Two

CLARISSA

          I was thirteen years old when my father was assassinated. His beta took over his position, and my life took a terrible turn. Although my father's beta had promised to investigate his death and bring them to justice, nothing had been done. Kieran, the new Alpha's son, had comforted me during those times, and I'd been fooled into believing that he truly cared about me. And now, it was up to my new mate to save me or toss me to the wolves.

"Help me," I said to him, and he fixed his gaze on me for a moment before glancing at the street ahead. Silently, he took off his velvet jacket and placed it around my shoulders.

"You're better off not associating yourself with me," he said, placing a small dagger in my hand.

"Go left. There's a river close by. If you can make it past the river, they won't get to you," he said, and I swallowed hard, unsure of what this meant for me.

Was he rejecting me as well? I wondered.

However, there was no time to dwell on this; I took his advice and ran.

The river shimmered under the moonlight. It was a small one. Hope flared in my chest—maybe I could make it. Maybe I could—

A sharp whistle split the air.

I barely had time to react before the first attacker lunged at me.

I twisted at the last second, driving my dagger into his shoulder. He howled, stumbling backward, but before I could break free, another one grabbed my wrist.

I slammed my knee into his stomach, twisting my arm out of his grasp. My body screamed in protest, exhaustion weighing down my limbs, but I refused to stop.

A third attacker swung at me with a blade, but I ducked, kicking his legs out from under him. He crashed into the dirt, and for a moment, I saw a clear path before me.

I surged forward—

But then I crashed to the ground as a needle found its mark on my neck.

No. No. No.

My vision blurred, and I was immediately pulled under.

...

"My lady."

At the sound of Gwen's voice, I lifted my head and found her standing at the entrance of my cell with a tray of food and water. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her gaze heavy with sadness.

"Here's your food," she croaked, placing the food inside the cell. She turned her face away from me, but I could tell that she was starting to cry again.

"I'm alright, Gwen. Don't cry," I tried to comfort her.

"This isn't fair. You don't deserve this," she sobbed, rising to her feet.

"I'll get through this. Don't worry about me," I told her, and she nodded.

She hesitated, then crouched beside the bars, slipping something into my hand.

I glanced down.

She'd just handed me a folded piece of cloth.

I unfurled it and found a tiny lockpick hidden inside.

I lifted my gaze to hers, my throat tightening. She was risking everything just to give me a chance.

"You're not alone," she whispered, before rising to her feet and disappearing down the corridor.

I stared at the food portion she'd brought me, a small smile ghosting over my lips when I saw the heart shape she'd made with green peas.

Tonight, I would escape this place no matter what.

...

I was awoken by the sound of the cell door jerking open. I must've slept off after eating. My head was pounding, and there was a strange heat burning in my body. Something felt wrong, but I couldn't decipher what it was.

"Well, well, look who's comfortable in here," I heard my visitor say. It was Kieran.

"What do you want?" I demanded, and a smile stretched over his lips, his eyes lighting up. He inhaled deeply, an expression of satisfaction written all over his face. I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"You smell divine," he said, and I stiffened.

At this point, the heat in my body was overwhelming. I was panting now. My breasts felt swollen and sore. There was a throbbing in my core. One I immediately recognized. My heat period.

"No," I breathed, alarmed.

It wasn't supposed to come to me for another two weeks.

Judging from the wicked grin on Kieran's face, he must know something I don't.

"What did you do?" I hissed, scrambling to my feet.

He shrugged and rolled his shoulders.

"You've always been too proud, Clarissa. You forget that you have nothing. All you can do is offer me your body," he drawled as he made his way towards me. Shaking my head, I inched backward as realization struck. The bastard must've drugged my food.

"Don't fight it, you're only going to hurt yourself," he said, cupping my face the moment I was trapped between his body and the wall.

"Don't touch me!" I snapped, and he buried his face against the crook of my neck, his hand gliding down to squeeze my butt through my dress.

"You already have Mia. Just leave me alone!" I cried, attempting to escape from him despite the weakness in my limbs.

"Mia understands that everything I do is for the greater good. In fact, she spiked your food herself," he said, and my heart plummeted into my stomach.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as he squeezed my left boob and trailed kisses over my chest.

He'd ruined me enough; why should I let him hurt me more? I needed to fight back.

Snow howled in my head, her rage growing by the second. The more he sucked on my skin and touched me, the more that fury waxed stronger.

Then all of a sudden, driven by my frustration, I smacked him on the throat. He stumbled backwards, coughing and gagging.

Before he could recover, I spun, kicking him square in the ribs.

He crashed into the wall. I didn't wait to see if he got up.

I bolted.

There was no guard in sight. He'd probably sent them away just so he could have his way with me.

Even so, I knew I needed to hide as soon as possible, or my scent would draw him to me. So I rushed into one of the storage rooms separated from the alpha's quarters. I shut the door behind me, pressing my forehead against the cool wood. My body trembled, heat rolling through me in waves, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself to focus.

I needed to think. To find a way out before—

A scent hit me, spicy, familiar, and intoxicating.

The scent of my new mate. What in the world was he doing here?

I went still, my heart racing in my chest as I heard footsteps in the storage room behind me.

"Who's there?" A male voice said, and I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my thighs together as my body reacted to the sound of his voice.

"Turn around," he continued, and slowly, I opened my eyes and faced him.

His golden eyes took on a crimson hue, a terrifying growl escaping his lips.

He took a step towards me. Then, another. Each step heavier than the last. It was as though he was fighting with himself.

"Leave," he said thickly, and I grabbed at the door latch, pulling it. But it refused to budge.

I was getting dizzier by the second, sweat dampening my skin. My limbs gave out, and I collapsed to my knees, curling up on the floor while my body quaked with desire.

"Please," I whimpered, slowly slipping into a delirious state. He halted in front of me and crouched. Through the haze in my vision, I saw him reach out to touch my face with a trembling hand.

'Ours!' Snow whined in my head, and in my fevered state, I leaned up to kiss him, burying my fingers into the locks of hair at the back of his head. He groaned, a guttural sound rumbling from his chest. Then he wrapped an arm around my waist, deepening the kiss. His body was taut, vibrating with restraint even as he held me. Before I surrendered to the heat, I heard him mutter the words, 'Forgive me.'