Rosalie opened her bleary eyes; her head was pounding, and a burst of vertigo hit her as she tried to sit up. She groaned and closed her eyes again. The sudden ray of sunlight made her eyes water. Slowly, she sat up straight and opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She wasn't in the Grey Stone Manor, which was expected. She was still wearing her dress from the previous night. She stood up and brushed off the dirt. As she tried to walk, she stopped when she realised that there was a chain attached to her left leg. She tried to snap it free, but it was silver, and she was too exhausted.
"Alex!" she searched the mind link. "Oh, where are you?"
She did not receive any response, and she could not sense his presence in her mind. Her wolf could not find its mate anywhere. She did not experience the warm glow of the mate link; rather, all she felt was a chilling gloom. She shuddered in horror. It only happened when the mate was dead!
"NO!" she wailed and then fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. When she finally looked around, she noticed she was in a cave. There was a bed tucked away in the corner, besides a table that was piled high with a variety of foods and beverages. She sneezed, but the need to eat and the obligation to look after her babies compelled her to stand up and make her way slowly to the table. It was a blessing that the chain was sufficiently long to allow her to get to the food. In a matter of minutes, she finished everything.
She sat down on the floor, awfully close to the bed, and looked around. Her eyes darted all over the place.
"You want anything else?" a voice asked her suddenly. She whipped around and snarled at Chris, who was sitting lazily in an armchair, barely hidden in the dark shadows of the cave.
"What have you done to me?! Where is this place?!" She screamed at him, flinging the metallic bowl at him. Unfortunately, he caught it easily.
"Calm down, Rosalie," Chris said in a tone that was almost condescending. "You're safe here."
"Safe? Safe? You call this safe? Chained like an animal in a cave?" Rosalie's voice shook with anger. "What do you want from me, Chris?"
Chris stood up slowly, his movements deliberate. He walked over to the table, placing the bowl back on it. "I want what I've always wanted, Rosalie. You."
Rosalie's eyes blazed with fury. "You can't just take me like this! Alex—"
"Alex is dead," Chris interrupted, his voice cold and final. "There's no one left to protect you."
Rosalie's heart ached, and she felt a fresh wave of tears. "You're lying! He can't be dead!"
"Believe what you want," Chris said with a shrug. "But the truth remains the same. You're mine now, Rosalie."
Rosalie's hands clenched into fists. "You will never have me, Chris. Never."
Chris's eyes narrowed. "You think you have a choice? Look around you. You're chained in a cave. No one is coming for you."
Rosalie looked around, her mind racing for a way out. "What do you hope to gain from this? Why can't you just leave me alone?"
Chris walked back to his armchair and sat down, watching her intently. "I need you, Rosalie. You are my true mate."
Rosalie shook her head. "You’re delusional, Chris. This is madness."
Chris leant forward, his eyes boring into hers. "Madness or not, it's the reality you face. Accept it, and things will be easier for you."
Rosalie glared at him, her resolve hardening. "I will never accept this. Never."
Chris sighed, leaning back into the chair. "Stubborn as always. But you'll come around, Rosalie. Eventually, you'll see things my way."
He smiled evilly.
"My mate is dead. Please allow me to return home and mourn." Rosalie begged, her voice trembling with desperation.
As he rose and moved closer, he let out a chuckle. Rosalie tried to move further away from him, but the chain kept her from doing so. He clicked his tongue. "This will never do," he mused as he took a key from his pocket and removed the chain from her leg. "You're not an animal to be kept trapped, Rosie."
"THEN LET ME GO!!" she retorted, her voice echoing off the cave walls.
"Stop this madness at once! We're not meant to be! Just accept it and move on! You have Grace!"
Chris's smile vanished, and a frustrated expression took its place. "Grace is nothing compared to you, Rosalie. Don't mention her. That slut slept with someone in my pack."
"That's your fault." She screamed at him. "I honestly believe that she loves you. Had you given her enough love and respect, she would never have done so. Weren't you sleeping around with the omegas, too? So, what if Grace did as well?"
"Grace does not love me, and to tell you the truth, neither do I forget about her. Let's not change the subject."
The back of her legs touched the bed, and she fell down on it. He silenced her by getting on top of her and forcing her to lie on the bed on her back in an awkward position. She attempted to fight, but he held both of her hands high over her head while trailing kisses on her neck and sniffing at Alex's fragrance that was on her.
Rosalie shook her head vehemently. "You're delusional! You can't force someone to love you, Chris. This... this obsession of yours is unhealthy. Let me go, and maybe you can find some peace."
Chris stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. "Peace? There's no peace without you, Rosalie. You belong to me."
"I belong to Alex!" she shouted, her voice filled with defiance.
Chris's grip tightened as he whispered, "Not for long."
His hands went to her dress, which was hanging down, and eventually came to rest on her expanding tummy.