Rhea’s POV
He was about to say something but changed course and said after a few seconds in a sober tone “The top row, third one from the right”
I clicked on each number he guided me through until I finished the last number.
“Now you need to write something, so he’ll know it’s from me and not a trap to lure him out” he said firmly then guided me through another set of buttons representing letters.
I started sweating as this was taking too damn long and I was starting to get more nervous of being discovered before I was done.
“Click that button on the top right side, yes….ok now it’s done. You can lock the phone by pressing the button on the side” he said in relief.
I breathed out and went back to sit on the ground again.
I was about to tie the phone back to my calf when Hazel alerted me that someone was approaching us.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the alpha tense up, as he too heard them coming our way.
I didn’t have time to untie the rope and then tie it back around the phone, so I improvised quickly.
I dug a shallow hole in the dirt, buried the phone and then put the dirt back quickly to cover it.
I was just standing back up, grabbing the whip in my hands when Stefan appeared from between the bushes.
He looked between us and then demanded in an angry tone “I thought I’d find him a lot more worse than I left him. You barely did anything”
I gave him a cold look “I had my fun with him, that’s what matters to me. Go ahead…make him worse all on your own” I threw the whip his way and was about to start walking away when he stopped me by ordering “Hold on”
I was starting to get agitated with him as I whirled back around and snapped at him “What?”
He approached me quickly and grabbed the empty water bottle peeking out of my front pocket.
“You gave him water, didn’t you?” he hissed angrily in my face.
“I didn’t, I drank it in front of him and made him watch” I said without missing a beat.
He narrowed his eyes at me, while I held my gaze on his, resisting the urge to look away, not that it really mattered considering what happened next.
He turned his attention towards the alpha who was giving him a death glare.
Stefan kicked him in the stomach so hard, I flinched in my place. His back was to me so thankfully he didn’t notice it.
The alpha groaned and coughed violently, that’s when Stefan jammed his dirty two fingers down the alpha’s throat, making him retch and puke out all the water he just drank from my bottle into the ground.
Shit, I’m so screwed now.
Let’s hope the asshole doesn’t find the phone I buried under his feet or I won’t just be screwed, I’ll be dead.
I see it coming before he even lifts his hand to hit me.
It was kind of a special gift I discovered when my wolf awakened inside me, two years ago.
I can always sense when someone is about to make a move against me.
It gave me a great advantage against anyone I fought with.
I blocked his fist and gave him back a stronger one, right on the same spot he just hit the alpha on.
Stefan doubled over and fell to his knees while hissing angrily “You whore! You’re going to pay for this… the alpha is already on his way”
Yeah, I’m definitely dead now.
While Stefan was too busy coughing on his hands and knees, I looked at the alpha and saw him looking back at me, a hint of wariness was evident in his eyes. Worry for me or worry for the plan that was about to be discovered, I couldn’t determine.
If they find out I shared this location with his brother and that we were about to be invaded again, they’ll move to another location and leave my dead body behind.
I had to do everything I can to avoid this.
My ears picked up the sounds of several people approaching us. I willed my heart to keep its rhythm steady.
Alpha Victor walked in with five of his closest circle.
I lowered my head in submission and cast my eyes down.
He was in his seventies probably, but you can tell he looks no older than forty considering we age slowly in regards to our physical appearances.
He had large deep brown, almost black eyes, a grey medium beard, and a shaved head.
He was tremendous in size and of course lethal in power.
He walked until he stood in front of me, too close for my comfort.
“Rhea” he said in a cold low voice that made my insides churn.
“Alpha” I said submissively, still looking down at the ground.
“Stefan said you gave this piece of shit water, is it true?” he asked menacingly.
I couldn’t lie to him. The evidence was there and it will only make things worse, so I gave him the truth… well, part of it.
“I gave him some so he wouldn’t die before we were done with him. I thought you wouldn’t like that alpha” I said firmly without letting my voice waver.
“Look at me” he ordered coldly.
I cast my eyes up to meet his dead, empty ones.
“Are you telling the truth?” he commanded.
It was an alpha command. I had no fucking choice.
My lips moved before I had time to fight it; not that it would have mattered, an alpha’s command is absolute. No amount of fighting can overrule it.
“No”
I cursed myself and lost control of my steady heartbeat as it skyrocketed, sensing our end coming.
Again, I sensed his attack before it even happened. But the problem this time is, he’s not Stefan. He’s the alpha. I was going to die anyway, but I’d rather it be quick than slow, and fighting back will definitely result in an excruciating death.
I stood my ground and braced myself, fighting every fiber of my being that wanted to block his blow.
His palm came down hard on my left cheek with a loud slap that echoed around the forest.
My head whirled to the side and my eyes teared up, but I held my mouth shut against the intense pain that claimed my whole face. I tasted blood inside my mouth and swallowed it down.
“Tie her up with silver chains next to that bastard, Stefan” ordered the alpha sharply.
I didn’t resist. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.
In a matter of minutes, my hands were tied above my head with silver that was scorching the skin of my wrists, hanging from a nearby tree branch, a few feet from the shackled alpha. I averted my eyes from looking at him, I didn’t want to give away anything else.
“If he alpha commands you again to tell him everything you did….” Hazel says to me in a panicked voice.
“I’m dead, I know. But I can’t fight it, Hazel” I said in desperation.
“You have to try! If he just thinks you’re sympathizing, he might punish you for it, but he won’t kill you. You need to avoid telling him anything about the phone, the first command took us by surprise, but now we know he’ll ask again, I’ll try to help you lie this time” she said intensely.
I didn’t see any point to it, but I decided to give it my hardest.
I keep my head down until alpha victor stands in front of me again.
He grasps my chin painfully and lifts my head to make me look at him again.
“Why did you give him water, Rhea?” he alpha commands in a deadly voice.
I tell the truth.
“I felt sorry for him. He was in so much agony” I said firmly.
His anger practically sets my heart on fire.
“You’re a disgrace to this pack. You felt sorry for the bastard who killed more than half of your pack? I thought you had loyalty to me, you always showed me that you had, but maybe you didn’t all along” he said in a disgusted tone.
“This is it! Fight back Rhea!” my wolf whispered intensely.
“I’m loyal to you, alpha. My loyalty to you, to our pack, never changed. I would never, ever, betray you! I’m sorry I disappointed you. I think my humanity is confusing me again, you knew I had some problems with it a few years back. Please…forgive me. I messed up, and I’ll take the punishment I deserve for it. But I’m no traitor. It’s the truth, you can alpha command me again about where my loyalty lies and my answer will not change. It will never change” I pushed myself to speak as fiercely as I can and mean every single word that left my mouth.
He studied my face for a minute before he alpha commanded strongly “Are you one hundred percent loyal to me, Rhea? Speak the truth”
Intense, burning pain flooded my system as I fought the command with every ounce of will power me and my wolf had. I could feel in the split second before I answered, how much Hazel was helping me fight it off. The agony inside me never showed to the alpha who was staring intensely at me.
“A hundred percent loyal to you, alpha” I said tightly.
I was shocked to say the least, but I hid it from him.
Because as soon as the words left my mouth, the pain disappeared, like it never existed a millisecond ago.
I kept my eyes on him and my expression the same.
“How did we do that?” I asked Hazel in surprise.
It’s impossible to fight off an alpha command.
“I have no idea” she said tiredly, she became weak I could tell. The internal struggle and pain took its toll on her.
After what felt like forever, he released his painful grip on my chin and let me go.
He spoke angrily “This humanity of yours Rhea, will only get you in trouble. We need to do something about it right now or I’m going to have to kill you. I can’t wait for your humanity to start shifting your loyalty to me into another direction”
I gulped in terror, but kept a straight face as I spoke intensely “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to burn down every last shred of it, alpha. I don’t want any part of it”
He gave me a proud nod and said coldly “That’s good to hear. I know the best and only way to get rid of that hateful thing. But first, a punishment is in order. Maybe after you feel the consequences of doing something against my wishes registers, you will be more persuaded to accept my solution”
He turned to Stefan and ordered him coldly “Whip her back until I return, I want to hear those lashes coming without a pause or you will take her place”
“Yes, Alpha” Stefan said with a smile and a look of pure satisfaction.
After alpha Victor and his followers cleared out, leaving me, the alpha, and Stefan alone, he picked up the bloody whip and stood directly in front of me.
He delivered a gruesome, strong punch to my stomach as payback for hitting him, while I groaned involuntarily.
I felt my insides rupture as blood traveled all the way to my mouth immediately.
“Karma is the best bitch in the world, don’t you think? I’m so going to enjoy this” he said smugly with a sick smile.
I smiled back at him and said enjoyably “Me too, trust me” and I spit the blood gathered in my mouth directly at his face, giving it some color for a change.
I wasn’t scared at all. On the contrary, I was relieved for more than one reason.
First, I bought enough time for the alpha’s pack to come rescue him.
Second, I gained back alpha Victor’s trust in an impossible way and avoided getting killed, which made me so damn proud of myself, despite not having a clue of how I even managed to do it.
Third, well… being a masochist who enjoys physical pain to overcome a more painful emotional and mental torture, came in handy in this situation. I was rather looking forward to the punishment.
Stefan wiped his face with his dirty sleeve and moved to stand behind me and get his torture session started.
I looked sideways at the alpha hanging next to me who has been silent this entire time, and saw him staring at me in what could only be awe and admiration in his eyes.
He knew I lied my ass off earlier. And I could tell he was just as surprised as I was that I was able to do it.
There was also a look of concern and pain as his eyes traveled between me and Stefan.
I winked at him and stared straight ahead just as the first lash landed sharply against my back.
Rhea’s POV“No wonder the alpha here didn’t tell you shit! You hit like a little girl, Stefan” I said lightly.Another biting lash opened up a new gash against my back while I bit back my scream as my tears kept flowing freely down my face.My back was catching on fire, and I could feel my blood trickling down my back and drenching my already dirty jeans.The hoodie I had on was still on me, except the back was completely shredded now. It barely took ten of Stefan’s extremely vicious lashes on it to tear it apart. It was already ragged to begin with. After that, my bare back took all the still ongoing punishment.I had no idea how long it has been or how many lashes I received, but I could assume it’s been more than half an hour at least.I was making fun of Stefan the whole time, trying my best not to let him hear me scream in pain and give him the satisfaction.It only made him hurt me more.“Will you shut up and stop taunting him! he hits like a fucking beast! It hurts Rhea” Hazel
Rhea’s POV “The mate bond will make me able to control your emotions, your way of thinking, and your human urges. I will be able to make you forget all about them the second we are connected. I can feed you all my emotions and overwhelm you with them. Of course because I’m an alpha, you won’t be able to push yours on me at all. My feelings will become your feelings, my urges will be yours. Your humanity will not stand a chance against me, Rhea, trust me. It will work” he said lustfully. It's the very first time I detect the hint of his lust for me. It made bile rise up my throat. Usually he ignores me and never bothers to look my way, unless I’ve done something wrong. But the look in his eyes made me feel like he truly wanted me for more than just to help me erase my humanity. He wanted my body, as well. I could tell from the way his eyes roamed all over me hungrily. Why the fuck did he pick me to get obsessed over? And how long has this obsession been going without my notice? I c
Adrian’s POV As soon as we portaled to the location sent through my phone, I got hit with a scent so strong, it momentarily made my wolf sway on his four legs. Sweeter than honey, and yet spicy and sour all at the same time. I’ve never smelled something with this kind of weird, impossible combination before. Lennox; my wolf was taking huge whiffs of it, practically tripping up on that scent. I ordered him tightly “Focus Lennox, my brother’s life is only the line here! No time for a distraction” “But the smell Adrian! It’s calling me to it, it’s intoxicating me!” he growled in my head. “Alpha!” my beta Derek called to me through the mind link. My warlock portaled over three hundreds of my warriors to this forest, and they were all waiting for my command. “We need to follow the scent!” Lennox barked in my head while I fought to keep him in his place. Dammit! I was slowly losing my control over him, he was going crazy as the scent kept forcing itself into our system. I ordered
Adrian’s POV“Why would she do that?” I asked tightly.“Because She’s not like the rest of them” he said confidently.I shook my head at him “She’s not”He raised his eyebrows and said suspiciously “That’s fast”“She’s the worst of them. Because she was able to fool you into making a promise you shouldn’t have made in the first fucking place!” I yelled angrily at him.Alec’s eyes glowed in anger and he said tightly “Adrian, I’m not an idiot ok? When I say she is different from them, then you should take my word for it. She made a deal with me to save my life by contacting you in exchange for her freedom, and she held up her end perfectly because here you are. Without her, I would have been dead and you would have never been able to find me in time. She earned her freedom”“You can’t let her leave like that! She’s our mate Adrian! Claim her!” Lennox growled in my head.“For goddess’s sake!” I muttered under my breath.My brother wants me to let her go, my wolf wants me to claim her and
Adrian’s POVI’ve never had a problem with Lennox the entire time we spent together. We were always a team, always on the same side.There was never a moment where we stood on opposite sides before. Never a moment where he forced his control over me and shoved me back. Until now.I felt betrayed to say the least.“Well, you shouldn’t feel betrayed because you’re being a selfish bastard and I had no choice but to knock some sense into you, which is quite amusing considering I’m the animal who runs on basic instincts here and you’re the one known for his calm wisdom” muttered Lennox in my head coldly.“Hey Lennox, nice to see you don’t share my brother’s feelings about your mate” said Alec with amusement as he realized that he took over my mouth.“Give her to me” Lennox said darkly as he walked and stood in front of Alec, extending his arms for her.“Give me back control!” I growled at him angrily.“No, I can’t trust you with her in our arms, not when you’re being a dick about her” said
Adrian’s POVI walk closer to her tentatively, my eyes stinging against my will at the brutal sight of her back. It was monstrous, what was done to her, to say the least.Her right cheek was resting against the pillow. Her face looked so tired with dark circles under her eyes and a trace of an almost fading, light pink bruise on her left cheek, like she was punched or slapped a while ago.She can’t be more than eighteen, I was certain of that.How the hell did she get involved with the rogues at such a young age?Most of the rogues are way older when they join, and most of them are men rather than women.I can’t imagine what kinds of things she did to earn her place among them. A little girl her age should be full of innocence and kindness, it was hard to imagine that she was newly recruited because she looked like she’s been with them for a long time judging by her unwavering rudeness and lack of respect nor fear when she addressed me.What the hell am I getting myself into with this
Adrian’s POVHe proceeded to tell me how the alpha made her an offer to become his chosen mate and how her wolf took control of her and was on the verge of tearing his head off if she wasn’t bound with silver.“There is something on his mind, an ulterior motive that has nothing to do with suppressing her humanity or taking advantage of her body” said Alec fiercely.My wolf was rattling in my head, roaring with rage about how close she came to being mated to someone else.I barely held my growl; or his growl, from escaping through my lips.“Did she seem to consider it? The girl, not her wolf” I asked tightly.He gave me a small smile and said confidently “She wanted no part of it, believe me. She tried to convince him to give her some time to get her wolf on board and buy enough time for you to come, but I could tell she was scared as hell because she knew she could never say no to him if you didn’t come through”“If he’s not aware of her alpha blood, what else does he need her for as
Adrian’s POV“Before we proceed with the ceremony. There is something else I need to tell you about. During the battle, I found my mate” I said firmly.Alec gave me a worried look, fearing what I’m going to say next.The pack members looked happy for me. Happy that I finally found my Luna and theirs. The pack is always stronger, more united when it has both the Alpha and the Luna living with them. I’m not sure that happiness is going to continue once I say what’s next.“She is the one who sent me Alec’s location and helped save his life. Without her, we would have never been able to find him… alive, nor take out the rest of the rogues. She made a deal with Alec in exchange for her freedom and immunity from getting killed…. She’s one of the rogues from the Victor pack”Silence barely lasted for five seconds after I finished my last word before chaos erupted. People started talking with each other in rage and fear mixed together.I raised my voice and tried my best to have control over