Liam

There's a saying that when the cat is away, the mice will play.

My brother Ryan must be the biggest fool alive to think he could leave me here, so close to his precious little purchase, and expect nothing to happen.

I hadn't even laid eyes on her yet, but I wanted her. Not because there was anything particularly special about the girl-no, this was about Ryan. Everything always was. I had spent my life watching him take what was supposed to be mine, and now it was my turn.

I was the older brother, yet everyone always thought he was better. Smarter. Stronger. Worthier. Our father crowned him Alpha, not me. Ryan inherited the company, the pack, the respect. And me? He painted me as unstable, as reckless, as a liability. A joke.

But here's the thing about me-I don't stay down. Not ever.

Ryan thought stripping me of power would kill my spirit. He thought wrong. I've been waiting, biding my time, planning the moment when I would take everything from him. Piece by piece.

It almost began with Franciscka, his perfect little mate. I hated her, always did. And yet, fate-or maybe the Moon Goddess herself-saved me the trouble. She's gone now, ripped apart with that unborn child she carried. Ryan likes to believe the baby was his, but I doubt it. He's always been too blind to see the truth staring him in the face.

Now, he's scrambling to secure his throne by buying himself a breeder. A woman meant to carry his heir.

Pathetic.

And the best part? Word had already reached me that he couldn't even touch her last night. My dear brother, the great Alpha Ryan, too weak to claim what he bought. How delicious would it be to take her first, to leave her marked and ruined before he ever gets the chance? That thought alone was enough to make me smile.

My twin will suffer, or I'll die trying.

The guards scurried like frightened mice when I walked past. Maids lowered their eyes, pressing themselves against the walls. Good. They should be afraid. I'm the future Alpha, whether Ryan likes it or not.

Her name was Zaya.

I stopped outside her room and narrowed my eyes at the guard standing watch. "Move."

He hesitated, trembling. Coward.

"If you tell Ryan I was here, I'll kill you," I warned, my voice low and sharp.

The guard bobbed his head so violently I thought it might snap off. That was enough for me.

I pushed open the door.

And there she was.

The most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.

Her eyes widened and she sat up on the bed drawing the comforters closer to herself. She looked scared, like a little deer.

Cute.

"Alpha Ryan what are you doing here?"

I smirked, in all my life looking like my stupid twin brother had never done anything good for me, except now, in this moment. I was grateful that I had the same face as him, even if I was slightly more handsome.

"We didn't get to do anything last night, so I think it is only fair that I collect what I paid for"

I said waling closer to her. I loved the fact that she knew she was trapped, there was no getting away from me.

"You are the one who sent me out what are you even saying-"

I cut her off with my lips on hers, savoring her sweet taste.

"I own you now little deer"

Even though she fought it, I could smell her arousal. She wanted this.

"You cannot do this to me" she said and I laughed

"Oh but I can... You. Are. Mine"

I said each word clearly so that she knew that her fate was already sealed, stamped and posted. I would have her.

I kissed her again trying to slip my tongue into her lips to taste more of her but she resisted. I couldn't have that.

I punched her nipples hard and twisted them

"Aaahhhh"

Once she shouted I took the opportunity to slip my tongue into her mouth tasting every inch of her sweet mouth. This was not just a kiss. This was possession in its truest form.

She tried to resist at first but in the end, she could not deny what her body wanted.

"You taste so good little deer" I murmured against her lips.

My hands slipped down her body and one of my fingers began massaging her entrance. She tried to move away but I held her in place.

"You will not deny me of what is mine!" I growled and slid a finger inside her.

She was so tight around my fingers suffocating them.

"Oh my god"

"Not god little lamb just your Alpha"

"You are not my Alpha" she spat and I added two more fingers, roughly fingering my entrance with my three fingers.

Her moans were loud, unabashed. I was eating it.

"What did you say?"

Three was no reply just her soft moans.

"Call me your Alpha"

When she didn't say anything I stopped.

Zaya let out a whimper and tried moving her hips to get some kind of friction but I held her waist with my other hand.

"You know what to do"

"Make me feel good Alpha" she said and I smirked wickedly

"Fucking beg me"

"Please finger me Alpha...I want to feel good"

I almost combust in my trousers like a fucking teenager, my length was throbbing painfully, hard and angry but this was not the time, I would make her crave me, seek me out, beg me to destroy her and only then would I fuck her.

This would have to do for now.

"Good girl"

I enjoyed how her pupils dilated at those words.

I resumed fingering her pussy and she kept rocking her hips against my fingers harder, faster.

I reached down and pinched her clit and she let out a loud scream her juiced flowing.

I get her lay down quiet in a pool of her own juices.

She was exhausted, she was satisfied.

I stood up and adjusted my hardness.

"Do not talk about this ever again"

She looked confused. I would explain it to you little lamb, but not right now. All will fall into place in due time.

Before she could say anything I was at the door.

I called Martha

"Yes master"

She was trembling. She could not even look me in the eye.

"You will tell Zaya that the Alpha King has a mental illness, and she should never repeat anything he does to her in the day in the night time. Understood"

"Yes master" she nodded

"And if you breathe a word of this to the Alpha, I would end you daughter"

I heard her gasp but did not bother to turn back.

I did not care for her. I did not care for a lot of things really.

But as for Zaya,

Let the games begin.

She shook her head, whispering, "You're not my Alpha."

That stung, but it also amused me. She still thought she had a choice. I straightened, pulling back just enough to let her breathe, and smiled a cold, dangerous smile. "We'll see about that."

Her body betrayed her fear, but her silence gave me all I needed. She wouldn't defy me for long.

This wasn't just about breaking her. This was about Ryan. About watching his world crumble when he realized his precious breeder wasn't his to claim anymore.

Zaya

I couldn't look Alpha Ryan in the eye.

Not after what had happened. Not after the way my body had betrayed me, answering to his touch like I had no control over myself. The memory alone was enough to make heat rush to my face. My hands twisted in my lap, my nails digging into my palms as if the sting could drag me out of my thoughts.

And there he was, sitting right across from me like nothing had happened at all. His posture was perfect, shoulders straight, jaw set, his expression as flat and cold as stone. The signature frown was there too, carved into his face like it belonged to him more than his own skin.

He was calm. Detached. Almost bored.

How could he be so unaffected when I was drowning in the aftermath?

It made no sense. I didn't know how to bring it up, or if I even should. Did he expect me to? Did he want me to? Or was I supposed to pretend it had never happened, just like he seemed to be doing?

My chest tightened. The silence between us stretched until I felt like I might choke on it.

"What is it?" His voice cut sharp through the air.

I startled, my whole body jerking as I blinked at him. "What?"

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze steady and unrelenting. "I asked what the problem was."

My throat felt dry. I shook my head quickly, avoiding his eyes. "Nothing. Nothing is wrong."

He folded his arms across his chest and just stared. The weight of his gaze pinned me in place. I felt like he was stripping me open, reading everything I didn't want to show. His eyes seemed sharper today, bluer, almost glowing in the light streaming in from the window.

Had they always been that blue?

I found myself noticing every detail about him that I had somehow missed before. The faint line of a scar at the edge of his brow. The curve of his mouth that was usually pressed into a firm, irritated line. The nose that wasn't perfectly straight, slightly crooked, but instead of ruining his features, it only added to his beauty. It was unfair. He looked unreal. Too perfect, but also flawed in a way that made him even harder to look away from.

And here I was, staring like a fool.

His lips twitched with irritation. "Why are you staring at me like I owe you something? If you have something to say, say it."

Panic spiked in me. I shook my head again, too fast, my voice stumbling out. "No. There's no issue."

And that was it. My chance slipped right past me, swallowed by my own cowardice.

He cleared his throat, the sound dragging my attention back to him. "About that night..."

My eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" My voice was shaky, thin. My heart thudded so hard I was sure he could hear it.

What was he about to say?

But then I froze. That hadn't even happened at night. It had been in broad daylight.

Still, he continued, unfazed. "I did not feel comfortable taking you just like that, especially since it was your first time. So I will give you a month to prepare yourself before we try again. This time there will be no excuses."

Oh. That.

Relief and dread collided in me at once. I nodded stiffly, my head moving like it wasn't my own. "Noted."

He stood, sliding his hands into his pockets. Something about the motion, the small casual shift, made him seem like an entirely different man than the one who had touched me before.

That Ryan had been untamed, raw, almost feral in the way he moved against me. He had been fire and hunger and danger wrapped in one. But the Ryan standing in front of me now was calculated, stiff, every move controlled, every word measured. He was the Alpha who had bought me from my old pack. The Alpha everyone feared.

Two versions of the same man. Same face. Same voice. But it felt like two different people lived inside him.

"You're staring again," he said, his voice sharp enough to cut through my haze.

I jumped, heat burning my cheeks. "Sorry."

His expression didn't soften. "Would you like to come out for dinner, or should Martha bring it here?"

I swallowed, my throat tight. "Here. Please. I'd rather eat here."

"Fine." And with that, he turned and left the room.

The door clicked shut. I let out a strangled sound and collapsed forward, burying my face in the pillow.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I muttered against the fabric. My voice was muffled, frustration spilling out in broken whispers. If I had just asked him, if I had just found the courage to face him, I wouldn't be left with this storm of confusion.

A few minutes later, the door creaked open again. Martha stepped inside, balancing a tray. Her movements were careful, quiet. She set the tray on the table, and the scent of warm chicken soup drifted through the air. Beside it, a small loaf of bread. Simple, comforting.

I blinked at the food. Gratitude swelled in me, sharp and heavy.

It hadn't been long since I arrived here, though I wasn't sure how much time had really passed. Days blurred together in this house, stretched long and heavy. But already, they remembered. They remembered that I preferred lighter dinners. Something small, something easy.

I couldn't decide if that made me feel seen or trapped.

Before I came here, I had heard endless rumors about Alpha Ryan. That he was cruel. That he was merciless. That anyone who fell into his hands was doomed. I had believed it so fiercely that I thought I wouldn't survive my first week here.

Cold, yes. He was cold. That part was true.

But cruel? The longer I stayed, the more I doubted it.

I cut myself off from that thought immediately. No. I couldn't start thinking like that. He hadn't gotten what he wanted from me yet. A child. That was the only reason he had me here. And once he had that, what would stop him from turning into the monster everyone whispered about?

The only thing I could do was wait. Play my part. Buy myself time.

"Madam."

I looked up to see Martha bowing her head slightly.

I stood quickly, shaking my head. "Please, don't do that. And call me Zaya. There's no need for formalities."

She hesitated, her lips pressing together. "I couldn't-"

"You can," I said softly but firmly. She was older than me, and I couldn't bear to see her lowering herself to me. Housekeeper or not, I was still a captive here.

She sighed, then nodded reluctantly. "Very well, Zaya. But there is something I must tell you. It is about the Alpha."

My heart skipped. "What is it?"

Her eyes flicked toward the door as if making sure we were alone. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet, careful. "The Alpha suffers from a kind of mental illness."

The words landed like a stone in my stomach. "Mental illness?"

"Please, lower your voice," she said quickly, her eyes wide with fear.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to calm down. "I'm sorry. Please, go on."

She nodded and leaned closer. "He has what the healers once called a double personality. At times he may seem very different from the man you see now."

My breath caught.

It explained so much. The cold, calculating Alpha. The wild, reckless man who had touched me. It was like puzzle pieces sliding into place.

Still, I stayed quiet, listening.

"The important thing," Martha said, her voice low, "is that you must never mention to him what he does when he is not himself. He does not remember. To bring it up would be dangerous."

"Why?" My voice cracked.

Her expression darkened. "Because the last person who did... it ended terribly. For everyone. Please, Zaya. For your own safety, do not remind him."

The air felt heavier than before. My hands shook slightly as I clasped them in my lap.

I forced a small smile, though my lips trembled. "Thank you for telling me."

"Be careful," she said simply. Then she bowed her head once more and left.

Silence wrapped around me again, but it no longer felt empty. It was thick, suffocating, filled with the weight of what I had just learned.

I stared at the soup on the table, my stomach turning. My appetite was gone.

How had I ended up here? I knew the answer. My old Alpha had sold me like cattle. That was how. But sitting here now, in this room, in this house, it felt unreal. Like I had been swept into someone else's story.

If I had spoken up earlier, if I had asked Ryan about what happened, what would he have done? Would I have triggered the very disaster Martha warned me about?

A shiver ran through me. Thank the goddess I had stayed silent.

Still, the knowledge left me restless. My wolf stirred uneasily inside me, pressing against my consciousness, sharing in my fear.