Alpha King's Gifted Mate

Silvia's Pov

"I can't believe you guys are doing this." My voice trembled, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

The woman, standing just a few feet away, tilted her head, eyes glinting with a cruel amusement. "If you'd be kind enough to hand over the stone, we'd be on our merry way."

"Wh...what?" My heartbeat thundered in my ears, my mind racing, desperate for an escape.

"Right after we kill you," she added, almost casually, as if we were discussing the weather. "You know, since you might kill us later."

Another voice, harsher, cut in. "We should just kill her and take it from her."

"You fool," she snapped, eyes flicking to the man beside her. "If we kill her, we'll die."

"I can't stand this anymore-" His frustration came to a head, and before I could blink, the strangest thing happened. The woman was suddenly in front of me, her eyes wild. And then...

A knife plunged into my stomach.

Shock drowned out the pain at first, but then it hit me like a wave. The world seemed to tilt. My vision blurred, and my knees buckled as warmth spread across my torso, soaking my dress.

*This is how it ends?*

Memories rushed at me in fragments-moments of misery, of struggle. But there, hidden among them, was one particular face. One person I wished I never had to leave. Someone who, in this moment, I'd give anything to see again. *Why did I let them go?*

*My life... what have I done with it?* I never went to college, never got the chance. Just mountains of debt to show for my miserable existence. I don't even own a car. If I survive this... God, if I survive... I swear I'll slap that useless thing I call a boyfriend so hard, his whole life will flash before his eyes.

Oh, you must be wondering how I got here, right? Well, let me tell you-it all started with a stupid date.

---

It was a slow day. The kind where time drags, each minute a sigh. No bonus for me, just my minimum-wage shift dragging on as I watched the only customer left in the café sip her coffee like she was some princess in Buckingham Palace.

She'd been sitting there for forty-five minutes, and I swear she'd been sneaking glances at me the entire time. At first, I thought it was my hair-people love my hair-but no, this was different. It was like she was studying me. I tried to shrug it off, telling myself I was overthinking it. I was on a "positive mindset streak" lately, trying to avoid spiraling into dark thoughts.

But there was something about her that unsettled me.

I caught her glance again. *Maybe she likes me,* I thought, smirking to myself. Not that I'm into women-hell, I barely even tolerate men these days-but still, I'm a catch. At least in my own opinion. And maybe some creep's who doesn't understand the concept of personal space. But don't worry, I've introduced a few to my knees and elbows before. I can't fight, but I can scream-very, very loud.

Still, something about her felt... off.

Just as I started staring back, my alarm rang. Shift over. *Thank God.* I packed my things, trying to shake off the weird vibe as I waited for Sara to take over. She showed up in under two minutes, as always. After some quick small talk, I got the hell out of there.

I had a date to get ready for. Yeah, with *him*-my boyfriend. It had been a while since we went out, what with all the recent fights. We'd even taken a "break" for a bit. But we were still together. And that was all that mattered, right? All couples fight, after all. It didn't help that he was the only person in my life. I loved him, and I thought-*no*, I convinced myself-that he loved me too. In his own way.

I rushed home to my tiny apartment, my sanctuary. If only I could get my boyfriend to move in with me. It would save me money, make us closer, right? Lately, we'd been growing more distant, and everything was so damn expensive these days. I'd been working extra shifts, trying to save for a car, because walking everywhere was killing me.

After a quick shower and some makeup, I put on a simple black halter dress. I looked okay, but there was a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something wasn't right, but I brushed it off. Tonight was supposed to be special. I ordered a taxi and headed to the restaurant.

---

When I got there, my suspicions only deepened. The receptionist-an icy woman with a superiority complex-looked down her nose at me.

"Check the reservation. His name is Drake Anderson."

She didn't even glance at her list. "There's no reservation under that name. Please stop wasting everyone's time and go back to whatever hole you crawled out of."

I froze, rage bubbling beneath the surface. But instead of exploding, I smiled-a tight, forced smile-and turned on my heel. But not before pulling out my pepper spray and giving her a *parting gift*. Her screams echoed behind me as I dashed outside.

He didn't make the reservation. The *bastard* didn't even bother. I texted him, called him. No answer. By the time I hailed another taxi, I was fuming. If he was with another girl... I would lose it.

---

When I barged into his apartment, key in hand, I knew. He was with someone. And they were going at it like they had no care in the world. My heart twisted, but I couldn't even feel it anymore. It wasn't pain-it was fury. Cold, hard fury.

I didn't shout. I didn't scream. I walked to the sink, grabbed a bowl of water, and dumped it on them.

"What the hell!!!" they screeched in unison.

He stared at me, wide-eyed, scrambling for words. "Wh... wh... Silvia?"

I laughed. I laughed because what else was there to do? "You're a piece of shit, you know that?" And then I slapped him, hard. The girl behind him gasped, clutching the sheets to her chest.

"You forgot our date. You didn't even bother to show up! And now you're here with *her*?" I could barely breathe, my voice shaking with the weight of it all. "After everything I've done for you?"

His eyes widened as it dawned on him. He'd forgotten. The realization hit him, but it was too late. "Baby, it's not like that," he started, but I cut him off.

"Don't. Don't 'baby' me."

He reached for me, but I slapped his hand away. "I'm done. We're done."

I turned to leave, but something hard struck the back of my head. The room spun, and I collapsed, darkness closing in around me. His voice, now cold and cruel, echoed in my ears.

"I said, you *can't* leave me."

---

The next thing I knew, I was lying in a pool of my own blood, staring at a man who wants something far worse than my heart.

Silvia's POV

"Silvia! Silvia! Silvia!"

The eerie whispers resonate through my mind, pulling me from the depths of confusion. My vision is muddled, and I can't tell where I am.

*"It's time."*

The whispers grow louder, more insistent. *"Seize your power!"*

A chill runs through me. My hands, my legs-I can't move. Panic claws at my throat as I try to understand what's happening. The voice seems to sense my fear, my confusion.

The scene changes.

Suddenly, I'm standing. But where? I look around-a vast, open expanse with nothing but a blanket of green beneath me. It takes a moment to register... I'm on top of a forest, far above the treetops. Below me, the trees sway gracefully in the breeze, leaves dancing in rhythm to nature's melody. It's beautiful, almost peaceful. For a moment, I forget the fear.

But just as I begin to relax, the ground beneath me gives way.

I'm falling.

I land hard, face-first into something cold. Snow.

"What in the-?" I barely have time to process the sudden shift before a voice calls out.

"Silvia!"

I whip around, searching for the source, but there's no one. Just an endless field of snow stretching as far as the eye can see. An unsettling calm washes over me. This can't be real. Yet it feels too vivid to be a dream.

The wind picks up, turning sharp and biting. Snow flurries swirl around me, stinging my skin. Within seconds, the calm is shattered by a full-blown blizzard.

"Please, stop!" I scream into the storm. "Who are you? What do you want?"

No answer. The snow whips across my face, blinding me, and the wind howls like a banshee, deafening.

*"Silvia! Seize your power and rule!"* The voice screeches, sharp and relentless, and it feels like my skull might split from the sound. Warm liquid trickles down my ear. Blood. I watch as drops of red stain the pure white snow beneath me, a stark contrast to the chaos around me.

The scream grows louder, more unnerving, more maddening, until-

Everything goes black.

* * *

I wake up gasping, my lungs burning like I've been underwater too long. It was just a dream. Or was it? My body feels like it's still caught in the storm, trembling and cold.

I try to move, but my wrists don't budge. Something's wrong. My hands are tied behind me, my legs bound tightly to a chair. Panic surges as I glance around the dim room. I know this place.

The memories flood back. The date. The breakup. The fight. Drake-my *ex*-hit me, and I blacked out.

And now, I'm here. Tied up.

From the balcony, I hear his voice, low and murmuring on a phone call. My heart pounds as I realize the danger I'm in. He's unhinged. This isn't the same guy I fell for. This is a stranger.

"Hey!" I call out, trying to mask the fear in my voice.

Drake hangs up abruptly and walks back inside. His eyes rake over me like he's sizing up a piece of meat, a sick smile curling his lips.

"You're awake," he says, his voice dripping with casual menace.

"No, I'm still asleep," I snap back, my voice thick with sarcasm. *What am I doing?* Provoking him might be the stupidest move I could make right now, but I can't help it. I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing me scared.

He chuckles, a sound that sends shivers down my spine. "You're funny. I wanted to wait until you were fully awake, you know, for the blood moon. But after today's little display, I don't think I can trust you anymore. You want to leave me?"

He laughs, like the very idea is absurd, like my life and choices are a joke to him. Rage boils beneath my skin, but I keep my face impassive.

"Even if you kill me, I won't want you. Not even if hell freezes over," I spit out.

His eyes darken, a flash of something sinister passes over his face. "Oh, I don't need you to want me. That's not the point. You *can't* leave me. You wouldn't understand, Silvia. You never will."

What the hell is he talking about? His words are nonsensical, and yet, there's a terrifying certainty in his voice. "Are you doing drugs again?" I ask, trying to make sense of his madness.

His hand snakes out and grabs my face, fingers digging into my skin painfully. I flinch, trying to pull away, but there's nowhere to go.

"Drugs? No, sweetheart. This is bigger than that. You're mine. And you always will be."

I glare at him, my blood boiling with defiance. If I can't fight him physically, I'll do the next best thing.

I spit in his face

Silvia's POV

How dare he think he can hold me here and expect me to beg? I might not be able to fight physically, but I can still defend myself. It may not last long, but it'll buy me a few minutes. Besides, I know he can't kill me-he's too prissy to risk jail time. So either he's planning to give me away or sell me. Probably the latter.

That prick. I hope he drops dead.

He wipes my spit off his face, his eyes darkening with anger. Without warning, his hand lashes out, slapping me-*hard*. My head snaps to the side. The sting on my cheek is immediate, searing, and I taste the familiar metallic tang of blood on my tongue. I've never hated anyone more than I hate him right now.

But I refuse to give him the satisfaction. So, I laugh in his face.

"You hit like a little bitch."

He growls, low and menacing-like a puppy trying to sound tough. It's almost cute, really. He can pretend to be big, but he's nothing but a little pup with too much bark and no bite.

He slaps me again. And again. Over and over until the chair tips over, sending me crashing to the floor. Something inside me cracks. I don't know what, but the pain is agonizing, and my body screams for me to curl up and cry. But I can't-not yet.

Just as he's about to raise his foot to continue his assault, the doorbell rings.

*Ding dong.*

He freezes, looking between the door and me. Without a word, he pulls me upright and brushes the dust and blood off me like I'm a broken toy that just needs polishing.

"This is only the beginning of your miserable end," he sneers, his lips curling into a sick, twisted smile.

"You won't get away with this," I promise, my voice raw and defiant. "I swear you won't."

He laughs, the sound dark and hollow. "I already have."

He strides toward the door, and when it swings open, in walks a tall woman. She's stunning-legs for days, a waist so tiny it seems sculpted, and skin that glows as if polished by the finest oils. Her face is flawless, eyes accentuated with smoky eyeliner, lips painted in a bold red. She radiates power, and there's something hauntingly familiar about her.

"Well, isn't she lovely," the woman purrs as she steps inside. Her eyes linger on me, and I force myself to stay silent. I don't know who she is or what she wants, but I need to hear what they're planning before I make any move. Thank God this idiot didn't bother to search me-I still have my phone. The fool tied me up but left me with the one tool that could save me.

"Why'd you rough her up like that?" she chides, glancing at Drake. "You know he needs her in perfect condition for the takeover."

Takeover? Great. So I'm being sold, just as I thought. But to whom? And for what?

I need answers. "Who are you? One of his flings? Are you here to sell me off so you can ride into the sunset together?"

I'm proud that my voice doesn't shake. I sound confident-unafraid. Even though my insides are screaming.

The woman smirks and steps closer, producing a knife seemingly out of nowhere.

"Wow. A magician who kills," I quip, sarcasm my only weapon.

Her smile widens. "Oh, honey, I almost pity you. You really are beautiful, and if it weren't for my job, I would've shown you what it means to be with someone like me. You're exactly my type." She pauses, eyes gleaming. "But this is for the greater good. Your sacrifice will help build the perfect rule."

Before I can process her words, she raises the knife to my throat. The blade is so sharp that just being near it nicks my skin. The pain is immediate, far worse than it should be for such a small cut. My heart pounds in my chest as I try to keep my head steady, the room spinning as something dark and sinister courses through me.

"Wh... what's happening...?"

"Shhh," she whispers. "It's just a little wolfsbane."

Wolfsbane?

"Where's the stone?" she demands, her voice cold and precise. "Give it to us, and we'll be on our merry way."

"The stone? What stone?" I ask, genuinely confused. I don't have any stone. What is she talking about?

Her smirk falters, and she glares at me. "It seems like you need a little push to remember what Mommy left you."

The blade plunges into my stomach.

A scream tears from my throat, but the pain is so overwhelming that it barely registers. The world blurs around me, everything spinning in a swirl of red-hot agony. I hear Drake scream too-like the coward he is-but it's distant, like it's happening in another world.

"Where. Is. The. Stone?" the woman snarls, twisting the knife.

The pain is unbearable. It consumes me, and as everything fades to black, I wonder if I'm about to die for something I know nothing about