Page 58 of Chained By the Alpha
I struggle against their strong hands, panic and disbelief flooding my senses. “Dad, help me!” I scream, desperate for my father to do something, anything. But he sits there, not even bothering to get out of the car, head in his hands, making no move to save me from this nightmare.
“Get your hands off me!” I spit as Alpha Dane’s men as they drag me toward the door and into the medical room. The sterile smell of disinfectant fills my nostrils, making me feel even more vulnerable and exposed.
“Remove your pants,” Alpha Dane orders coldly, his eyes unyielding as they bore into mine. I clench my fists and shake my head, unable to speak through the fury and humiliation that chokes me. “If you won’t do it voluntarily, I’ll have my men do it for you, Cleo,” Alpha Dane sneers. “Your little scene at the club has raised enough questions. My son won’t have a whore for a Luna,” he spits at me just as a female doctor steps into the room. I look at her for help and she drops her gaze and finally speaks.
“Your presence isn’t needed here, Alpha Dane,” the female doctor interjects, her voice firm, laced with sympathy. “Please leave.”
Alpha Dane looks like he is going to argue with the doctor. “She is entitled to privacy, Alpha. I can’t perform the exam if she is tense and fighting me,” she quickly adds.
Reluctantly, he retreats from the room, taking his men with him. The door clicks shut behind them, leaving me alone with the doctor.
“Please,” I plead, tears streaming down my face. “I don’t want this exam.”
The doctor looks at me with pity in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she says softly. “I’ve been given orders. If you refuse, Alpha Dane has men who will hold you down. It’s best if you cooperate, it is uncomfortable, but not painful and will only take a few minutes. I just need a sample of your slick.” I scoff. Tears burn my eyes.
“Please, I don’t want to order them in, you have every right to feel violated, this is an abuse of power, but I am under command; I can’t let you leave this room without that sample.” she tells me, and I can hear how badly she doesn’t want to force me.
Horrified by the thought of enduring this violation while being forcibly restrained, I comply, feeling my dignity shatter as I remove my pants. Each moment of the exam is an invasion I never would have imagined my own father would force upon me.
When it’s over, Alpha Dane returns for the test results. I rise to my feet, ready to leave. “That wasn’t so hard, was it, Cleo?” he sneers.
I spit in his face.
“You’re a pig. And when I become Alpha, I’ll make you pay for this.”
He laughs cruelly. “How can you be Alpha when you’ll be my son’s Luna?”
I blink. Is that what this arranged marriage is about? The reason my father’s handing this man control of my mother’s pack?
The ride home is silent and tense. My father tries to apologize, and I refuse to even look at him. As soon as we reach the house, I lock myself in my room, wishing I could erase this day.
Morning comes too soon—bringing with it a small glimmer of hope. My phone is back on my nightstand. Dad must be feeling guilty. I waste no time packing for college. I need to escape the suffocating grip of home and finally live on my own terms. I leave before he even gets the chance to speak to me.
At school, I move into my dorm and turn on my phone, surprised to find a barrage of messages from Zayn. I haven’t heard from him since training, and though I wanted to reachout, I didn’t know where to start. As I unpack, my phone rings. It’s Zayn. I let it ring out. It rings again—I answer.
“Cleo?”
I suck in a breath. “Yes. It’s me.”
“Thank God. I saw you read my messages, but you didn’t reply. I wasn’t sure if it was you or your father,” Zayn says, his voice full of concern.
I don’t answer. Emotion swells inside me. This man, who barely knows me, has shown more care than my own family. A tear slips down my cheek.
“Cleo?” he asks softly.
“I should go,” I whisper, trying to hold it together.
“What’s wrong? Where are you?”
“In my dorm,” I admit, sniffling.
“I’m on my way.”
He hangs up. I stare at the screen, stunned.
About thirty minutes later, there’s a knock. I hesitate, how would he know which room is mine? But when I open the door, there he is. His gray eyes brim with worry. He scoops me into his arms without a word, holding me tightly as I burst into tears.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’ve got you,” he murmurs into my hair, kicking the door shut behind him. The intensity of his embrace is overwhelming. My body reacts to his touch, my heart racing. He holds me like he’s trying to breathe life back into me.
