Chapter 0004

Alexander

I wrote down her measurements.

She looked like a frightened animal trapped in blinding light.

She was even smaller than I had anticipated.

Just skin and bones.

If my hands had moved any higher, I would have felt every protruding rib.

It disgusted me.

She should be strong.

Powerful.

Alpha blood flows through her veins.

I noticed how her face tightened when I measured her.

It wasn't fear.

It was pain.

She was hiding something beneath that loose maid's dress.

"Speak your mind," I said. "I don't care about whatever nonsense Dominic drilled into you. You don't need permission to talk. Say what you want. Are you hurt?"

"No."

She was lying. I could sense it.

She shook her head as if to emphasize her answer.

A strand of her dark hair slipped free from its restraint.

Athena would be difficult to reach.

A life of starvation had taught her to protect herself fiercely.

I will make Dominic pay for what he did to her.

"You must speak, Athena. I can't read your thoughts. When I mark you, at least then I'll know what you feel."

"Mark me?"

Her eyes widened impossibly further.

"Yes. I will mark you."

She seemed utterly shocked by this idea.

Her pink lips parted slightly as she stared at me.

I assumed she knew.

I thought that was why she came so willingly.

My Beta kept questioning my choice of bride.

There was no doubt.

Her scent was unusual, but something about her drew me in.

I couldn't look away when I first saw her.

My wolf Titan was equally obsessed.

Though he hadn't spoken a word about her.

He was furious with me for not bringing her home yesterday.

"You... brought me here to mark me." She stepped backward, bumping into the kitchen island. She flinched slightly, then quickly masked her pain, smoothing her expression.

"If Dominic had bothered to read the contract, he would have learned you are to be my bride, not a slave. He would also have discovered that if he or his foolish mate harm you again, their pack becomes mine. Or rather, yours. I never purchased you, Athena. You were always meant to be mine."

"I'm a killer," she gasped. "Why would someone like you want me as your bride?"

Blood. Titan growled, cutting through my thoughts.

I looked down at her loose dress.

A blood stain had appeared exactly where my hands had been.

"What is that? Are you injured?" I demanded. I had barely touched her.

She covered the stain with her hand. "It's nothing. Just a cut I keep reopening. I forget it's there."

Forget? How could anyone forget a wound?

Why isn't she healing? I felt Titan's panic. She's been here less than two hours and already she's hurt. His protective instincts surged.

It hadn't occurred to me that her lack of abilities included being unable to heal.

I need to find someone who can reverse the binding. Soon.

"Show me."

"It's fine," she mumbled.

I was already tired of hearing that phrase.

"It's not a request," I stated. "If you won't show me, I'll find a way to see it myself."

Her heart skipped a beat.

She glanced around the kitchen. "Can we go somewhere more private?"

"Private?" I wasn't accustomed to privacy. What wolf was?

She nodded but avoided direct eye contact, still too afraid to look straight at me.

Office, Titan muttered.

I was about to suggest that! I snapped back at my wolf. I felt him retreat into the shadows of my mind.

"This way." I gestured toward the door.

Athena waited for me and followed closely.

The scent of blood grew stronger.

This was more than a simple cut. I already knew that.

In the office, I used the remote to lower the blinds, blocking out the sunlight.

Athena hesitated, then slowly began undoing the buttons of her dress only where the large blood stain was.

She kept everything else concealed from me.

She pulled the fabric aside.

The wound was about four inches long and clearly infected.

"See? It's fine," she whispered.

"Stop saying that."

She closed her mouth and started rebuttoning her dress.

"No." I grabbed her hands, having spotted another bruise. "Show me the rest."

It wasn't optional.

She gasped as my fingers tore open the remaining buttons.

Her sports bra and panties were worn out.

But the bruising concerned me most.

Bruise upon bruise.

Scars from whips.

Her hip bones and ribs protruded sharply.

I turned her around and pulled the dress away from Titan.

Her back was just as damaged.

Yet interestingly, there were no marks above her chest or below her thighs.

Her arms were completely untouched.

There was only one reason for this pattern.

To hide the abuse from others, or to maintain appearances.

They didn't want guests to see.

More importantly, they didn't want me to see, especially since the meeting was arranged over a month ago.

She fumbled with her dress, pulling it tightly around her thin frame.

"You need a doctor."

"It always heals... eventually," she trailed off when she saw my anger.

"Did Dominic do this?" I asked through gritted teeth, gesturing to her body.

She lowered her blue eyes.

"Victoria?"

She remained silent.

"That idiot who follows Dominic around? All three of them?"

She pulled her dress tighter and nodded silently.

She brought her hand to her face, brushing her cheek, wiping away a stray tear.

"Anyone else?"

"The pack," she whispered.

I'm going to kill them all, Titan growled.

He'll have to wait his turn.

"Because of what they say you did to your parents."

She nodded.

"I don't believe you were responsible."

She looked up at me, her brow furrowed as her eyes finally met mine. "Because of the Wolfsbane Toxin?"

Theodore shook his head at me, a silent warning not to push any further.

I stared out at the vicious sea. "She jumped?"

Sophia's grey eyes gleamed as she nodded. "I told her, jump."

"Then it looks like we're jumping too. If Jasmine could do it, so can we."

We took turns watching the water, waiting for the tides to shift, timing their movements. This sea didn't behave like any other I'd ever seen. Thalia must have placed some kind of spell on it.

As the water level dropped, bare jagged rocks emerged. It became clear there was only one specific landing spot. That was if we were lucky enough not to be dragged out to sea or smashed against the rocks by the waves. Another problem: there were six of us. We couldn't jump all at once, making everything even riskier.

"Can everyone swim?" Natalie asked. Everyone nodded, but all eyes turned to Sophia. No one knew anything about her. She didn't give a clear answer, just smiled and muttered, "big jump."

Natalie grinned at Sophia, repeating the phrase reassuringly. I turned toward the barricaded door. The smell of burning wood and smoke seeped through the tiny gap underneath. Gabriel pressed his hand against the door and yanked it back immediately. "Fire," Natalie muttered, confirming what I already knew.

Thalia knew we would come here. Was this her plan? Did she want Sophia to lead us here? Or was this exactly what she expected? So she could trap us inside with no escape.

"We have to go now!"

"But the tide," Natalie protested as Theodore shattered a window.

"It doesn't matter. We either burn or die from the impact. I know which I'd prefer. At least this way, there's a small chance of survival."

I watched Theodore press his forehead to Ethan's. "See you on the other side."

He climbed through the window, kicking out the remaining shards of glass. With one final glance back, he jumped. Ethan leaped up into the window, frantically searching for Theodore. "There!" Natalie pointed at a dark object in the water.

Ethan dove out after his mate as Natalie tried to keep Sophia calm.

"Go," I urged both women. "Go now!"

"Gabriel." Natalie whispered, "Please."

He shook his head at her.

"I won't go without you," Natalie told him firmly.

He watched her, but she refused to move. I reached out to my daughter, telling her I loved her and to be good for Zachary. I wasn't sure if she could hear me, but I had to try.

"Natalie, listen. You need to go now. Theodore and Ethan will be waiting." I pushed her toward the window, and she released Sophia's hand. "Gabriel will be right behind you." "Jump, baby girl, jump. I will see you again." Sophia told her with a wide smile.

Natalie trembled as Gabriel helped her up into the window. Her eyes scanned the thrashing sea before closing. She pursed her lips, exhaling slowly. Somehow, the crashing waves stilled, gently lapping against the cliffside. They became the calmest they'd been since we started watching.

Gabriel nudged me.

"I see it." But I also saw how Sophia looked at her and the waves. Her eyes hardened, filling with pure disgust.

"Not my baby girl!" Sophia screamed with raw hatred. She shoved Natalie off the window ledge. A terrified scream ripped through me. I watched her flail helplessly as she plummeted toward the water, completely powerless.

Natalie was heading straight for the rocks.

I whirled on Sophia. "What the fuck did you do?"

"Witch!"