CHAPTER SEVEN

“Isn’t this better?” Tobias asks, as he leads me away from Kara. “We’re bonding how we should be.”

I don’t want to leave her. Though there’s nothing I can do while I’m trapped like this, at least if she’s in my sight, I know she’s not being harmed. Once I can’t see her, I don’t know what’s happening to her.

“It’s nicer to spend time together when you’re not fighting me,” Tobias continues. “This is how it should be. We should be one. We should get along. That’s how we’ll lead most effectively.”

I don’t want to lead with him though. I don’t want to be near him. I just want to be away from this nightmare.

“You’re right,” I say. “It’s much better if we approach this together. I was silly trying to fight you, especially after seeing what you’re capable of.”

“And there’s no need for you to want to get away either,” Tobias says, his mood brightening considerably. “Why would you want to? I’m the Alpha. I’m a strong Alpha too. Every woman wants to be with me. You should feel lucky.”

“I do,” I say. “I see that I am lucky. I’m glad you spared me. I’m glad to get the chance to be with you.”

The words are awful to say. They’re traitors as they fall from my mouth, reminding me of the pack he slaughtered.

Of course, I would never willingly be with someone who killed all the people I loved. But raging against him hasn’t helped. Demanding anything from him has only made things worse.

I can’t refuse him anymore. I can’t fight him off. I’m not strong enough.

So, I’ll submit. I’ll make him think that I’m becoming the mate he wants. I’ll bow down to him, even if doing so goes against everything I stand for. Everything that makes me who I am.

I’ll make him think I love him. I’ll make him love me.

Then, I’ll kill him.

I’m not sure how I’ll kill him yet, but I will kill him. I’ll get close enough to him so it’s a possibility, then I’ll strike. I’ll get revenge. I’ll get myself out of this mess.

“I love to hear you say that,” he says. “I thought seeing Kara might make you see more clearly.”

And it has. I see things perfectly clearly now.

Tobias takes me back to his hut, seemingly triumphant over my reaction to Kara’s danger.

“It’s going to be incredible,” he says. “We’re going to be incredible.

“I won’t even put you back in the cage right now. Take a seat wherever you’d like. I prefer the bed myself, but that’s up to you, of course.”

I look at the bed. That’s the last place I want to sit, but I want to show him I’m comfortable around him. So, I sit on the chair facing him.

“Since you’re not chaining me up to the post again, maybe you can unhook me fully,” I suggest.

He laughs. “I’m not naïve, Sasha. I hope this change of heart is genuine, but I’m not going to take it at face value. I don’t trust you at all yet.

“I hope you are truly submissive to me, but I also know it’s possible that once I unchain you, you’ll attack me. I’m not taking any chances.”

I try not to let my disappointment show. It won’t be easy to trick him. It’s like he can see right through me.

“In fact, though I’m not going to hook you to the pole again, I will actually need to put more restraints on you.”

I shake at the thought of that, though I try to keep my nervousness from being too noticeable. More restraints? I’m already completely restrained. How on earth could he add more?

I’m left to wait as he rummages through a dresser. Then, he comes out with a whole armful of restraints.

I balk at the sight.

“You can’t really be putting all those on me,” I say, unable to stop myself.

He arches his eyebrows. “I can and will. Things will change once we’re married and have the chance to mate. Then, I’ll know for sure you won’t run away. You can truly prove your change of heart to me.

“Until then, I’m not taking any chances. You are not getting away from me.”

There’s nothing I can say to stop him, I know that. If I talk much more, I’ll ruin the illusion I’m trying to create. And I certainly can’t fight him off, especially not like this.

So, I stand there helplessly as he clasps silver handcuffs on my wrists and cuffs them behind my back. He opens a silver collar.

I’m horrified. He’s treating me like a dog, like he owns me.

And there’s nothing I can do as he stands so close to me, too close to me. I can feel his breath on my skin as he hooks the collar around my neck and adds more chains to it, as if he’s decorating me in the finest jewelry.

“You will wed in chains,” he says, amusement in his tone. “Was this how you imagined your wedding day to be?”

“No,” I whisper.

It haunts me. Now that he’s asking me, I’m fully realizing that this means I won’t ever get to be with my true mate, whoever he is. I won’t ever get to feel true happiness again. I will be wed in chains without my family there to celebrate.

I mourn everything I’ve lost.

“Tell me you love me,” he says, staring into my eyes. “If you’ve had a true change of heart, tell me you love me.”

I want to say it as I look at him, but the words won’t leave my mouth. I suspect even if they did, he’d know it was a lie.

“I don’t know you well enough yet,” I remind him. “But in time, I know I’ll love you.”

“Just as I suspected,” he chuckles. “You’ll come around truly soon enough. With your pack gone, all you have is me. You’re even losing Kara soon too.”

“You’re going to let her go?” I ask, hope fluttering within me for the first time since that fight.

“Of course not,” he laughed. “She’ll be killed after the wedding. I lied. I guess you’re the one who’s naïve.”