Chapter Eleven

Cassiopeia Nyx

"Please, i didn't do it," i begged, my knees scraping against the bare floor. "I'm sorry."

My father's eyes gleamed visciously as he grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, pressing me into the wall with brute strength.  My legs dangled in the air as i gasped for air, pushing against his steel like grip. My efforts proved futile and i could feel my heart pushing against my chest like it was ready to abandon its owner and flee for its life, leaving  me in the grasp of danger.

"They are all going to have fun with you." He sneered into my ear, bounding my arms and legs to the chains he had specifically attached to the wall of my cell just to turture me. My fear was molten, running through my bloodstream with a paralyzing speed. My mouth immediately grew dry as my neck pressed to the side of the wall, my arms and legs chained with silver, a metal that burned at my skin.

My entire body shivered as i antcipated the torture, whipping wasn't as harsh as branding or searing and i could endure it to the best of my abilities. My gown billowed  behind me as i closed my eyes in resignation, Any moment now.

To my surprise, instead of the usual studded horse whip to my back, I felt a finger snake up my thigh like a feather, stopping just below the conjuction of my ass.

Don't tell me?...

My body buckled in denial, attempting to free myself from the iron clad shackles but it was of no use.

"Please," I sobbed in fear as the cold hair slapped my exposed legs as he pulled my dress higher. "A..anything, anything but this."

"You're going to enjoy this, little bird," a dark and grimy voice whispered, nicking my earlobe with his teeth.

My entire body froze as the words slithered into my ears. My skin crawled with disgust,  heart pounding with fear and

desperation. I thrashed against the chains, the sharp bite of silver searing into my flesh, sending shocks of pain radiating through my  limbs.

"'l be good! I swear, please just stop!" My  voice broke, a mixture of terror and humiliation as she realized what was about to happen.

The grimy voice chuckled darkly, amused by her panic. "Good? Oh, you're already good, Cassiopeia. So good that everyone's dying to have a turn." His rough hand gripped her waist

possessively, his breath hot against her neck.

Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision, my  mind spinning as i tried to block out the horror. This can't be happening. Not again. But it was. The cruelty, the violation, the powerlessness - it was all too familiar.

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to focus, to fight the overwhelming despair threatening to consume me.  I couldn't let them break me. I won't let them break me.

****

My eyes forced open in terror as i gasped for air, searching around the corners of the room for any sign of my father's beta. I sighed in relief when my vision was greeted with nothingness, easing myself back unto the bed slowly, my chest still heaving with exhaustion.

My body trembled with the aftermath of my nightmare. I sighed, pushing myself up to my elbows. I was still here.

Would I even be able to leave here?

Even if he hadn't tortured me yet, living in constant fear and torment was just as bad as it gets.

Where was the Alpha King? Was he alive?.

I took a deep breath, still shaken from the remnants of my nightmare, the vivid horrors clawing at the edges of my mind. I wiped at my face, the beads of sweat lingering on my brow. It took a moment before I felt calm enough to focus on my surroundings. The faint sound of water hitting tiles met my ears. My eyes darted to the en-suite bathroom.

Who is that?

Just as I pondered this, the door creaked open, and there he stood—Xeros, half-naked, water dripping from his hair and tracing the lines of his muscled torso. The sight of him, so raw and real, stirred something deep inside me. My heart raced, but this time, it wasn’t from fear.

For the first time, I felt it. The undeniable presence of something foreign yet so intimate, lurking at the back of my mind. I gasped softly, the sensation like a light hum, familiar but distant.

He looked at me, his golden eyes locking onto mine, and I knew immediately that he had noticed the shift in the air between us. The tension wasn’t the same fear I’d clung to before—it had transformed into something entirely different.

What is happening to me?

His brow furrowed slightly, as though he could sense the change in me, the sudden pull that my inner voice had on me now. I could feel it, awakened and restless, It felt like my inner consciousness had taken a form of its own.

No. I couldn't feel this way. Not for him. Not for the one who had claimed me against my will, who was still part of the world I feared. And yet.. i couldn't deny it. He was my mate, and now, for the first time, I couldn't push the bond away.

It was a battle between my inner consciousness and I.

My breath hitched as Xeros took a step closer. Everything and everywhere smellled of dark and rich wood with a hint of rain, hi gaze swept over me, as if he could read my thoughts, as if he knew exactly what was going on in my mind. His lips twitched slightly, and I hated how it made my pulse quicken.

I hated how it made me feel squirmish and hated how I wanted to throw myself against him, to be inside of him.

it felt raw and primal, it felt like these emotions weren't coming from. Sure, they were in my head, I thought of it, I felt it but I didn't want to.

"I can smell it ," he said, his voice low, rich like the earth beneath us. I swallowed, trying to suppress the burning sensation at the pit of my stomach.

"What..?" My voice came out weak, almost a whisper. "Something is wrong with me?"

He stopped at the edge of the bed, his damp skin inches from mine. The heat radiating from him made it impossible for me to think clearly. But his expression was unreadable. He knelt down, his hand resting on the edge of the bed, and his eyes pierced into mine.

“I can smell your lust ” Xeros began, his tone soft yet firm, “ It's your wolf, Cassie.”

I wanted to protest, to say that he was wrong and I definitely wasn't lusting over a monster but the words caught in my throat. My inner consciousness, which i had now acknowledged to be my wolf, howled within me, urging me to reach out, to touch him. But I held back. I had to. This wasn't real—it couldn’t be.

"Don’t fight it, Cassie," he murmured, and my name on his lips sent shivers down my spine.

I looked away, trying to regain some control. "I don't want this," I whispered, but even I could hear the lie in my voice.

"Maybe," he replied, standing again. “But your wolf does.”

I watched him as he walked towards the closet, rummaging for something to put on..

"Mate," I heard myself call out, my fight for control slipping from my grasp.

Immediately, he turned around, a golden ring glowing around his irises. His fangs had elongated and he no longer exuded the calmness and humanity he usually did, instead his face was contorted with the primal need to posses, to own..

To claim..