Chapter 6

• Dominic's POV
• When I woke, the night was still deep and dark outside, but a strange warmth was resting on my arm.
• I looked down and saw her in my embrace. Alina. She was sleeping uneasily, her cheeks flushed, her brows furrowed, soft moans slipping past her lips.
• “Killian…” she whispered his name.
• A nameless fire surged in my chest.
• I reached out to push her away, but froze when my fingers brushed her skin; it was burning hot.
• She had a fever.
• “Damn it,” I cursed under my breath. Then I turned toward the door and barked, “Someone! Bring the doctor!”
• Moments later, Stanley, the tribe’s physician, hurried in with his medicine kit.
• The old man’s eyes flicked to the bed, lingering briefly on the fresh mark at Alina’s neck before dropping to calm neutrality.
• “Alpha King,” he greeted with a respectful bow.
• “Check on her,” I ordered coldly.
• He moved forward quickly, feeling her forehead before carefully taking her swollen right hand. My gaze followed his, hardening when I saw the bruising.
• “Luna is simply too exhausted,” Stanley said carefully. “The first mating mark, combined with her injuries, has caused the fever. Her body needs only rest.” He hesitated before adding, “Alpha King… you must restrain yourself.”
• In my mind, Cassius sneered. “A spy, and you call for a doctor? Better to let her die.”
• I ignored him. “Her hand,” I pressed.
• “The bones are displaced but not broken,” Stanley replied. “I’ve reset them. With rest and ointment, she’ll recover quickly.”
• He skillfully applied the ointment to Alina's hand, bandaged it with a clean bandage, and wrote a prescription.
• “I’ll have the medicine prepared at once,” he said, retreating with a bow.
• I ordered Lily to oversee the medicine in the kitchen, leaving only us in the room.
• I stood over the bed, staring at the fragile woman burning with fever, whispering another man’s name, not even knowing I was there.
• But this woman, Killian’s fiancée, was sent here from the South to destroy me.
• In my head, Cassius roared, not with words, but with a killing intent that clawed at my mind. “Secret. Threat. Kill her.”
• I knew. Yet I wanted to see her broken, conquered, tamed. Maybe… maybe she had forgotten my secret.
• I remembered the stupid faces of Aurora and Rebecca, remembered the scene where they stepped on her hands, and a fierce, murderous intent surged to the top of my head.
• My gaze fell on Alina’s pale, weak face, and for a moment, it overlapped with my mother’s dying one. The same helplessness, the same powerless fury twisted in my chest. I hadn’t protected her, and the thought of failing again made me restless.
• This time, no one would touch what was mine. Mine to protect, mine to harm.
• I straightened my clothes and walked out. “Go to the living room,” I ordered the guards. “Bring Aurora and Rebecca.”
• I sat in the main seat, tapping the armrest absently. Soon, the two women arrived.
• Aurora wore a bright red dress, her face full of arrogance. Rebecca, in white, wore her usual mask of innocence, black eyes shining with shy admiration as she looked at me. Ridiculous.
• “Bro, you called for me?” Aurora asked, impatient.
• “Kneel.” My voice wasn’t loud, but it froze the room.
• “What?” Aurora laughed harshly. “You want me to kneel? Are you insane?”
• Rebecca’s face went pale.
• “I won’t say it twice.” My eyes stayed cold.
• The guards stepped forward and kicked the backs of their knees. Both women screamed as they hit the floor.
• "Ah!"
• “Which foot did you use to step on my people yesterday?” I asked.
• They stared in horror, trembling.
• “Can’t remember?” I stood and walked toward them.
• I lifted my foot in military boots, aimed at Aurora's right ankle, and stomped down heavily, the clear sound of bones shattering.
• “Ahhh!” She screamed, tears streaming. “Bro! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please!”
• Her cries tore through the living room, but they gave me no satisfaction, only emptiness. Compared to my mother’s silent tears, this was nothing. My rage burned hotter, heavy with powerless revenge.
• I ignored her and turned to Rebecca, who was already trembling.
• “Dominic, you can’t do this to me, I’m your fiancée!” she stammered, but the guards held her in place.
• “Fiancée? When did I ever acknowledge that? What does an old man promise have to do with me?” I sneered and brought my boot down on her ankle.
• “My foot! My foot!” Rebecca screamed, her innocence stripped, makeup ruined.
• "Stop it! Dominic, what are you doing?"
• It was Vivian’s voice. My stepmother. She couldn’t have come at a better time.