Chapter 4 Torin's Plaything
ZURI
In a blink of an eye, he had me. He lifted me off the ground like I weighed nothing and threw me onto the bed.
The breath flew from my lungs as I hit the mattress, stunned by the sheer force. I was the fastest in my pack–no one ever got the jump on me like this.
But Torin wasn’t just anyone. He was a ruthless Alpha leader who didn’t inspire loyalty, he demanded it. The kind of leader that killed with no mercy. No softness. Only domination. And now that dominance was bearing down on me. What do I do?
I didn’t have time to think when he came at me again, but this time I was ready. I twisted to the side, my leg swinging up in a vicious arc. My heel connected with his jaw. His head snapped to the side, and I scrambled to my feet on the other side of my bed. I cursed when I realized he was still blocking the door. My escape.
“You little bitch,” he growled, hand rubbing his jaw as he turned back to me. “You want to play rough?”
I don’t want to play anything. I thought, keeping the distance between us.
“I’m not your plaything,” I snapped, crouching low. My wolf howled inside me, hungry for blood.
“We’ll see about that.”
He lunged. I ducked under his swing, ramming my shoulder into his ribs. He grunted, but barely budged. I spun, aiming for his gut with a punch, then followed it up with a quick jab to his throat. He staggered back a step.
“You’ve got some fight in you,” he said with a smirk, blood at the corner of his mouth. “I like that.”
I didn’t wait. I struck again, the power of Fallon behind every punch and claw. I moved fast, brutal, my training guiding me like instinct. For a moment, I thought I had him off balance. I landed a solid hit across his cheek, the crack echoing in the room. His head snapped back. His smile vanished.
Then, everything changed. Even the room seemed darker than it was before. In a blink of an eye, he was behind me. His arm snaked around my waist, yanking me off my feet like I was nothing. He threw me down hard. I hit the bed again, this time with no grace, no chance to roll. Before I could reach the dagger hidden under my pillow, he was on top of me, one arm pinning me to the mattress.
“Done?” he sneered, breathing heavily. “I was letting you play, Zuri. I wanted to see what the Moonshine Pack’s little prodigy could do.”
His weight, his aura–it pressed against every instinct I had, demanding submission. My wolf bucked against it, but I forced her still.
"Honestly,” he said, his voice low and smug, “wearing this to bed? Were you hoping I’d stop by, Zuri?”
His other hand slipped under my slip to grab my breast, rough and possessive. I whimpered. Half fury, half nausea.
“Mmm,” he breathed near my ear. “Not as full as I’m used to, but having a few pups can change that. Once you’re matured, of course.” He pressed his hips into mine, grinding, letting me feel every sick inch of him. “So soft. Pure. Untouched.”
I thrashed, fury in every movement, but he just smiled–unbothered. His grip tightened with a bruising force. So, I stilled.
“You should know,” he said near my ear, “a Luna should always be prepared to please her Alpha. Especially if she wants to survive in a place like mine.”
My stomach twisted, but I made no sound.
“Ah,” he said, lips brushing my jaw. “Nothing to say now? Giving me the silent treatment?”
His hand moved lower until he was cupping my sex in a possessive manner, like it was his–but I kept my face blank, even as every inch of me burned with rage.
“Please…” My voice broke. “Don’t.”
“Don’t worry, little mate,” he said, his lips curving into something vile. “I promise to be gentle. Maybe it’ll help start your cycle, don’t you think?”
Fallon growled and I bit my lip to keep her in.
“But,” he continued as his hand tightened, “but if you misbehave then I’ll make sure you feel it for days.”
The bile rose in my throat. Fallon was raging, snarling inside my mind, teeth bared. “Let me out. Just give me control and I’ll tear him apart!”
“No,” I told her. “That’s exactly what he wants.”
I went still–not in surrender, but in strategy.
I let my voice tremble just enough. “Is this what strong Alphas do?” I whispered. “Sneak into their future Luna’s room at night? Is that your grand show of power?”
He paused. I could feel his breath change, could practically hear the wheels turning in that rotted mind. His hand left my body, instead wrapping around my throat. A warning.
“What do you know about power?” he growled. “You’re just barely a woman.”
“A woman that could scream,” I choked out. “Wake the whole house. Let everyone see you for what you are–a man who couldn’t wait, who needed the dark to touch what doesn’t belong to him.”
His fingers pressed harder–not painful, but threatening. “Go ahead,” he dared. “Scream.”
For a moment, I thought he might snap. I stared into his eyes, daring him. Then–a knock.
“Zuri? Are you awake?”
My mother’s voice. Soft. Hesitant. Muffled through the door. His eyes gleamed with something feral–more than amusement. He leaned in close, his lips brushing my cheek.
“Shall we let her in?” he whispered. “Maybe she wants to join. Bet that’s how your father keeps her in line.”
The knock echoed again. “Zuri. Open this door. Right now.”
My breath hitched. For the first time, I couldn't hide it. Real fear.
He saw it. I knew he did when he laughed. A soft, mocking sound that made my stomach turn.
“That’s the look I like,” he murmured. “So much prettier than all that snarling.”
Then, just as suddenly, he released me. Smoothed the front of his coat like he hadn’t just crushed me under his hand. He strolled to the window so casually.
“I’ll let you rest, little mate,” he said, glancing back with a smile that chilled me to the bone. “Can’t bruise the merchandise. Not yet.”
He opened the window. Slipped into the night like a ghost, silent and smug.
Another knock. Harder this time.
“Zuri, open this door or I will have it broken down!”
My limbs moved before I could think, stumbling over the rug, fumbling with the lock. The second the door opened, my mother swept in, eyes scanning the room like she expected blood.
She took one look at me–hair mussed, throat red, eyes too wide–and her posture changed. The steel melted, replaced with something soft and panicked.
“Zuri…” she whispered.
And suddenly, I was six again. Crying in the garden after a fall, arms scraped and knees bruised. Back then, she’d carried me in her arms, kissed every wound.
Now?
Now I just wanted to feel clean. Scrubbed raw. Anything to erase the phantom press of Torin’s hands on my skin.
I didn’t say anything. I just folded into her arms, my body trembling from the inside out.
She held me tightly, her hands cradling the back of my head like she could protect me from the world.
But she couldn’t.
No one could.
Not from him.
I clung to my mother like a lifeline, my body still trembling, but my voice determined.
“I have to end this alliance,” I whispered. “Before he tries to break me.”