Page 12 of Cruel Alpha: Season One

He’s built to be a literal killing machine, built to defend our clan against even the most fearsome enemies who could rise against us. At the thought of it, I feel the slightest bit more vulnerable and fear spikes inside me.

The breadth of his chest tapers into a trim waist, and seeing as how he’s clearly just shifted out of wolf form, I can guess he’s completely naked below the waist, too. In fact, if it weren’t for the shadow covering his hips and lower, and my crumpled position inside the net, I’d see more of him than I ever care to.

The one to Caspian’s right is bare-chested as well. The length of his hair is bound in a knot behind his head, and I recognize him. Not that we’ve met face-to-face, but I’ve seen him in passing, as well as in photographs and on television alongside Caspian on numerous occasions. He’s our clan beta. While the pair are blood brothers, maybe a few years separating them, they’ve been assigned two very different lots in life.

One, destined to rule Clan Centauri for the foreseeable future.

The other, a soldier sworn to lay down his life for the alpha should the need ever arise.

His red stare glows in my direction, the low rumble of a warning growl vibrating in his chest.

“Easy, Dimitri,” Caspian slowly croons. “Let’s see if she can explain herself before we resort to violence.”

If I were able to access my wolf, I’d tear my way out of this net and run like hell, but alas…

Caspian approaches and gives the net a hard push, sending me swinging like a pendulum. They laugh, and I feel mortified. Weak. My body slams his solid chest when I fly back toward him, and he hooks his fingers through the ropes to hold me in place.

Now the quiet growl emanating through the air is my own. My wolf’s only means of making herself known under these circumstances.

“Well, shit,” Caspian says with a laugh. “Have I upset you, Little Wolf?”

“Just… cut me down and I’ll cooperate,” I lie. I think we both know I’d run away or die trying. Probably the latter.

He lets out another throaty laugh. “Is that how you think things work? You think an act of defiance results in blind trust?”

A subtle gust of wind sweeps through the net, and Dimitri’s red stare brightens, filled with curiosity. He steps up and sniffs the air more deeply, awareness suddenly flooding his eyes. It takes a moment for me to figure it out, but I get it now.

It’s my scent.

He inhales more deeply, as if to confirm that the aroma he’s detected is, in fact, coming from my direction. My thoughts shift back to how Caspian described it—cinnamon and lavender. And now, Dimitrialsoknows what others have so easily detected.

That I’m frustratingly pure.

Moonlight glints off Caspian’s teeth when he bares them, and I realize he’salsobecome aware of Dimitri’s slow, subtle advance. Caspian shifts a glare over his shoulder, aiming his blue irises right at his beta.

“You can look. I’ll even allow you to enjoy her scent,” he says. “But I warn you, Brother. Do not forget your place.”

A breath hitches in my throat at the sharpness of his tone. Dimitri is a large man, formidable. But in this moment, he may as well be a child with how he cowers at his brother’s words. Then, he takes two very cautious steps backward, and the dynamic between them becomes crystal clear.

“My apologies, Alpha,” he grovels, lowering his gaze to the ground.

Slowly, Caspian rolls his gaze back to me, and our eyes lock.

“Now, to decide what on Earth to do withyou,” he grumbles, the net still in his grasp. Contemplating, he aimlessly swings me back and forth.

My heart thunders against my ribs as another breeze sends Caspian’s heady fragrance directly into my nostrils. I hate what it does to me. Hate that it twists my intent, makes my thoughts volley between carnality and terror.

“Might I make a suggestion?” Dimitri speaks up, breaking the spell.

Caspian’s head tilts as he takes me in from a new angle. “I’m listening.”

“Well, it’s late,” Dimitri points out. “We had a hell of a time tracking her down, so maybe we put her in a cell and deal with her in the morning.”

I imagine it, being shoved inside some dark, damp cell until they’re ready to decide my fate. My lips part to protest, but no sound leaves me because fear has seized my throat.

“That might not be such a bad idea,” Caspian agrees, then directs his words towardmeagain. “Well, Little Wolf, I gave you a clear choice—heaven or hell. And tonight, it seems you’ve chosen your path.”

Flashing that dark grin again, he seals my fate with three little words.

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