Amanda
Two guards stood there, their gazes hard, stone-cold.
I barely had time to dwell on my thoughts, or on why they were here, when they moved forward.
Two strong arms gripped mine, dragging me off the bed as they pushed me forward, and I stumbled on my feet.
It took the confused, cold stares of a maid outside the door to make me resist their grip. But my strength was too little to fight back.
"Stop."
They froze, their gazes fixed on me, still hard, still cold. For a brief second, dread crept in, but then came a surge of boldness.
"Can I at least walk without being dragged?" I glared at them, but no words left their lips.
"Move, before we move you," the other ordered, his voice thundering.
"Alright."
I moved faster, their steps echoing behind me. So much for boldness, this time, I didn't have to be dragged as if I'd committed the gravest sin.
We took the stairs and soon arrived at an iron-coated door with a silver handle and a neatly furnished frame.
I gasped, when one of the guards knocked, but there was no response.
Then the door flew open, and my heart skipped countless beats. Only when I met the unreadable, soft stare of a man standing in the doorway did it settle. His arms rested loosely at his sides.
The same man I had last seen in that hall, where the crowd had gathered to accuse me, to call me names.
I sniffed, trying to drop my gaze, but my eyes betrayed me. They locked with his for what felt like seconds.
Then he flashed a smile, tender, the same softness I had seen in his eyes three days ago, when I had asked that question in the car.
It took a hard push from the guard behind me to make me realize I was just staring at the open doorway like a fool, eyes wide, mouth slowly parting.
I turned to see the broad back of the stranger a few meters away, until it became a blur as I was pushed into the room.
My eyes barely settled on the interior when I spotted him, seated near the window at the entrance of the room.
His back was turned to us, something indiscernible in his hands. With the guards beside me, I couldn't describe what I felt. Fear? Or something else?
"You may leave," his voice was calm, yet louder than the loudest voices.
The guards bowed and left. The sound of the door closing echoed as I stood there, lost in my own thoughts.
Minutes earlier replayed in my mind, and I felt awful, standing here, alone in this room with this stranger, fully awake, fully exposed.
He said nothing, and the silence stretched.
For a moment, I fantasized about developing unmatched powers, about appearing before him and strangling the life out of him, but thoughts of the morning restrained me.
"Strip." His voice was calm and commanding, and I winced, unsure if the words were directed at me.
I scanned the room, catching sight of no one. To be sure he wasn't on a phone call, I remained silent.
"Don't make me repeat myself," he said, this time dropping what he held, a glass half-filled with a red liquid. His eyes met mine, and my gut ran dry.
"I said strip." His voice now dripped with disgust and anger.
I swallowed hard, bracing myself for anything,but not this. Not before him.
"But why?" I asked, not considering the aftermath.
He smiled, lips curling slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. He lifted the glass and took a long sip, eyes closed, then flew open, burning with rage, blistered red.
"I will tell you why!" he yelled, arms tightening over the wheelchair as he moved it forward.
"Because you are my possession, and I will do whatever I wish with you for causing me so much pain!" His voice echoed with such intensity that the floor trembled beneath me. I couldn't hold on.
It took my ass crashing to the floor to realize how weak my legs were. I summoned all my strength just to meet his eyes.
"I never caused you pain. I never did!" My voice was calm but pained.
If he cared. If he was still human. But he wasn't, he was the monster I knew, the same one who had attempted to strangle the life out of me without a single listening ear.
"How pathetic. You still have the guts to lie?" He yelled, arms fastened to the wheelchair as he wheeled back toward the window, retrieving a file I had barely noticed.
Without turning, he tossed the file at me. Dread clouded my vision as I caught the brown, milky envelope staring back at me.
"Don't keep me waiting," he muttered, gazing out the window.
I gasped, fumbling to open the envelope and retrieve the pictures inside. I didn't know what they were until I flipped them. My arms trembled as my eyes fell on Alpha Ricardo.
"Now strip," he commanded, voice final.
"This isn't real. I never did it." I struggled with the words, tears threatening to fall.
"I never did it! Can't you believe me?" My eyes dropped in sorrow, imagining what the pictures contained.
A hard grip on my neck made me flinch, forcing me to look up into his furious gaze.
"Never flout my orders again," he cursed, letting go, now seated close to me. Closer than I had imagined possible.
The air carried dread, irritation, and helplessness as I struggled to stand, arms shaking beneath the soft fabric of my gown.
I unzipped, removed the first hand, then the second, but clutched the cloth to my chest. I refused to let go, eyes fixed on his unrelenting, hard stare, like a hungry lion ready to devour its prey.
"Don't keep me waiting or…"
His voice was interrupted by a hard knock on the door. Our eyes shot to the direction, only to see Alpha Nathan, his brother, standing there with eyes burning like flames.