Chapter 4
1807 Words
“Pretty girl,” the scarred one said, grinning. “We’re gonna have some fun.”
Ella’s bag slipped from her shoulder. “W-What do you want?”
Ella was backed into a corner inside the empty warehouse behind the school.
Three dangerous-looking men surrounded her.
She tried to sound brave. “What do you want from me? I don’t have any money.”
One of them laughed cruelly. “We don’t want your money, sweet cheeks.”
“We just wanna have some fun,” the other whispered, l*****g his lips.
Ella inched toward the door. But before she could move, a strong arm shoved her back. Her body hit the wall hard, and pain shot through her spine.
“You b***h,” one of them spat. “Don’t try to run from us.”
Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to break. “My boyfriend is... he’s Lucas Vinci. He’s waiting for me. If he doesn’t see—”
SLAP.
The force knocked her sideways. Her cheek burned. She gasped.
“Liar!” the man yelled. “You expect me to believe Lucas Vinci, the Alpha King, is dating you?”
She clutched her face, trembling. “Let me go. If Lucas comes... you won’t like what happens.”
A brief silence.
One of them hesitated. “Yo... what if she’s telling the truth? We can’t afford to mess with Lucas Vinci.”
His partner scoffed. “Don’t be a coward. Look at her. She’s bluffing. That bastard Vinci wouldn’t look at a poor thing like her.”
Ella's thoughts raced.
Lucas, where are you? Please...
The third man stepped closer with a disgusting smile.
Before he could grab her, Ella’s survival instincts kicked in. She kicked him in the leg and tried to run.
“GET THAT b***h!”
They caught her, slamming her back into the wall.
One of them punched her stomach. She cried out in pain.
“No one’s coming to save you, b***h!” he growled.
He grabbed her by the hair, yanked her forward. “I was gonna go easy on you... but now... I’m done being nice.”
He raised his hand, preparing to strike her again—
“Get your hands off my girlfriend.”
The voice came like thunder — calm but dangerous.
The man froze.
Ella opened her eyes, dazed from pain, and saw him.
Lucas stood at the doorway of the warehouse, his eyes glowing a furious gold.
He wasn’t very angry.
He was about to explode.
The three men turned slowly.
“You—you’re... him,” one stuttered.
Lucas stepped forward. “Touch her again, and your families will never find your bodies.”
One of the men pulled out a knife and lunged.
Big mistake.
Lucas moved like lightning. In one swift motion, he caught the attacker’s arm mid-air and snapped it backward.
A scream echoed.
The others tried to run.
Lucas tackled one to the ground, punching him over and over until his face was barely recognizable.
The third man begged, “Please... please don’t kill me... we didn’t know... we didn’t know!”
Lucas walked slowly toward him.
“I don’t care what you know. You touched my mate.”
The man screamed.
Ella closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, it was over.
All three men were unconscious. Blood stained the floor.
Lucas turned to her. His eyes returned to normal, but his hands were shaking.
He rushed to her side, gently cupping her bruised face.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t faster,” he whispered.
“I’m here now, you’re safe,” he said softly, kneeling in front of her. His voice was calm, but rage still boiled in his blood.
He gently wiped blood off her lip with his thumb.
“Do you know these men?”
Ella shook her head, still in shock. “No. I’ve never seen them before...”
She swallowed hard. “They didn’t want money. It's just... like they only want to hurt me.”
Lucas’s jaw tightened. He took off his leather jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“Stay here.”
As Lucas stood and turned around, he saw one of the men—bloodied and bruised—barely opening his eyes, trying to crawl away.
Lucas grabbed him by the collar and slammed him back down.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Lucas growled.
He knelt beside the man and grabbed his arm, twisting it just enough to make him scream.
“Listen to me, you f**k. You have two choices,” Lucas said in a low, dangerous tone.
“You’re either going to tell me who hired you, or I’m going to break this arm off and shove it so far up your ass.”
The man was now shaking. “Okay, okay—!”
Lucas snarled, “TELL ME!”
The man whimpered, “I’ve got a name... Claudia Summers! She told us to scare the girl... to rough her up.”
Lucas’s eyes darkened. “Claudia Summers?”
He pulled out his phone. “Hugo, it’s me. Look into a girl named Claudia Summers.
Then he looked at the three men, all waking up, groaning and holding their wounds.
“I said kneel!” Lucas thundered.
They scrambled up and knelt immediately, heads bowed like broken dogs.
“Apologize to her.”
“We’re sorry! Sorry!—SORRY! Please don’t kill us!” they shouted in unison.
Lucas glared. “You’ll stay kneeling until sundown. My men will come check on you. If they don’t find you here... each of you will leave in a body bag. Is. That. Clear?”
“Yes! Yes, Alpha!”
Without another word, Lucas turned to Ella and gently picked her up in his arms. She looked at him, confused, exhausted, and still hurting.
“Where... where are we going?” she whispered.
Lucas gave her a small smile. “We’re going to get married.”
After signing their marriage contract.
Lucas takes Ella to his packhouse that night.
Ella sat quietly in Lucas’s bedroom. The room was huge, like something out of a palace. She looked around in awe.
“Whoa...” she whispered to herself. “This bedroom is bigger than my entire apartment.”
She sat on a soft velvet chair, still wearing Lucas’s jacket.
Lucas walked in with a first aid kit. His shirt was still stained from the fight.
“Sit still,” he said gently. “This will help with the bruising.”
He cleaned the cut on her arm and carefully applied ointment. His fingers brushed her skin with such care, it made her chest tighten.
After a few minutes, Ella looked up at him.
“Can I ask you something?” she said.
Lucas paused, giving her his full attention.
“Why... me?” she whispered. “Why do you want my first time?”
She bit her lip and looked away. “I’m just a normal girl, Lucas. I don’t think there’s anything special about me.”
Lucas turned his face to the side, trying to avoid her eyes. A long silence followed.
Then he said softly, “Why don’t you just get some sleep tonight?”
He stood and walked toward the bed. But suddenly, he stopped. His body tensed. A strange groan escaped his throat. He stumbled slightly, grabbing the wall for balance.
Ella rushed to him. “Lucas? Are you okay?”
She touched his forehead and gasped. “You’re burning up!”
Lucas looked into her eyes, something wild and desperate flashing inside him.
“I need to kiss her,” he whispered to himself.
And before she could ask what he meant, his lips were on hers—hot, demanding, filled with need. He kissed her mouth, then her neck, sending shivers down her spine.
“Lucas, why?” she asked between shaky breaths. “Why are you doing this?”
He suddenly stopped and pulled away, panting. He scooped her into his arms and laid her gently on the bed.
Ella’s heart was pounding. “I know we’re married, but... I’m not ready. Not yet.”
Lucas didn’t try to force her. He slid into the bed and when she tried to leave, his hand gently grabbed her leg.
“Ella... please,” he said in a low, broken voice. “Just let me hold you.”
His voice cracked.
She looked at his hand on her leg, then slowly nodded and lay back beside him. They stayed like that—no words, just silence.
The morning sun peeked through the heavy curtains.
Ella’s phone buzzed on the side table, waking her up. She groaned softly, reaching for it.
It was her grandma.
She looked at Lucas beside her, still asleep. Carefully, she slid his arm off her waist and stood up from the bed. She picked her phone and tiptoed into the bathroom to take the call.
“Grandma?” she whispered. “Is everything okay?”
Her grandmother’s soft voice replied, “Oh, sweetheart... I just called to say I love you. How are you?”
Ella smiled faintly. “I’m fine, Grandma. I’m already on my way to school. Don’t worry.”
There was a pause, then her grandma spoke again, her voice weak but full of love. “The nurse will come soon. It’s almost time for my surgery. Please take care of yourself, alright?”
“I will,” Ella said, her voice tight.
The call ended. Ella stood still, her heart aching.
She slowly opened the bathroom door, trying to sneak back into the room.
But Lucas was already awake.
He stood in front of the door, arms folded, eyes locked on her.
Ella froze.
“lying to your grandma about your whereabouts,” Lucas said, his voice cool and sharp. “That’s real smart of you.”
Ella’s heart skipped a beat.
She looked up at him, guilt in her eyes. “Mr. Vinci… thank you. Thank you for helping my grandma.”
Lucas didn’t smile. “You don’t need to thank me,” he said. “It’s part of our deal. And don’t forget—” his eyes darkened, “you have three days, Ella. After that, I want what I came for.”
Ella looked away, nodding slowly.
She got dressed for class in silence.
As she walked out of the mansion, her heart was heavy. The compound was so big, so beautiful. Expensive cars. Golden gates. Flowers trimmed perfectly.
But something caught her eye.
A row of posters lined along the driveway fence.
At first, she thought it was a missing person wall… but no.
They were funeral posters.
For a dead man.
Ella stepped closer, her heartbeat growing louder.
She gasped.
It was Lucas Vinci’s face on the poster.
- Writer
