Chapter 5: Ophelia's Situation

His presence altered the atmosphere of the room while also making it quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

“Alpha Arthur, what a pleasant surprise,” Jessica said respectfully. “Will Beta Anthony be joining you?”

“Yes,” Arthur said without emotion. Everyone was staring at him, and then Anthony joined him.

“Sorry if I’m late,” Anthony said.

Arthur flicked his eyes at Anthony.

He remained enigmatically silent and didn’t look me in the eye as Jessica continued, “Ophelia has been through some extensive abuse. Physically, she's mending but it will take time for her to completely heal." She held the metal bed frame, standing to my right. I found her presence comforting compared to the sudden heavy weight of Arthur’s obtuseness.

He simply nodded to Jessica with an air of authority. Beta Anthony rushed to brush off a chair for the Alpha to sit. Arthur sat and began casually flipping through a magazine.

Without picking up his head to look at me, he asked, “How is your body healing?”

I dared not peek at him again. I was too afraid. It was as if his aura had a tangible presence in and of itself. I tried to control myself and stay calm but I couldn’t stop my voice from trembling.

“I’m starting to feel better than when I f-first got here,” I managed quietly.

“Good,” he said and moved to my bed.

He was faster than any wolf I'd ever seen as he adeptly slipped to my bedside. His looming presence sent shivers down my spine as he towered over me. He was close enough to smell his expensive cologne mixed with his natural musky masculine scent.

Out of my peripheral view, I could see that his pants were pressed, the crease crisp and precise, his suit clinging to his sinuous body almost as though he were not mortal but a perfectly built specimen.

Though he was casual and confident in his posture, there was rigidity. His actions were controlled right down to the perfect fit of the suit jacket he wore which hugged his broad shoulders. Then his eyes flicked down to me. Butterflies in my stomach evolved into full-body shivers.

"Lift your head for me," he ordered, his voice slack yet gravely, the deepness flowing out of his mouth resembling the tune of an upright bass.

I felt intimidated, to say the least, my heart picking up at a rapid pace. An involuntary shudder racked my whole body as he remained at my bedside.

"Look at me," he commanded.

He lifted his hand toward me. A flashback of my former Moon Pack was triggered, the visceral response of fear emerging at the surface of my psyche. I cringed, closing my eyes. I expected his harsh strike... but it never came.

His fingers gently brushed the hair on my forehead. The moment his fingers brushed over my skin…

But something kept me looking at him. Instead of turning away, I held eye contact with him. I was drawn to him. The longer we locked eyes, the more I felt my shame and anger from the past dissipate. I had a peaceful sense of bathing in their sea of tranquility. They were crystal blue with slightly darker rings around the edges with a magnetic quality that I couldn’t turn away from.

He was mere inches from me. I was at the perfect eye level of his beltline. Inadvertently, I found myself staring at places I should not be. Places on his body that were reserved for mates only.

The incongruity of my role under him caused my heart to beat faster. I began to blush, the cardinal flush of blood in my cheeks uncontrollable. Goosebumps surfaced along my arms and neck.

“Are you afraid of me?”

“No.”

He sneered and walked away.

Jessica broke the awkward silence with a smile and said, “He’s a very busy Alpha. Too busy to explain the intricacies of your situation.”

Beta Anthony looked at me and asked, “Do you understand the circumstances of the contract?”

"I know that we’re married; my father sold me to the Alpha. I'm here to work off a debt. Just tell me what it is I need to do."

“Beta Anthony, you didn’t explain what was going on here to Miss Clark?” Arthur asked, his voice flat and final without emotion.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my face contorted in confusion.

“I can explain,” began Anthony. “It’s like this—”

"Your father never told you, did he?" Alpha Arthur asked, cutting Anthony off. Anxiety exploded in my chest. My eyes were glued to his as he searched my face. "There is only one purpose for you. You're here to be a breeder. A breeder for me, and me only."

My heart sank.

I had honed my skill to seek out the moods, motivations, and agendas of others, having been raised in a pack of sociopaths. It was essential to my survival that I be vigilant at all times, using what little wolf sense I had left to judge the temperature of the room.

My feelings often saved me from a harsher beating because I’d avoided a particularly livid member of the Moon Pack. Now, I was using that schematic to assess Arthur and I had him figured out.

He wasn't looking at me with admiration or attraction. He was sizing up the purchase he had just made. I was nothing more than an object to him.