Pain exploded in my throat as Xander's grip tightened. My body convulsed against the silver chains holding me in place, the metal searing into my wrists like molten fire. My legs kicked out, but it was useless—he had me trapped, completely at his mercy.
A shiver ran down my spine as I caught sight of his eyes.
They were changing.
The silver hue darkened, swirling like liquid mercury before shifting—burning into an eerie, predatory gold. The moment his wolf surfaced, the air thickened, pressing down on me like a physical force.
I wasn't just dealing with Xander anymore.
His wolf wanted control.
A slow, sinister smile curled his lips as he leaned closer, his breath ghosting over my skin. My pulse roared in my ears, the primal fear clawing its way through my chest.
"I warned you, little omega," he murmured, his voice deeper now, rougher.
Then—
Fangs.
Sharp, glistening, lethal.
I barely had time to suck in a breath before his mouth descended toward my neck. I twisted, thrashing wildly, my chains clanking as I fought against him with everything I had left.
"No—" My voice broke into a strangled cry as his fangs scraped against my skin.
A taunt rumble vibrated in his chest. He was enjoying this.
"You can struggle all you want," he rasped, lips brushing the sensitive spot beneath my ear, "but in the end, you're mine."
My heart slammed against my ribs. The heat of his body pressed against mine, suffocating, inescapable. His weight, his strength, the power radiating from him—it was too much.
He was too much.
I jerked my head away, but his hand tangled into my hair, yanking me back into place with brutal ease. My scalp burned from the force, but the sharp pain was nothing compared to the sheer terror flooding my veins.
His fangs hovered above my throat, teasing, taunting.
"No," I gasped. "You can't—"
His grip tightened.
"I can," he murmured.
And then—
Agony.
His fangs sank into my neck.
I screamed.
A white-hot blaze of pain shot through my body, searing into my very soul. My vision blurred as a wave of unbearable heat surged through me, flooding every cell in my body with something dark, something irreversible.
The mate bond.
It roared to life, snapping into place with brutal force, chaining me to him in ways no physical shackles ever could.
I gasped, my body arching as the pain twisted into something far worse—a suffocating, consuming connection that made my wolf howl inside me.
Xander groaned, his tongue dragging over the fresh wound, lapping up the blood that trickled from where his fangs had pierced me. A shudder wracked my body, not from pleasure but from the sheer horror of what had just happened.
It was done.
I was marked.
I had no way out now.
Tears burned my eyes, slipping down my cheeks as the finality of it all crashed down on me like a collapsing world. My breath came in ragged gasps, my chest heaving, my entire body trembling.
Xander pulled back, licking his lips, his gaze locking onto mine with chilling amusement. A slow, cruel smile stretched across his face.
"This," he murmured, brushing his thumb over the fresh mark, "is just the beginning."
A sob clawed up my throat, but I swallowed it down.
I refused to give him the satisfaction.
His smile only widened.
"You think you're strong now," he continued, his voice dripping with venomous amusement. "But it won't last."
He straightened, stepping back slightly, but his presence still loomed over me like an inescapable shadow.
"You're bound to me now," he said smoothly. "My mark is on you, my scent, my claim. Do you know what that means, little omega?"
I bit my lip, my breathing ragged, refusing to respond.
His eyes darkened.
"It means you'll crave me," he whispered, tilting his head as if the thought amused him. "You'll feel the pull every second of every day. You'll beg for my touch, plead for my attention."
His smirk turned razor-sharp.
"But you'll get nothing."
My stomach twisted violently.
"I'll make you suffer," he continued, his voice soft yet brutal. "You'll beg for mercy, but you'll never get it. You'll scream, you'll cry, you'll curse me—and I'll watch."
I swallowed hard, my fingers curling into fists.
"You think I care?" I whispered, my voice hoarse. "You think you can break me?"
He chuckled, slow and dark.
"Oh, I know I can."
My blood turned to ice.
Xander reached out, tracing a single finger down my jawline, slow and deliberate. "Your body will betray you," he murmured. "You'll fight it, resist it, but the bond will win. It always does."
I shook my head frantically, my breath coming in shallow gasps.
"No."
"Yes."
His certainty was like a dagger to my gut.
"You see, Raven," he mused, stepping back as he watched me struggle against my chains, "this isn't about what you want. It never was. You sealed your fate the moment you were born into the wrong bloodline."
He turned, moving toward the table once more. My heart pounded as he picked up a small cloth and wiped my blood from his lips with infuriating nonchalance.
His next words were the worst yet.
"You'll pay for your parents' sins," he murmured, glancing at me over his shoulder. "And I'll spend the rest of my life making sure you suffer for them."
A shiver wracked my body.
I knew, in that moment, he meant every word.
He wasn't going to kill me.
Death would be mercy.
No, Xander wanted me alive. He wanted me broken.
And now, with his mark on my skin, he had all the time in the world to do it.
A hollow ache settled deep in my chest as the truth sank in. There was no running anymore. No escaping.
I was his.
Forever.
My breath hitched as he turned toward the door.
He paused just before stepping out, his gaze flicking back to me one last time.
"Rest well, little omega," he murmured, his tone mocking. "I'm just getting started,"
And then—
He was gone.
The heavy metal door slammed shut behind him, the sound echoing through the dungeon.
Silence.
My body motionless, my breaths shallow.
For the first time since this nightmare began—
I broke.
A sob ripped from my throat, raw and unrestrained. Tears poured down my cheeks, my entire body trembling as the crushing weight of reality sank in.
I was marked.
Chained to him in every way that mattered.
And there was no way out.
I curled into myself as much as the chains would allow, my shoulders shaking violently. The bond pulsed beneath my skin, venomous and Inescapable, a constant reminder of what had been done to me.
I hated him.
I hated him more than I had ever hated anyone in my life.
But worse than that—
I hated the part of me that still feit him
That still ached for something I despised.
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms until they bled.
I wouldn't break.
I couldn't break.
No matter what he did to me—
I would find a way out.
I had to
Even if it killed me.