Rejected by My Alpha Mate; Nyra's Awakening

Nyra wakes with a loud gasp. And for several seconds, she has no idea where she is.

Everything hurts.

Her head throbs, her muscles ache, and there is a strange heaviness in her limbs that makes even breathing feel exhausting. She tries to move, only to realize her hands are still tied tightly behind her back.

That’s right, she was captured yesterday.

"Nyx? Are you okay? Can you hear me?" She tries to call to the Alpha Queen, but whatever they gave her has completely weakened her wolf, and she can barely feel her presence.

Nyra sighs, looking around the massive room. It seems she was left alone in the room the entire night.

Also, Killian’s father didn’t come yesterday. Maybe he would come this morning.

She quickly stands up and is caught off guard by the edge of the massive bed, back rigid, eyes fixed on the locked door.

She has no idea what they’re going to do to her, but from what Dorian had told Adrian, it’s something terribly bad.

Fear makes every creak of the old mansion make her heart race as she waits for Killian’s father. She waits for footsteps, for voices, for the moment everything is supposed to "start."

Dawn bleeds pale light through the wide window. Birds call outside. The fountain in the courtyard keeps its soft, endless splash.

No one comes.

Her wrists still burn from the magical cords. The mating mark on her neck throbs with a dull, restless ache, but she can’t reach Adrian no matter how many times she tries to call for him.

And after almost an hour of waiting, the door finally opens.

Killian steps inside carrying a silver tray. Steam rises from a plate of eggs, toast, and fruit. Beside the food sits a small glass of water and a single white pill resting on a folded napkin.

He sets the tray on the low table near the bed and smiles like this is any other morning.

Nyra’s eyes go straight to the pill. "What drug is this?" She doesn’t try to reach for the tray.

Killian tilts his head, studying her. "You want the real answer or a lie?"

"Real."

He smirks, slow and unbothered. "Well then. It’s a drug used for reducing the bond between mates. We can’t have you both communicating and risk revealing our location now, can we?"

Nyra glares at him. How the hell can he tell her that and still expect her to take the pill?

"I’m not taking that," she says stubbornly.

"I figured you’d say that."

He moves faster than she expects from a human. His hand comes to wrap around her jaw, forcing her head back. Then he uses the other hand to push the pill past her lips. She thrashes, tries to spit it out, but he clamps her mouth shut and tilts the glass of water against her teeth.

"Swallow."

The pill slides down with the water. Bitter. Cold. She can feel a subtle kind of heat burning against the mark on her neck as it dissolves inside her stomach.

When Killian is satisfied, he smirks. His fingers linger longer than they’re supposed to before he slowly pulls his hand away.

Nyra coughs hard, eyes watering, rage burning in her eyes. If she can just awaken Nyx, she would destroy everyone here and bring this place completely to the ground!!

Killian steps back and nods toward the tray. "Eat the breakfast or the pill will make your stomach start hurting. I’ll be back with my dad in one hour. I hope you’ll be ready then."

"Would you at least untie me?" She snaps as he’s about to turn the doorknob. "How do you expect me to eat if my hands are tied?"

Killian stares at her for a few seconds before letting out a deep sigh. "Fine, but only because I have a soft spot for you."

Which soft spot does he keep talking about? Nyra thinks internally. Have they met before?

Killian keeps his word and unties her hands, blowing a bit of air onto her wounded wrists. "I’ll tell them not to tie it so tight next time," he says apologetically. "And I’ll bring you medicine for the wounds, since your wolf is too weak to heal you right now."

When she pulls her hand back from his grasp, Killian flinches a little, like he’s scared of her. But then he quickly regains himself.

"Don’t try anything funny while I’m gone. The cords are gone, but this whole mansion is still laced with magic. You wouldn’t be able to shift or use your powers here."

Then, without waiting for a response, he opens the door and walks out. The lock clicks shut behind him.

Nyra sits frozen, one hand pressed to her throat, the other clenched in the sheets.

Who the hell are these people?

And how do they have so much access to werewolf weapons?

After hours of lying and sitting down, Nyra forces herself to stand. Her legs feel unsteady, but she moves anyway, bare feet silent against the tiled floor.

The room is larger than it first seemed. A wide window overlooks the fountain and the wild garden outside the estate. She also finds that the second door leads to a private bathroom with soft towels. Everything looks clean and very expensive.

But it only makes her skin crawl harder. A luxurious cage didn’t change the fact that it was still a cage.

Then something catches her attention on the walls. Killian wasn’t lying when he said this entire building is covered in magic.

On the walls, there are intricate symbols etched into the wall. They are nearly invisible. If not for the spark of burning gold light they give off anytime her hands touch them, she would’ve never known.

She checks another wall, and it’s all the same thing here. Same glow. Same burning sting. There will be no shifting here. No calling on Nyx for strength. No escape through force.

She feels her hope slowly dissipate as she goes back to sit on the bed, right next to the tray she’s been ignoring.

The eggs have gone cold. The toast looks soft and unappealing. The fruit sits in neat, perfect slices. Her stomach rumbles from hunger. And after that intense exam and night with Adrian, she’s very hungry. But still, she refuses to give them the satisfaction of watching her eat their food after they forced that bond-killing pill down her throat.

A few seconds go by and nothing happens, then all of a sudden, her stomach starts feeling like it’s burning.

"Ouch!" She whimpers, clutching her stomach tightly. It must be the pills affecting her since she refused to eat.

Just then, the door opens. This time, an unfamiliar elderly woman in a plain gray uniform slips inside. She was bringing the ointment Killian sent for Nyra when she heard her cries of pain.

"Miss, please," the woman whispers in a motherly voice. "You have to eat. The medicine they gave you... it will eat at your stomach if you leave it empty. I’ve seen it happen. Please."

Nyra stares at her through watering eyes, breathing hard. The woman looks genuinely frightened of what might happen to her.

And Nyra almost gives in, but then the door swings open again.

Killian steps in first. Behind him comes a man who can only be his father. The resemblance is unmistakable.

Where Killian carries a strange, unsettling softness, this man radiates pure authority and contempt. He looks like all those big, bad Alphas that force people to do their bidding.

The elderly staff member bows quickly, drops the ointment, and retreats without another word, leaving Nyra alone with them.

Then the older man’s gaze falls on Nyra. He stares at the untouched food and the way she’s clutching her stomach.

He instantly understands what’s happening.

His face folds into anger, and he crosses the room in three long strides, grabs a fistful of her hair, and yanks her head back.

It hurts so much, and she cries out loud. The man forces a piece of cold toast past her parted lips.

"While you’re here," he says in a vicious voice, "you’re going to abide by our rules. Do you fucking understand?"

Nyra chokes, trying to turn her face, but his grip is iron. He shoves more food into her mouth, not caring if she bites or gags.

"Dad--" Killian steps forward. "Dad, you’re hurting her. She can’t eat if she’s injured."

The older man turns his head slowly. His eyes are the same shade as his son’s, but there is no warmth in them at all.

"What? What’s that?" he asks, almost laughing. "You have a soft spot for her now? You think she’s going to want to be with you if you’re nice?"

He tightens his hold on Nyra’s hair and yanks her head back even harder, making her scream again. It hurts so much.

"Look at her neck." His free hand yanks the collar of her shirt aside, exposing the mating mark. "She has a goddamn mating mark. In werewolf territory, that means she belongs to another man forever."

The words hang in the air, like no one dares to breathe.

Then Killian’s gaze drops to the mark. For a second, he simply stares. Then his eyes turn dark.

Without a word, he turns on his heel and storms out of the room. The door slams hard enough to rattle the frame.

Nyra stares at the closed door in shock. What the fuck is happening?