A laugh bubbled up in my throat but came out as a soft wail. What would Damon do now? This is not my fault, is it? If I had not refused...but how could I know a little defiance would kill him?

Was he truly dead? I would not touch him to find out. Even now, the thought of touching him seemed repugnant to me. Yet, someone had to find out. 

Out of fear, I leaped out of the bed, ran for the door, then out into the hall, and right into Damon's chest.

"You are fleeing your marital bed just as I thought," he said with marked displeasure. "I know you planned to run away. This won't happen. You will go back in there and -.'

"He is dead, Damon!" I blurted out. 

Damon's hand squeezed my hand painfully for a while. He then released one and dragged me back into the chamber with the other hand. He went straight to Alpha Gwen's side and put his head on his chest, and his expression was dark when he finally looked up at me. 

"Why do you kill him?"

"Me! No. I didn't do anything," I yelled back and took a step backward. "He climbed the bed, clutched his chest, fell, and remained immobile."

Damon glares at me, then back at the dead man, and I can see his confused state. A moment later, he stood up, pulled the black clothes over Alpha Gwen's head, and then stood up to face me. "Don't leave this room and don't allow anyone in."

"Where are you going? You aren't leaving me here with his corpse, are you?"

"Shut up, and listen Bella. I'm going to find you a suitable man as a substitute."

My eyes flared when the meaning of his words hit me, "No. I will never do-."

"You will," he snarled. "If you ever want to see your mother again. Alive."

I know he means every word. But the horror of what he intended to do. A substitute!

Desperately, I asked, "How do you plan to deceive his pack members?"

"You don't have to worry about my plan. Just do as you are told and you will be with a baby soon."

"But I can't stay here alone with the corpse!" I gasped and then took another step backward."

"I will get rid of the body," Damon said impatiently. "And then, I will find another body to pass as his own when it's time to bury him. 

Damon sounds so confident about his new plan, but why not? Again, he had nothing to do except sit back and wait while my body was sacrificed on this altar of deception. 

And this time around, my mother's life depends on my compliance. 

Baron's Pov

They suddenly materialize out of the thin air. They were six in number, dressed in military camouflage, and glared at me. Robbers!

There is little or no law in most of the packs around here. But then, it was because their Alphas were either weak, corrupt, or absent. 

I didn't know much about the moonshine pack because I had never passed through it before. 

This may be another pocket of high villainy where innocent travelers and strangers are robbed or tortured if they fail to deliver a fat ransom. 

Truly, this was an act of stupidity on my side. I shouldn't have ventured here without my Gammas. But then, I want to appear good before meeting Cinderella tomorrow. 

A bit of vanity, now look what has befallen me. Buy then, who dare attack me?

I have a reputation for paying back any evil done to me, and this has made the packs around me afraid of me. But I wasn't known around here, and this may be the reason why they dare stand in my way. 

I, Baron Mackenzie, was an unforgiving man and will not forgive myself for this oversight. But then, the town looked peaceful and I had a lot on my mind. 

I will soon be marrying for the third time, and I don't want my new wife to be scared of me the way the other two were. I have great hope for Cinderella. Haven't I courted her for half a year? Even when this wasn't my way. 

Lady Cinderella was a great beauty, soft-spoken, sweetly tempered, and had a charming sense of humor. What else will a man ask for? 

I wanted humor in my life. I wanted love and laughter, which had been absent since my family was destroyed some years ago. My life had been filled with hate and bitterness but not anymore. I have a daughter. The result of my previous relationship with my first wife. Even though I love my daughter, I hate to admit that she is frivolous and a self-centered creature. And I can no longer bear her bickering. I want a home like the one I knew as a child. A home I will long to go to after a long day. And I wanted a son. 

Am I asking for too much? Is this more than any man could expect?

I believe my next wife will make my dream come to pass. A wife like Cinderella is all I need. 

I was fond of her already. And I hope the feeling will keep increasing. Maybe I can even fall in love with her. If only I were capable of that emotion after so many years of hate. 

But was it necessary that I love my wife? Is it not only compulsory for her to love me?

Anyway, none of this matters if I have to die here tonight. 

I was not even properly armed. I had left my gun in the room I rented and only came out with a dagger tucked in my belt. Since my clothes were with the dry cleaner, I only wore a shirt, pants, and a pair of slippers. 

Even though I was defenseless, the men surrounding me were reluctant to step closer, but who could blame them? At six feet and two inches, I stood a head taller than the largest among my assailants. But it wasn't my height that frightened them, it was my mean look. The hard ruthlessness in my face. I look like a man who enjoyed killing for the fun of it. 

Without waiting for them to speak or attack, I let out a war cry, clasped my hand around my silver dagger, and charged forward, slashing the nearest man across his face and then sneering as he screamed out in pain.

Baron POV

Either my attackers were clumsy with their weapons or they were not trying to kill me. Well and good, that was their mistake. I wounded another and leaped at another when I felt a pain in the back of my neck. I had been shot by a silver bullet. The only weapon that can kill a werewolf. 

The pain takes hold of me immediately, blinding me and then knocking me into unconsciousness. Blood appeared in the dark blonde hair that was still wet from my bath, but I was still alive. 

"This is not an Omega or rogue as we were told to find," one of the men said to others. 

"He must be a Gamma or a Beta. Surely not an Alpha because no Alpha will be alone in this type of environment," the other man added.

"We have made a grave mistake. We could have told the difference when we saw him emerging from the bathing room," the third man chipped in. 

"Well, he had the right color of eyes and blonde hair that Alpha Damon insisted on. And that's what matters as long as I'm concerned," the fourth man said. "We should be happy that we are fortunate enough to see him."

"Gag him. I hope Alpha Damon will not decide to talk to him," the first speaker said after glaring at me for a while. 

"Did anyone have an idea why Alpha Damon needs a man with dark eyes and blonde hair?" The second speaker asked.

"That's none of our business. We do as we were told and we are going to get paid for it. But why do you shoot him? Now we have to carry him."

The other snorted. "It's better to deal with him awake."

"Do you think he may be waking soon?"

"Probably. We need to gag him and deliver him to Alpha Damon. Best to bind those hands and feet as well."

"Even Alpha Damon will have trouble subduing this monstrous man."

I could hear their conversations but I was too weak to speak. I closed my eyes and darkness descended. 

Bella POV

I had fallen asleep at the edge of the bed, scared of getting closer to the spot where Alpha Gwen had fallen. Damon had removed his corpse himself and then left with the warning of never admitting anybody into the room except him. 

I wish to lock him out but I don't have the weapon. I also wish to kill him before he forces me into unspeakable acts, but like before, I have no weapon to get this done. The worst part is that I cannot run away because of what Damon will do to my mother. 

Even when I kind of feel responsible for Alpha Gwen's death, I have no pity or remorse. He was a brute and must have murdered innocent women whose crime was marrying him. I have heard of men like him. Men who kill women because they were tired of them, or because they needed a new dowry to fill their coffers. 

It was still dark when Damon woke me up. Because of the exhaustion of my body and mind, I know I haven't slept for long. But whatever sleep was left in my eyes immediately fled when I heard his voice. 

"Everything is set. My men were lucky in their search and they were able to get me a man with the same color of eyes and hair as your dead husband."

Blood rushed through my veins and arteries. Hot, then cold. My stomach muscles tightened almost cramping with fear. Damon had found a man to throw me to. Just as Alpha Gwen would have done if I had not conceived soon enough for him. God in heaven. Why would this nightmare not end?

Damon continued briskly as he pulled me out of the bed. "Be quick. There are many hours before daybreak. You need to have sex with him more than once. That way, we will be certain that his seed is well planted in you."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked as I yanked my arms away from him. "Tell that to your man."

Damon grinned and muttered, "You'll see why I'm telling you soon." 

Damon pointed to a far corner of the room, and a gasp escaped my mouth at the sight of him. 

He was tied down to the bed. Naked, except for a large bathrobe draped over his bare skin. 

Tied down? No. I noticed the iron cuff at his wrists, which he placed above his head. And two chains appeared under the bed and were bound to his feet. 

Chained down! He had to be chained down and he was asleep...or senseless. 

I understand enough, but all I could say was, "Why don't you pay him to do the deed?"

Damon stood next to me. His eyes stared at the man. "I gave you a chance to use him to your satisfaction. I don't want you to feel-."

"Raped," I said. 

He flushed and said, "I want you to be in control. At least I was considerate, right?"

I think he believed he was doing me a favor. To me, this is not a favor because it's wrong. Tying a man down and forcing him to participate is even more wrong. But Damon saw things only one way, the way of gain and profit for himself. Without a child to inherit Alpha Gwen's pack, everything would go to his brother, including the large armies of mercenaries that Damon desperately needed. 

Damn that warmonger named Baron. If he had not taken control of my land, I would not have been forced to go through this. If not for him, I would not have been forced to wed in the first place. 

"Do you know what to do, or should I fetch someone to assist you? I could do it myself but-."

I looked at him with amazement. I know Damon lusted after me, but he had kept his feelings to himself. "What are you talking about?"

"You are a virgin right?"

I nodded in response.

"You will need someone experienced to help you."

"I don't need anyone. Now get out."

"This is a rich land, Bella. I will not lose it because of your squeamishness. You will do as I instructed. I had put him inside your room so no one would see him."

"What if Alpha Gwen's pack members ask of him?"

"I had told them he feels weak and you will be nursing him until he gets better. The cleaners will be kept away except for your maid. I believe she will keep her mouth shut if she wants to live."

More threats?" Threatening to kill Moana too!

"How long?"

His reply shows he understood my question. "As long as it takes you to be pregnant. I suggest you ride his rod more than once each night."

The nightmare is not ending that night. And now, it had become someone else's nightmare as well. This poor man, whose misfortune was having blonde hair and dark eyes, must suffer along with me. 

"You mean to keep him handcuffed the whole time?"

"Why worry about him? He was just an Omega and he will be disposed of as soon as you are pregnant."

"An Omega?" I had seen the man was large at first glance. But now, I looked at him again and I could see his feet at the end of the bed, his head far up at the other side. "He is too big to be an Omega. What have you done, stolen an Alpha of another pack?"

"No, Bella. He is just an ordinary Omega. No Alpha will stay in the town when he should have presented himself at this villa. Maybe he is just a rogue. I heard there were many of them around here."

"But you mean to kill him?"

Damon glared at me. "Don't be stupid. He will claim the child if left to live. Although nobody will believe him, it may cause a rumor that Alpha Gwen's brother may use it to their advantage."

So, even if I do as Damon wants, someone is still going to die.

Baron's POV. 

 "Get out! I don't need your help to rape this man. Just send me Moana to revive him."

Those were the exact words that I heard as I regained my senses. I did not open my eyes. I had been a man of war for too long to give away such an advantage. A second later, I heard a door shut, and everything became silent. 

What on earth did she mean? Females don't rape. How could they? Maybe she wasn't referring to me. Probably a kind of jest. No more than that. 

I was alone for the moment, but I was sure that the screeching female would likely be back soon. How soon is what I don't know. 

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. Candles glow from the middle of the room, casting a luminous light around me. Pain sliced through my head as I turned to stare at the door. And this made me close my eyes and be still for a moment. 

I know I was on a soft bed, and this realization kind of made me feel at ease. After all, a bed, no matter how small, is better than being thrown into a cell. I also discovered that a gag was put in my mouth, probably to muffle my scream.

It was when I tried to get up that I felt the restraint on my wrists, heard the chain rattle, and then felt the tug and scrape on my ankle.

God in heaven... I was bound in chains and not rope!

What did my captor want? Ransom? They must know who I was and were risking my vengeance which is always swift. Or maybe they don't know. Thieves, rogues, and outlaws don't care about their victims as long as they can get what they want. And if they don't, they won't hesitate to torture their victims to death. 

I attacked a robber's hideout some years back, and I still feel sick whenever I remember what I saw. Bodies that were slowly crushed under a heavy stone, naked bodies hung by their thumbs with smoke-blackened skin, some with feet nearly burned off. They were all dead because their ransom hadn't been met. 

Is this what is in store for me? Quite doubtful, but then the heart of men is unpredictable. 

I suddenly heard a movement close by. And this made me open my eyes and stare around. My breath froze at the sight of what caused the commotion. 

Standing some feet away is an angel. An angel, yes. What on Earth can be so beautiful and perfect if not an angel? 

Bella's POV. 

I was still glaring at the door when I heard the chain creak and looked back at the man on the bed. He lay perfectly and his eyes were shut, but I could sense instinctively that he was awake. I haven't looked at him closely before. To me, he was just a male body. Large, but still a male body. He was lying flat on his back without a pillow, while I stood several feet beyond a mattress that was as high as my waist. 

He suddenly lifted his head, our eyes met, and this made me stand perfectly still, forgetting to breathe. 

Even with the gag dividing his face, I noticed that he was handsome. Broad cheekbones, a hawk-like nose, and a sharply squared jaw that thrust out because of the gag. 

This is not a rogue or an Omega. I ain't mistaken. Arrogance is a trait that can only be found in an Alpha. Arrogance in an Omega would get his back whipped until blood spurted out. 

To confirm my suspicions, he did not lower his eyes or look away. No. No Omega would dare that!

But then, why did I care who he was?  I could not care...he was to die after all. 

But first, I need to give him my virginity-, oh God! How could I? Well, how could I not when my mother...?

I wanted to sink to the floor and cry. Even though I had been raised rough. No love or care except from my mother. Yet, this cruelty and harshness were beyond my expectations. So alien to me. 

I stare at him and sigh. His eyes were now filled with confusion, and then something else... Admiration! Was that good? Maybe. I think it would be better if he didn't find me repulsive. God in heaven! Why did I care what he thinks of me?

The man staring at me was not like Alpha Gwen. He was young, clean, and handsome. His skin was smooth and his body firm. No! Nothing at all like my dead husband. Even the Blackness of his eyes and the blonde of his hair were different shades. 

I had a feeling that I could read the thought going on in his head. Had he been told why he was here? Probably not, since he has been unconscious until a moment ago. Now, it was left for me to answer all his unasked questions. 

My anger resurfaces again. This time, it was because I realized that I could not reassure him that he would be released when it was over. 

He was innocent, snare in a monster's plans, and had done nothing to deserve this. I would take his seed and Damon will take his life. No. I can not allow that. I will obey Damon because of my mother, but somehow, I must prevent Damon from taking his life. I don't know how, but I must help him escape when the time comes. 

But I could not tell him that. Not now. Why should I give him false hope when nothing is certain? What if I failed? 

Again, he was communicating with me with his eyes, and again, I understood him. He was dropping his eyes toward his gag, then looking at me again. He wanted me to remove it so he could speak to me. 

But I can not do this. He will beg me for his release, adding more to my guilt when I refuse. I knew what I was about to do was wrong, but what choice did I have?