Chapter 2

Alpha Thor’s POV

“Mother...” I leaned down and pressed a kiss on her forehead. She smelled of oats and rosewater. I looked at her closely as I sat on the bed close to her. She wasn’t as frail as she used to be; she looked healthier and chubbier.

Her recovery had taken time, but it was happening anyway. I was happy.

“My beautiful, beautiful boy, how are you? What are you doing here so early in the day, hmm?” She reached out and touched my cheeks with her hands. I placed my hand over hers and gave it a gentle press.

“I needed to see you before I head out, Mom.”

“Oh, come on, you come here all the time...”

“I need to, Mom. You’re all I have now.” I pressed a kiss into her hands.

She chuckled. “Well, you have to be on your way, my dear. You have a meeting to attend, and keeping elders waiting is not respectful.”

On my numerous visits to her room, I always made sure to brief her on everything that was going on in the pack, whether she cared to listen or not. Talking to her and sharing my experiences was like therapy for me. It felt good to talk to someone about the boring things I had to endure each day. And she listened when I spoke. Even though she was sleepy or weak from all the treatment and pills she had been given, she still listened.

“Okay, Mom. I’ll come to see you after I’m done for the day.” I kissed her hand again and got up.

“My child...” she murmured and blew me a kiss with her left hand. Such an amazing woman.

I turned and walked out of the room. On my way out, some maids entered; it was probably time to help my mother with her bath. My mother was a strong woman, and she was improving considerably, but she still couldn’t stand on her own or do anything that involved a lot of movement. And it was all because of that bastard, that previous drunk Alpha that she was so unfortunate to be mated to.

I ran down the gold-lined stairways to the exit and then to the front of the mansion, where my limousine was parked, waiting for me.

***

Charlotte’s POV

“Come in, Lottie.” 

I opened the door and saw Aunt’s mate sitting on the bed wearing a towel, probably about to have a shower. 

I bowed my head and walked to where the bedside table was situated. I felt his eyes on my body as I walked into the room. My wolf started growling softly inside of me. I became nervous, and I’m sure Nala felt the same way; that was why she became restless all of a sudden. 

I reached the bedside table and leaned down to put the tray on it. Corie was still looking at me. Once the tray had made contact with the table, I stood up and wanted to get away. 

That was when I felt it. His hands were on my buttocks. I pulled away from his touch in an instant as though something very hot had touched my skin. 

“Sir...” 

“Lottie, come here, sweetie...” Corie murmured and started to get out of bed and over to where I stood, scared to death, by the side of the bed. He reached for his towel and threw it down. I was stunned. 

There was no noise in the house. Everyone must have gone out, leaving only him and me in the house. Faith must have gone somewhere. 

“Sir, what are you doing...please...” My heartbeat increased dramatically as he got close to me. I tried to maintain eye contact with him and avoid looking at his nakedness. While doing that, I mentally calculated the distance to the exit to see if I could run away before he did anything.

“Shut up. Get out of your clothes and get into bed. And don’t you dare think of running. You’ll be dead before you take a step. There’s no way out of this. No one is at home. I’ll have you today, Lottie...” 

He reached out and stroked my hair, then swirled it around his fingers. By this time, I was hard against the wall, and he was so close that I could feel the heat of his breath on my face. 

“Just please me, my dear, and I’ll reward you well. You know I will...” 

His hands dropped to my chest and cupped my breasts. Then he squeezed them. 

“You don’t have to worry about anything again. I’ll care for you. We’ll be so close...” 

He started to undo the buttons on my dress as he spoke. Nala was growling like mad inside of me. I couldn’t let this happen...

“Please, sir...” I sobbed as the tears began to roll freely down my cheeks. It was too obvious that there was nothing I could do now. Absolutely nothing. I couldn’t fight him, and if I screamed, he would slash my throat in an instant. And there was no one in the house but me and him. Today, he had cornered me. 

“Shut up... you’ll enjoy it, I promise you.” His hands moved faster as he continued to undress me. He was breathing heavily. At this point, my mind was focused enough to get the scent of alcohol from him. He had probably drunk in the morning, and the effect of the alcohol was what contributed to his actions now. 

“Oh, fuck this dress...” In an instant, his claws came out, and he started to tear the unyielding dress from my body. I stiffened my lips to avoid screaming in horror. The color of his eyes had changed. He was shifting. I felt so much fear course through my body as he continued to claw at me. His claws came in contact with my skin at some point and began to tear me. I sobbed harder, my hands flat by my side to show I was surrendering to him.

“You need to get out of here now!” Nala screamed inside of me. I knew I had to go. I had to take the chance. It would be better to die than go through this.

I made the final decision in a second when he backed away a bit to gaze at my naked body. I curled my fingers into fists and pushed him with all my strength. Then I turned to run.