15
Lucia
My eyes open up to a strange ceiling, reminding me of the room Leon brought me into. I’d been so exhausted after engaging with Damien, I slept for the rest of the day and night.
Pushing myself to sit up, I gaze all around me. This is the first time I’m able to take a good look at my new prison.
Bright sunshine streams in through a single window, illuminating the modestly sized room. The walls are painted a simple beige. Even the blankets on the bed are plain white.
Even though this room is simple, it’s a hundred times better than the dark basement. The sunshine streaming through the glass panes seems like the most precious thing in the world to me right now.
I slowly climb out of bed and realize that my body isn’t aching as much as I’d expected it to. This must be another side-effect of my heat. My active hormones must’ve healed the soreness in my muscles, making me feel so much better than the last few days.
After a few minutes of exploration, I find a tiny closet-sized bathroom attached to the room. Yes , I cheer internally, relieved that I wouldn’t be forced to pee in a bucket again.
My pounding heart gradually calms down. I see a tray of food on the bedside table but I ignore it for now.
Moving toward the window, I fiddle with the latch. A smile comes onto my lips as it unlocks, allowing me to push open the panes.
Cold air blows in, playing with the stray strands on my forehead. My body shivers from the frigid air but I stand by the window, thoroughly enjoying the fresh air. My gaze roves over the distant hills and the thick woods that surround the vast grounds of the manor. Where exactly am I? I wonder, staring at the peaceful scenery before me.
My stomach groans, reminding me that I haven’t eaten a bite since yesterday. Hurrying toward the tray of food, I lift the lids from the bowls and see that someone’s left me bread rolls, a bunch of grapes, generous slabs of cheese, and thick slices of ham. A bottle of energy drink stands among them.
The spread is simple but enough to ignite a ravenous hunger in the pit of my stomach. Without wasting a second, I attack the food.
At one point, I choke on the bread and cheese but that doesn’t deter me. Grabbing the bottle of energy drink, I chug the beverage.
I feel several times better after the meal. A little more strength comes back to me, allowing me to notice a single pink pill on the tray. Picking it up, I see a familiar logo stamped on it.
A contraceptive pill for omegas , my mind whispers.
Relief floods my body at the sight of it. Without a thought, I grab the pill and swallow it.
Without this medication, I was risking a pregnancy. A sliver of gratitude flickers inside me. The rogue alphas who’ve captured me are at least showing me this mercy.
With nothing else to do, I move over to the bed and lie down. Closing my eyes, I try to go back to sleep but the thoughts churning in my head keep me awake.
It is impossible to tell how much time passed since I was chained down in the basement. I’m sure I spent two days there and a day in this room.
The constant discomfort that assaulted me during my heat has gone away, leaving my body thoroughly drained. Even though my body isn’t aching too badly, I still feel a hangover from everything that happened to me since I was kidnapped from my fake wedding. A sliver of relief passes through me as I realize I’ve gone through the worst of it.
Leon’s words come back to my mind. Giving it a deeper thought, I decide it’s better they keep me here instead of handing me over to Callum immediately.
If they keep me here long enough, Callum would surely start assuming I’m dead. At the very least, his obsession will take a hit. He wouldn’t look at me as a prize if he knew about the things I let these alphas do to me.
Self-pity flares inside me.
Damien and his brothers kidnapped me and abused me, and here I am, counting my blessings for being away from my brother. I desperately hope Dad will stay strong until I can get him out of that house. For now, I just have to find a way to survive being among these men.
I’m lost in my thoughts when the door of the room is suddenly thrown open. To my horror, it’s Damien.
My mind replays the feverish haze that forced me to beg him to relieve my body’s demands. Heat rises to my cheeks at the memories of him rutting into me and giving me the most mind-blowing knot. At the same time, the sight of his scars sends an icy tendril wrapping around my throat.
This man still scares me.
I bolt out of bed and look for a way to escape immediately.
Damien’s gaze zeroes in on me. His ice-blue eyes have a piercing quality to them that makes me feel like he’s stripping me bare.
Shifting my eyes away from his face, I take in his tall, broad-shouldered body. He wears an elegant black suit that molds perfectly against his muscular chest.
If his face wasn’t so ugly, he’d make a very handsome man , I think distractedly. Damien’s original face must’ve shared some similarities to Leon’s since they were brothers. A sliver of pity goes through me as I stare back at him.
His ice-blue eyes catch the change in my emotions. Pursing his lips, he stalks forward.
I automatically step away until my back hits the window sill.
A rush of cold air comes in through the window. I shiver in my thin dress, a gesture he seems to notice immediately.
Shirking off his jacket, he throws it my way.
I hold it in my hand and stare at him.
“Do my clothes disgust you too?” he asks in a deep voice that sends shivers down my spine.
“Uhh-no. No! Of course, not!” I reply, flustered. Shit! I curse silently and hurriedly thrust my hands through the long sleeves.
The jacket is long and heavy. Damien’s heat clings to it, warming me up immediately.
“Thanks, I guess,” I say meekly.
Closing the distance between us, he grabs my upper arm.
Stumbling on my feet, I crash against his broad chest, feeling the hardness of his muscles. His scent, a heady mix of dark chocolate and spicy bourbon, envelops all around me. For a fleeting second, it doesn’t feel too bad to be pressed up against this man.
That’s when I feel the sharp tip of a knife digging into my back.
“Don’t move,” he whispers in my ear.
I stay still, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart.
“You’re crazy!”
Low chuckles rumble in his chest. “Just a precaution, Princess.”
“There are three of you and just one of me. I know I can’t leave this place until you psychos let me go.”
“Callum dearest is at my door.”
I freeze against him. “My brother is here already?”
His finger hooks under my chin, forcing me to look up at his scarred face. “You don’t look too happy about it,” he says, watching me intently. “Does he scare you?”
I feel like I’m standing on the edge of a precipice and facing a vicious beast. Moving forward will get me killed. Stepping back will get me killed too.
It’s a matter of choice. Either way, the consequence is death.
“Do as I tell you or I will kill you,” he says, digging the knife at my back threateningly.
“Don’t you plan on killing me anyway?” I ask him, looking straight into his icy blue eyes. “Once you’re tired of me, you’ll get rid of me.”
“Your death doesn’t benefit me,” he says in a slow, clear voice. “Follow my command and I’ll let you live.” Pulling me tight against his body, he turns me toward the door and forces me to walk with him.
My heart pounds. Callum will go mad when he sees me on the arm of another alpha. He’ll tear me away from Damien and probably skin me alive to purge me.
Glancing up at Damien, I try to gauge his expression through the thick layer of scars marring his face. One of his arms is wrapped tight around me. He holds the knife against me in such a way that it is conveniently concealed under the folds of his large jacket.
He doesn’t need to threaten me. I’m never going to run to my brother.
Our relationship isn’t what it seems on the surface. Callum isn’t the overprotective brother he pretends to be. He’s only interested in chaining me to him so he can continue to obsess over me.
Damien leads me into a different corner of the manor. Unlike the previous area, this place has more décor. Ancient paintings of battlegrounds and nameless people from a bygone era dot the walls. I even glimpse a few armor displays along the way.
Who are these people? I wonder as Damien guides me down a confusing network of corridors. They’re all living in a place that might as well have been a fucking museum. It’s unbelievable to think such a place exists in our modern little town.
“Remember what I told you,” Damien growls as he leads me down a wide, sweeping staircase.
My fingers curl into the jacket, drawing it closer around me. Even though I want to escape these strange men, it feels worse to be confronting Callum.
He stops when we’re close to the ground floor. Looking ahead, I catch sight of Callum and about half a dozen men flanking him.
Leon and Mikhail stand closer to the bottom steps, facing my brother and his guards.
Callum’s dark eyes zero in on me the moment we get closer.
An icy chill runs through me as his piercing gaze sweeps over me. The pursing of his lips and the building rage behind his eyes tell me he’s going to unleash his wrath on Damien and his brothers.
I glance up at Damien. To my surprise, his scarred lips are stretched into a smile.
“I hope my brothers gave you a warm welcome,” Damien says in a deep, loud voice that echoes all around the vast hall. “Forgive me for being late. I went to get Lucia so she can join us in welcoming you to our home.” His voice is deceptively casual and polite.
“Come here, Lucia,” Callum says through clenched teeth.
The urge to follow his command is almost unconscious.
I feel the tip of the knife digging into my side threateningly. The poke is enough to remind me that Callum isn’t the master of this house. It’s the man standing at my side.
“Lucia,” Callum grinds out. “Now!”
“She’ll be staying here from now on,” Damien boldly announces.
Callum’s gaze shifts toward Damien. His expression slowly changes as he stares intently at his scarred face.
“Recognize my brother, asshole?” Leon asks, his voice dripping with venom.
Callum’s gaze swings toward him.
Something close to disbelief flickers in his eyes. “You three...”
“We’re alive, yes,” says Mikhail. I can’t see his face but can hear rage in his voice.
“How?” Callum seems to forget about me as he stares wide-eyed at the three men before him. “How are you all alive? I destroyed you three!”
“A man like you can never destroy us,” Damien says in a calm voice. “You broke our bodies and threw us in a garbage dump. That’s not enough to get rid of a Volkov.”
“Give me back my sister!” Callum screams, his black eyes nearly popping out of his face as he sneers maniacally at the men before him. “I will kill you again if I need to. How dare you touch her? She’s mine!”
“She was always ours,” says Leon. “We’d have taken her far away sooner if we knew what kind of a monster you are.”
My heart throbs with a painful emotion at those words. It’s them , my mind whispers to me.
There’s no doubt left in my mind anymore. They may not look like the three boys I’d fallen in love with all those years ago but they’re still my Damien, Leon, and Mikhail. Callum’s reaction to them confirms it.
Rage and hatred course through my veins as I stare up at Damien. My eyes take in every thick line that mars his face. He used to be the most handsome among his brothers. Callum destroyed his beauty before sentencing him to die. How could my brother do such a cruel thing?
It’s all because of me , I realize with a start. Callum did this to him because he saw me kissing Damien that night.
All the things they said to me since they kidnapped me run through my head. This is the reason they felt so familiar when they called me “Princess.”
A painful sob chokes my throat. Whatever happened to me over the past few days is Callum’s fault too. He’s responsible for raising monsters out of the boys I loved so much.
“Give her back or I’ll fucking blow your heads,” Callum’s shout breaks me out of my thoughts. “It’ll be me who pumps your brains with bullets. I’ll make sure you remain dead this time.” He holds a pistol in his hand, pointing it directly at Mikhail who’s closest to him.
To my astonishment, Mikhail laughs. “Look around you, asshole.”
Instinctively, I glance around as well.
Several men have appeared all around us, each holding rifles that are pointed at Callum and his minions.
“Go ahead. Shoot,” says Leon. “You’ll end up dead before any of us.”
Callum’s face reddens with rage. His gaze swings toward me. “Get over here, Lucia!” he shouts. “Throw him off and come to me, darling. I’ll protect you.”
“N—”
Before I can say a word, a different voice speaks up.
“What’s all this shouting about?” says an annoyed female voice. “Is it too much to ask for some peace and quiet while I do my morning yoga?”
A young woman appears before us. Her long ebony hair is adorned with streaks of bright pink. She looks a couple of years younger than me and is wearing cute blue shorts with little red hearts on them.
Callum is quick to stomp toward her and grab her by the hair. “Let go of my sister or I’ll kill her,” he bellows, thrusting the gun’s muzzle against her forehead.
“Oww! That hurts!” the girl cries out as he tightens his grip on her hair.
“Let her go, Callum!” I shout. “There’s no point in hurting her. They won’t let you take me without killing us. You should go home and wait for them to let me go.”
“Who’s the broad?” the girl asks with a curious look.
“Mind your own business,” Mikhail hisses. “Who asked you to butt into our conversation?”
“This is my house too!” the girl hisses back.
The pretty, young woman doesn’t seem afraid even though she’s being held at gunpoint. Ignoring my brother, she continues arguing with Mikhail.
Utter respect bubbles inside me. I wish I could be as fearless as her in front of these dangerous men.
“Oi, motherfucker,” says the girl in a callous tone. “Wanna let me go or do I do it myself?”
“Stay quiet, bitch,” Callum barks. “I’ll fucking blow your hea—” A funny scream escapes my brother before he can finish threatening her.
He stands at an awkward angle while the young woman holds him by his arm. The gun clatters to the floor as Callum struggles against her.
“You were saying?” she asks, thrusting her knee into his leg, forcing him on the ground.
The men surrounding Callum move forward at once.
The young stranger lets go of Callum to face half a dozen men who are taller and more powerfully built than her. There’s no way she can stand against them.
To my surprise, the young woman proves me wrong. Her movements are like fluid water as she punches the closest man while her other elbow digs into a guy who’d crept up behind her.
I watch wide-eyed as she fights them all at the same time.
“Watch out!” I shout, almost running forward to warn her as one of the men aims a gun at her.
Damien’s arm tugs me closer to him.
“She needs help,” I say urgently.
Amusement swirls in those pale blue eyes. “And you’re going to be that help?” he asks in a mildly sarcastic tone. “Just watch. Lilja’s going to be fine on her own. Besides, Mikhail’s close by. We also have our snipers. She’s perfectly safe. Just let her take her frustration out on those dogs. She deserves that much.”
I look back at the scene playing out before me.
Callum is still on the floor, watching the young woman fight like a ninja. The astonished look on his face is both amusing and satisfying.
Did he think every woman he meets is as weak and submissive as me? If it weren’t for our dad, I’d have run away a long time ago.
At one point, one of the men succeeds in capturing her from the back. She tries breaking his hold and fails.
A second guy moves forward to hit her.
Staying stuck in the hold, Lilja lifts her feet off the ground and kicks the man prowling toward her. She continues to flail against the guy holding her from behind.
I look toward Mikhail and Leon. They stand still, watching the girl struggling without making a move to help her.
Glancing toward Lilja, I find a slim hairpin clutched in her right hand. Without warning, she raises her arm and jabs the sharp end into her attacker’s face.
The hairpin hits the guy right below his eye. He backs away at once, howling, the pin still jutting out from the spot.
Within minutes, the men around her are either passed out cold or writhing on the floor. Callum remains on the ground, his expression turning deadly. He hates losing and he absolutely can’t bring himself to accept defeat.
“It’s time you left, asshole,” says Lilja. She stands over my brother with her hands on her hips. “Don’t bother coming back or I’ll be stabbing you in the neck. Or the dick. Soz...”
She skips up the stairs and hugs Mikhail. Her head barely brushes against his shoulder.
“You’re such a showoff,” he says in a surprisingly sweet, adoring voice as he rubs the top of her head.
She croons and rubs her face against his chest, smiling broadly, looking like a happy, purring kitten.
“Who is she?” I whisper.
“That’s Lilja, our sister,” Damien whispers back.
I stare as Lilja throws herself at Leon next. He laughs and pats her back. “Good job, kid. You managed to keep them all alive.”
“I know, right? It was so hard to control myself. Only the thought of cleaning up the mess made me stop.”
She’s just as crazy as the rest of them , I think amusedly. My lips stretch into a smile without control. This is the first time I’ve felt so lighthearted in years.
Despite her petite figure, Lilja is strong. She left my brother’s guards writhing and groaning on the floor. Even if they can move, they’re choosing not to pursue her. They’re all too afraid to face her again.
My respect for the young woman grows. She’s the kind of person I want to be. If only... I think dejectedly.
“Lucia.” Callum’s venom-filled voice calls out to me.
Hating the involuntary shudder that goes through me, I look toward my brother. At the same time, I feel Damien’s arm tighten around me, but this time, there’s no knife digging into my side.
Oddly comforted, I stare back at Callum.
“You will not come?” he asks, his eyes swirling with rage.
I shake my head. “I can’t. You should go before you get hurt.”
“Have they touched you?”
I swallow, wondering if I should tell him the truth.
Mikhail starts laughing.
Leon moves down the steps to reach him and leans onto his shoulder. “You already know the answer to that,” he says. “What’s the point of bullying her over it? Just get the fuck out of our home already.”
Callum gets back to his feet and fixes me with a look that fills me with terror. He’s going to hurt someone to soothe the humiliation and rage he suffered here today.
“How could you let them touch you?” he says, seething. “How can you bear for them to touch you and still breathe ?”
“You switched my meds! You knew what could happen to me but still did it anyway.”
Callum’s face reddens with rage. “Stop making excuses,” he hisses. “Your first heat was supposed to be mine!”
I glance toward Damien. “How does he know what happened between us?” I whisper.
“He knows because we showed him,” he replies. “We sent him our choicest nudes. Don’t worry about it though. We were all naked in the photographs.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. Shame and embarrassment flood me as I think of the way Leon thrust into me from behind while Mikhail’s cock stayed buried in my mouth.
If Callum saw all that...
Is he here to kill me? I wonder, staring at Callum’s deadly glare.
“I’m no longer worth all this trouble,” I say to him. “They’ve taken everything my body had to offer. It wasn’t even about me. They hurt me to hurt you.”
Callum’s expression softens. “They did it against your will. It makes you innocent, Lucia.”
I shake my head. “I’m not innocent. I begged them to help me.”
“Come with me, darling. I’ll make everything better.”
“She won’t go even if she wants to go,” Damien says in a commanding tone. “We’re keeping her with us. She’s ours now.”
Lilja turns back to stare at me before looking back at Callum.
Damien motions with his hand.
At once, the armed men who’d been waiting around us file out and surround Callum and his guards. Pointing their rifles at them, they gesture for them to leave.
My brother’s men immediately oblige. Even if they’re armed, there are simply too many of them to fight without losing their own lives.
Callum’s face darkens with rage, heightening my anxiety for Dad and the working staff at home. He’s going to unleash his rage and hate on them.
I watch as Callum walks out of the hall. A heavy breath escapes me as my body sags against Damien.
For the first time in my life, I witnessed Callum’s defeat. I could’ve never imagined the rogue alphas holding me hostage would become the knights who’ll drive the monster away.