Now that you're mine

Raven's POV

My wrists feel numb from holding up my weight on these chains for what I believe to be hours.

My heartbeat feels uneven, one second it's too weak and in the next it's pounding at a threatening pace.

I've been bitten, marked by the beast. I glance down through my blurry gaze. The sight of my feet causes me to sigh in relief. It didn't work. It couldn't have, otherwise I'd be wailing in agony by now, wagging a tail I can't control… or possibly dead.

The sound of laughter strikes through my eardrums causing me to wince in pain. There's no one in sight yet it sounds like people are laughing right in my head.

“I need to get out of here,” I mutter to myself, breaking into a cough as the damp, rotten stench of the cell becomes overwhelming.

Day two… maybe it's day three.

I'm not sure anymore. No matter how hard I want to convince myself that the animal's bite last night did nothing to me, my body says otherwise.

I tug at the chains on my wrists. “Get me out of here!” I cry at the top of my voice. “I swear on all things dead when I get out of here, I'll rip everyone of you to shreds, starting from that asshole you call an alpha King!”

My throat burns, my eyes, my flesh. I scream again needing to get out of this cell but most importantly out of my quickly changing body.

The bite mark on my neck burns and my voice cracks as I realize, “It's happening, the shift. I need help. I need to get out of here while I can.”

“Awe, is our little pup scared?”

My eyes snap up, darkening at the sight of one of the alpha brothers, Leo.

“Oh, look how bright that mark is.” Callum smiles triumphantly. “Damn, almost looks like that of a mate bond.”

“Imagine she'd turned out to be that dick's mate? I would definitely have gotten the throne.” Leo says, his eyes never leaving mine, searching every inch of me.

“I'm older than you remember.” Callum points out.

Leo licks his lips, immediately changing the topic, “She's quite the beauty.”

“I know that look Leo, I don't think it's a wise idea.” Callum steps back.

“Well then be on the lookout for me. I just want to have a little taste.”

My blood boils. “Come near me and I'll make sure to pound the life out of you.”

Leo pushes open the cell gate. “The only pounding happening here today, will be me wrecking that tight ass of yours.”

“Shit,” Callum exclaims.

“What?” Leo frowns, turning towards him.

“Father is here.”

The Alpha King.

My body trembles with a newly discovered fear. It's in this moment that I pick up the sound of confident footsteps.

Soon enough two guards rush in, loosening my cuffs. I would fight but for some reason I feel extremely weak. The most I manage is to stand on my feet, with my head held high as I'm dragged out into the hallway.

The Alpha King steps forward. His dark robe sweeps the floor behind him, piercing gold eyes sink into my soul.

I fist my hands once I realize the heavy breathing in the room is coming from me.

“Kneel.” It's a calm command.

I prepare for beating when I catch the anger burning in the King's gaze at my disobedience.

Suddenly it hits me.

I've read about this before… an Alpha's aura.

But it only works on their kind, not humans… not hunters.

My knees buckle as the force of his silent command slams into me like a brick.

My chest tightens from suffocation as I gasp. But that's not all as my hands crash to the cold stone floor as my forehead kisses the icy ground.

I bow.

The room erupts with laughter. The dark sound is sure to hunt me for the remaining few moments of my life.

On my knees like an obedient dog, shame threatens to eat me alive as a single tear slides down my cheek.

What have they turned me into?

“Look at this,” I hear Leo sneer. Then there's the sound of footsteps circling me. “She kneels so beautifully. Maybe she’s meant for it.”

His words disgust me but I remain silent. Who knows what next the alpha king will make me do?

“Let me keep her, Father,” he continues and my heart nearly stops for all the negativity I can hear in his heavy tone. “Just for a while. I’ll tame her. Break her in.”

Break me in? Haven't you done enough?!

“Lift your eyes.” The alpha King commands.

Just like before, I obey against my will. He's watching me with unreadable eyes.

Footsteps alert me again.

This time something strange happens. Before seeing him or even hearing his name, I already know who it is.

Saviour.

It's something in the way the air shifts. The immediate confusing warmth that rushes through me.

It feels wrong but doesn't prevent my heart from stuttering. And then I want to look away but I can’t.

He looks taller than I remember, dressed in black all through.

“Crawl to your master,” the Alpha King surprises everyone by saying. “To your owner.”

The room stills.

Or maybe it's just the ruins left of my world that crashes in the moment.

He wants me to crawl… to him? The bastard who has poisoned me. The monster who has turned me into one myself!

“No,” I whisper, furiously holding back hot tears.

Pain shoots through my jaw as I crash into the ground. I glare at the guard who just kicked my head as blood coats my tongue.

“You will do as commanded.” The idiot says. I'm about to spit a sharp reply when Saviour's words cause the whole hallway to be silent.

“I don’t want her,” he says with a slight waver in his voice.

Leo grins. “Then let me have her.”

My body immediately turns cold.

Without wasting time, I get on my hands and knees and crawl towards Saviour.

No matter what Saviour is… Leo is worse.

I've made my choice. My arms tremble, my knees bleed, but I keep going because I’ll take the monster who hesitates over the one who doesn’t any day.

By the time I'm at his shiny black shoe, I bow, feeling all my dignity fall off my shoulders.

I hate this but I must survive.

“You are next in line Saviour. Learn to take responsibility.” The alpha King states with slight annoyance in his tone before storming off.

Leo snorts, following his brother and father out.

Then the hall is empty and that's when Saviour steps forward.

In one swift painful move, his hand grips my hair, forcing my head back.

His gaze is wild with hatred and murder.

“I didn’t ask for this,” he seethes, “But now that you’re mine…”

“Ugh!” I groan as his grip tightens.

He finishes off slowly ensuring I grasp every bit of his message. “…I’ll make sure you wish you weren’t.”