and a soft curve that gave me a feminine strength. I had grown taller too, yet I still looked delicate next to his towering, nearly seven-foot frame.

"You’ve grown up beautifully," he said, his voice thickening with something darker. "All that perfection… just to become my breeder?" His thumb brushed over my lower lip. "I don’t remember you being this quiet. What’s wrong? Can’t speak without your father here to protect you?"

"I don’t need my father to tell me how completely f****d I am right now," I shot back. "I can see that clearly enough."

He leaned in, his breath hot against my ear as he nipped my earlobe, tugging it gently between his teeth before releasing it with a deep, vibrating growl that sent unwanted heat through my body.

"You have no idea how truly f****d you are, spoilt brat. But you will." He reached for the chains and began unlocking them. "I’m taking these off now. Be a good girl and lead me to your old bedroom. Your death doesn’t need to happen in the same dirty hole where I ended the rest of your pack."

"Your end has to be... special," he whispered, his tone almost intimate as the chains fell away. His men snickered behind him.

"Move," he ordered, voice hardening. "Or I’ll remind you exactly why it’s a very bad idea to test my patience."