CHAPTER 22: STRANGER IN FRONT OF HER

My mind was a haze.

One moment I was being dragged into a steaming bath, hands forcing me down onto the cold marble seat.

The next, rough cloths scraped across my skin, scrubbing so hard it felt as if they wanted to peel me raw. Scents of herbs and oils swirled in the air: lavender, sage, something bitter and metallic beneath it.

My head swam. Heavy, too heavy.

Water poured over me in endless waves. I coughed and sputtered as it soaked my hair, ran into my eyes.

My limbs felt sluggish, boneless, as though the strength had been drained right out of me. I tried to push the women away, but my arms moved like lead, my fingers too weak to curl into fists.

There was something in the water. I was sure of it.

Something that dulled my mind, that made my thoughts slow and blurred, my body limp and uncooperative.

When they lifted me out, my legs barely carried me.

I stumbled, half-dragged, as they clothed me again but not in anything that resembled my dress.

A thin robe clung to my damp skin, the fabric soft and pale, the neckline loose enough to slip from my shoulder. No undergarments, nothing beneath the folds of the robe except bare flesh.

My chest rose and fell in shallow, panicked breaths.

I tried to speak, but the words came out fractured. "What... what have you done to me?"

My voice was hardly more than a whisper, breathless and weak.

They didn’t answer. Not a glance, not a word. Their silence was louder than any threat.

The floor shifted beneath my feet, or maybe it was me swaying, as they guided me across the chamber.

And then I felt it: the push between my shoulder blades, firm, merciless. My body tumbled onto the massive bed behind me, the furs swallowing me whole.

The scent of cedar, smoke, and him clung to the sheets, suffocating.

I clutched at the robe with trembling hands, trying to hold it closed as my heart thundered in my chest. Fear pressed against my ribs, heavy and unbearable.

"Please," I croaked. The word scraped against my throat like glass. "Please, don’t... don’t leave me here."

But my pleas met only silence.

The women moved in perfect unison, faces blank, as if carved from stone. They turned toward the door without hesitation, their footsteps muffled by the rugs.

"Wait!" My voice cracked, desperation seizing me. I tried to push myself up, but my body refused to obey. The room tilted. "Please!"

Not a single one looked back.

The door shut with a hollow thud, the lock sliding into place.

And just like that, I was alone.

Alone in the Alpha’s bed.

The silence pressed heavy around me after the women left, the only sound the fire’s low crackle and my own shallow breaths.

Dragging my limbs across the mattress took all the strength I had left. I slid down the side of the bed until I reached the floor, my robe clinging damply to my skin.

My back pressed to the edge of the bedframe, grounding me as I pulled my knees to my chest.

I hugged them tightly, as though curling into myself could make me vanish.

Inside, I was screaming. A raw, unending scream that clawed at the walls of my chest, but no sound left my throat. Even my tears had abandoned me.

My eyes burned, but they were dry. I had nothing left to shed.

The door creaked.

My heart lurched violently, and I pressed back harder against the bedframe, though there was no space behind me.

Finn entered.

Despite how spacious the room was, his presence made it suffocating for me. It was like he filled every corner of it, leaving me nowhere to run.

Every step he took sounded louder than it should have, his shadow stretching toward me as the firelight caught the sharp angles of his face.

I curled tighter, my arms wrapping around my knees as if they were my last shield.

He stopped a few feet away. Close enough for me to feel the weight of his gaze.

Gold eyes bore down on me, unreadable, dark.

"Did you know what running away means, Vivien?" His voice was low and calm this time.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry, my body trembling.

"You are the breeder chosen by the Alpha to carry his heir." Each word landed with finality. "The decision was approved by the council. You are no ignorant of the law. Once you attempt to run away, you will become a criminal. You will be dealt with according to the law."

My stomach twisted. I knew the law. Everyone did.

To defy the Alpha’s decree, to flee a role chosen by the council, was a crime punishable by death.

And yet...

I had still tried.

I pressed my forehead against my knees, a bitter laugh choking in my chest.

Yes, I knew. And still, I would have rather died running than lived caged.

I forced myself to raise my head, to meet his gaze, even though my voice came out weak and unsteady.

"Then why don’t you just kill me? Why did you bring me here instead of the dungeon?"

The silence that followed was heavier than his words.

His eyes darkened, shadows flickering through them like a curse meant only for me. For daring to question him. For daring to ask.

When he finally spoke, his voice was tight, controlled. "Contrary to what you believe, I still have some ounce of mercy in me. I still see you as someone part of who I was before." His gaze flickered, almost softer for a breath, before hardening again. "You were my friend."

Were.

The word cut deeper than his slap ever could.

I took note of it, etched it into my bones. He spoke of me in the past tense, as if whatever bond we had once shared was nothing but ash now.

And maybe it was.

But the truth burned bitter on my tongue: he could have chosen. He could have chosen to stay as that boy, the friend I once knew.

But he didn’t.

He chose power.

He chose cruelty.

He chose to let that part of him die.

And I was left staring at the stranger who had taken his place.