CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37

One hour later, I stood in front of a cracked mirror, hands shaking. Hair down? Fine. Except my hair was a disasterwild, untamable waves that looked electrocuted. I brushed until my arms ached, but it refused to obey. Dress? The only one I had was faded and frayed, sagging in the wrong places.

Makeup? Ha! As if. I pinched my cheeks until they turned red. I bit my lips for color, except now they were swollen like bee stings. Smile? Don’t get me started. Attempt one looked constipated. Attempt two looked like I wanted to stab someone. Attempt three was worse. I groaned, dragging my hands down my face. "I’m going to die. He’s going to sell me because I can’t smile like a normal human!" Footsteps echoed in the hall. His footsteps. His aura seeped through the walls. The door opened. Alpha Zack’s cold eyes scanned me, head to toe. His hand clamped onto my wrist like a manacle.

"Inner voice: Pathetic. But mine. Let’s see how she survives tonight.

I squeaked as he pulled me down the hall, leading me like a prized possession. The minute I heard the heavy knock echo through the Alpha King’s mansion, my brain immediately screamed: oh no, strangers. My entire body reacted like a cornered rabbit ears twitching (well, not literally, but it felt like it), heart thumping, palms clammy. I wasn’t ready for this, oh God, I would never be ready for this. And this psycho Alpha knew it. He sat in his impossibly tall leather chair, arms folded, expression carved out of stone, radiating the kind of deadly calm that screamed: I’m about to murder someone, but I’ll wait until after tea. The visiting Alphas were here. Men of power. Wolves with influence. Wolves who could take one look at me and decide I wasn’t worth a grain of salt or worse, decide I was. I smoothed down the plain dress Zach had practically ordered me to wear earlier. "Behave," he had told me, in that voice that sent chills down my spine. "Smile when I tell you to. Sit when I tell you to. Speak only if you want your tongue ripped out." You’d think a man saying that would give me nightmares. But no. My brain, in its infinite stupidity, had immediately wandered into ridiculous scenarios: What if he literally ripped my tongue out and mounted it on the wall like a trophy? What if guests walked in and saw it in a golden frame? ’Oh, that’s Ellie’s tongue, don’t mind it.’

I nearly laughed at my own nonsense. Thankfully, I swallowed the sound before it escaped because Zach’s head twitched slightly, his golden eyes slicing toward me. That look meant: One sound, and you’re done. I snapped my mouth shut so fast my teeth clacked. The door swung open. And in they came. Three visiting Alphas. Broad shoulders, sharp jaws, smug smiles. Men who knew they were powerful and wanted everyone else to know it too. The kind of wolves who probably polished their egos every morning in front of a mirror. I shrank back instinctively, trying to make myself invisible. Maybe if I pressed hard enough into the chair, I’d melt into the wood and disappear. Maybe they wouldn’t notice me at all. But of course, fate hates me.

The tallest one the one with slicked-back hair and a grin that said I steal hearts and wallets for fun looked right at me. His eyes flicked over me slowly, deliberately, like he was choosing which cut of meat to order at a butcher shop. And then he smirked. Oh, God, here it comes.

"Who’s this?" he asked casually, like I wasn’t sitting there having a silent heart attack. But Zach didn’t answer immediately. He just stared, his jaw tightening, his hand curling into a fist against the armrest. I could practically hear the thunder building in his chest.

"She’s Mine.

The word echoed in the air like a growl, though he hadn’t spoken aloud. It was his inner voice, deep and guttural, and it made the hairs on my arms rise. I squeezed my hands together. Please don’t let this end with me being shredded. Please, God please I’m too young to die, I still have my old life to get back to. and I haven’t even tried chocolate lava cake yet.

"She’s my personal omega," Zach finally said, his voice flat. Dangerous. Like a knife sliding across glass.

The visiting Alpha’s smirk widened. "Personal omega, huh?" His gaze lingered on me far too long. "I wouldn’t mind borrowing her. Just for tonight."

Wait what? Borrowing. Did he just—? My eyes nearly popped out of my head. Borrowing me? Like I was a piece of bread he wanted to toast? Excuse me, sir, I am not a library book! I wanted to scream, "TAKE THE COUCH, NOT ME!" but my throat closed up. That’s when it happened, The shift. Zach’s aura exploded across the room like a storm snapping through the air. Heavy. Suffocating. It pressed down on me so hard I almost slid out of my chair. The other Alphas froze, their smiles faltering. But The Slick Haired Alpha oh no, he was smiling wider. He’s Provoking Zach on purpose. Zach’s inner voice roared.

"Inner voice: He dares. He looks at what’s mine. He breathes her air. He thinks he can touch her. I will tear his spine from his body. I’ll crush his skull with my bare hands. I will feed him his own tongue.

I swallowed. Loudly. Did he just say feed him his own tongue? What is with everyone and tongues today?! Meanwhile, my brain was spiraling into chaos:

Okay, Ellie, think. If Zach kills this guy, you will be covered in blood. If you’re covered in blood, you will faint. If you faint, you will fall face-first on the marble floor. If you fall on the marble floor, you’ll break your nose. And if you break your nose, you will have to live the rest of your life looking like a squashed tomato. This was not how I wanted to die. I started inching backward, trying to subtly slide my chair out of the aura blast zone. Maybe if I moved slowly, no one would notice me escaping. Maybe I could roll under the table and crawl to freedom. But Zach’s eyes snapped to me instantly, golden and furious. The look said: Don’t move. Don’t breathe. Don’t even think about it. I froze mid-scoot, half off the chair, looking like a glitching mannequin. My brain screamed: Abort mission! Abort!

The Slick-Haired Alpha chuckled. "Relax, Zachary. I’m only teasing." His tone was smooth, but his eyes said otherwise.

And Zach’s inner voice thundered:

"Inner voice: Teasing? He wants her. He will die for it. I will rip him apart in front of everyone. His pack will carry back his body in pieces. The other two visiting Alphas were dead silent now, shifting uncomfortably.

Me? I was sweating buckets.

Because here’s the thing this crazy psycho didn’t joke. If he said he’d rip someone apart, there was a 99.9% chance it would happen within the next sixty seconds. And guess who would be standing right there, splattered in gore?

Yep. Ellie the unlucky omega.

I pressed my hands together and whispered a tiny prayer in my head: Moon Goddess, if you’re listening, please distract Zach with something shiny. A butterfly. A sandwich. Anything. Just don’t let him kill this guy right now. But Zach leaned forward in his chair, his aura doubling, his golden eyes burning holes into the man across from him.

The room was so silent I could hear my own heartbeat.

And then Zach smiled but it wasn’t a nice smile. Oh no. This was the kind of smile that belonged to serial killers in horror movies. Slow. Sharp. Promising pain.

"If you want her," Zach said softly, "you will have to peel her from my hands."

Oh no. Oh no no no. My chaotic brain jumped into full throttle.

The Slick-Haired Alpha chuckled again, but it sounded forced this time. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Just a joke. No need to be so serious."

But Zach’s inner voice didn’t calm.

"Inner Voice: lying bastard.He still wants her. I see it. I will end him before sunrise. His blood will paint the walls. I will show them all what happens when they look at what’s mine.

My stomach twisted. Because when Zach said "paint the walls," I believed him. I was doomed. Absolutely doomed.

So, naturally, my brain decided to focus on the most irrelevant thought possible: Do we have enough soap in the mansion to clean blood off marble floors? Or would that stain forever? I wanted to laugh hysterically, cry, and faint all at once. Instead, I did the only thing I could. I sat perfectly still, pasted the most awkward half-smile on my face, and prayed I survived the evening. Oh God my life is in your hands now.