Chapter 5 Her torment continues

Elias's pov :

A whole day had dragged on like an eternity in this cursed manor, each hour marked by the muffled symphony of her suffering from the room next door. I sat in my study trying to drown out the sounds with the crackle of flames. But her cries pierced through the walls, desperate pleas that twisted like knives in my gut.

"Alpha... please... it hurts..." Over and over, her voice breaking into sobs that echoed my own inner turmoil.

I should have felt vindication, a sweet rush of revenge for her betrayal. After all, she'd run from me three years ago, vanished like smoke, and then that night, slipped away again, no doubt to aid my enemies. But instead of relief, all I felt was her pain.

As her mate-gods, the bond we'd shared before she shattered it. I was wired to protect, to soothe an omega in heat. Yet here I was, denying her, denying us both.

My fists clenched on the armrests, knuckles whitening. Did she really find another alpha behind my back? The thought ignited a fresh blaze of anger in my chest. We'd been destined, our scents intertwining in that perfect fated way only true mates knew. But if she'd never cared, if she'd spread her legs for some rival to spite me. Betrayal burned hotter than any heat.

I paced the room, my alpha instincts roaring to burst through that door, to claim her and end this madness. But no. She needed punishment. She needed to break, to confess why she'd turned against me.

A soft knock interrupted my spiraling thoughts. The beta maid, Lila, poked her head in, her expression neutral as always, betas didn't feel the pull of pheromones like we did.

"Sir, what should I do about Miss Naomi's dinner? She hasn't eaten all day. The staff is worried, her cries... they're getting weaker."

I growled low in my throat, the sound more animal than man. Worried? They had no idea the war raging inside me. "Bring the food. I'll handle it."

She nodded and scurried off, returning minutes later with a tray: steaming broth, fresh bread, sliced fruits-simple fare for someone in her state. I snatched it from her, dismissing her with a curt wave.

The door to her room loomed before me like a gateway to temptation. I steeled myself, drawing on every ounce of cold resolve I'd cultivated as pack leader. She was the enemy now. My enemy.

The moment I pushed the door open, her pheromones slammed into me like a tidal wave of sweet, floral notes laced with desperate need, wrapping around my senses, infiltrating my lungs. The room reeked of it, her slick and sweat mingling into an intoxicating perfume that made my head spin.

My cock twitched instantly, straining against my pants, the alpha in me howling to respond. If I were any other normal alpha, less disciplined, I'd have given in by now, pinned her down, knotted her until she screamed in relief instead of agony. But I wasn't. I was Elias, the one she'd betrayed, and I wouldn't crumble.

I set the tray on the side table with a deliberate clatter, my eyes locking onto her. There she was, still tied to the bed as I'd left her, wrists and ankles raw from straining against the ropes. Her body glistened with sweat, the thin shift she'd worn now translucent, clinging to every curve like a second skin. She breathed heavily, chest rising and falling in ragged gasps, her full breasts heaving with each inhale, nipples pebbled and visible through the damp fabric. Her thighs were pressed together as much as the bonds allowed, slick glistening on her inner legs, pooling beneath her on the sheets.

Goddess, her pitiful face flushed a deep crimson, tears streaking her cheeks, her once-vibrant eyes now half-lidded and glassy with fever. Her lips, swollen and red from where she'd bitten them raw to stifle her cries, parted slightly as she whimpered. Strands of her dark hair stuck to her forehead and neck, matted with perspiration.

Yet, even in this wretched state, she was sexy as sin. Ravishing. Her omega body, curved and soft in all the right places, called to me like a siren's song-hips flared invitingly, skin glowing with that heat-induced sheen that made her look like a goddess of desire. The way her body arched subtly, seeking relief that wasn't there, only heightened the allure. Pitiful and tempting, a deadly combination that tested my limits.

I approached the bed, my boots heavy on the floor, each step a battle against the urge to touch her. Sitting on the edge, the mattress dipped under my weight, and I reached out slowly, deliberately pushing a few stray hairs from her damp face. My fingers brushed her skin, feather-light, but the contact was electric.

"Ah!" She moaned instantly, a low, throaty sound that shot straight to my groin.

Shameless, utterly tempting. Just a small touch, and she unraveled like that? My pants tightened further, my cock throbbing painfully, demanding release. Her pheromones spiked in response, begging for more, and I had to grit my teeth to keep control.

"I've brought you food," I said, my voice rougher than intended, laced with the strain of holding back. "You should eat. Can't have you wasting away before your punishment's done."

Her eyelids fluttered open slowly, revealing those dazed, tear-filled eyes-hazel depths clouded with pain and need. She stared at me for a long moment, as if struggling to focus through the heat's fog. Then, fresh tears spilled over, tracing salty paths down her cheeks. Her lower lip trembled, and she whispered.

"Elias ... why? Why are you tormenting me like this? What did I do... so wrong?"

I swallowed hard, my hand lingering near her face, thumb hovering just above her cheek. Gods, she looked so vulnerable, so utterly pitiful-tied and trembling, her body betraying her with every quiver, every drop of slick that scented the air. But sexy too, the way her lips parted in that plea, full and inviting, begging to be claimed. Anger surged again, mixing with the ache in my chest.

"What did you do?" I echoed, my tone mocking, though it cracked at the edges. "You ran from me, Naomi. Three years ago, you vanished without a word, leaving me to wonder if you were dead or just... done with me. And that night? You slink away again, right after I catch you consorting with my enemies. Betrayal, that's what. Plotted against your own mate."

She shook her head weakly, more tears falling, her body shuddering as another wave of heat pain hit her.

"No... Elias , please... I didn't... it hurts so much..." Her voice dissolved into a sob, pitiful and heart-wrenching, her eyes pleading with a desperation that clawed at my soul.

I leaned in closer, my face inches from hers, inhaling her scent despite myself. It was driving me mad, my alpha instincts screaming to comfort her, to bury myself inside her and end this for both of us. My hand moved of its own accord, trailing down her neck, feeling the rapid pulse there. She arched into the touch, moaning again, her skin hot as fire under my fingers.

"Look at you," I murmured taunting, though my heart pounded. "Begging like this. But oh, so tempting. Your body's screaming for me, isn't it? Slick everywhere, pussy clenching on nothing. And yet, you betrayed me. Tell me, Naomi, who's the alpha you've been running to? The one knotting you through your heats while I searched for you like a fool?"

Her eyes widened slightly, a flicker of clarity through the daze, but then pain overtook her again. She cried out, body convulsing, hips bucking against the air.

"There's... no one... Alpha, please... touch me... I can't... bear it..." Her words were slurred, sexy in their raw need, drawing my gaze to the way her shift rode up, exposing more of her glistening thighs.

I gripped the sheets beside her, knuckles white, fighting the pull. "Lies," I snarled, anger flaring to mask the pain her words inflicted. If there was no one, then why run? "You never cared that I'm your mate, did you? Just used me and tossed me aside for your schemes. Well, this is your reward, suffering alone, like I did."

She sobbed harder, twisting in the ropes, the movement making her breasts strain against the fabric, nipples begging for attention. Pitiful, her omega allure amplified by the heat, making her irresistible.

"Elias ... I'm sorry... Please, help me... I'll do anything..."

I stood abruptly, the tray forgotten, my cock aching painfully in my pants. I couldn't stay; one more plea, and I'd break.

"Eat if you want," I said coldly, turning toward the door. "Or don't. Your choice. But the torment continues until you confess."

As I slammed the door behind me, her cries followed behind me.

"Elias! Don't leave!"