Chapter 4: The Alpha’s Territory
1331 Words
“I’m not going.”
My voice came out sharp, stubborn, final.
Arsen didn’t even blink.
“You are.”
“I said no.”
“And I said yes.”
I clenched my fists.
This man—
No.
This Alpha—
Was impossible.
“You can’t just drag me into whatever dangerous mess you’re dealing with,” I snapped. “I’m not part of your world.”
His gaze hardened.
“You became part of it the moment I marked you.”
“I didn’t choose that!”
“Doesn’t change anything.”
God, he was infuriating.
“I could die out there,” I said, trying a different approach.
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know that!”
“I do.”
The certainty in his voice made something in my chest tighten.
Not comfort.
Not trust.
Something else.
Something I didn’t want to name.
Before I could argue again, he turned away, already reaching for a dark coat hanging near the door.
“Get up,” he ordered.
I didn’t move.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Then slowly—
He looked over his shoulder at me.
And there it was again.
That dangerous calm.
“You can walk,” he said quietly, “or I can carry you.”
My stomach dropped.
“You wouldn’t.”
His brow lifted slightly.
“Try me.”
I glared at him.
He didn’t look like he was joking.
Not even a little.
“Fine,” I muttered, sliding off the bed. “But if I die, it’s on you.”
“You won’t die.”
“You keep saying that like it means something.”
“It does.”
I rolled my eyes, but my heart was beating faster now.
Not from him.
From what was waiting outside.
—
The moment we stepped out of the room, I realized something.
This wasn’t just a house.
It was… massive.
A mansion.
No—
Something more.
Dark wood lined the walls, intricate carvings running along the edges like symbols I couldn’t understand. The air felt heavier here, thicker, like it carried something ancient.
Watching.
Judging.
People stood along the hallways.
Men.
Women.
All of them—
Staring.
At me.
My steps slowed instinctively.
“Why are they looking at me like that?” I whispered.
Arsen didn’t stop walking.
“Because of the mark.”
My hand instinctively went to my neck.
“It’s not even that visible.”
“It is to them.”
I swallowed.
“They can… see it?”
“They can feel it.”
That didn’t make me feel better.
If anything, it made everything worse.
As we walked, people began to lower their heads.
Respect.
Submission.
Not to me.
To him.
The power difference was obvious.
Overwhelming.
“Alpha,” some of them murmured as we passed.
Arsen didn’t respond.
Didn’t acknowledge.
Like it was normal.
Like this was his world.
And I was just… dropped into it.
“This is your territory?” I asked quietly.
“Yes.”
“How big is it?”
“Big enough.”
That told me absolutely nothing.
We reached a large set of doors.
Two guards stood on either side, their posture straight, eyes alert.
They opened the doors immediately when they saw him.
Outside—
Cold air hit my face instantly.
I sucked in a breath.
The sky was darker than I expected, clouds heavy and low, like a storm was waiting to break.
The scent in the air was different too.
Earthy.
Wild.
Alive.
“This way,” Arsen said, already moving forward.
I hesitated for half a second.
Then followed.
Because what choice did I have?
—
We didn’t take a car.
We walked.
Or rather—
He walked.
I tried to keep up.
The ground shifted from stone to dirt, then to forest floor as we moved further away from the mansion.
Trees surrounded us quickly.
Tall.
Dense.
Almost suffocating.
“This is insane,” I muttered under my breath. “Who lives like this?”
“We do.”
“Clearly.”
Branches crunched beneath my feet as I followed him deeper into the forest.
The further we went—
The quieter it became.
Too quiet.
No birds.
No wind.
Nothing.
“Something’s wrong,” I whispered.
Arsen didn’t respond.
But I saw it—
The slight shift in his posture.
The tension in his shoulders.
He felt it too.
We weren’t alone.
My heart started pounding faster.
“Where are they?” I asked softly.
“Close.”
That didn’t help.
At all.
I wrapped my arms around myself instinctively.
“Maybe I should stay behind,” I suggested weakly. “You know… for safety.”
“No.”
“Worth a try.”
We stepped into a small clearing.
And then—
I saw them.
Five figures.
Standing across from us.
Their presence hit like a wall.
Heavy.
Hostile.
Wrong.
They weren’t like the people in the mansion.
There was something… broken about them.
Wild.
Unstable.
Their eyes glowed faintly, their stances tense, like they were ready to attack at any second.
“Alpha Arsen,” one of them said, his voice rough.
Arsen stepped slightly in front of me.
Protective.
The realization hit me unexpectedly.
Wait—
What?
“You shouldn’t be here,” Arsen replied coldly.
The man smirked.
“Funny. We were about to say the same thing.”
My stomach twisted.
This was bad.
Really bad.
“Stay behind me,” Arsen said quietly.
“I wasn’t planning to do anything else,” I whispered back.
The man’s gaze shifted.
And landed on me.
Everything inside me froze.
“Well, well,” he said slowly. “What do we have here?”
I didn’t like the way he looked at me.
Not one bit.
Arsen stepped forward slightly, blocking his view.
“Don’t.”
The warning in his voice was sharp.
Deadly.
The man chuckled.
“Relax, Alpha. We’re just curious.”
“Curiosity gets you killed.”
“Maybe,” the man said, his smirk widening. “But this?”
His eyes flicked toward me again.
“…this is interesting.”
My chest tightened.
Arsen’s energy shifted instantly.
Darker.
Colder.
More dangerous than before.
“You came here for a reason,” Arsen said. “Speak.”
The man’s expression changed.
Less mocking.
More serious.
“We’re leaving the border,” he said.
“Good.”
“But first—”
My breath caught.
His eyes locked onto mine again.
“We want her.”
Everything went silent.
My heart stopped.
“What?” I whispered.
Arsen didn’t move.
Didn’t react.
But the air—
The air changed.
Completely.
“No,” he said.
Just one word.
But it carried weight.
Power.
Authority.
The man tilted his head.
“Are you sure you want to say no?”
Arsen’s voice dropped.
Dangerously low.
“I wasn’t asking.”
The tension snapped.
I felt it.
Like something invisible had just broken.
And then—
Everything happened at once.
The rogue lunged forward.
Too fast.
Too sudden.
I barely had time to react before—
Arsen moved.
Faster than anything I had ever seen.
One second he was in front of me.
The next—
He was already in front of them.
A blur.
A force.
A monster.
A growl ripped through the air.
Not human.
Not even close.
My breath caught in my throat.
This—
This was real.
And I was right in the middle of it.
“Run,” Arsen’s voice echoed in my mind.
Wait—
What?
“I said run.”
Pain shot through my chest again.
The bond.
Forcing me to listen.
My body reacted before my mind could catch up.
I turned—
And ran.
But even as I did—
I heard it.
The sounds behind me.
Growls.
Crashes.
Something breaking.
Something… changing.
And deep down—
I knew.
This was only the beginning.
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