OLAMIDE

My eyes went wide, and my lips started trembling. I couldn’t be his slave. Hell no. I wasn’t nobody’s property. Thinking of myself as a prisoner was bad enough, but a slave? Nah. I was human. The fact that he could even say that out loud told me everything I needed to know about him — about what he’d probably take from me. And even if he didn’t hurt me that way, I didn’t know how long I could fight someone like him. He was older, stronger, smooth, the kind of man who’d lived and seen too much. Not like the silly boys I’d dated who still thought “Netflix and chill” was romance. Those boys took no for an answer.

“Heavens,” he sighed, finally lookin’ me in the eye. When he saw the fear on my face, his expression brightened, like he was satisfied by it. That sick look almost made me throw up. “Are we gonna have to pull this car over again?”

That threat hit exactly how he meant it to. My throat went dry. The memory of his hand on my neck still burned there. My mouth opened slow as if my body moved on its own. “N-no, Alpha.”

The car slowed, and I looked forward. A massive glass mansion came into view. My chest got tight. Was this where he lived? There weren’t even any doors I could see. If he planned to keep me captive, shouldn’t there be locks? Or maybe he just knew his name carried enough fear that I wouldn’t even try to run.

“Now, there are servants in the house,” he said. “Don’t take that as hope. They won’t help you. They’re just like me, and they won’t hesitate to hurt you if they have to. The phones go through a switchboard. You can’t call for help. And if you try, they’ll report to me, and you’ll be punished.”

Chills ran down my back as the car rolled closer. What the hell had I gotten myself into? A few weeks ago, I would’ve laughed if someone told me monsters were real. Now I was sittin’ next to one. All ‘cause I couldn’t just stay home. All ‘cause I wanted to feel human again for one damn night. Zeus was gonna starve. My neighbors wouldn’t check. My brother? That fool wouldn’t even notice I was gone till summer.

I was still spiralin’ when I felt a warm hand slide onto the back of my neck. I jumped, heart jumpin’ into my throat, turnin’ to see him in the back seat now. I hadn’t even noticed him move. He wasn’t choking me this time. He was… massagin’ me. I should’ve pulled away, but I didn’t. Maybe ‘cause my body was too tired, or maybe ‘cause kindness, even fake kindness, felt like oxygen.

“I can’t let you go,” he said, voice low. “And I won’t be able to resist makin’ you mine. Our bond’s more complicated than that. But I’ll be good to you, Olamide. If you let me. Are you gonna let me?”

Every time he said my name, somethin’ in me cracked. Like my will was slippin’ away piece by piece. I wanted to tell him he was delusional, that I wasn’t lettin’ him do nothin’. But that wasn’t smart. Not right now. So I nodded. Didn’t say a word. And for once, he let it slide.

“That’s smart,” he said, starin’ ahead. “Are you married?”

His mouth didn’t move. I felt the words instead. Telepathy. Just like before. My skin crawled. I tried to keep calm. Tried not to let him inside my head.

“No,” I said softly. “I’m just twenty-one.”

He cursed under his breath. My heart stopped. Maybe he thought I was too young. Maybe he was gonna hand me back to Devin.

“Way too fuckin’ young,” he muttered, shakin’ his head. “Boyfriend?”

“No.”

He turned his head slow, eyes flashin’. “Again?”

The tone made my stomach flip. “N-no, Alpha.”

“Good,” he said, voice back to calm. “Family?”

“No, M-master,” I whispered. Not anymore I didn’t.

“Friends?”

I hesitated. “A few people from work.”

He hummed, like he was makin’ mental notes. “Good. You got less to leave. That’ll make things easier.”

I almost laughed at that, a broken sound stuck in my throat. Easier? He had no clue. Havin’ nothin’ to leave was the hardest thing in the world.

He didn’t know about my past. He didn’t know I’d already lived through hell. My dad had tried to do right by us, bring us to a better life. But when he died, that man he called his “friend” took us in like we was property. Foster care, they called it. Slavery was closer. We were beat, starved, punished for breathin’. When I got older, the man started lookin’ at me wrong, touchin’ wrong. I prayed to every god I knew, and maybe they heard me, ‘cause the man died of AIDS before he could take more.

Freedom came, but it didn’t feel like freedom. I didn’t trust nobody. Didn’t know how to talk to people or keep friends. I just worked, paid bills, and came home to my cat. Now this man—this so-called Alpha—had dragged me right back into chains, just fancier ones.

Tears welled up again. My eyes stung from how many I’d shed already.

“I got a cat,” I muttered. “She’ll starve without me.”

Zeus. My only family that mattered. That cat had been through everything with me. I couldn’t stand the thought of him hungry, alone, waitin’ for me to come back.

Jason’s hand still rested at my neck. “I’ll send someone to retrieve your cat.”

I blinked, confused. “You’d do that for me?”

“I told you,” he said smoothly. “I can make your life easy or hard. Give me what I want, and I’ll make it easy. When we get inside, you’ll write your address and make a list of anything else you want from your former residence.”

He stressed “former,” and it hit me hard. I tried not to show it.

“My key’s with Devin,” I said quietly. “He took my purse.”

Jason nodded. “That’s no problem.”

I swallowed hard. I didn’t wanna think about what kind of price he’d ask for that kindness. Nothing was free. Not with men like him. But even then, my brain clung to his promise like a fool. Maybe because deep down, my body already knew he was the only thing standin’ between me and worse monsters.

***

SOFIANE’S POV

“I bring news, Master,” the bald-headed man said, tossing an ID onto my desk.

I didn’t turn right away. My gaze stayed fixed on the city outside my window, lights flickering through the fog like dying embers. “What news?” I asked, voice low, steady.

“Alpha Jason now has a mate.”

That made me turn. Slowly. The words settled in the air like smoke. My eyes dropped to the small square chip resting on the table.

“Is this her?” I asked.

“Yes. I stole it while I could.”

I picked up the ID between my fingers, holding it to the light. A girl’s face stared back at me. Innocent. Unknowing. My lips curved before I even realized it. A wicked smile, sharp and uninvited. The chip felt warm—too warm, like it had a pulse. I ran my thumb over the plastic, feeling that faint heat, and for a moment it almost felt alive. That made it better. I wanted to crush it. To snuff it out.

“This is what he’s been hiding,” I murmured, more to myself than to the messenger.

He shifted on his feet, waiting for a command. I finally looked up. “That’ll be all. Thank you.”

He bowed his head slightly. “No problem, Alpha Sofiane. Let me know when I can be of service.”

“You know I will.”

He left, closing the door behind him. Silence wrapped around the room, thick and heavy. Only the hum of traffic below remained, faint through the glass.

I looked down at the ID again. Her face was still smiling up at me. Pretty little thing. I remembered what it felt like to lose someone because of him. To have everything ripped away by Jason’s arrogance. He’d taken what was mine once. My pack. My blood. My mate.

Now it was my turn.

I slid the ID into my desk drawer and leaned back in my chair, a low laugh slipping past my lips.

“This is what happens,” I whispered, “when you play a game you can’t finish, Alpha.”

My fingers brushed the drawer once more, where her face hid beneath the wood.

“No matter what you do to protect her,” I said softly, savoring every word, “she’ll die by my hands. And that’s a promise.”