Biting my lip, I turned away from him, ready to run up the stairs, to escape to my room and cry out my frustration. It was the only thing I knew I could do. But Ryder’s voice halted me.
“You’re going nowhere, baby vixen,” he purred. “You’re coming with me.” My body tensed at his statement. I wasn’t a bloody vixen, not his, not anyone’s.
Spinning around, my eyes glaring with fury, I took daring steps toward him.
“What other word can describe you?” I spat, my voice seething with rage. I felt like I was going to shatter into a million pieces, like my heart was going to break.
Ryder chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. I think it was that same chuckle that had drawn me to him.
“Don’t be silly, vixen. I don’t have time for your theatrics,” he snapped snidely, surprising me once more with how his demeanor had changed.
I felt a surge of anger at his words. How dare he? He was the one dragging me away from my home, and yet he had the nerve to rush me. He was forcing me into this twisted game. I was just a pawn to him, a means to an end.
“I’ll never go with you willingly,” I hissed through gritted teeth, my fists clenched at my sides as I pushed out my chest. I felt like I was fighting for my dignity, fighting for my very life.
Ryder shrugged lazily. “I didn’t think you would,” he said. “But you don’t have a choice. You’re mine now, Jasmine. And I always get what’s mine.”
My stomach churned, a burning sensation spreading through it as it tightened. He was using that pronoun again, “mine.” I didn’t belong to anyone, let alone a Lycan king.
His words sent a chilling sensation down my spine. I knew I had to escape, to find a way out of this nightmare. But for now, I was trapped. Trapped in this hellhole, trapped with this monster.
A wave of despair washed over me, my pessimism breeding new thoughts. How was I going to get out of this? How was I going to escape Ryder’s iron grip? I didn’t know, but I knew I had to try. I had to fight, if not for myself, then for my family.
If a pin dropped in the room at that moment, I could swear we would have heard it. That was how quiet the room was. I stood frozen, my eyes fixed on Ryder as he grasped my hand, the contract still clutched in his other hand. No one said a word, everyone nursing their own physical and mental wounds-Dad, Mom, not even Jason, who was still writhing in pain on the floor, Ryder’s fingerprints still very obvious on his neck, purple with flecks of deep red. Stephanie, that bitch, just stood there, her eyes gleaming with malice. She, too, kept her sharp tongue where it belonged.
I could swear I had zero intentions of following Ryder, but then he gave me that smirk, that cold and devilish look.
“Let me go!” I cried out, using my remaining strength to push him off, but he was too strong. It felt like I was pushing against a brick wall. His body was firm, not moving an inch.
One moment, he was staring at me, his eyes sparkling with quiet amusement; the next, his hands made a swooping gesture, and I was hurled over his large shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes.
Biting my lip, a deep wave of rage and humiliation washed over me as I hung there, my stomach churning with each step he took. My eyes shone with tears threatening to spill, but I urged myself to behave. Everything was now in my hands- not even the Pack warriors could stop Ryder. That particular knowledge left me wondering what kind of influence he had to get away with such an atrocity.
“Put me down!” I screamed, drumming my fists against his sturdy back. With no response from him, I buckled my knees and kicked him in the waist. That had to hurt.
A loud smacking noise erupted from behind me, causing me to jerk on his back as a stinging sensation tingled on my butt. His hand was firm, yet… I shuddered. I winced. I couldn’t even rub the sore spot because of how he carried me. Wait! Did he just smack my butt?
My body went still for a minute, but the defiant spirit in me made me continue to kick, my kicks sturdier this time. If Ryder felt anything, it didn’t show. Instead, he ignored my attacks.
“Where are we going?” I asked, my voice a bit shaky as I tried to keep it steady, yet it was betraying me like it had done since breakfast. But my mind was racing.
A dozen questions whirled in my head. What did he plan to do with me? Was I going to be his prisoner forever? Why was everyone so scared?
My questions were answered with silence as I was dumped into the car. Anger coursed through my veins like hot molten lava. I cursed at him, the words tumbling out of my mouth in a venomous stream.
“You bastard! You’ll pay for this, Ryder! I’ll never forgive you!” I screamed, my arms flailing wildly.
I tried to hit him as I reached for his arms, but he was too quick. His hands slammed the door shut behind me. I was trapped.
Banging my fists against the doors and the car window, I used the last of my strength to break free from my prison. But it was no use. I was trapped. The windows, I suspected, were made from very thick, strong glass.
“Let me out!” I screamed, pounding on the door with my fists. “Let me out, Ryder!”
But he just laughed, the sound echoing through the car. “You’re not going anywhere, Jasmine,” he said, his voice cold and detached. “You’re mine now.”
I slumped back in my seat, defeated. I was trapped, with no escape. Ryder had won.
But I vowed that I would find a way out, no matter what it took. I would escape, and I would make Ryder pay for what he had done to me.
I looked around the car, trying to find something-anything-that could help me. But there was nothing. Just the cold, dark interior of the vehicle, and the low hum of the car engine echoing in my ears. My hands, filled with a rush of adrenaline, began to bang against the door again.
Too busy trying to escape, I didn’t notice when Ryder joined me in the back seat. His left wrist wrapped around both my hands. His grip was so tight that I could feel my hands go numb. I wriggled my hands against his hold, but Ryder was too strong. His eyes were cold as they met mine.
Pushing me back, my head banged against the soft leather interior as he shoved me further into the seat. His fingers pressed firmly into my arms. Lowering his head to my ear, his cologne filled my nose, and I found myself sniffing it in. His lips brushed slightly against my neck as he whispered hoarsely close to my ear, his breath sending shivers down my spine.
“I knew you were feisty, Jasmine, but I didn’t think you’d take it this extreme,” he said slowly, his rich voice wrapping around me like warm silk.
Wiggling in my seat, I squirmed, but he held me tighter. “If you want to act like a goat, then I don’t mind treating you like one,” he threatened. I gulped hard, but my body kept wriggling despite his words.
I was stunned by his words. Everything he’d said and done today was surprising, but this open threat caught me off guard. It made me question myself-was this the same Ryder who had my heart beating frantically? The same Ryder who had smiled at me with such warmth and kindness? The playful, teasing Ryder?
“So, it’s either you sit your butt right there like the adult you are,” he continued, his grip tightening, “or I’ll have to tie you down.”
I shuddered hearing his words. Tie me down? What did he mean? I struggled again, but Ryder’s grip was unyielding.
The drive was long and boring. I didn’t realize when I drifted off into a deep sleep. Exhaustion had finally caught up with me, and I welcomed its embrace with open arms. My rest was short-lived, however, as I was jolted awake by Ryder’s cool hands against my skin.
With a disoriented mind, foggy with sleep and fatigue, I stared at him blankly. But as my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I took in the features of my surroundings, realizing I was no longer in Ryder’s car.
I was in a room with tall windows, red blinds hanging over them. The room was slightly dim, its interior minimalist. Staring down at my body, I saw I was half-clothed.
A feeling of panic gripped me, and I jerked. “The fuck!” Why on earth was I dressed like this-so scantily clad? Searching my memory furiously, I rummaged through it, trying to remember what had happened. I couldn’t fill in the gap from when I’d slept off until now.
Standing up, my eyes still heavy with sleep, I looked around the room. It was unfamiliar, with cream-colored walls and only one window open, letting in a sliver of light.
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