Chapter 8

• Alina's POV
• I felt hot, like fire burned inside me, making my body ache.
• Wasn’t I in Dominic’s bed?
• Why was it so loud?
• I opened my eyes. I was dressed in a white wedding gown in the cold Moon Temple.
• Today was the bonding ceremony with Killian.
• The temple doors opened. Killian stood at the end of the carpet, handsome in Alpha’s formal clothes.
• He reaches out his hand to me, his eyes filled with a tenderness that captivates me.
• I lifted my dress and walked toward him. Everyone smiled, though their smiles looked forced.
• Killian held his hand out again. In his blue eyes, I thought I saw a flash of gray. I told myself it was just nerves.
• He leaned toward my neck. I closed my eyes, waiting for his mark. But instead of a kiss, burning pain seared my skin.
• “Ah!” I screamed. His gentle face vanished, the temple broke apart, smiles turned into screams, and the world fell away.
• “No!” I gasped and opened my eyes.
• A strange ceiling. My neck throbbed with fiery pain. My hand hurt too, sharp enough to steal my breath when I moved my fingers.
• The dream’s sweet scent was gone, replaced by the heavy smell of pine. It filled the room, reminding me of this forced life. I hated it, yet a weak tremor ran through me.
• Eira, my wolf, howled inside, hurt and lost, torn between pain and the pull to him.
• I had betrayed Killian. Even my own body betrayed me.
• Shaking, I touched my neck. The mark burned, ripping away the image of the white dress.
• The dream was false. This was real.
• Abduction. The mark. The cage.
• I tried to call Killian’s name, but only a dry sound came out. My chest felt crushed, every breath raw.
• Killian… where are you?
• "Are you awake?" a cold voice cut through, and I froze, seeing Dominic as the culprit behind it all.
• He stood by the bed, his gray eyes looking flat and empty. His black shirt was open at the collar and stretched across his broad shoulders.
• I glared at him, but he showed no reaction as he set down a tray holding soup, bread, herbs, ointment, and bandages.
• His gaze shifted to my hand as he said, “The doctor checked. The bones are fine, and you’ll recover.” His eyes lingered as he added, “This hand is mine. They hurt it, but it’s still mine, and it won’t be useless unless I say so.”
• I stared at him in silence, wondering if he truly believed those words could erase what Rebecca had done, or if he thought this small concern could undo everything he had put me through.
• “Eat first, then take the medicine, and then use the ointment,” he ordered.
• I didn’t move, my body weighed down and heavy.
• “Kill him!” Eira screamed inside me, her voice filled with rage. “Alina, tear out his eyes!”
• Her fury burned hot, but the mark on my neck held me down, and even my hate felt hollow.
• Her anger almost burned through my skull, but my body wouldn't obey.
• The mark on my neck felt heavy; the flesh and blood beneath that skin belonged to him. This realization drained all my strength; even the thought of hating him became dull.
• He seemed to see through my thoughts, his eyes growing colder.
• "Don't look at me like that."
• “Alina, you belong to me now. Your body, your life, everything is mine, and you live only because I allow it.”
• Each word pressed harder against me, making it difficult to breathe. I shut my eyes because I couldn’t stand to look at him anymore.
• The room filled with silence, broken only by my weak breathing, until his voice came again.
• “These days, I won't touch you anymore."
• I opened my eyes abruptly, unable to believe what I had just heard.
• What did he mean by this?
• Was he tired of me, or did he have another cruel trick planned?
• "Take care of your injuries."
• He left those words behind and walked away, not sparing me a glance.
• The door closed, leaving me alone in the room.
• I looked at the bowl of oatmeal on the bedside table, and nausea rose in my stomach.
• His charity.
• I picked up the spoon with my left hand, but my fingers trembled. These hands, which once saved many lives, were now forced to save my own. I couldn’t die! I scooped up a spoonful of steaming soup and swallowed it without care. The burn spread from my throat to my stomach, the pain forcing me awake.
• Tears slipped down, one drop after another, falling into the bowl.
• Killian...
• I had to survive.
• I would wait for you to save me.
• Or maybe… I would wait for myself to kill the man who had ruined everything.