Page 38 of Forced By the Alpha

“Enough, Sienna,” I said. “Dylan, please shackle her hands and feet.”

He placed the cuffs around her wrists while I held her still. Once they were in place, I sat her back down on the couch so Dylan could place the restraints on her ankles as well. The length was enough that she could still walk, but she would have to do it slowly. I needed her powers to be cut off, not her movement.

“You have free reign in the cabin, but you’ll be locked inside,” I told her.

“This is ridiculous,” she pointed out. “Franco, you’re better than this.”

There was nothing more for me to say to her, so I turned my back and ordered Dylan to follow me outside. Her words had cut me deeply. I wished it were true that I was above keeping my mate in chains, but it clearly wasn’t.

“Alpha, what in the world is going on?” Dylan asked. “I thought Sienna was one of us?”

“She still is,” I explained. “Tonight, her magic grew exponentially, and she isn’t thinking clearly. She is trying to perform a spell that she doesn’t have the power for, and it’s hurting her. This is the only way to keep her—and the pack—safe.”

“How long are you going to keep her like that?”

I sighed. I didn’t have an answer to his question, but that wasn’t something I wanted to broadcast. Things would be bad enough when the pack found out that I had imprisoned Sienna in our cabin. Everyone had gotten used to her being a part of their lives, even if they knew her true purpose here.

“Until I have a better solution,” I told him. “It won’t be forever.”

“Whatever you say, boss,” Dylan agreed. I could tell that he was still confused by what had happened in the cabin, but he knew better than to pry.

Now, all I needed was to find another plan for breaking the curse before Sienna found a way around the magical dampeners I had fitted her with.

Oh, is that all?my wolf asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Would you prefer I let her kill herself?I snapped.

He growled but didn’t respond. Neither of us wanted Sienna harmed. There had to be another way to end this.

Chapter 19 - Sienna

In spite of the exhaustion from doing such difficult spell work, it had taken me hours to fall asleep last night. The shackles were cold and uncomfortable, the couch was lumpy, and my anger was at an all-time high.

I was furious with Franco for betraying me and taking away my freedom, of course. But mostly, I was angry that he didn’t trust me to know my own limits. There was no doubt that the magic I had attempted to use was advanced, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do it. All I had wanted to do was break the curse. It was the very thing he had brought me to his pack to do. My entire purpose here. But instead of allowing me to do it, he had locked me up like an animal.

“He’s the animal,” I mumbled to myself as I did my best to pour myself a glass of water. The weight of the chains made managing tasks difficult, and I had already broken two glasses when I tried to get them out of the cabinet.

“Did you say something?” Franco asked.

I hadn’t heard him open the front door, and his appearance startled me into dropping my water. The glass shattered at my feet, drenching me in liquid.

“Dammit!” I screamed.

He hurried over and grabbed a towel from the counter to mop up the spill. “Don’t move, I’ll grab the glass so you don’t cut your feet,” he said.

“How kind,” I said sarcastically. “While you’re at it, you can sweep up the glass from the other cups I broke.”

Franco didn’t say anything. He just grabbed the broom and began cleaning up my messes. Once it was done and I wasfree to move again, I shuffled over to the couch and sat down. After three failed attempts, I was admitting defeat. Maybe if I died of dehydration, he would see the error of his ways.

But of course, he wouldn’t allow that. He put on a pot of coffee to brew and then brought me a plastic cup of water.

“Here,” he said. His tone was kind and apologetic. Maybe I could work with that.

“Thank you,” I said. “Are you ready to take these chains off now?”

“No.”

“Franco, please,” I said quietly. “I can’t even get a drink when I’m tied up like this. Do you know how hard it is to use the bathroom? You’re being silly.”

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