The light shining through the large window is blinding; Christ, who the hell asked Rhett to change the home’s decor? The throb of my abdomen and neck is quick to remind me of where I am. God, everything hurts. A figure next to me stirs; it takes a minute to realise how tightly Marko has wrapped his arms around me, as if terrified I would leave him in his sleep. Truthfully, I want to. But we need to talk. Seriously, I want to try having sex without passing out. Is my stamina the issue? Jeez, what kind of a wolf has bad stamina? Then again, Marko could be the issue. Again, my gaze is transfixed on his calm, beautiful face, I want to bury my fingers in his hair, but I do not wish to stir him, not when he has been having sleeping issues. I could stare at him for all of eternity; then again, we do have each other’s eternity, permanently now. He cannot love another, nor can I. It is greedy of me, but I like it. My mate. Mine. I want to dwell in the softness of these feelings, but

"That's not fair, Alba." "‘That’s not fair’?” I repeat. “‘That’s not fair.’’ The sentence finds my lips again, but this time, it is coupled with a frail laugh. “‘That’s…not fair’? Marko, the man I love just tried to command me into doing his bidding. Do you know how it feels to have no control over your body, for every cell to be wholly under someone else’s command? How dare you speak of fairness to me?" Why can’t I keep myself through a conversation with him without yelling? "I don't want you to leave me! I don't-" He utters as a hand flies to his hair before a frustrated sigh escapes him. "Can we just talk civilly? The 'me' here has done nothing wrong!" As he finishes, he begins his approach to me. “Do not come near me.” He stills when I begin to walk backwards. “Alba-” “You have done nothing wrong? Marko, there are bars on the doors and windows! And if that’s not bad enough, you tried to command me to ‘stay put’!" "Okay, fine, I'm sorry. Let me rephrase that-" "Don'

The rattling of heavy metal, the sound of wheels against tarmac beneath me and the sound of traffic flood my ears. The scent of dust and metal hangs poignantly in the air. My lids are heavy, my hands tied behind my back, and my legs are bound together at my ankle. The floor, or whatever my body is on, is cold. I am in motion, most definitely in the back of a truck, because each turn sways my body, and it is far too spacious for a typical car. ‘Kaisa?’ She doesn’t respond; I cannot even feel her presence anymore. I am in the bare minimum of garments, a baggy shirt and tights, no shoes, bra or panties, but I am grateful; it could have been much worse. “And you are sure no one saw you.” A familiar feminine voice asks. “For the third time, Maggie, no.” ‘Maggie?’ The man’s voice, it resembles the one from the beach. Damn, what did he hit me with? My neck feels stiff, but I cannot smell my blood, or any blood for that matter. "No, wait-" A whimper escapes the feminine voice,

Marko. "Why?" He asked the question again, leaning against the musky metal bars; he knew the answer but asked it anyway. She didn't answer; he did not expect her to, hell even his question was rhetorical. The dungeons smelled like moss and stagnant water, but her blood from interrogations was the most pungent of scents. Everything was over for her; she had lost her honour and title now that she had been marked a national traitor, and while her father, Elder Clive, fled the country at the sight of the leaked CCTV footage of the accident, she had remained broken at the site. The marks on her body were not because she did not collaborate; she had spilt every treasonous secret, even the fact that her father was the one to orchestrate the temple car crash. The marks on her flesh were his frustrations; he would have killed her if it were not for Rhett. Hell, he would have killed her if he were not certain Alba was alive due to their bond. He could still do it now; there was none but

On instinct, my face turns away from Alpha Jax’s hand, but he remains persistent, a little too so, that his free hand grabs a fist full of my hair to still my movements.“Open it before I request the tube we used yesterday.”I would rather have him use the tube.I would rather he knows how much I cannot stand his presence.My mouth remains shut, so his hand leaves my hair and cups my cheek.His thumb presses the space between my upper and lower teeth, forcing a small hollowness to form that he uses to shove the gross salty mixture in my mouth.“Chew and swallow, or so help me God-!”He utters while his hand remains on my mouth, pressing it shut so I do not spit it out.Alpha Jax looks wholly unfamiliar.While a part of me wants to talk to him and form a rapport, perhaps act as he wants me to so that he goes easy on me, another wants to defy his every whim regardless of the cost.He needs me alive; he will not kill me-Right…the fat little thing inside me may not survive any blows he o