Chapter 4 Dragged to the Alpha's Chambers

Serena was still on the ground. Her ears were ringing from the absurd demand she'd just heard.

Mate? Pups?

She blinked up at him, confused and breathless. "What the hell?"

Her voice cracked a little. Slowly, she pushed herself upright, wincing as she brushed dust off her clothes.

"I think you've got the wrong person. I'm human. We don't... do the whole 'mating' thing. We get to know each other, date, kiss, have sex... human to human. And we have kids. Not furry little pups with fangs."

She swallowed hard. "Also, I didn't mean to end up here. I was running for my life. There was a tiger."

She looked up again.

Kaelen was staring at her-silent, unreadable. Like none of what she said mattered.

So she stopped talking.

"Look, human..."

"Serena," she corrected quietly.

"I don't care about your name."

Her throat dried instantly. All she managed was a quiet, "Okay."

He stepped closer. His voice was low and flat, like a blade she couldn't see coming.

"This bond ,whatever cursed thing led to it, means only one thing: obligation. To the kingdom. To the bloodline. That's all."

He didn't stop moving until he stood directly in front of her. His presence was oppressive, swallowing the air around her.

"Only the one bound to me can carry the heir this kingdom demands ," he said coldly. "That is the only reason you're standing in this castle... instead of rotting in a cell, for all I care."

His eyes locked on hers, dark and empty of warmth. "I don't want a second chance. Especially not with a human. The fact that it's you... is nothing short of a cosmic insult."

Then....

The scent in the air changed. Sharp. Suddenly.

A strange twist of jasmine... and something darker, like trees burning from the inside out.

Serena choked, coughing violently. Her lungs seized up.

Her eyes watered.

She'd read about pheromones before...how alphas could weaponize them, but she never imagined her life would flash before her eyes because of it.

He turned away without another glance and spoke his final words like a verdict.

"You're bonded to me now. That means you obey."

He didn't shout. His tone was calm....eerily so. But the threat in it was loud and clear. He meant every word.

Serena stood still, catching her breath. Her hands on her chest.

Her thoughts spun.

"Bonded?.Like one of those cliché fantasy book things where you're fated or whatever?"

She let out a nervous laugh....half fear, half disbelief.

Are you insane? she wanted to scream. The words burned on her tongue, but she bit them back.

Something in the air warned her not to speak recklessly.

She had a sinking feeling that saying the wrong thing might just get her throat ripped out.

At this point, she didn't care about anything anymore, hell... she couldn't even find her bag so what's the point of suffering here.

She just wanted to leave. Alive. Because one thing was clear: she was never going to let some beast have sex with her.

Kaelen snapped his fingers.

Two women entered-maids, dressed in pale fabrics, but their strength was nothing delicate. Before she could react, they were on her, each grabbing an arm.

"Wait... let me go please!" Serena screamed. "Are they taking me back to the prison?!"

The maids didn't respond. They just dragged her like she weighed nothing. Their grip was brutal....her arms screamed in pain, her whole body aching from how tightly they held her.

Even the females could snap her bones.

*************

(Council Chambers)

The council had gathered again.

Kaelen stood before them, his expression unreadable. "I let her go. As you demanded."

One of the older wolves....greying at the temples but still broad-shouldered...bowed his head slightly. "Alpha, we know the pain you endured those years. But we can't risk losing you. Our hatred for humans burns deep... but for your survival, we're willing to compromise."

Another spoke up, sharper in tone. "Get her to bear your pups. After that, we send her back to her world. She remains alive, and we have your heir."

Kaelen narrowed his eyes. "And what if she dies in the human world?"

"I believe... they don't kill each other," the wolf said hesitantly.

Kaelen raised a brow. "Have you been to the human realm?"

A beat of silence.

"No," the wolf admitted.

"Then why do you speak so much?"

The room went quiet. Too quiet.

He let the silence settle like dust before speaking again. "She's refused to mate with me. I believe she finds our kind as revolting as I find hers."

Another councilman leaned forward. "Alpha. Let her stay for a while. Make her time here... uncomfortable. Painful. Let her beg to go back. And when she's broken...ask her again to mate with you."

Kaelen exhaled slowly. This was not how he imagined things to turn out after 70 years . His council, once gathered to deal with territorial disputes and troll raids, was now drawing up strategies to force a human into his bed.

Anger crept up his spine like wildfire.

He said nothing more. Just turned and left, his royal robes swirling behind him, and retreated into his chambers...away from their voices and away from their plans.

***********

The maids shoved Serena forward and slammed the door behind her.

She stumbled in, bracing herself for cold bars and moldy walls. Instead... she blinked.

Wait. This wasn't a prison.

The room was spacious, clean, and oddly magical. Sparkling stone arches held up a high ceiling. There were velvet drapes, a glowing orb in place of a lightbulb, and carved wardrobes that looked like something straight out of Merlin.

"So not only did I find Selvayra," she whispered, glancing around, "I ended up in their king's castle... Oh, yeah. This is golden."

Her eyes lit up when she spotted her bag propped neatly by the dresser.

She rushed to it. No phone. It was missing. Not like she needed , it won't work here anyways.

She fished out her camera, grinning like she'd found buried treasure, and snapped a few shots of the room. If she ever got out of there, this was going viral.

Wandering toward the bath area, she spotted a tub carved from polished black rock. No faucets, no visible pipes.

"Where does the water even come from...?" she murmured, touching a petal-shaped decoration near the rim.

Water gushed in from nowhere.

Her brain paused.

She tapped the flower again. The water stopped and disappeared. Again. It poured.

She set her camera and hit record. "This... this is wild."

She smirked in victory.

"Maybe this was a blessing," she muttered, grinning. "All I gotta do is act right and pretend not to be losing my mind."

A sudden itch crawled down her back. "Ugh, I feel so dirty."

Just then, the door creaked open. She spun around and hastily hid the camera.

A new maid entered. She was stunning, tall and graceful, with flawless skin and a quiet elegance. She could pass for a princess.

"Hello. I'm Naya. I've been assigned as your personal maid," she said with a slight bow.

"It's time for your bath. The king has requested your presence."

Serena's heart dropped.

She adjusted her glasses. "And if I refuse?"

Naya gave a small, almost pitying smile. "Oh, dear. You can't."

The two stone-faced maids from earlier returned, this time carrying a silver tray. Without hesitation, they grabbed her.

"Hey! Hey! Get your hands off me!" she shouted.

They ignored her completely. Fingers unfastened every button, every clasp. Her scream echoed through the room as her clothes were torn off, and in seconds she was stripped bare and shoved into the tub. Her dignity, along with her sanity felt like it had just been thrown out the window.

Naya pressed the petal, and the bath filled quickly, water covering Serena's flushed skin.

The maids sat on either side of the tub like ritual attendants. Serena tensed as oil was poured over her skin. They lathered soap and scrubbed every inch of her like she was livestock, not a person. They didn't even flinch as their hands moved over her body.

She stopped struggling and stared blankly ahead, her mind retreating somewhere far away. If she pretended it wasn't happening, maybe she wouldn't fall apart.

They pulled her out, wrapped her in thick towels, and dressed her in a deep green gown, smooth and flowing like moss. The neckline dipped just enough to show the tops of her breasts.

Her hair was gathered into a neat bun. A slipper was slid under each foot ,while Serena fumbled to jam her glasses back on.

The door opened again.

They didn't wait.

She was dragged out before she could even breathe properly.

And taken straight to the king's chambers.