Chapter 10

Danica's POV

I kept walking like a puppy on a leash behind Alpha Alexander until he paused for a second to push the door to a room open.

That was it. The moment my fears kicked in more than ever.

I suddenly wanted to see Bianca one last time. There are suddenly a lot of things I want to do before I die.

My feet remained glued at the entrance, not daring to go in with him, even if every fiber in my being didn't want to be anywhere away from him. My fate couldn't be more twisted right now, could it?

"Danica?" His voice murmured and I was instantly snapped back to reality.

"Do I need to drag you in before you understand what I need you to do?" He asked, his voice sharper than it was a few minutes ago. I walked in, picking on my fingers with my eyes fixed on the suddenly 'beautiful' floor.

The Alpha remained speechless, and for the next ticking seconds, there was no movement in the room... Except for the steady beating of his heart and the erratic beating of mine. So, I stole a glance around and that was when I realized I was alone with him, here, in this room.

I had initially thought he had brought me to face the endless judging expressions of the pack officials, ready to have me executed for defying their Alpha but he actually brought me into a room filled with shelves and books?

"Alpha Alexander, I promise you, I didn't mean to disobey your order" I quickly blurted, taking one step and another backwards as he approached me with steady deliberate strides.

"Fine! You don't have to believe me... But can I see someone for the last time before you kill me?" I asked, stammering, still stepping back with each step he took towards me.

He didn't say anything, his face was devoid of any emotion and I immediately felt like crying.

"I can explain myself, I swear. Just hear me out..." I trailed off, flinching with my eyes tightly shut when my back hit the wall behind me and he closed the distance between us.

Seconds ticked by and I didn't feel anything. Not a hit, nor a punch or a stab, so I opened my eyes... Ever so slowly.

When my eyes locked in his, I could see the confusion that glinted in his cold distant eyes.

"Jesus, Danica. Did you just expect me to... Hit you?" He asked in disbelief and I shrank backwards into the wall... If it were any possible.

I've been subjected to hits virtually all my life, it wasn't a surprise I half expected him to slap me and tell me to shut the fuck up.

"I'm sorry, Alpha. I really didn't mean to disobey you. Please believe me" I whispered silently, willing my thumping heart to slow down a bit as I wondered if the darn organ was beating from fear or from how close he was right now.

"If you were really this scared of me, why did you choose to defy me, Dani?" He murmured huskily, his hand slowly curling up around my throat, trapping me easily to the wall behind me.

I swallowed thickly, feeling my knees buckle beneath me as fear twisted my nerves painfully. He wasn't squeezing, nor was he applying any pressure, but I just couldn't help myself from imagining how easy it would be for him to snap my neck off with just one twist of his strong hand.

His hand remained there, around my throat, as he searched my eyes for answers. "I... I had no choice. I can't possibly do much breaking out of chains without a wolf, can I?" I muttered defiantly before I could stop myself. The moment the words left my mouth, I slapped myself inwardly seeing how a frown crossed his expression subtly.

"Who did this to you?" He asked instead, his gaze fixed on the side of my right cheek.

"I face-bumped into my door last night" I lied smoothly but to the lights... Who did I think I was deceiving?

"This isn't a new bruise. I would barely catch the mark if I didn't look carefully" he reminded me and I immediately felt tongue tied.

I couldn't possibly tell him I got slapped three nights ago, and still retained the bruise mark, could I?

His hand tightened on my neck slowly and I sucked in a sharp breath. His grip wasn't harsh enough to hurt, but firm enough to leave me feeling every inch of his rough hand pressed against the skin of my neck. A picture of him holding me firm against this wall as he fucked my brains out flashed through a dark part of my mind and I instantly felt heat pooling between my legs.

'Okay Wolfie, calm the fuck down! You can't be dripping for a man who's about to snap your neck in two' I reminded myself quickly, shutting my eyes as I stylishly pressed my thighs together.

"Did you get hit? Is that why you expected me to hit you just now?" He asked at once, his voice softer than it was a minute ago but I shook my head... or at least, I tried to, but his grip on my neck wouldn't let me.

"You don't want to lie to me, Danica, trust me. Because if I find out you had gotten hit by some bastard and didn't just bump into 'your door', I wouldn't just be holding them in place with my hands softly on their neck. I would snap their neck in two right in front of you and then present their heads to you as a gift" he warned, his tone holding something more than just a threat... A promise.

But as much as I wanted to kick my family's asses into the curb, I couldn't watch them getting a death sentence right in front of me... Even after everything they'd made me go through. So, I came clean.

"Fine. I... I got hit" I muttered, almost inaudibly but I was sure he heard it. I felt so useless and small telling him I got hit and the fact that I'd flinched when he came close was only a confirmation that I had gotten hit several times than once.

My gaze traveled low and my lashes brushed my cheek bone as I refused to meet his gaze.

"Who hit you?" He asked and my mind traveled to all the hits I'd gotten ever since my mom fell sick and my stepmom had walked into our once peaceful lives. From stinging to scorching... Punishing to constructive... I'd been hit several times even just for the fun of it. The memories made my eyes burn with tears and my heart tighten with anger. I wanted them to burn, I wanted them to feel the pain I felt all those years and even more, and yet, here I was protecting them like they were a true family to me.

"Look at me when I talk to you, Danica. Who fucking hit you?!" Alexander's voice rose a notch, the authority that boomed with his words forcing my glossy eyes to lock with his in an instant.

"Virtually everyone in my family! Why? Are you going to wipe their heads all off and present them to me as a gift?" I threw back shakily, mind reeling between fear and sheer anger.

"You think I can't manage that much in five minutes?" He asked, tone smug, daring me to just say the words of doubt and he'll prove me wrong.

"No... No, you can't do that to them. They're still my family" I whispered through the lump in my throat, the word 'family' sounding sour and wrong on my tongue.

He slowly let go of my neck and I gulped in much needed air that I'd deprived myself when he was standing dangerously yet annoyingly close.

"What sort of family bullies another family member not just once but several times because they're weaker?" He asked slowly, almost as if he was asking himself and not me.

"Mine?" I murmured with a shrug, not realizing the lone tears that escaped my eyes until his fingers hooked up my chin, lifting it up until his lips slowly brushed the side of my face... his tongue flicking out to taste my tears.