**Chapter 4: The Alpha's Possession**
Zephyr stared at him, unable to form words. His dark aura almost consumed her, and she was scared—scared for her own life. She hadn’t known it was his cub. The little thing was hurt, and she had just wanted to help. Zephyr looked at the helpless cub in her arms. She shouldn’t be in the same space as the Alpha. She wanted to step back, but the wall hindered her, and then his face loomed over hers.
"I'm sorry, my lord. I didn't know it was your cub. It was hurt, and I..." Zephyr bit her lip nervously as she avoided his soul-piercing gaze.
Her eyes were still fixed on the cub in her arms, but his silence made her even more afraid. That’s when she looked up to meet his gaze.
His lips tilted up into a sardonic smirk as he stared at her with intrigue. He took a step away from her.
"Come here, Rayven," he said to the little cub in her arms. The cub didn’t waste a second before jumping from her arms and landing smartly on the floor next to its master.
"Naughty thing, searching for food for your mother, weren't you?" Damon chuckled as he crouched and patted Rayven on the head.
Zephyr’s body stiffened upon hearing his words. If only she hadn’t been so curious, if only she had ignored the sound, she would have been safely tucked in bed by now. The cub ran off, leaving Zephyr and the Alpha alone. Zephyr pressed her hands to her chest as Damon continued to stare at her.
"I'm leaving you with a warning: don’t go poking your nose into things that don’t concern you. Get out." His voice was cold, and Zephyr didn’t waste another second before sprinting out of the room.
She ran as fast as her small feet would carry her, reaching her room and collapsing onto the bed. She felt scared. He was terrifying. Zephyr shut her eyes tightly, trying to push thoughts of him out of her mind.
---
Damon sat in front of the fireplace, lost in thought. What the hell was wrong with him? That little girl should have been dead by now, but for some odd reason, he hadn’t let anyone touch a strand of her hair.
Rayven ran toward him, circling his legs. He almost bit Damon, but Damon was quick to kick the little cub, sending him crashing into the hard wall. The cub transformed into a young man who looked about Damon’s age. His black silk hair fell on both sides of his temples, and his black eyes glared at Damon.
He rose to his full height, placing both hands on his slim waist. He was shirtless.
"The last time I make a damn bet with Damon Alaric. I can’t believe you made me transform into a stupid cub and carried me like a weak, helpless animal," Rayven said, glaring at his heartless best friend.
"You were one," Damon deadpanned.
Rayven scoffed, then collapsed into the chair beside Damon.
"She was pretty, though. And cute too," Rayven chuckled. He pulled out the fabric Zephyr had torn to bandage his wound and sniffed it.
"She smells like snow too. Can I keep her, Damon?" Rayven smirked.
Damon got up from his chair, walked over to Rayven, and snatched the fabric from his hand. Without another word, he left.
"Crazy," Rayven muttered, but the smirk quickly faded as he fell into thought.
---
Zephyr’s hair was tied in a neat bun, as the maids hated it when she let her long hair fall loose. She knelt on the floor, cleaning the large hallway all by herself. She didn’t know why, but she was always given the most work. She finished quickly, clutching her stomach as it rumbled with hunger.
She would have waited until nighttime, but after what happened last time, she quickly dismissed the thought. Zephyr left the hallway and headed to the kitchen, where the maids were.
She couldn’t look up as their discriminatory eyes fell on her. She felt like dirt. They stared at her with disdain, and Zephyr nearly shrank to the floor. She took her plate of food and looked around, trying to find a place to sit. She nervously approached a table where three maids were already seated. She was about to sit when one of the maids kicked the chair away.
"Get lost, filth," she said scornfully.
Zephyr tried to sit at three other tables, but the maids harshly chased her away. Her eyes began to fill with tears, threatening to spill over. Finally, she found an empty table and sat alone, placing her food on the table. She had eaten only one spoonful when someone roughly dragged her by the hair and pushed her to the floor.
Zephyr’s elbows bled from the impact of the fall. She looked up, and it was none other than Sheila. Sheila grabbed her plate of food and dumped it on her head. Zephyr clenched her fists, struggling to hold back her tears.
"How dare you think you can eat with us, you lowly whore!" Sheila spat as she yanked Zephyr’s hair and began slapping her harshly.
Zephyr couldn’t hold back any longer. Tears rushed from her eyes as no one came to her aid. Everyone seemed to enjoy the spectacle. They all hated her. When Sheila had finally had enough, she let Zephyr go.
Zephyr quickly ran out of the kitchen, her tears falling freely. She was exhausted—tired of being mistreated every single day. It felt like her existence was a sin, and that was why she was being punished. She was going through hell with no one to lean on. Everyone hated her. She wished everything would just end—her life was filled with misery.
Zephyr ran to the top floor of the castle, the clock tower. She stood there as the strong wind hit her face. Her eyes were red from crying, and her face bruised from Sheila’s slaps.
"I don’t want to live anymore," Zephyr cried as she stepped closer to the edge of the tower. She stood on the railing, not daring to look down—if she did, she would be too scared to go through with it.
Under the full moon, Zephyr whispered her last prayers and jumped from the railing. Her heart felt like it was in her throat as she plummeted, time seeming to slow. Zephyr closed her eyes, bracing herself for the skull-cracking impact, but it never came.
She slowly opened her eyes, and they widened in shock when she realized she was in the Alpha’s arms.
His dark gray eyes glared at hers, and Zephyr immediately forgot how to breathe. His lips suddenly tilted into a sinister smirk, frightening her even more.
"You prayed for death, and here I am," he said coldly. Before Zephyr could process his words, Damon swiftly drew his dagger and stabbed her.
Zephyr's eyes widened slightly, and she instantly felt her life draining away. She couldn't form any words as she felt herself succumb to the darkness.
Chapter 24Zephyr ran outside the castle to collect the Alpha’s mail from the butler. She had promised herself that she would tread carefully—there would be no mistakes while she served him, and she wouldn’t go against any of his instructions, not after what she had gone through the day before.It was early in the morning, and the castle buzzed with maids and servants who were in a hurry to get their work done. As she walked, she could feel scrutinizing eyes on her, but she kept a straight face and continued without glancing at them. She was now wearing a neat black-and-white uniform like the other maids—she was no longer dressed in rags. Her hair was packed in a neat bun, and the injuries she had sustained from Sheila’s beatings had healed completely.As she walked, her eyes secretly searched for North, hoping to get even a glimpse of her, but she was nowhere in sight. Stepping outside, she saw a well-polished carriage with two horses, and Lord Rayven stood in front of it, seriously
Chapter 23Zephyr’s eyes widened as he slipped the fabric off her leg. Her heart raced rapidly; she could barely breathe as she was left gobsmacked. His hand was still on her thigh, squeezing and massaging it gently, leaving Zephyr in disarray.Her cheeks, neck, and even her eyes burned from what he was doing to her. His large, cold hands on her tender skin, his movements—everything was too much for her to take in. What was he planning to do to her? Her body trembled under his hold, and her eyes glistened with tears, silently pleading for him to just let her go and not take her virginity.He eventually withdrew his hand from her body and stepped out of the bed, leaving her there. Zephyr’s face contorted with both fear and worry. With her hands still tied to the headboard, she couldn’t move an inch. She couldn’t help herself out of this crazy and embarrassing situation she had landed in. She wished she had never disobeyed the Alpha’s instructions to begin with—not that she had ever don
Chapter 22Zephyr clenched the side of her gown with her hand as she watched the Alpha suck her wound. Heat rose to her neck and cheeks, and she wished she could just disappear from his sight. She had never been touched by a man before—that was, not until the Alpha started taking an interest in her.As she watched him, she remembered that night at the inn where he had cornered her and fondled her bosom. She had been that scared and overwhelmed at the same time. Several feelings spiraled inside her that night—she had been too shocked and scared. But now that she thought about it again, she felt this strange heat in her body. It was highly embarrassing—the way he had groped her. She had to remind herself that this same man had seen her naked so many times already. Her chastity was as good as dead in front of him. These were things she had planned to keep hidden from her future husband. She couldn’t let him find out. How would he react if he knew she had been seen and touched by another
Chapter 21Noah’s face hardened when Zephyr snatched her hand away from his grip, and he was even more annoyed by the fact that the Alpha had to interrupt their moment. But this wasn’t just any Alpha—this was the Alpha of the Shadowcrest Pack, so he quickly masked his annoyance with a composed expression.“Alpha Damon,” he bowed his head in respect.“Did you forget the route to the drawing room, Viscount Noah? Last I remembered, Lycans ought to have a sharp memory—unless, of course, one has failed to use their brain for a long time,” the Alpha said nonchalantly. As he spoke, his eyes never left his mate, who was supposed to be waiting for him in his chambers—not gallivanting with another man.Noah’s cheeks burned with embarrassment, and he clenched his fists to tame his anger. Extreme rage simmered within him at how the Alpha indirectly insulted him in the presence of the woman he was yet to woo.“I did remember the route to the drawing room, milord. I just came out for some fresh air
Chapter 20Damon’s eyes twitched as he stared at him, another chuckle erupting from his lips.“Now, how on earth did you find out about that?” Rayven smirked. “It’s nothing personal, just wanted to play with you a bit,” he chuckled nervously.“Sure, play,” Damon muttered. His long claws came out, and his other eye, which had previously been gray, turned pitch black too.Before Rayven could blink, Damon threw him off the railing with such force that he landed hard on the ground. The impact left a huge dent, and Rayven lay there as pain erupted from every angle of his body.Blood poured from his head, and he felt like all the bones in his body were broken. He could hear the faint sound of footsteps approaching. Damon leaned closer to him and wrapped his hand around Rayven’s neck with his claw.“I’ve been wondering where the brain to create such a creature even came from in the first place. I knew ever since that day those idiots attacked me that it was your fucking doing,” Damon said, t
Chapter 19Zephyr’s eyes fluttered open again. Her eyes felt heavy, and she felt so weak, like all the blood had been drained from her body. She struggled to recall what had happened the last time she had woken up, but it was close to impossible for her.Using every ounce of her strength, she sat up on the bed. The logs of wood in the fireplace burned vibrantly, bringing enough warmth and heat to the room. Zephyr looked outside, and she saw that it was night already.She knew she was in the Alpha’s chambers yet again, and sometimes, she wondered if he remembered she was just a slave. Zephyr was scared; that day in the woods, he had told her that her life would belong to him after saving her. When she found out he was the Alpha, she never thought he would care about her or protect her.Why did it feel like there was more to the story than she knew? It didn’t make any sense, but if it did, why would the Alpha care about someone like her? She was only a slave. She remained on the large b