Chapter 2

Elara Thorne POV:

I followed him on legs that felt like they were made of stone, my mind a numb buzz of disbelief and terror. He led me through the side door and into a suite of rooms so opulent they made the throne hall look modest. Dark, polished wood, rich velvet curtains, and a fireplace large enough to stand in dominated the antechamber. But he didn't stop there. He strode into the main bedchamber and gestured for me to stay in the outer room.

"Wait here," he commanded, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. Then he disappeared into what I assumed was a bathing chamber, leaving me alone. The sound of running water started a moment later.

The silence that descended was almost as terrifying as his presence. I stood frozen in the middle of the room, the luxurious surroundings a cruel mockery of my situation. A grand feast was laid out on a long table-roasted meats, fruits, cheeses, and wine-but my stomach was a tight knot of fear. It had been over a day since I'd last eaten, and a dull ache of hunger throbbed in my belly, but I didn't dare touch anything. I was his property now, and I didn't know the rules.

The soft sound of footsteps approaching made me jump, my body instantly tensing. I straightened up, expecting the King to emerge from his bath. Instead, a different man entered from the main hallway. He was tall and lean, with sharp, observant grey eyes and an air of lethal efficiency. He wore the black uniform of the King's personal guard, but the authority he carried told me he was more than that. The Beta.

He stopped a few feet away, his eyes raking over me from head to toe. There was no curiosity in his gaze, only a cold, clinical assessment, as if he were inspecting a piece of livestock. And he found me wanting. A faint sneer touched his lips.

He reached into a leather satchel at his hip and pulled something out. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it onto the plush rug at my feet. It landed with a soft, wet thud.

I looked down. It was a wolf's paw, severed at the wrist. Blood, still dark and wet, stained the pristine white fur. The claws were long and sharp. My breath caught in my throat, and I stumbled back, a choked gasp escaping my lips.

The Beta's voice was as cold and sharp as his eyes. "The fate of a traitor. The King asked me to show you, so you understand your place."

My blood ran cold. The brutal display was a clear message, a visceral warning. This is what happens to those who displease the King. The image of the slaughtered warriors of my pack flashed through my mind, the scent of blood and death filling my senses. I felt sick.

He seemed pleased by my horrified reaction. He reached into another pouch and pulled out a hunk of dark bread and a piece of greasy, cooked meat. He threw them on the floor as well, a few feet from the bloody paw.

He jerked his chin toward the food, his tone dripping with contempt, the way one would speak to a dog. "Eat. The King doesn't want you fainting from hunger when he decides to use you."

A hot wave of shame and fury washed over me. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms so hard I was surprised I didn't draw blood. To be treated like this, to have food thrown at my feet like an animal... the humiliation was a physical blow.

But the gnawing hunger in my stomach was a more powerful force. I needed to survive. I needed strength. Father's voice echoed again: *Live, Elara. Survive.*

Keeping my eyes down, I forced myself to move. Under the Beta's merciless gaze, I knelt, my body trembling with the effort of swallowing my pride. I picked up the bread and the meat from the floor. I didn't look at him. I just stared at the intricate patterns of the rug as I brought the food to my mouth and began to eat, chewing and swallowing as fast as I could. Hot tears burned the backs of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I would not give him the satisfaction.

I could feel his eyes on me, watching my desperate, hurried meal. I heard a soft, humorless chuckle. When I risked a glance up, I saw a smirk of pure derision on his face. He watched me for another moment, as if confirming my complete and utter subjugation, then turned on his heel and left, the door closing silently behind him.

He left the paw.

I finished the last of the bread, the food sitting like a rock in my stomach. The hunger pangs subsided, replaced by an icy dread that seeped into my bones. My eyes were drawn to the severed paw lying on the beautiful rug. A wave of nausea rolled through me, and I had to swallow hard to keep the food down.

Kaelen Varg wasn't just a conqueror. He was a master of psychological torture, a monster who knew how to break a person from the inside out.

Using my foot, I pushed the gruesome object as far away as I could, into the darkest corner of the room. I retreated to a large, velvet sofa, curling into a tight ball, trying to make myself as small as possible, to disappear.

Then, the sound of the water stopped.

My heart leaped into my throat, pounding a frantic, panicked rhythm against my ribs. It's time. The real ordeal was about to begin. I stared at the door to the bathing chamber, my hands clutching the rough fabric of my tunic.

Every instinct screamed at me to run, to flee, but I knew it was useless. The Beta's warning, the severed paw, the guards stationed at every door-there was no escape. Running was just a faster way to die.

I took a shaky breath, trying to force a semblance of calm into my racing heart. Survival. That was all that mattered now. Whatever came next, I had to endure it.

The ornate brass handle on the bedchamber door began to turn.

I shot to my feet, every muscle in my body screaming, poised like a cornered deer facing down the wolf.