”Drop.
The.
Lady.
Now.”
I froze—and so did Jake.
When he turned, there stood a growling, half-turned mighty werewolf.
Jake slowly lowered me to the ground.
He backed away slightly.
“This is not the end, Chase King,” he spat, then walked off.
Chase didn’t even spare me a glance as he turned and left.
I woke in the wee hours of the morning and decided to make pancakes for Chamberlain and me.
Halfway into cooking, I heard voices downstairs.
The door was yanked open—and suddenly, several men pounced on me.
“Let me go!
Don’t touch me!” I kicked and pushed, but it was useless.
I was no match for their strength.
They tied my hands and legs.
Gagged me.
I looked around frantically, hoping the maids would help, but all I saw was fear in their eyes.
What was happening?
My heart pounded loudly as they dragged me away.
I felt helpless—like a bird with clipped wings.
Just like that time I was almost kidnapped in the human world.
I awoke to a blinding light.
I shut my eyes tight.
“Wake up, little princess,” a deep voice sneered, kicking at my feet.
My eyes flung open.
It took me a moment to realize I was tied to a chair—five men surrounded me.
“She’s awake, boss,” one of them said.
A boy, maybe four years older than me, stepped into view.
“Hi, Arya,” he said, smiling sinisterly.
He tried to touch my face, but I turned away.
Terror gripped me.
That’s when it hit me—I’d been kidnapped.
“Who are you!” My voice trembled.
I glared at them.
They all burst into laughter.
“Oh my God, she’s scared,” one chuckled.
“It’s the Alpha’s girl,” another whined in a singsong voice, sending the room into another round of laughter.
Their leader leaned into my face. Find the original chapter at g.com.
“Now, sweetheart, we don’t want to waste your time or ours.
So here’s how this will go.
You’ll call your Alpha.
Tell him to wire us a million dollars—and *ta-da*, you’re free.”
I inhaled sharply, and did the opposite of what my brain begged me to do.
“First of all, *nitwit*, I am not your sweetheart.
Second, I will not give you a single cent.
You can go to hell and burn to ashes,” I snapped, teeth clenched—and then spat on him.
The leader slowly stood and sighed.
He wiped his face in silence.
“Flora.
Do your job.”
I turned—and there she was.
*Flora*, from the palace.
I barely had time to process the shock before *smack!*—a hard slap crashed against my face.
“Aargh!” I cried out.
My eyes welled with tears.
I didn’t know which hurt more—the sting or seeing Flora standing there.
“Flora…” I whispered as the tears streamed down.
My tied hands couldn’t wipe them away.
“Shut the fuck up, Miss Arya,” she snapped, glaring coldly.
“Oh, little princess, don’t cry,” the leader mocked in a baby voice, and they all laughed again.
“We don’t usually get tantrum-throwing girls.”
I didn’t understand what was going on.
One minute, Flora was my maid.
The next, she’s slapping me.
Then it hit me—her grip.
She had always been too strong.
She was no ordinary maid.
“Who are you people?
Cowards!” Another slap landed hard on my cheek.
My vision blurred.
Just before I blacked out, I heard their conversation.
“Are we actually selling her?” one asked.
“No.
The betrothed she-wolf wants her.”
Oh God.
These were werewolf hunters.
This was what they’d accused Chase of—turns out, other werewolves were involved.
I thought of Chamberlin, and my heart shattered.
Then everything faded to black.
I jolted awake.
My body was freezing—ice covered my skin. Get faster updates on g.com.
I was shivering.
“Did you really think you’d have Alpha Chase all to yourself?” a voice sneered.
I squinted—and recognition struck.
She’d been in Chase’s study that day.
The day I found out he was my mate and Chamberlin’s father.
“I don’t want him,” I croaked.
“Liar!” she hissed.
“Then why did you have his child?
Bring me the whip,” she barked.
In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to die.
My eyes widened in horror as a guard seized me.
“Please—I didn’t mean for any of this to happen!” I begged, struggling, but it was no use.
I was outnumbered, outpowered.
My heart thumped in my ears, and I shook like a leaf.
I fell to her feet.
“Please… have mercy.
Pl—”
”Silence!”
The scent of leather thickened in the air.
A whip.
I was rolled onto a dirty mat and shoved down.
My ankles were bound.
With my eyes shut, I imagined the whip lifting—and then it struck.
I writhed like a worm in salt.
The pain.
It was sharper than anything I’d ever felt.
Like it had been soaked in pepper water.
The mat scratched my skin as I writhed.
I cried.
“Please…” I sobbed, but she ignored me.
“Not.
A.
Word!” she barked.
“One more word and I’ll start over.”
The whip cracked in the air—and struck again.
I clamped a hand over my mouth, stifling my cries.
The lashes kept coming.
With every blow, I tried to build a new threshold for pain.
Tried to save some strength.
But it was pointless.
Each whip broke me further.
Each blow made me dream of death.