Page 14 of Cruel Alpha: Season One

“There’s no way inhellI’ll ever be your fucking pet.”

He stares, and in that moment, I can’t fight the onset of regret, knowing it probably wasn’t in my best interest to talk back.

“Hm, I see.”

My gaze lowers to his feet when he begins to pace in front of the cell, dirt and debris crunching beneath the soles of his obnoxiously expensive shoes.

“You don’t want this,” he concludes as my heart races. He finally gets it. What I’ve been saying all along.

When his feet suddenly halt, I lift my eyes again and meet his gaze.

“Come to the bars, Annalise,” he beckons calmly.Toocalmly, which leaves me unnerved. But I’m too pissed to let it show.

Instead of cowering in the corner, I rise to my feet and charge toward the bars, like I’m some sort of match for him. Like we’re physical equals.

He smirks, maybe amused by my boldness, but then I regret not proceeding with caution, not keeping in mind who I’m dealing with.

“Listen carefully, Little Wolf,” he growls into my ear, a handful of my hair wound into his fist. “I’ve indulged you enough, let youthinkyou have a voice, but I’ve officially growntired of your antics. I’ve given you two choices before, and you fucked that up.Royally.But I’m willing to try this again.”

Enduring the unending burn he’s inflicted on my scalp, I clench my jaw, determined not to give him a single reaction—fear, anger. Nothing.

His lips are maybe an inch from my ear when he inhales my scent deeply, then exhales his warmth against my skin.

“If you give me your word that you’ll fall in line, if you can promise me that you’ll be on your best behavior, I’ll let you out of here. Trust me, sweetheart, these are not the accommodations I had in mind for one of my queens. So, it would please usbothto see you sleeping on a bed, instead of the floor like some wild animal. However,” he adds, drawing a whimper from me when he brings me closer by my hair. “If you choose tobehavelike a beast, I will gladly continue treating you like one.”

I’m breathing so wildly my head spins, clenching my fists to keep from doing something I’ll regret, something that will surely result in death.

Mine, of course.

“So, what will it be? Will you choose to be kept as my darling beauty? Or my wayward beast?”

After a long, hard glare, he releases my hair, and I stumble back. My breathing hasn’t slowed. In fact, it’s even more exasperated than before as I stare him down, seeing him for the arrogant prick he is.

“Whether you leave me in this cell or set me free, I willneverbe yours, Caspian. I would sooner dig my own grave and bury myself alive before I’d let that happen.”

My shoulders heave, and my frustration deepens when the words I’ve spoken draw a smirk from him.

“Perhaps,” he says, that curiosity returning to his eyes. “Or maybe all you need is a little time to think.”

He starts toward the steps, turning off the flashlight. Total darkness surrounds me. In this windowless space, not even my wolf can help. His steps sound distant and panic fills me.

“Wait! You can’t just leave me here!”

“I can. And I will.” His voice echoes from some unseen place. “I’ll return in a few days. Maybe by then, either hunger or madness will have broken you.”

A few days? Would hereally leave me here that long?

The sound of a heavy, wooden door slamming shut, and then latching, answers my question.

Yes.

Yes, he absolutely would.

6

The Breaking

Annalise

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