Chapter 49

Lyosha flung Shemika across the room with a strength that belied his age. As an older lycan, his power was undiminished. She crashed into a glass hutch on the far wall, the impact shattering the glass and the delicate items within. She landed amidst the shards on the floor, groaning as she tried to push herself up.

Lyosha hoisted her by the neck again, hurling her in the opposite direction. She collided with his desk, skidding across it before tumbling to the floor on the other side.

“I warned you, little wolf. I didn’t want to do this, but you’ve left me no choice,” he said, his voice casual despite the exertion. “You’re undoing all my work with that boy. He never would have defied me before you came along. I don’t understand why he’s doing this. You’re just a pretty face.”

Shemika groaned, dragging herself toward the door, forgetting it had been locked behind her. “You’re fucking insane,” she managed to spit out.

“A lady shouldn’t speak like that, Shemika,” he admonished, moving toward her to lift her by her hair.

“I never claimed to be one,” she retorted, struggling to break free.

His eyes narrowed. “So you just have a dirty mouth,” he accused.

“Sure,” she taunted. “I have a dirty fucking mouth.”

“Very well. If you want to have a dirty mouth, I’ll treat you like you have a dirty mouth,” he threatened ominously.

Confusion flickered in her eyes at his words, but it was short-lived. As he lowered her to the ground, his other hand moved to his slacks, unbuttoning and unzipping them. Fear dried her mouth as she realized his intentions. She would rather endure a belt to her skin than be violated against her will. “No, don’t! I—”

Lyosha forced himself into her mouth, past her teeth. She could barely breathe, her eyes filling with tears. The suffocation was part of it, but the violation was the main cause. Her cries were futile.

Eventually, her struggles ceased and she surrendered, letting Lyosha continue. She wished she could be anywhere else, with anyone else. She longed for Caturix. Caturix. He had asked for monogamy. She felt like she was betraying him, having another man inside her. Would he understand? Would he choose Lyosha over her? His adoptive father?

Pain seared through Shemika’s scalp as Lyosha’s claws dug into her skin, his climax approaching. Her jaw throbbed. She wished she could vanish, dissolve into the floor. She even wished for death. Lyosha’s release filled her mouth as he moaned, his movements jerky. He discarded her onto the floor, leaving her there. Numb.

He panted, trying to regain his composure. “This is on you,” he finally said. “I didn’t want to do this, but you made me,” he stated calmly.

Shemika lay motionless on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. ~My love. My love. My love.~ His voice echoed in her mind, wrapping her in warmth and comfort. ~I don’t think you’re a whore~, he’d said. She was certain he wouldn’t blame her.

“Stand,” Lyosha ordered abruptly.

It took a moment for the command to sink in. Shemika rose slowly, no longer trembling with fear. She felt numb, frozen with indifference.

“Come,” he commanded.

She crossed the room, her feet dragging as if weighed down by cement blocks. When she reached him, he enveloped her in a hug. “I wish you hadn’t made me do that, Shemika,” he murmured into her hair. “Why can’t you be more like the other she-wolves and just obey me?” He stroked her hair, the same hair he had just yanked her around by.

He adjusted his clothes, smoothing them out. “Please, let this be the last lesson of its kind, little wolf,” he said. “Now, who do you belong to?”

Shemika stood still, her back to him. Her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms. She had to squeeze until she felt blood trickling from her palms before she could speak. “I belong to you,” she forced out.

She heard Lyosha’s delighted chuckle.

“Who am I to you?” he asked.

She clenched her fists tighter. “You’re my alpha.”

“Good girl,” he patronized. “You may leave whenever you’re ready. But I must go, pack duties and all. I’ll expect you for dinner?”

“Yes,” she managed to say.

“Good, good. I love seeing this side of you, Shemika. Keep it up,” he praised. “But be warned, today’s events are nothing compared to what will happen if you continue your rebellion. If you force my hand, I may have to mark you as mine to keep others from interfering.”

She heard Lyosha tap a familiar tune on the door. It unlocked, opened, and closed behind him, leaving Shemika alone in the room.

The office was a mess. The hutch was in ruins, its contents scattered and broken on the floor. The items from his desk were strewn about. The chair was overturned. Her blood was splattered around the room, mixed with his semen where he had assaulted her. Ylenia would have used her powers to torture him. He would never have been able to overpower her. Everyone respected Selene too much to harm her, but not Shemika. Shemika was a weak she-wolf, weaker than average.

She unclenched her fists, looking at her trembling hands. Bloody crescents marked her palms. Where was her lycan form now? It had emerged in the city to protect her, but not today? Shemika took a moment to compose herself before leaving the room. She considered going to Caturix’s room, but decided against it.

Maybe it was pointless. There didn’t seem to be a future with him. Why was she trying so hard to be in a relationship…an association, it wasn’t even a relationship. He kept her at a distance. There had been so much emotional vulnerability between them recently. Emotional intimacy. She found her way back to her room in a daze, as if on autopilot.

Just her luck. Nikandr was waiting at her door, grinning as if he’d won the lottery.

“Looks like you’ve seen our alpha,” he teased.

Yeah, and his shitty father, she realized now. “Please leave,” she said, trying to move past him.

“I warned you,” he continued.

She stopped mid-step. “You told him?” she demanded, turning to face him.

He wasn’t afraid of her anger. Why would he be? The pampered prince had been the heir to the alpha since birth. “Of course,” he smirked. “It wasn’t fun anymore, waiting for you to choose me.”

“Do you even realize what he—” Her words died as she saw his expression. He knew what Lyosha had done to her. He probably knew beforehand what Lyosha was ~going~ to do to her.

How could he pretend to care about her? He’d acted as if he wanted to be her mate. Why was he okay with his father assaulting her then?

“I don’t want you, ~Nikandr~,” she snarled. “I won’t ~EVER~ want you. I didn’t want you ~yesterday~. I don’t want you ~today~. I will ~NEVER~ want you. I don’t want an alpha because he’s an alpha. You have ~nothing~ I want. You could rot and die, and I would praise the Goddess,” she growled, baring her teeth at him.

Nikandr straightened, moving away from the wall. The humor quickly drained from his face. “You only mean that now, little wolf.”

Ah, there it was, she realized. Both he and his father often used the same condescending endearment.

“I’ll always stand by what I said. You strut around like you own the place, just because your dad’s the alpha. Without his protection, you’re nothing. No one even likes you.” Her words were sharp as she spun around to retreat back into her room. “Hope your day is as pleasant as you are, ~Nikandr~.”

With a forceful slam, she shut the door behind her and made a beeline for the shower.

She stripped down, standing bare under the cascading water. She had turned the knob all the way, the water as hot as it could possibly be. It was practically burning her skin, but she willed herself to stay under the spray.

She was the common denominator in all her problems. Everything was her fault. If she had been assigned a duty within the pack, she wouldn’t have crossed paths with Felix. She wouldn’t have had to venture outside the compound. If she had been a contributing member of her pack, she would’ve known the boundaries of their territory. She wouldn’t have accidentally trespassed into foreign land. If she hadn’t been a rule-breaker, she would’ve left Caturix alone from the start.

But it was too late for regrets. Despite everything that had happened with Lyosha, she wasn’t sure she could turn her back on him now. He was her everything, but given the situation…would he choose her? Or would he blindly follow his alpha, his adoptive father?

Could she even be considered a choice worth making?