Chapter 3

He stood before me, looking at me with some emotion. I could feel the anger, but I tried to remain calm. His sunken eyes glared at me. I didn't think for a second about looking away. I met that gaze squarely in both eyes. I wouldn't let him see the weakness in me.

"Such an unexpected fate, isn't it?" My sarcastic voice broke the tension-filled silence between us.

Ace shook his head while thinning his lips. I thought we felt the same way. I didn't expect this bastard to be my mate, either. The Moon Goddess seemed unsatisfied with all my suffering, so she chose a mate as bastardly as Ace Cassilas for me.

At first, I thought Ace would say something cruel or reject me. But I was wrong. Not a single word was uttered from his lips in response to my comment. Instead, he turned around and left without saying a word.

My legs went limp as soon as Ace was out of sight. Trembling, my body slumped slowly to the cold floor. My tears broke out, and I could not pretend to be as strong as I was when I faced Ace. I screamed, venting my anger and disappointment at this damn fate.

"Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to punish me with this cruel fate?" I cried out.

Anger rumbled inside my chest. Screaming was not enough to vent my emotions. So, I punched the wall beside me repeatedly, not caring about the wounds on my knuckles. I hated the Moon Goddess. I wanted her to take my life instead of going through all this. I roared until my tired body no longer had the strength to do so.

The pain in my knuckles pulled me from my subconscious. I squirmed and blinked my eyes. I fell asleep. I had no idea how long I'd been sleeping, so my body felt stiff and sore. My eyes fell on my knuckles while I looked for a comfortable sitting position. Although the wounds would soon heal on their own, I couldn't escape the pain.

I inhaled deeply. The tear tracks on my face had dried up. No matter how much I cried until my eyes were swollen, fate remained unchanged. This bond wouldn't disappear just like that.

The sound of metal clashing against metal snapped me out of my reverie. A man stood in front of my prison cell. A different man from the one who brought me here. His face looked kinder, but I wasn't sure if he was a good man.

"Get up!" he ordered as he unlocked the door.

I didn't know what he wanted, but I did it anyway. I got up while gripping my shirt.

He opened the door and moved his head as he said, "Follow me!"

Unlike the men before, he asked me to follow him without resisting my hand. He let me walk behind him as if he wasn't afraid I would run away.

"You're so lucky." He said it without turning to me. He didn't even stop his steps, but I was in no mood to respond. For me, there was no more luck. Only emptiness remained in my soul. Our steps stopped in front of a door. "You are the first prisoner who served the shortest period of confinement. And you're fortunate that Alpha Ace put you in this room instead,” he said.

I looked around and saw no other doors along this corridor. All I could see was the wall dividing the room. There was no other way ahead. The only way I wanted to escape was to go backward.

He turned the doorknob and pushed it. "Come in!" he ordered then.

I didn't want to argue. I entered the room as he instructed and scanned the poorly lit room with my eyes. The light switched on only a short time after I walked in. He had switched it on. The room was small, but I found it quite tidy. The queen-size bed in the center of the room caught my attention. I could tell that the bed with premium cotton sheets was too luxurious for prison until I realized that prison wasn't just about the luxuries inside. Prisons are about the freedom that is restricted.

"Clean clothes are in that closet." He walked ahead of me while pointing to a wooden closet in the corner. "You can clean yourself up and change your clothes. Everything you need is provided here," he continued.

"Including my freedom?" I asked skeptically.

"Be nice, and Alpha Ace won't punish you any more severely." His words did not answer my question at all.

He left after telling me that the servants would deliver food twice daily. I turned around when I heard the sound of the door opening and closing again. I smiled sadly when the sound of the locked door was heard. A jail was a jail. They just locked me up in a different place.

After some time, I decided to check the closet. There were several pieces of clothing folded neatly inside. I took one and put it on the bed, then went to the bathroom to clean myself up.

The water poured out of the shower as I scrubbed my body until my skin turned red. I wanted to remove the traces Ace had left on my body. However, no matter how hard I tried, the kiss marks remained on the surface of my skin.

I stayed in the bathroom for quite a while. I started shivering from the cold. My fingernails were blue with wrinkled skin. I stepped out of the shower and grabbed the bathrobe hanging in the closet. I quickly wrapped my body before hypothermia killed me.

"Did you fall asleep in there?"

I was startled. The familiar voice greeted me as I came out of the bathroom. Ace stood by the window with an annoyed face.

“What do you want?” I said it flatly.

"I came to tell you something," he answered as he untangled his clasped hands and walked towards me. "Don't get overconfident and think I've forgiven you." He stopped about three steps away, looking at me with no expression. "I moved you here just so I wouldn't have to go to that rotten prison to give you a harsher punishment," he added in a cold tone.

I lifted my face and met our gazes in a straight line. I must admit that my heart was drumming quite fast. Meeting Ace's green eyes made my soul tremble. This damn mate bond forced me to work hard to hide my feelings from him.

"Do you think I care?" I said while staring at him coldly.

His eyelids widened with faintly swaying eyeballs. He seemed surprised, but I didn't care. I moved my feet to the bedside and grabbed a piece of clothing I had left.

"If that's all you have to say, you can leave!" I chased him away.

"Who dare you kick me out?" He was angry. Ace pulled my arm until my body twisted and crashed into his chest. We stared briefly, and I saw the faint doubt in his eyes. He blinked and gulped. I admit he had good self-control. He seemed calm as he said firmly, "I am the Alpha here. And you are not in the capacity to command me!"

While suppressing the pounding in my chest, I said, "I'm not commanding you around. Instead, I'm reminding you that an Alpha shouldn't get too close to a half-breed prisoner like me."

He blinked and then looked at his hand, gripping my arm. I thought he was going to throw me off, but instead, he grabbed my arm tighter and tighter until I winced in pain.

"Don't think you have the right to speak presumptuously to me! You may be my mate, but don't expect me to claim you!" He hissed with sharp eyes and a tightened jaw.

He admitted it. I thought he wouldn't admit to this fate, but I was wrong. I brushed his hand off my arm. I put a little distance between us, and this was it.

"Speaking of fate, I have something to tell you.” I paused my words to find out that his green eyes moved faintly, but he did not interrupt me. I assumed he was waiting for me to continue. So, I took a deep breath as I looked into his eyes. "I, Victoria Russell, reject you, Alpha Ace Cassilas, as my mate," I said firmly.

Ace tightened his jaw. He glared at me with rapid breathing, then grabbed my wrist.

"Who the hell do you think you are, huh?" His snapping made my heart skip a beat. "I, Alpha Ace Cassilas, do not accept your rejection!" he insisted.

A while ago, Ace seemed surprised by my rejection. But now I was the one surprised by his decision. What did he want? Shouldn't he be happy with this rejection? We didn't need to be tied to each other anymore. But he made a decision that I didn't expect.

"Why?" I asked in a choked voice.

He looked at me sarcastically.

"You ask me why?" Ace squinted at me. The next second, he threw me onto the bed. I wasn't ready and couldn't resist as Ace locked me under his control. On the top of my body, he said, "If anyone should do the rejection, then that person should be me, not you!"

I turned my face away when Ace was about to kiss me, but he didn't stop. Ace kissed my neck and occasionally bit it. I resisted with all my might, but my body responded differently. This wasn't how I felt before. My body loved his every touch. I tried so hard, but my body craved his touch. Damn it! This mate bonding is overwhelming me with lust.

I thought this wasn't just happening to me. I could feel Ace's burning desire. I was sure he hadn't forgotten what I said about half-breeds. Ace wouldn't have lowered his pride by fucking me again if not for the Moon Goddess, who had bound our souls.

This was so embarrassing. I hated him, but he was also the one who had made me orgasm several times. My mouth even shamelessly let out sigh after sigh as Ace touched the sensitive spots on my body. I didn't even recognize myself. Ace made me so soar that I almost lost my mind.

For the umpteenth time, Ace brought me closer to orgasm. I bit my lip hard to hold back that embarrassing sigh. But it was getting harder and harder to control. Ace moved faster, and I couldn't hold back anymore. I gave up. The muscles all over my body tightened, and I sighed. At the same time, Ace growled as we climaxed simultaneously.

“You feel so good,” he said with a grin.

I was so embarrassed. As soon as he pulled his dick out, I rolled over onto one side of him. I pulled up the blanket to cover my naked body. It turned out to be very difficult to resist fate. I, who was so eager to resist him, ended up embarrassed under his body.

A moment later, I felt the bed sway. The reflection in the mirror showed Ace getting off the bed and putting on his clothes. I didn't dare move at all, let alone turn to him. I thought I wouldn't dare show my face before him, either.

"I think I've changed my mind. Instead of rejecting our fate, I have a much better idea." Ace paused his words, and I remained quivering against him. "Listen to me carefully, Little Wolf! Half-breed or not, I already bought you at a high price. So, you will remain my slave. Whenever I want you, you must serve me. You got it?" he continued.

It was like thunder striking on a sunny day. The story about the half-breed didn't succeed in making Ace let me go. Before he left, he even came over to me. He stood beside the bed where I was lying with an arrogant smile.

"I know you like my touch. Next time, don't bite your lip! I want to hear you sigh my name, then I'll make you cum even more," he taunted, making me feel even more humiliated.