OLAMIDE

When I woke up that morning, first thing I saw was Jason starin’ at me.

“Morning,” he murmured, soundin’ like somethin’ I did already pissed him off, even though his face was just a few inches from mine. We both was naked, sheets halfway slid down, air too thick for comfort. Felt too intimate, too close, like he owned the damn moment.

“Sleep well?” he asked, low voice rollin’ through the space.

I almost rolled my eyes. Why you care? I thought, just bein’ petty. But soon as it ran through my head, I froze. I done forgot this man said he could read minds. And every wild-ass thing he ever predicted ‘bout me turned out right.

“Don’t worry,” he said, pullin’ me closer like he already heard it. He smelled like spice. Not the kind you cook with, but old spice, deep and earthy. “You ain’t got the guts to say it, so I ain’t mad.”

I swallowed hard. Felt like I had to say somethin’ sweet just to keep him calm, even if the words tasted sour comin’ out.

“Thank you, Alpha,” I said, quiet.

Jason smiled slow, lazy. That kind of smile that said he knew exactly what I was thinkin’. “That’s what I like about you,” he said, eyes half-lidded. “You know how to play your enemies.”

He muttered somethin’ else under his breath before slidin’ outta bed and headin’ to the bathroom. He left the door wide open, like he wanted me to see. Water hit the tiles, steam curlin’ up, and he stood there under the shower, watchin’ me right back.

I knew what that was. He was testin’ me. Seein’ what choice I’d make.

Part of me wanted to jump off the bed, grab my stuff, and run. Didn’t even care where. Just gone. But another part—the one that scared me—wanted to stay. I ain’t even know why, but that side was winnin’. My eyes drifted down, caught the way his body looked from the waist down, and I hated myself for not lookin’ away faster. He was big, built all wrong for a man that evil. And yet…

“You like what you see?” Jason’s voice cut through the water, sharp and smug.

My gaze snapped away so fast my neck almost cracked. I felt dirty, weak, disgusted that my body betrayed me like that.

Somethin’ wasn’t right. I could feel it in my chest. This the kinda shit you read about in news stories. People fallin’ for their captors. Stockholm syndrome. That had to be what this was. Couldn’t be nothin’ else.

Jason laughed, deep and low. “It ain’t Stockholm syndrome, baby,” he said, still grinnin’. “It’s the mate bond. And trust me, the confusion you feel now? That’s nothin’ compared to the hell you’ll go through once I mark you.”

“Mark me?” I repeated in my head, confused. Before I could even ask what the hell he meant, he was already steppin’ outta the shower, towel slidin’ across his skin. My eyes caught on him again—his half-hard dick, hangin’ like an invitation I didn’t want to answer. I hated myself for the thought, but it was there all the same.

“I got a meetin’ today,” he said, pullin’ clothes from his closet like we was some normal couple.

I didn’t know why he thought I cared, but when he said it, I felt a weird kind of relief. At least he’d be gone. Maybe that meant I could finally figure out where the hell I was and how to get out.

“Okay,” I managed to say.

Zeus, my cat, jumped off the couch and brushed against my leg, meowin’ soft. I reached down to pet him. Poor thing didn’t know we was trapped. He had Luna lookin’ out for him, though, and she was sweet. Me? I got Jason.

“I’ll leave you with one of my guards,” Jason said, puttin’ on his shirt, voice smooth like this was all normal. “He’ll show you around, help you with whatever you need. Anything you ask—except helpin’ you escape.”

“Thank you,” I said again, just outta habit.

The words threw him off. I saw it in his face, like he didn’t expect gratitude from me. Maybe I shouldn’t’ve said it, but he went outta his way to bring me my cat back. Maybe, deep down, there was a sliver of soul left in him. That didn’t make him good, but it was somethin’.

A knock hit the door before he could say more. A heavy voice boomed, “Alpha Jason, your brother’s here.”

“I’m comin’,” Jason replied.

My stomach dropped. His brother? The same man that wanted me dead?

Jason looked at me then, a flicker of somethin’ like concern flashin’ in his eyes.

“Don’t worry about Devin,” he said, tone rough. “He ain’t gonna hurt you.”

But even he didn’t sound like he believed it. And I damn sure didn’t either. Devin was worse—way worse. My first time meetin’ him told me everything I needed to know. If Jason was a storm, Devin was the whole damn hurricane.

Jason slipped on his shoes and opened the door. A tall man stepped inside. Instinct made me clutch the sheets to my chest.

“Ola, this is Axel,” Jason said. “He’s gonna be your bodyguard.”

And just like that, he left.

Axel stood there, awkward as hell, waitin’ for me to say somethin’. He looked young, maybe early twenties. Olive skin, long black hair tied back neat, tattoos crawlin’ up his arms and neck. A black crow inked just under his jaw.

We stared at each other for a second before he finally spoke.

“He’s gone now,” Axel said, like he expected me to jump up and celebrate.

I frowned. “You expect me to run or somethin’?”

He chuckled, low. “Nah. Just sayin’, you can relax now. Alpha Jason can be real uptight.”

I gave him a fake little smile. “That right?”

Was everybody here blind or just playin’ dumb? How could they all just ignore what he was? What he’d done? I didn’t even have time to figure it out before my stomach growled loud enough to embarrass me.

“You hungry?” Axel asked.

I hadn’t meant to let it show, but his hearing must be sharp as hell. I nodded, not in the mood to talk.

“I’ll get you somethin’ to eat,” he said, bowin’ his head before headin’ for the door.

“Wait,” I called out before he got too far. He stopped, lookin’ back at me.

There was somethin’ Jason said that I couldn’t get out my head. I hated admit it, but I needed answers. I wanted these feelings gone. I wanted to hate Jason like I was supposed to.

“Axel,” I said, voice soft but steady. “What’s the mating bond, really?”

He blinked, caught off guard. “The mating bond?” He rubbed the back of his neck like he was pickin’ his words careful. “It’s… it’s a rare kinda connection between two souls. Stronger than any human relationship. Most wolves see it as sacred. Breakin’ it…” He paused, breathin’ deep. “Breakin’ it can kill both of ‘em.”

My heart skipped. I wanted to ask what “kill” meant exactly, but that wasn’t even my main focus. I just needed to know how to stop it before it got worse.

“So how does someone get marked?” I asked.

He hesitated, but finally said, “When an Alpha’s in heat, he bites his mate. Leaves a mark right here—” he tapped the side of his neck “—and that bite joins their souls. After that, they can’t be with nobody else. Not physically, not spiritually. It’s forever.”

I stared at him, tryin’ to make sense of that madness.

“What goddess came up with that crazy-ass rule?” I muttered under my breath.

Axel smiled like he ain’t hear it, but the way his eyes darted away told me he did.

And I just sat there, wrapped in Jason’s sheets, starin’ at the door he walked out through, wonderin’ what kind of world I’d been dragged into—and how the hell I was supposed to survive it.