Chapter 6

Skylar 

"Feisty one, isn't she?"

My breath became slow and heavy, I could feel myself gaping at him. With wild eyes, I whipped around to run, but the three figures blocked my way. Huskily, a commanding and dominating voice spoke: "I don't have all day, my dear." And to the men behind me, "leave us."

No, no, no, no, no!

They nodded their heads and exited the room in silence. Josh glanced back at me before he shut the doors. His eyebrows were furrowed in concern and his eyes searched me as if noticing my fear. I watched as he closed the door. Leaving a silence as loud as a scream.

My breath stuck in my lungs and I could feel my heart pumping. He walked slowly yet his legs were so long it only took a few steps to cross the room. The man had a sort of fierce regality in the way he moved as if gliding on air, but his face was hard yet endearing as his eyes gazed thoughtfully into mine. As he took a few steps nearer, I forced my legs to step back. I was sucked into his eyes.

Strange, dark, but beautiful.

"Where's my brother?" I spoke oh-so-slowly, keeping my voice as monotone as I could.

"He should be your last concern right now, doll." He says, almost bored and stood in front of me, so close that the tip of our shoes was touching. I suppose he doesn’t know what personal space is.

It was then when I got a good look at his features. He was huge, somewhere just above six feet, with a muscular build and a very defined jawline. His arms were heavily tattooed that barely any skin was left. His teeth were a pearly white that glinted in the brief moment's sunlight hit them, and more than a little unnaturally sharp canines.

His nose was hawkish and long, and his eyes were a light brown, muddied with green as for his dirty blond hair, it was shiny and soft.

I guess arses can be handsome, too.

"Are you done?" He asked in annoyance, one of his thick brows arching. 

I didn’t answer, I remained quiet. 

"How old are you?" He crossed his arms over his chest looking me up and down, appearing slightly disgusted.

This bitch!

I have never felt so self-conscious and nervous before, it was as if I was walking by a group of males. I’m pretty sure every female knows that specific feeling. I would be lying to say I wasn’t terrified. I could feel my whole body slightly shivering but I stood still on my ground. If I show fear, that would only satisfy him.

I have no idea what he wants with me or why even me. Either way, I’ll handle this as calmly as possible. I’ve seen what he’s capable of, he could kill me in a fragrant of a second, I’m no match for him so all I could logically do is bargain and wait for my brother to arrive because apparently, this arse is his Alpha. He knows where he lives and surely knows by now that he got to me. 

Crossing my arms across my chest, I shifted my weight to one leg and held his gaze that suddenly grew a little amused by the way his eyes glinted, most likely wondering what my stupid self would do.

“By law, this a first-degree kidnapping, which means a class A-1 felony, a sentence of at least 20 years in prison. My family would find me, my dad would get your ass in jail faster than you can blink. I suggest to let me go before any further crimes would be held against you. You’re clearly a man of importance, you wouldn’t want to ruin your reputation. Now, who’s going to unlock the door for me?” 

When he simply kept staring at me with such intense eyes, my fear grew. I couldn’t even try and assume what he was thinking about, his face was as colorful as a blank page. When a small smirk reached the corner of his lips, I gulped.

“For it to be a first-degree kidnapping, it should last more than 12 hours, you’ve been here for an hour or. Second of all, a ransom is bargained and doll, I want nothing related to wealth from you or your family. Lastly, you’re neither injured nor dead. If I wanted you dead, you would be already six feet under. So no, this is not a first-degree kidnapping.”

Is he serious right now? 

“I didn’t know you want to kidnap me for us to talk about law, if this is what you want, I can give you my number and we can text about it.” The fake smile I plastered of my face with crossed arms was clear enough to catch on on my dripping sarcasm. 

I must have hit a nerve because his glare returned back to its shelter inside his eyes. Shit.

“Your age.” 

"I'm twenty-one." My voice was barely audible. The way his hazel eyes stared down at me made goosebumps to rise on my skin. The height difference only made me feel more intimidated. 

"Name?" His tone was low. Above a whisper. 

Every time I tried to snap a smart ass comment, I bit my tongue and remember last night's event. He would show no mercy to me. So I did what he asked me. For now.

Hadn't I told him at the party?

"Skylar." 

His eyes scanned my whole body, from my face down to my legs as if trying to mesmerizing each detail. 

“What do you want from me?” With the thick silence and my previous courage slowly melting into a puddle of panic, reality hit me as hard as a brick. If he’s not planning to ask for a ransom, then what else is there for me to offer or for him to want? My body?!                      

He didn't respond or ask any more questions which only heightened my fear of my thoughts becoming reality. 

Instead, the so-called-Alpha closed in on me, and I could feel his breath on my skin. My hand raised unconsciously to push him away but he caught it before I even raised it midway. My heart thumped loudly when his hand touched mine roughly bringing it up to his chest. I was about to throw another fist when I heard him sigh faintly in relief.

What?

Then he groaned lowly, an animalistic growl that sent shivers down my spine, catching me totally off-guard.

"You are my mate, but how?" he barked out, his voice completely different, extremely deep, so husky, so...anymalistic. A strong fist connected with the wall I was backed up against near my cheek with so much force that my ear pieced. For a second, I thought it was headed my way, my eyes shut down so tight and a silent yelp left my lips. I couldn't find my voice; I was too scared. Petrified of him. I hated that.

"Talk!" he commanded in the same tone he'd used on the others. So not human. I felt his other hand trap me in, now both fists on each side of my face. I didn’t dare to open my eyes.

And say what, you psychopath?!

"I don't know what you're talking about," I barely heard myself. 

When silence fell above us for a few minutes, I dared to open my eyes, and God, I wish I didn’t. 

His eyes had gone completely black. 

This is it. This is how I die under the hand of a mythical creature for some unknown reasons. I was alone with a cold-blooded psychopath, one that had almost killed my brother, and no one would help me if I cried for help since it seems as the people here worship the ground he walks on. 

Sure enough, in one swift motion, I was shoved up against a wall with feet dangling and his hand around my throat. I tried desperately to breathe, but no air could get in.

"I asked you a question!" he screamed, furious as if I were lying. I gasped for oxygen as the edges of my vision faded, and my feet stretched out, searching for the ground.

I tried to loosen his grip with my hands, but I was too weak, especially as I had started seeing spots. He lifted me higher. I used what little strength I had to shake my head, hoping he would get the hint that I had no idea what he was talking about.

Just as I started to blackout, he let go, and I crashed to the floor with a loud gasp. I touch my neck gingerly and felt it throb beneath my fingers, gasping for breath.

And I'm supposed to be this guy's mate?!

"Guess we need to talk with your brother sooner than I thought." He growled, more to himself than to me. He grasped my arm rather roughly and stood me up on my shaky legs, while I sobbed silently. 

Once he released his hold, I almost fell. I could barely stand on my own at this point. He noticed, which caused him to give me a disgusted glance. "Can you get any weaker?" he mumbled, loud enough for me to hear.

As he was about to grab me once again, I jerked away. Despite my current situation, I glared at him with my blurry eyes. 

"Don't touch her." said a very familiar voice. Our eyes snapped toward it, making my eyes grow wider. Within a moment of recognizing him, I quickly stood up, tears streaming down my cheeks but ready to run into his arms, only to be caught by the collar of my sweatshirt.

"I was wondering when you would show up, Mr. O'Conner."

"Skylar has nothing to do with this, let her go." My father spoke with calm determination, standing proudly, with his eyes meeting Raphaelo's eyes or Snickers or whatever his last name is.

Do they know each other?

"Oh -- she has everything to do with this." he spat, emphasizing his words with a hint of malice. I whimpered when I felt his rough hand sliding to my waist to hold me tighter. I looked beseechingly at my father.

"No one knew that you had a daughter, Ex-Beta. I bet even my father didn't." He barked, clearly angry. I let out another tear, feeling more terrified than before -- being held by my so-called mate was bad enough and his tone wasn't helping.

"I'll explain everything, but first let her go. That's not how your mother raised you, Xander." Dad shook his head. "Do you think your father would be proud?"

Xander.

I was suddenly shoved forward, and with a yelp, I crashed into my dad's warm embrace.

I guess that's a soft spot for him.

In response, I threw my arms around my dad’s neck, burying my face in his shoulder. I could feel his suit jacket staining with my tears, but neither of us cared.

He’s here, my dad is here, I’ll be okay, it’s okay

"Start talking." Jason’s demanding voice echoed around the room, tone so powerful that I felt as if I was obligated to answer and answer to his demand. How can someone have so much power with only their voice?

I clung tighter to my dad's suit, wanting nothing more than for this nightmare to be over. Unfortunately, I didn't think it would end any time soon.

It has just started.

"Yes, your mate is a human, and that human is my daughter." He beamed at me proudly. "And yes, we never told anyone about her. Because we were protecting her."

"She's the reason why you left, isn't it?" Xander spoke with a very clear, yet quiet voice cutting my dad off. Is he, like, bipolar, or what?

I slowly looked up at my dad, hanging on each word he spoke. I swallowed hard and gave him my full attention. I wanted to understand. I needed to know why me. Dad glanced down at me when Jason spoke, giving me a gentle squeeze, then nodded, bringing me closer.

"Exactly," he replied, but once again stopped.

"Why?" 

Xander's eyes fell on mine. His face was still devoid of emotion, but his eyes returned to a normal hazel color. One thing I learned today is to run as fast as you can when their eyes go black, and their beasts walk free. I quickly turned away, disgusted, and buried my face in dad's chest.

"She had lamenia when she was born," Dad whispered it painfully as if it were a terrible thing. I frowned when the silence filled the room, suffocating all three of us. Looking around, Jason seemed slightly surprised but remained collected. Dad's expression was tired and a little sorrowful. I didn't understand.

"What's lamenia?" I muttered.

Xander stared at me strangely, as if I suddenly grew four heads.

"Lamenia?" Jason choked, his eyes slightly wider than before. 

"No, not you, O'Connor." Jason took a step away from us, his voice hoarse and disbelieving. "Not you, of all people. "

Dad spoke through gritted teeth. "I'd sacrifice anything, Xander, as long as it keeps my family safe."

I glanced up at Dad. A wistful look crossed his eye while the corners of his mouth were turned down in a frown. I repeated my question, a bit more urgent this time. The growing tension in this room was making me feel uncomfortable, especially since the subject was me. 

Not you, of all people. 

What was that supposed to mean?

"Dad? What's lamenia?" 

Xander scoffed, shaking his head at us, tugging at his hair in such a stressful way that I thought it would fall out. "And you still haven't told her?"

Dad grumbled under his breath, his hand tightening protectively on my shoulder. "Don't act like you're not a part of this-- she's still your mate."

Xander snarled and whirled away from us. "I'm not unifying myself with that demon child," he muttered under his breath as he strode back into the shadows, around a corner. I watched him go, terror overwhelming me. What he said didn't make sense.

Offensively, yes. 

Understandable? No.

A shiver passed through my body as I replayed my dad's words in my mind: I'll sacrifice anything as long as it keeps my family safe.

What could have dad sacrificed that impacted all of these people? Especially me? It had to be something dangerous. Probably connected with him leaving the pack? I didn't even know he was beta! But wait doesn't that mean he must be a werewolf? But my brother told me otherwise. And Ryan, what part did he play in this? 

What kind of mess is this?!

Dad and I now stood alone on the silent floor, his body rigid beside me, his breathing now ragged, as if he had just run a marathon. 

"Dad," I spoke, my words piercing through the silence. "Please tell me what’s going on.” 

He shifted his position, making it so that I was meeting his eyes. He reached out and stroked the side of my face, a sweet display of affection. A stressed sigh escaped his lips. At that particular second, I feared what would come out of his lips.

"Skylar, my pumpkin," he cleared his throat, "there's something I've been meaning to tell you. Something that I, your brother, and your mom have hidden from you." He spoke as if saying these words gave him immense pain. "It's about your birth."

I didn't like where this is going. It was as if he was going to reveal that I had been adopted or a failed abortion or a scientific experiment gone wrong. Whatever it was, he was going to go the long way with explaining it, which set me on edge.

"When you were born, an illness came over you. We could tell by how quiet and sickly you were. You never made a sound the first few hours of your birth. Your mom and I realized that you had a horrible disease called Lamenia," he let out a small sigh, then continued. 

"Lamenia is almost like cancer to newborn wolves. It's deadly, and if nothing is done to prevent it, the wolf would die a slow, painful death. Usually, it passes by unnoticeable unless you know the signs. Luckily, your mother did. " Dad stopped for a breath, turning his head so that he wouldn't see the wounded look in my eyes nor I, his.

"It's a very, very rare disease. Only a small collection of wolves have had it. Unfortunately, there is only one cure for Lamenia, and it's against the wolf code -- the use of witch power. Only a witch can remove it from a newborn wolf. But the price for the procedure is very high: it takes the lives of four wolves, strips them off of their wolf spirit alongside with the sick child and turns them into humans, never to trod on four paws again."

My heart was thumping loudly in my chest as he continued his tale, but I knew how it ended. I connected the dots. I already knew what my dad and mom had sacrificed so that I could live.

"You were our child, our baby girl. We couldn't bear to lose you or watch you suffer, so your mother and I made our decision. We both left the pack. We knew the consequences of our actions and we didn't want you to have to pay for our deeds. We went to a witch. Your mother, grandparents, and I all lost our wolves in exchange for your cure. Because of this, you no longer have lamenia, but now you’re human and you’ll always be one." 

He sighed painfully and covered his face with his hands. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry we hid the truth from you, but it was for your own good."

I stared down at my shoes. My mind was aching as it tried to process everything I was told. My parents were werewolves, my grandparents, too. They all threw away their lives so that I could live. I hate that they never told me about my past or the sacrifices they made, but I loved them even more than before now that I knew the truth.

I wondered why he never told me, but there really was only one reason. I was naturally curious and drastically unstable. If they had told me about the pack and that werewolves were real, I would've left home to go track them down for pure curiosity, stupidly risking my life at the same time and their own seeing as they have, in fact, broke their wolf code.

I glanced up at him; he was so broken. It made my heart clench even more. A tear fell from his shut eyes and slipped down his cheek, his face contorted. I hated seeing him like this, it reminded me of my mom and her funeral.

"It's okay," I murmured with a tiny voice and forced a small smile on my lips despite the circumstances. I threw my arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. He pulled me close and placed his head on my shoulder.

For those seconds, I felt safer than I had ever been. I forgot about our dilemma completely even if it was only for mere seconds. We stood there in silence, clinging to one another and not letting go until I felt a hand grab my arm and haul me away from him. 

A yelp escaped my lips in surprise as I was drawn into muscular arms that wrapped around me fiercely. Dad snarled, baring his teeth before he realized who had nabbed me. 

"Alright, enough of this," Xander growled near my ear, "you told her your secret, now leave."

I scratched furiously at Xander's arms. But he didn't even react when small drops of blood began to flow down the curvature of his muscles. I kicked, hit, scratched but he barely acknowledged my pleads or even moved an inch. He just kept his hold tighter.

 "No!" I screamed, "don't send him away! Don't you freakin' dare send him away!"

Xander chuckled at me, laughing at my fool's attempt to escape. When dad reached out to me, two arms pulled him back. I didn’t even notice them coming out until I saw Aiden with his stupid grin and Josh with his silent determination.

I caught Josh's eye and pleaded for him to let him go. But Josh looked away and continued to follow his orders. They drug him to the building's entrance, not caring when he fell to his knees and hollered my name. They disappeared around the bend, and that was the last time that I saw him. 

No matter how much I yelled, how much I screamed and kicked, my so-called mate’s hold stayed still and quiet as if patiently waiting heartlessly for my energy to drain. I have never met someone so cold, heartless, and evil until I met him. I despised his existence with all my being. 

I didn’t know how much time had passed and I wondered if there’s any decent person with enough humanity to at least see why my screams never ceased but then again, I expected nothing more of people who took me away from my house without a second thought. 

My throat became too sore, my body was completely drained from any energy left that even a simple breath felt too much of a task. My eyes were absolutely bloated and most likely bloodshot, my neck still throbbed and my heart shattered. I could move no more nor mumble few words, my body felt beyond exhausted and limp. 

I hate him. 

"Stop your blubbering, girl," he spat while he watched me sob quietly. "Let's go."

He seized my arm in his choking grip once again and forced me to follow him back into the darkness. My body was moving, but my mind was far from here. I was inwardly tearing myself apart. My vision was murky and blurred from them bubbling up with tears. Despite my tightly pressed lips, a choked sob escaped my throat. 

He dragged me up to the stairway, the same one he came down from, and soon ended up in a long hallway. 

Xander loosened his grip on my arm. "Calm down, we're almost there." He spoke, his voice lowering an inch. Did he pity me now that he knew about my birth defect?

I hope he chokes in his sleep.

Petty annoyance replaced my tears, "where are you taking me?" I asked quietly, wanting nothing more than to fall to the ground and give my aching body a minute rest.

"To your room."

"I'm staying here?" I gasped, my eyes growing wide. "In this place? With you?! Are you insane! Let me go!"

I tried to yank my hand away and run for my dear life, but he barely paid any awareness to me and just proceeded to march ahead.

“Please, just let me go,” my voice was utterly shattered and broken, several sobs lefts my parted lips, and all that I could feel was utter hopelessness. When Xander looked my way for a second, he grimaced somewhat but said nothing.

We stopped in front of a carved wooden door. Just from looking from the outside, it seemed modern. Xander turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. The room was quaint and actually kind of pleasant.

The walls were a pale aquamarine color, and the floors were dark mahogany. A chandelier hung from the ceiling spreading its glow to the edges of the room. A bed stood next to the window, which was covered by a heavy brown curtain. On the bed were pillows of lace and a bear-skin blanket thrown over it.

Xander launched me into the room, nearly causing me to tumbled on the floor. "Welcome to your new home," he barked. And with that, he slammed the door shut.

I heard it click, signaling that he had locked the door. I jumped up and tried the knob anyway. It was definitely locked. I looked around the room, trying to find a way out until it fell on the window. I immediately ran over to it to open the curtains.

My heart fell.

The window was boarded up like the rest of this godforsaken house. I crumbled to the floor in defeat, my eyes bowling out uncontrollably, beating my fist against the floor and head in frustration. This had to be the most times I had cried in one day. I've probably set a new record by now.