Chapter 6: Valkin Alphas

Scarlett’s POV

The dark-haired Valkin Alpha strode into the room, his eyes narrowed in a glare that was almost venomous. I kept my gaze lowered, knowing that meeting his stare would only provoke him further. His scorn was palpable, filling the room with an oppressive weight.

“I see you’ve made yourself comfortable already,” he sneered. I stayed silent, my heart beating heavily in my chest.

“Who gave you clothes?” he pressed, and I felt a pang of dread. I couldn’t bring myself to betray the old woman who had shown me kindness, so I lied, summoning as much defiance as I could muster.

“I stole them,” I replied. His expression shifted, and soon the other two entered, laughter bubbling up as if I were some private joke.

“You are indeed your father’s child,” the dirty blonde remarked, his voice laced with contempt. Heat flushed through me at the insult, anger boiling over.

“My father may be many things, but he is no thief,” I shot back. I’d held my tongue long enough; I wasn’t about to let them slander him, despite everything.

The dark-haired man’s face darkened further, his eyes narrowing. “Let this be the last time you talk back,” he warned, his voice chillingly low. My anger simmered, but I bit down on any further retorts, keeping my peace.

They moved to the three-seater in the parlour, settling themselves like kings judging a subject. The blonde spoke first, his eyes gleaming with something twisted.

“I think this woman needs some discipline. All the screwing around has given her guts. We aren’t like the regular bums you’ve been with, Scarlett.”

The words stung, but before I could react, the silver-haired one added coldly, “From now on, you’ll sleep here on the couch.”

My eyes widened, and a rush of dread spread through me. Being forced to stay here, so close to them, felt like a sentence. I wanted nothing to do with them, yet they were trapping me, cornering me in every way they could.

I stood there frozen, hoping they’d reconsider. My voice felt strangled in my throat, but I forced myself to speak, desperate for anything that might change their minds.

“Why?” I managed, my voice barely more than a whisper. “Why would you want me here, in this room, with you? You’ve already taken everything from me. What more could you possibly want?”

The words hung in the air, and though I knew I was risking more punishment, I couldn’t stop the flood of bitterness from escaping. I couldn’t hold back my hatred, my resentment, even as I feared what their answer might be.

“You don’t need to keep me here. You’ve taken everything from me; just let me go in peace,” I pleaded, my voice breaking slightly. “I won’t return to the South. I promise.” I thought it was a fair plea; they’d stripped me of my inheritance, my home, my dignity. Letting me go seemed like the only reasonable thing left to do.

But the dirty blonde man shook his head, stepping closer until I could feel his hot breath, his eyes piercing mine. “I’m afraid we can’t do that, even if we wanted to,” he murmured. There was a cruel certainty in his voice that made my heart sink.

He leaned in, his gaze darkening with something that looked almost like resentment. “You see, fate has made that impossible. You belong to us, Scarlett. Even though you’ve defiled yourself, lived recklessly… Fate has still handed you to us.”

I looked at him, completely bewildered. None of it made sense. What did he mean?

“Life is so twisted,” he continued, his tone filled with a quiet rage, “that fate has given us you.” His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “You are our fated mate, Scarlett.”

The words landed like a physical blow, and my eyes widened in shock. I felt my heart pound wildly, desperate to deny the possibility. But he didn’t stop there.

“We can’t reject you,” he said, bitterness laced in every word. “If we did, it would weaken us. So we’re bound to keep you here.”

It was too much. Tears slid down my face, unbidden, as the horrible truth settled in. If they were telling the truth, if I truly was their fated mate, then I was trapped. Valkin Alphas never rejected their fated mates; to do so would weaken their power, diminish their strength. I was their weakness, and that meant they would never let me go.

My fate was sealed, a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.