THE WILD CAT

Chapter 10

Riley’s POV

I headed back to my room, but the whole walk felt awkward. Everywhere I turned, girls were staring at me.

It made me so nervous.

Like, seriously—don’t they have anything better to do?

I tried not to let it get to me. I wasn’t planning to stay in this hellhole anyway. I needed to start figuring out how to leave.

Actually, I should start looking for the exit. No wonder they blindfolded me when they brought me here. This place was massive. Even if I had been awake, I wouldn’t know my way out.

My thoughts went back to what Skylar and Quinn said—about missions being the only way to see outside. That meant I’d have to climb some stupid ranking just to leave the building.

I wouldn’t even call this place a mansion. It felt more like a twisted penthouse maze. Different rooms, different floors… and I’d only seen a tiny part of it.

I kept walking until I finally saw a door that looked familiar. It had the same design as the one in my room.

Thank God.

Most of the other rooms I passed had different styles—different doors, layouts, decorations. But this one looked exactly like mine, so it had to be the right one.

“Aish, what’s wrong with you, Riley?” I muttered, running my hands through my hair.

Why was I even stressing over a room?

What I should be focused on is getting out of this place—before I end up dead.

I opened the door and stepped inside, quickly locking it behind me.

God, I needed a break from these people.

I walked straight to the bed and jumped on it, kicking off my shoes and tossing them into the corner. I let out a long breath, feeling the tiniest bit of peace.

Finally—something comfortable.

I rolled around on the bed a little, letting my body relax for the first time since I got here.

But then I started feeling cramped.

I looked down and realized I was still in my fighting clothes… and there were bloodstains on them.

Kika’s blood.

The image of me punching her—over and over—flashed through my mind.

“Gosh,” I whispered, grabbing my hair with both hands.

What was I thinking? I felt sick.

I didn’t want to hurt her that badly. Even if she came at me first, the way she begged me to stop… it made my heart hurt just thinking about it.

“I should probably apologize to her at the party tonight,” I muttered, shifting on the bed. I couldn’t stop feeling uncomfortable.

These clothes weren’t helping either. They were tight, sweaty, and sticking to my skin.

I stood up and reached for the zipper, pulling the outfit off and letting it drop to the floor. I was left in just my underwear, no bra—but I didn’t care. I needed to breathe. I needed to feel human again.

I collapsed back onto the bed, letting out a tired sigh. My eyes drifted up to the ceiling. It was dark.

That was strange.

Back in my room, the ceiling had tiny glowing stars that showed up when night started to fall. It was one of the few things I liked about the room—it made it feel peaceful.

But now, even though it was getting dark outside, the ceiling above me stayed plain and dark.

“Wait a minute…” I sat up quickly, my heart skipping a beat.

I looked around the room again. The king-sized bed… the furniture… even the faint scent in the air.

This wasn’t my room.

“This isn’t my room,” I whispered to myself, panic starting to rise in my chest.

I was just about to jump off the bed when the bathroom door opened.

I froze.

Theo stepped out, a towel wrapped around his waist, water still dripping from his chest. His hair was damp, and drops of water ran down his toned abs.

Okay, I’ll admit it—he had a really nice body.

My eyes scanned him before I could stop myself, but then—

“What the heck are you doing here?” he snapped.

His cold voice made me blink out of my daze. I almost rolled my eyes.

Seriously? I came into his room by mistake. No need to act like I broke into a vault.

I was just about to walk out and avoid the drama when my eyes dropped to myself—and that’s when it hit me.

I was almost completely naked.

My eyes widened.

I was standing in front of Theo in nothing but a pair of panties—no bra, nothing else.

“My goodness!” I screamed, quickly grabbing the blanket off the bed and wrapping it around myself.

I turned away from him, my face burning with embarrassment. I couldn’t believe I had just stood there half-naked—in his room of all places.

What was I even thinking when I took off my clothes? Now I was hiding under a blanket like a fool.

My heart was still racing when I heard footsteps coming closer.

No way… he’s not coming toward me, is he?

I froze as I felt a cold, wet touch on my back. My body stiffened.

His hand slid around my waist and pulled me gently toward him. His chest pressed against my back—still damp from his shower—and my heart began to pound even faster.

What was he doing?

“Why are you in my room, doll?” he whispered in my ear, his voice low and smooth.

I swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. My mind had gone completely blank.

“Why so quiet now?” he said again, this time with a teasing edge. “You weren’t this quiet in the fighting room.”

Then I felt it—his tongue slowly trailing along the side of my neck.

My eyes widened. What the hell is he doing?

Before I could move, he gently bit my earlobe.

I shivered from the sudden sensation.

Okay—that’s enough.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

But he didn’t stop.

He didn’t even answer.

His wet hand slid further around my waist, pulling me tighter against him. I could feel every inch of his body pressing into mine—cold, hard, unbothered. I tried to take a step forward, to move away, but he didn’t let me.

“You’re in my room, doll,” he said, voice low and sharp. “Practically naked. What do you think I’m doing?”

I froze.

“I-It was a mistake,” I managed to say. “I thought this was my room. I’ll just leave—”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

His voice cut through mine like a knife.

My breath caught in my throat.

He leaned in closer, his mouth brushing against my ear again. “You walked in here half-naked and now you want to run?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” I said quickly, gripping the blanket tighter around me.

He laughed—cold, dry, and cruel.

“You think intentions matter here?” he said, sliding his hand up my side, fingers brushing the edge of the blanket. “You think anyone cares what you meant to do?”

I tried stepping away again, but his grip only tightened.

“Theo, stop—” I said, my voice shaking.

But he didn’t stop.

His fingers moved to the curve of my neck again, trailing down my shoulder slowly. “You weren’t this shy in the fighting room,” he muttered. “Where’s all that fire now, huh?”

His lips grazed my skin, and I felt him start to kiss along the base of my neck.

My body tensed. My heart was racing—not just from nerves, but fear.

I didn’t want this.

And the worst part?

He knew.

He was doing it because he could. Because he wanted to remind me that in this place, people like him made the rules.

“You’re mine now, whether you like it or not,” he whispered darkly, his hand slipping lower.

Okay—I needed to get out of here.

I used all my strength and shoved him with both hands.

Theo stumbled back a little, clearly not expecting it.

I stood there, breathing hard, staring at him. His face didn’t change—just cold, blank, like nothing had happened.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” I yelled, my voice shaky with anger and fear.

He tilted his head slightly. “Be quiet,” he said calmly. “Or I won’t let you leave with functioning legs.”

I gasped. The way he said it—so flat, so emotionless—sent chills down my spine.

I rolled my eyes and turned to leave, gripping the blanket tighter around me. But before I could take a full step, I felt him yank the blanket away.

“Hey—!” I spun around, trying to grab it back.

In my panic, I reached out for something—anything—to steady myself. My hand grabbed the first thing it could.

His towel.

In one motion, it slipped off him completely.

I froze.

His manhood was right in front of me.

And to make things worse, I tripped.

I fell straight to the ground—landing on my knees.

Right in front of him.

My eyes widened in horror. If anyone walked in right now, they’d think I was doing something else. Something I never would.

I quickly looked away, heart pounding.

I quickly looked away, still on my knees, heat crawling up my face.

Theo didn’t move.

“You done?” he asked coldly, grabbing his towel and wrapping it back around his waist, like none of this was a big deal.

I got up fast, my hands shaking as I held the blanket close to my chest. “You’re insane,” I snapped. “Touching me like that—who the hell do you think you are?”

“I’m someone you shouldn’t yell at,” he replied, voice low and cold.

“I don’t care who you are! You think you can just do whatever you want to people? You think this place makes you untouchable?”

He stared at me. “It does.”

I glared at him, my chest rising and falling. “I’m not afraid of you.”

He let out a short, dry laugh. “Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not—”

Before I could finish, he stepped forward and grabbed my face, pulling me into a kiss.

It wasn’t gentle. It was sharp and possessive—like he just wanted to shut me up.

I pushed at his chest, but he didn’t let go right away. Only when he pulled back did I finally breathe again.

“What is wrong with you?!” I shouted, wiping my lips with the back of my hand.

Theo’s eyes darkened. He didn’t answer. Instead, he shoved me back, and I stumbled onto the bed, landing on my back with the blanket tangled around me.

He hovered over me, and my breath caught. He wasn’t touching me yet, but the way he looked at me made my stomach twist.

He leaned in slightly, like he was about to continue—

BANG!

A loud sound echoed through the hallway outside. A buzzer, followed by a voice from a speaker: “Ten minutes to the welcome party.”

Theo stood still for a second, his jaw clenched. Then, without a word, he backed off and grabbed a shirt from his closet.

He tossed it at me.

“Put this on. You’re not walking out of here in just a blanket.”

I caught the shirt and quickly pulled it over my head. It was big—long enough to cover me down to my thighs—but I didn’t care how I looked.

I just needed to get out.

Without saying anything else, I rushed to the door, yanked it open, and ran down the hall.

As I turned the corner, I saw her.

Serial.

She had a bandage wrapped around her arm and a dead look in her eyes. She had just stepped out of a hallway when I passed by—wearing Theo’s shirt, no pants, no shoes.

Her eyes locked on me.

She frowned.

Then, without saying a word, she turned and walked away.