“No,” Mira muttered, her voice rising as panic welled up inside her. “No, no, no… this can’t be right.”
Without another thought, she turned and bolted from the hall. Her heart pounded as she pushed past the shocked faces and the sea of murmuring voices.
The Alpha’s gaze had followed her, his intense claim still echoing in her ears, but she refused to let it sink in.
This must be a mistake. He can’t mean me. He must have confused me with Liana.
The realization that she had been the center of attention made her stomach twist. She couldn’t bear to face their questioning eyes or the inevitable accusations that would follow her outburst. Everyone would think she’d somehow tricked the Alpha into looking at her, that she’d purposely stolen the moment meant for Liana. She just needed to escape, to get as far away as possible.
Finally, she burst through a side door, letting the night air hit her like a cold slap. Her chest rose and fell as she tried to calm herself. But before she could catch her breath, a hand shot out, grabbing her arm in a painfully tight grip. She looked up to see her cousin smirking down at her, his eyes glinting with a twisted satisfaction.
“Well, well, look who ran out in such a hurry,” Gareth sneered. “You really think you’re something special now, don’t you?”
Mira tried to pull her arm free, but his grip only tightened. Panic flared in her chest as he pulled her close, his breath hot against her face. “Let go of me,” she demanded, but her voice wavered.
“Oh, I’ll let go when I’m ready,” he replied, his tone mocking. “You think you can waltz in and steal the Alpha’s attention, just like that? You, the family’s little embarrassment?”
“I didn’t steal anything,” Mira shot back, though fear was beginning to twist her voice.
“Oh, but you did,” he whispered, his eyes narrowing. “And you’re going to pay for it.”
With a swift motion, he shoved her back against the stone wall, his hand clamping down over her wrist. The sudden impact stole her breath, and she felt a sharp ache radiate down her arm. Mira struggled, kicking and writhing, but he held her in place with surprising strength.
“You’re nothing but a pawn,” he hissed, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “And you’re going to do exactly what I say, or I’ll make your life a living hell. Got that?”
Mira glared at him, her breaths coming in shallow gasps. “I won’t do anything you want. Now get away from me,” she spat, trying to shove him back. But he barely budged, his smirk only growing wider.
“Such a little fighter,” he laughed, a twisted kind of admiration in his voice. “But you’ll learn soon enough. I don’t think the Alpha would care if he found out you’d been… tainted a little. Not that he’d care about someone like you in the first place.”
He raised a hand to her face and Mira flinched, but before she could react, he struck her hard across the cheek. Pain flared hot and sharp, and she stumbled, her vision blurring as she tasted the metallic tang of blood on her lip.
“Now, be a good little girl,” he sneered, his voice a sickening mockery of gentleness as he ran his hand down her cheek, trailing lower until his fingers brushed the edge of her collarbone, sending a shiver of revulsion through her.
Before Mira could recover, his other hand moved down, tracing slowly over her exposed thigh. Her entire body froze, dread pooling in her stomach. She clenched her fists, struggling against his iron grip, but the ache in her face and arm made her movements feeble.
“I’m going to teach you what happens to little girls who think they’re better than the rest of us,” he murmured, his fingers lingering too long on her skin.
“Get off me!” Mira screamed, summoning all her strength to wrench herself free. But he just laughed, leaning in closer.
“Shh, don’t make this difficult,” he whispered, his lips dangerously close to her ear. “Or it’ll only hurt more.”
She closed her eyes, frantically searching for some escape, some way out of his hold. Desperation clawed at her chest, and she remembered the small pin she’d tucked in her dress for repairs.
Before she could do anything, the door burst open, and Mira’s heart skipped a beat as she saw Liana storm in, her expression twisted with fury.