Chapter 2

Anna's POV

"Leave me alone! Let me go!" I screamed.

The maids were relentless, gripping onto my arms with vice-like fingers. They pulled me down a hallway and towards an ornately carved door. One of them pushed the door open.

As the maids dragged me into the room, my heart pounded with a mixture of fear and rage. We stepped into what I recognized as a dining room, with a long table laden with several closed platters. 

I cast a disdainful glance at the man seated at the far end of the table, hi⁹s face cast into eerie shadows from the lit candles, his head bent over his plate of food as he speared a piece of meat with his fork.

He lifted his head as I was pulled into the room. His icy blue eyes met mine, and I could feel his gaze piercing through me, assessing me with an unsettling intensity.

His eyes immediately darkened with displeasure as he gave me a quick once-over.

"Why are you still dressed in those filthy rags?" Alpha Jasper's voice cut through the tense silence, his tone dripping with disdain.

My blood boiled at his audacity to address me in such a manner. Summoning every ounce of defiance within me, I squared my shoulders and met his gaze head-on. "I have no interest in your offers or your hospitality!"

A smirk tugged at the corners of Alpha Jasper's lips, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Still very feisty, I see," he remarked, his voice dripping with amusement. "But you will soon learn that your resistance is futile around me, Anna."

I clenched my fists at my sides, refusing to cower before him. "I will never submit to you," I spat, my voice trembling with suppressed rage. "I will never be yours!"

Alpha Jasper's smile widened, revealing a flash of predatory delight. "Oh, but you already are." He replied silkily, his gaze never wavering from mine. "Whether you like it or not, you belong to me now."

"Never!" I spat. "I would rather die!"

A chilling silence fell as I spoke, and I realised too late that I should have held my tongue. Alpha Jasper leaned forward, wagging his fork in the direction of my face.

"You should be mindful of the way you talk to me, Anna." He murmured, his voice carrying all around the room. "You do not want to know what I am capable of, trust me."

The Alpha leaned back in his seat and gently lowered his fork. His eyes moved over my body again, and goosebumps erupted on my skin at that non-physical contact.

"It would have been better if you had worn the dress I had the maids fetch for you, because we have someone joining us for dinner." He continued. "But the deed has been done, anyway."

As he spoke, I heard footsteps approaching the closed door behind me. I turned to watch as the door swung open, and the visitor walked in.

It was my stepfather.

"Father!" I shrieked and surged forward, pulling myself from the grip of the maids. I grabbed my stepfather's arm in relief. "Oh, father! Thank the Goddess you're finally here! I was scared—"

"Get a grip on yourself, girl, and stop wailing like a lost wolf cub!" My stepfather snapped, his eyes full of anger. He pulled his arm away from my grasp.

I stared at him in surprise. "Father—"

My stepfather ignored me and instead turned to the seated Alpha. He bowed low, before speaking.

"Good evening, Alpha. How kind of you to invite me for dinner." He glanced up at me for a millisecond. "And for accepting my stepdaughter as well...."

"Father, what in Moon's name is going on here?" I asked, stepping closer to him. "Talk to me, please father!"

My father rose from his bow, his eyes boring into mine. "You are here to give Alpha Jasper an heir. You will bear him a son, and after that you're free to go."

I staggered backwards. "What—"

My father reached forward and grabbed my hand, preventing me from moving any further. "Do this for us, Lily! Do this for our family! We are living in misery, and this is the only way we can finally free ourselves and change our fortune!"

Tears were streaming down my face at this point. "I cannot believe this—"

"Alpha Jasper offered us a handsome sum of money for you." My stepfather continued, his gaze strong, cold and steady. "A sum we can only dream of getting in different circumstances."

I glanced at Alpha Jasper, who was watching us with a hand stroking away at his jaw, then back at my father. "And does mother know about this?"

"I do not bloody care what your mother thinks, and that is that!" My stepfather snapped, face furrowed in annoyance. "You will get to work and produce an heir for the Alpha, whether you like it or not."

At this moment, it felt as though my entire world had come crashing down around me. All the trust I had built for my stepfather over the years was gone forever. All that was left was betrayal.

Betrayal and hopelessness.

"Flynn, stop all this boring talk and join us for dinner already!" Alpha Jasper interrupted.

My stepfather let go of my arm and turned to the Alpha, bowing once more. "Alpha, as much as I am honoured to join you, I must decline, because I have other pressing matters to attend to."

"Very well!" Alpha Jasper replied, waving my stepfather off. 

My heart shattered as once more, my stepfather curtseyed before the Alpha. Suddenly, a crazy, irrational idea slipped into my mind. 

My feet unglued from the spot where I stood, and throwing all caution to the wind, I turned and raced for the door. I did not care where my feet took me to, or how I was going to manage to escape this fortress. All I knew was that I had to leave as soon as I could.

"Move an inch from there, and I'll slit your father's throat!"