Chapter 5 CHAPTER
I lay rigid on one side of the bed, hyper-aware of Damon’s every movement beside me. Sharing a bed wasn’t something I was comfortable with—his slightest shift made me acutely conscious of his presence. To keep a boundary between us, I wedged a pillow down the center of the mattress. Staring up at the ceiling, my mind buzzed with thoughts of him, snippets of things I’d observed over the last few days.
Damon could be harsh, abrasive, even downright brutal, but somehow, he wasn’t...evil. Despite his gruffness, there was something beneath the rough edges, a hint of integrity that confused me.
Still, his world made no sense to me. The talk of werewolves, of Alpha kings and packs, was more than foreign; it was unfathomable. But the weight in his voice when he called himself the Alpha King—that, I understood. He was important here, a king in his own right. And by some cosmic joke, I was meant to be his mate. The thought left me tangled in questions and uneasy.
Eventually, my mind drifted into sleep, and by the time I woke up, the bed beside me was empty. I yawned, stretched my limbs, and felt the ache where the cuffs had been secured around my ankle. A reminder of my recent captivity, as though I needed it.
I sighed. If he hadn’t chained me, would I have tried to escape? Probably. The thought of running until my lungs burned, maybe even landing a punch or two on him, made me grin, just a little.
A knock sounded, followed by a girl’s voice. “Good morning, ma’am! Your clothes are ready, and the bath is drawn.” She looked to be a few years older than me, her uniform neatly pressed, her eyes steady but a little too wide.
“Thank you,” I murmured, my mind still sluggish with sleep.
“Oh, and Alpha Damon said to tell you he’ll meet you for breakfast in the dining room,” she added. I arched a brow. He expected me to wait for him? What was he even doing, lounging around his grand Alpha throne? Right. An Alpha King. Alpha my ass. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
The hot bath was a rare luxury, the warmth a balm that eased the remnants of sleep. I reached for the clothes the housekeeper had left, then froze. A high-collared, long-sleeved dress greeted me, plain as a minister’s robe.
“What is this?” I grumbled, pulling the housekeeper aside.
“Yes, ma’am?” she asked, her gaze dropping.
“Is this all you’ve got? Anything less...funeral?” Her shoulders slumped apologetically.
“Alpha Damon insisted you wear it,” she whispered.
I swallowed the frustration that rose in my throat, then spotted a pair of sewing scissors on the table and smirked. A plan unfurled. Taking the dress, I snipped away the sleeves and added a few strategic cuts around the waist. When I was done, I surveyed my reflection, pleased. Now it was something I could wear. A statement of rebellion.
I walked out, my creation hugging my curves, and saw the housekeeper’s eyes go wide as saucers.
“Ma’am…are you certain—”
“Trust me,” I said with a grin. “Damon will have no objections.”
But as I made my way to the dining room, surrounded by guards—most of whom were, undoubtedly, wolves in human form—the reality of my predicament hit me. I was the only human in a hall full of predators.
When I entered, a sprawling dining table greeted me, laid out with a feast far beyond anything I’d ever seen for breakfast. Did Damon think I could eat all this alone? It felt like a taunt.
“Here’s your place, ma’am,” the housekeeper said, pulling out a chair. I sank into it, ready to dig in. But her hand darted out to stop mine.
“Alpha Damon said to wait for him.”
Of course, he did. I leaned back in the chair, my stomach growling. Just how long was he planning to make me wait?
Minutes ticked by, and my patience frayed with each second. I glared at the platters in front of me, nearly ready to dive in when Damon finally appeared, settling across the table. His gaze scanned me once, pausing on the alterations I’d made to the dress, and a shadow flickered over his face.
“What,” he ground out, “are you wearing?”
I tilted my head with an innocent smile. “Why, the dress you wanted me to wear, of course.”
His jaw tightened. “No, it’s not.” He glanced at the housekeeper, whose complexion had taken on a shade close to panic.
“I made a few adjustments,” I said, my tone sweet. “Your dress looked fit for an old hag, and I’m no hag.”
His eyes narrowed, darkening. “I told you. My house, my rules. Disobey, and there will be consequences.”
I suppressed an eye roll, my hunger overriding my patience. “Oh, so you’ll dictate what I wear, too? Fine. Why don’t you try wearing it then, if it’s so important to you?”
His expression hardened, and I saw his gaze shift to a guard standing by the door. “Stone,” he called, his voice a dangerous whisper.
The man—Stone—stepped forward. “Alpha?”
“Take away her plate. She’ll skip breakfast today.”
“What?” I snapped, pushing to my feet. But Stone moved quicker than I’d expected, removing the plate and all the food within reach.
“Alpha’s orders,” he said, unfazed.
“And tape her mouth,” Damon added, his voice like ice. “If she can’t behave, she can watch in silence.”
The tape went on before I could get a single insult out, and cuffs snapped around my wrists, securing my hands behind me.
I stared at Damon, fury burning through my veins. If looks could kill, he’d be dead ten times over. He leaned forward, utterly unfazed by my glare, and began eating his breakfast in silence.
“Consider this your warning, Athena,” he said, voice low and sharp as a blade. “Disobedience in my house doesn’t go unpunished.”