Chapter 11 Sheldon's Pov

• When I had arrived at the cell and saw the empty space where Esmeralda should be, a strange, unfamiliar panic tightened in my chest. It’s absurd. I shouldn’t care where she is, let alone feel alarmed by her absence. She’s merely a breeder, a tool I control. Yet, as I take in the barren and cold cell, rage swells within me.
• 'If anything happens to her, I'll make you regret it, asshole! You fucking watched her get beaten by that bitch! I want to just ki...”
• The raging voice of my wolf snarls at me, spitting words angrily. I have no idea how I stood there watching my Luna mistreat her. She had asked me to kill Esmeralda, but I couldn't.
• Whether I want to admit it or not, she is bonded to me, and it will weaken my wolf if she dies. But Karel, she doesn't know about that.
• I can never let her find out about my mate bond with the breeder. It would be deadly, as she had always felt insecure about me finding my mate, and I had assured her a million times, but she found it hard to accept.
• Or is she responsible for her disappearance?
• My eyes widen at the thought. “Where is she?” I snap, my voice slicing through the silence. The guard beside me jumps, clearly unnerved. His gaze flickers to the floor.
• “She was… released, Alpha.” He stammers.
• “Released by whom? How dare they?” I growl, not bothering to withhold my fury.
• “ Beta Lucien, though…”
• I cut him off with a sharp glare. “Lucien thought?” The anger burns hotter now, fueled by the defiance in Lucien’s actions. He had no right to interfere, especially not with her.
• Without another word, I storm through the corridors, each step fueled by the unsettling thought that I might not find her. A part of me, a very small, hidden part, doesn’t want her to vanish…not yet. Not when I’ve barely scratched the surface of what she could offer me.
• When I finally find her with Lucien, relief washes over me, as unwelcome as it is undeniable. It disgusts me, this unfamiliar feeling of needing to see her alive, to know she’s still within my reach.
• In one swift movement, I cross the room, seize her without a second’s hesitation, and throw her over my shoulder. She fights against me, her shouts echoing, but I don’t care. Her struggles are weak, her protests meaningless. All I can think is that she’s back where she belongs—under my control. And I’m not about to let Lucien, or anyone else, interfere with that.
• Lucien’s voice cuts through, challenging me. His frustration is almost laughable. Does he really believe he can stand up to me, that his opinion matters in the slightest? “She belongs to me,” I snap, my words loaded with finality. And that’s it. No one can question it—not Lucien, not anyone.
• Back in my room, I toss her onto the bed, catching sight of the bruises on her body. Anger flares once more, though I don’t understand why. She is mine, yes, but I chose to have her flogged to punish her for her defiance. She is broken, yes, but her injuries are a reminder of who holds her life in his hands. And still, something about her battered state, so vulnerable, so visibly marked by pain, disturbs me in a way I can’t fully pretend to not care.
• I order the pack doctor, my words cold and detached, though I watch her work with an intensity that borders on possessive. Her pain should mean nothing to me. Yet as I see her wince under the doctor’s touch, my hands clench at my sides, and I have to remind myself why I’m doing this—for control, for order.
• When Esmeralda dares to meet my gaze, questioning me with that spark of defiance, I feel a flicker of… something.
• It had to be the best thing to do. It’s ridiculous, infuriating even, that a mere breeder would ignite this level of response within me. But there she is, daring to defy me, challenging me as if she doesn’t know the punishment she’s risking.
• “You’re mine,” I tell her, each word a reminder of her place, her purpose. And perhaps it’s a reminder to myself as well, to kill whatever this is before it festers into something I can’t control.
• As I stand there, watching her struggle to keep her defiance alive despite her battered state, Lucien’s voice suddenly pushes through my mind.
• “Alpha, please… don't mistreat her.”
• His words strike a nerve, one I didn’t realize was so raw. A wave of irritation passes through, and something unidentifiable rises within me. Why would Lucien plead on her behalf? Why does he think he has the right to question my actions and my intentions?
• I clench my fists, jaw tightening, as Lucien’s words echo in my mind. Why had he removed her from that cell so urgently? As if she were anything more than a tool, a piece to be moved and discarded when it no longer serves its purpose.
• The conflict inside me grows, gnawing at my resolve, and before I can stop myself, I turn to the young maid and bark out, “Call the pack doctor. Now.”
• The maid jumps, her eyes wide, nodding as she scurries off.
• I take a deep breath, trying to shake this strange sense of possessiveness, to drown out Lucien’s voice echoing through my mind. She’s just a breeder, a reminder of my control, my dominance. So why is it that the thought of anyone else seeing her, handling her, feels almost… unacceptable?
• “Ridiculous,” I mutter under my breath, forcing myself to look at her without the turmoil raging within. I need to be in control. To remind myself and her of the hierarchy, of the cold truth of her existence.