The air inside the psycho Alpha’s office always felt wrong. Heavy. Suffocating. It was a place that seed to hold its own kind of darkness like the walls themselves had soaked up too many secrets, too many screams, too much of the Alpha’s fury. I stood by the table, my hands trembling as I carefully placed the porcelain teacups onto the silver tray. Aunt Elizabeth, his father’s only sister and one of the few people who dared confront him, sat across from three of the Elders. Their wrinkled faces were tight with unease, their eyes darting nervously toward the heavy oak door that stood like a barrier between them and freedom. The atmosphere was tense, each breath weighted with fear, and I knew why. They had co for her the girl in the dungeon. The one whose broken cries haunted every night. The one who had already lost the use of her legs because of him.
"Zachary," Aunt Elizabeth’s voice was calm but firm, though I could hear the quiver beneath her practiced tone. "You’ve kept that girl locked away for too long. The pack is beginning to whisper. The council is uneasy. For the good of everyone, release her."
I froze, my hand halfway to pouring tea into her cup.
The Alpha sat behind his desk, his head resting lazily against the back of his leather chair. He hadn’t spoken yet, only stared at them with that sharp, predatory smile that sent chills crawling over my skin. His fingers tapped the armrest, steady, deliberate, like the ticking of a clock counting down to sothing terrible. One of the Elders cleared his throat, his voice tight. "Yes, Alpha. rcy in this matter would be—"
"rcy?"
The word sliced the room like a knife. The Alpha sat forward suddenly, and I nearly spilled the tea in my hands. His eyes those cold, pale eyes that seed to pierce through bone narrowed as his lips curved into sothing too sharp to be called a smile.
"rcy is for the weak. Is that what you think I am?"
"No, Alpha," the Elders said quickly, nearly tripping over their own words.
But Aunt Elizabeth didn’t cower. She held his gaze, her hands resting firmly on the table before her. "You are not weak. But cruelty will tear your pack apart. That girl whatever she did does not deserve to rot until death in the dungeon."
Silence fell. A silence so thick I could hear my own heartbeat slamming against my chest. I tried to keep my hands steady as I filled the cups, but I could feel him watching too. Finally, the Alpha leaned back, exhaling a sharp laugh that didn’t sound like laughter at all. "Release her?" he repeated softly. "Is that what you all ca for? To beg?"
The Elders exchanged nervous glances. Aunt Elizabeth didn’t flinch.
"Yes," she said firmly. "To beg if that’s what it takes."
Sothing shifted in the Alpha’s face then. The lazy amusent slipped away, and what replaced it made my skin crawl. His jaw tightened, his eyes darkened, and for a heartbeat, the entire room seed to shrink around him.
"Stand," he ordered.
The Elders hesitated but obeyed, rising shakily from their chairs. I wished I could vanish. Wished I could sink into the floor with my tray and escape the storm I knew was coming. But I was stuck, trapped between them, the weight of his gaze holding in place.
The Alpha rose slowly, his height towering over everyone else in the room. His movents were deliberate, dangerous, like a predator circling prey.
"You dare co into my office," he began, voice low, vibrating with restrained fury, "to tell what to do? To plead for sothing that belongs to ?"
Elizabeth’s voice was steady, but her face had gone pale. "She does not belong to you, Zachary. She is a child."
He laughed again, louder this ti, and it made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
"Everything in this pack belongs to ," he said, stepping closer, his presence filling every corner of the room. "Their breath, their blood, their lives. Mine."
No one spoke. No one dared.
Then he tilted his head, his gaze sweeping over them with mockery and nace.
"I will give you all one chance," he said softly, but the softness was worse than any shout. "When I begin to count, you will disappear from my sight. If you are still standing here by the ti I reach three..."
He paused, his lips curling into a slow, cruel smile. "...I will strangle you with my own hands. One by one."
A cold shiver raced down my spine. The Elders gasped softly, exchanging terrified looks. Aunt Elizabeth’s jaw clenched, but even her composure wavered.
"One."
The word dropped like a stone into the silence.
The Elders bolted. Their chairs toppled over, clattering against the floor. I stumbled back as they shoved past each other in their desperation to reach the door. Their robes tangled, their limbs clumsy. They fell against the table, knocking over the tea tray—I barely managed to keep hold of it before it shattered.
"Two."
His voice was lower now, slower, like a predator savoring the chase.
The Elders reached the door, practically crawling over one another in their frantic scramble to get out. One of them tripped and fell, and the others didn’t stop to help him they shoved him aside, their only thought of escape.
Even Elizabeth, who had co in so calm, so strong, abandoned her dignity in that mont. Her skirts caught beneath her feet as she ran, stumbling against the others, her face drained of all color.
They tumbled out the door in a chaotic heap, their shouts echoing down the hallway.
But I wasn’t so lucky. In the panic, I had tried to run too, slipping toward the door with the others, but before I could escape, a hand like iron clamped around my arm and yanked back. I gasped, the tray slipping from my grip and crashing to the floor. Tea spilled across the rug, cups shattered into porcelain shards.
"Three," the Alpha whispered into my ear.
My body went rigid as his grip tightened on , his breath hot against my skin.
I didn’t move. I couldn’t. Every instinct scread at to flee, but I was trapped, caught in the claws of a monster. The door slamd shut, sealing inside with him. He turned slowly, his hand still locked around my arm, forcing to look up into his pale, rciless eyes.
"They ran like rats," he murmured, amusent flickering across his lips. "Even Elizabeth. Do you see, little one? Even those who claim to have courage... are nothing but cowards when faced with ."
My throat tightened. My voice shook when I finally managed to speak. "P-please I didn’t an to
He silenced with a single look. His hand slid from my arm to my chin, gripping hard enough to make my jaw ache.
"But you-His tone softened, almost playful, but his eyes burned with sothing cruel. "You tried to run too. Didn’t you?"
I shook my head frantically, but the lie was written all over my face, and he knew it. His smile widened.
"Perhaps I should count again," he whispered, his thumb brushing my trembling lips. "This ti just for you."
My knees buckled. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst. I could feel his madness radiating from him, the dangerous delight he found in my terror. And I realized then he wasn’t bluffing. If I didn’t move, if I didn’t answer right, if I breathed wrong, he would kill .
"One."
The room spun. My vision blurred with tears.
"Two."
I wanted to scream, to beg, to vanish, but my voice caught in my throat. His lips brushed against my ear, and his whisper was colder than death.
"Three."
The word slid into my ear like the hiss of a serpent. For one suspended heartbeat, the world seed to stop. My body froze, my breath caught, my entire existence hanging by a fragile thread he held between his cruel fingers.
Then his hand snapped tighter around my throat. I choked, my nails clawing uselessly at his wrist as he lifted effortlessly off the ground. My toes dangled above the rug, scraping at nothing, my lungs burning as panic swallowed whole.
He wasn’t bluffing. He wasn’t testing . He was enjoying this.
"Do you feel it?" The psycho whispered, his voice smooth, amused, almost gentle if not for the crushing grip that stole the air from . "The silence of your body when it knows it is about to break?"
Tears spilled from my eyes as I gasped against the pressure, my throat screaming for relief. My vision darkened at the edges, spots blooming before my eyes.
I thought of the girl in the dungeon, her broken legs, her hollow cries and realized I might soon join her in the shadows beneath this packhouse. Or worse, never leave this office at all.
"Pathetic," he hissed, finally dropping .
I crumpled to the floor, coughing violently, air rushing back into my starving lungs. My chest ached, my throat burned, but I didn’t dare stay down. Instinct pushed onto trembling hands and knees, my body bent low as though bowing before him. Anything , anything at all to make him forget the idea of killing . He crouched beside , his shadow swallowing whole. He reached out, running his fingers through my hair almost tenderly, and my stomach twisted with dread. His touch was never tenderness. It was the caress of a wolf playing with its prey.
"You almost ran with them," he murmured. "Like the Elders. Like my aunt. Tell , little one... do you think I would not notice?"
My lips trembled. Words stumbled out of without thought. "I—I only wanted to serve the tea, Alpha. I didn’t an—"
He yanked my hair back sharply, forcing my head up so I t his pale, gleaming eyes.
"Lies," he snarled softly. "Your heart beats like a rabbit’s. You long to escape every chance you get."
I whimpered, the sound breaking against my will. His grip on my hair tightened, dragging closer until his lips were nearly against mine, though the cruelty in his gaze kept frozen in place.
"Do you know why I let the Elders live?" he asked suddenly.
I shook my head, the motion painful with his hold in my hair.
"Because they are cowards. Cowards break more easily. They will whisper in the halls, spread my shadow through the pack, let fear rot their bones. That serves better than their corpses."
He smiled, but it was sharp, terrifying.
"And you, Ellie..." He released my hair only to grip my chin again, forcing to hold his gaze. "Do you know why I let you live?"
I couldn’t answer. My throat was raw, my voice gone.
He leaned closer, his whisper brushing against my ear. "Because your fear tastes sweet. Because I enjoy watching you tremble. Because you are mine, whether you crawl, whether you cry, whether you beg. Do you understand?"
I nodded frantically, tears sliding down my cheeks.
"Good."
He shoved back, and I hit the floor hard, my elbow striking the rug-covered wood. Pain shot up my arm, but I bit back a cry.
He stood, towering over , and turned his gaze toward the shattered tray and spilled tea. For a terrifying mont, I thought he might punish for the ss.
Instead, he laughed. A cold, hollow laugh that made the room feel even smaller.
"Clean it," he ordered, his voice snapping like a whip. "On your knees. Now."
I scrambled forward, my palms pressing against the sharp edges of porcelain as I tried to gather the broken pieces. One shard cut into my skin, blood welling instantly, but I didn’t dare pause. I worked faster, my vision blurred by tears, my hands shaking so badly I nearly dropped the fragnts.
He watched , silent, his presence like a wolf circling just out of sight.
When I finally gathered the last broken cup, clutching the shards in my bleeding hands, I looked up timidly.
His eyes glinted with cruel amusent.
"Open your hand," he commanded.
My chest tightened. I obeyed, slowly uncurling my palm. The shards fell, clattering back onto the tray, but one jagged piece stuck to my skin, digging deeper into the cut. Blood dripped onto the rug.
The Alpha crouched again, reaching for my injured hand. For a mont, I thought he might bandage it or at least wipe the blood. But no. He pressed his thumb against the cut, hard enough to make cry out.
"Pain keeps you loyal," he murmured, watching the blood sar across my skin. "And loyalty keeps you alive."
My sobs ca in quiet gasps, but I didn’t pull away. I couldn’t.
Then he released suddenly, standing tall once more.
"Leave the ss," he said coldly. "You’ll return to clean it later. For now... co with ."
My heart lurched. Where?
He didn’t explain. He simply grabbed my wrist and yanked to my feet, dragging toward the door with terrifying strength. My legs stumbled, barely keeping up, my body still shaking from the near-strangulation. The halls outside were empty, the Elders long gone, their footsteps still echoing in my mory. The Alpha led down the corridor, past the main hall, past the stairwell, his pace brisk and rciless.
I knew where he was taking before we even reached the stairs. The dungeon.
"No," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Please, Alpha, not there—"
He didn’t slow. His grip tightened, cutting off my words. The steps spiraled downward, each one colder than the last. The scent of damp stone and iron chains thickened in the air, suffocating as much as his grip had minutes ago. My chest heaved, terror clawing up my throat. When we reached the bottom, the torchlight flickered weakly against the stone walls, shadows stretching like skeletal fingers. The cries of the girl had fallen silent tonight, but the silence was worse. Too still. Too waiting.
The Alpha released only when we reached her cell. The girl lay curled in the corner, her face pale, her body frail, her broken legs twisted unnaturally. Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of our approach, and when she saw , a faint, desperate light flickered there.
But when her gaze shifted to him, that light vanished.
"Stand," he ordered .
I obeyed, trembling, my back pressed against the iron bars.
He unlocked the cell and stepped inside, looming over the girl. She whimpered softly, dragging herself back with her arms, but there was nowhere to go.
"You see, Ellie," the Alpha said, his voice echoing in the dungeon, "rcy is weakness. The Elders don’t understand that. But you will. You will learn."
His hand shot down, gripping the girl’s hair and yanking her upright. She scread, the sound piercing, shattering the silence.
I clapped my hands over my ears, but it didn’t block it out. Nothing could.
"Watch," he ordered without turning.
I shook my head, sobbing. "Please... don’t—"
"Watch!" he roared, the sound thunderous in the confined space. I froze, my eyes wide, forced to witness as he dragged the girl’s face inches from his own.
"Do you want to live?" he asked her softly.
She whimpered, nodding frantically through her tears.
"Then beg," he whispered. "Beg for my rcy."
Her voice cracked, words spilling out in broken sobs. "Please, Alpha... please spare ... please..."
He smiled coldly, then shoved her to the floor. Her head struck the stone, her cry echoing.
Then he turned back to , his eyes burning with cruel satisfaction.
"Do you see, Ellie?" he asked, his voice low, deadly. "They all beg. And I decide who lives."
My legs gave out, and I sank to the floor outside the cell, my body shaking violently.
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