Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

16 Chapter 16

Seraphina’s POV 1

The car was warm and comfortable, a welcrelief from the cold concrete and my bleeding feet. | settled into

the soft leather passenger seat with a grateful sigh, still clutching the torn fabric of my wine-stained dress

around myself. My rescuer-l realized | still didn’t even know his name-seemed genuinely concerned about my

wellbeing, which was more kindness than I'd experienced in the past

several hours.

“Thank you again,” | said softly, watching the city lights blur past the window. “I really appreciate this. I'm

Seraphina, by the way.”

“Michael,” he replied with that swarm smile. “Michael Harrison. And don’t mention it—I couldn't just leave

you walking around

barefoot and bleeding.”

As we drove through the quieter residential streets, | found myself relaxing for the first tsince the disaster at

the restaurant. Michael kept up a gentle stream of conversation-asking if | was too cold, whether | needed to

stop somewhere for first aid, if there was anyone | wanted to call. His voice was soothing, almost hypnotic, and |

felt my earlier tension beginning to ebb away.

“Actually,” he said as we stopped at a red light, “my place is just a few blocks from here. | have a first aid kit,

and you could clean up, maybe get those feet properly bandaged before heading home. It's the least can do

after what you went through tonight.”

Something in his tone madeglance over at him, but his expression remained the same-concerned, caring,

genuine. Still, a tiny alarm

bell went off in the back of my mind.

“That's very kind,” | said carefully, “but | don’t want to impose any more than | already have. If you could just

dropoff at the station—"

“Nonsense,” Michael interrupted, his voice carrying a hint of something I couldn't quite identify. “The subways

aren't running this late anyway. Just lethelp you get cleaned up, and then I'll drive you wherever you need to

go.”

As we continued driving, | began to notice a strange, sweet smell in the car-something floral and cloying that

seemed to grow stronger with each breath. At first, | thought it might be air freshener or cologne, but there was

something odd about it, something that made my

head feel slightly fuzzy.

“Michael,” | said, pressing a hand to my temple as a wave of dizziness washed over me, “what’s that smell? It's

very... strong.”

“Oh, that?” His voice sounded different now, less warm and more calculating. “Just something to help you relax.

You've had such a

stressful evening.”

The alarm bells in my head suddenly beca deafening siren. | tried to reach for the door handle, but my

movements felt sluggish and

uncoordinated. My wolf Ayla was snarling in my mind, but even her voice seemed muffled and distant.

“Letout,” | said, my words slightly slurred despite my efforts to speak clearly. “I want to get out of the car.

Now.”

Michael's pleasant facade dropped completely, revealing something cold and predatory beneath. “I don’t think

so, sweetheart. We're

almost there.”

Panic flooded throughas | realized what was happening. The sweet smell-it had to be skind of drug

designed to affect omegas

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specifically. I'd heard whispers about such things, black market substances used by wolves with the worst

intentions.

“Stop the car!” | tried to shout, but my voice cout weak and breathless. “Stop the car right now!”

But Michael just smiled, and it was nothing like the kind expression he'd worn when he'd first offered to help me.

This smile was full of

teeth and hunger and promises of terrible things.

“Don’t worry,” he said conversationally, as if he were discussing the weather instead of kidnapping me. “It'll all

be over soon. You'll

probably even enjoy parts of it.”

My body felt like it was made of cotton and lead, my limbs heavy and unresponsive. | managed to fumble for my

phone, but my fingers

wouldn't cooperate, and it slipped from my grasp to fall somewhere on the car floor.

We pulled into the driveway of a modest house on a quiet residential street. The porch light cast everything in

sickly yellow shadows,

and | could see that the windows were dark-no neighbors around to hear if | screamed.

Michael got out and caround to my side of the car, opening the door with the ssolicitous manner he'd

shown earlier. “Come

on,” he said, reaching for my arm. “Let's get you inside where it's warm.”

“No,” | managed to gasp, trying to pull away from his grip. My coordination was shot, but desperation gave me

just enough strength to

resist. “I'm not going in there. Takehome. Please.”

“Home?” Michael's laugh was cold and ugly. “Sweetheart, after tonight's little performance at the restaurant, |

don’t think anyone’s going

to miss you for a while. Did you see the way your precious Alpha looked at you? Like you were trash he wanted

to scrape off his shoe.”

His words hit like physical blows, but they also sparked a flof anger that burned through sof the drug's

effects. Even through

the haze, Ayla was fighting, lendingwhat strength she could.

“Let go of me,” | said, my voice growing stronger. “I said let go!”

| tried to wrench my arm free, but Michael's grip tightened painfully. His pleasant mask had completely

disappeared now, replaced by

something cruel and hungry.

“I don’t think so,” he said, beginning to dragtoward the house despite my attempts to resist. “See, here's

the thing about disgraced

little omegas-nobody really cares what happens to them. Especially when they've already been publicly

humiliated.”

My feet scraped against the concrete as he pulledup the front steps. The drug was making everything feel

dreamlike and distant, but

the panic was crystal clear. | tried to scream, but the sound that cout was weak and pathetic.

“That's it,” Michael said approvingly as he fumbled with his keys while maintaining his grip on my wrist. “Just

relax. Let it happen.

Fighting just makes things worse.”

“Help!” | tried again, putting everything | had into the word, but it cout as barely more than a whisper. The

neighborhood remained

silent and dark, as if the whole world had decided to look the other way.

He got the door open and draggedinto a living room that smelled like stale beer and something else-

something that made my wolf

recoil in instinctive disgust. The furniture was arranged to face a large television, and | could see camera

equipment set up in one

corner. My blood went cold as | realized what that meant.

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“Please,” | whispered, my vision starting to blur at the edges. “Please don't do this.”

“Shh,” Michael said, his voice taking on a mockingly gentle tone as he pusheddown onto the couch. “It'll be

over before you know it.

And hey, at least someone will want you after tonight, even if it’s just for a few hours.”

His hands moved to the straps of my dress, and | tried to fight, but my body wouldn’t respond properly. The drug

had stolen my strength, leavingtrapped in my own uncooperative flesh while this monster prepared to

violate me.

Just as | felt the first strap of my dress being pushed off my shoulder, a sound split the night air that made my

heart leap with desperate

hope. A howl-deep, furious, and absolutely murderous-echoed through the darkness outside.

Michael froze, his hands still on my dress, his head snapping toward the sound. “What the hell-"

The howl cagain, closer this time, followed by the sound of something large crashing through the front yard.

Michael's face went

white with terror as he realized what was coming.

The front door exploded inward with a crash that shook the entire house, wooden fragments flying in every

direction. Through the

wreckage stepped a massive silver wolf with eyes that burned like blue fire, his lips pulled back to reveal fangs

that could tear a man’s

throat out without effort.

Even through the drug-induced haze, | knew those eyes. | knew that magnificent, terrifying creature.