Chapter 1: My Father's Order
THEA
My father's face was very serious. He looked at me. We were in his office. I was standing. He was sitting behind his big desk.
"This conversation is over," he said.
His voice was low. His voice was final. I knew from his voice that I could not argue anymore.
"He will be here tomorrow morning. You will do what he says."
I stood in front of his desk. The desk was made of dark wood. It was very big. I felt very small in the big room. I felt a strong anger inside my chest. The anger was a hot feeling. I wanted to yell at my father. I wanted to tell him that he was wrong.
But I did not say anything. The words did not come out of my mouth. I could not speak. He was my father. He was also the Alpha. In our pack, everyone had to obey the Alpha's word. His word was the law for me, too.
I looked at him one last time. His face did not look sorry. His face looked certain. He believed he was doing the right thing.
I turned my body around. I did not say goodbye. I walked to the heavy office door. I put my hand on the cold, metal handle. I opened the door. I walked out of the office. I closed the door behind me.
The long hall was silent. The floor was shiny and clean. My footsteps did not make a sound on the thick rug. There were four guards in the hall. Two guards stood on the left side. Two guards stood on the right side. They wore dark uniforms. They did not move at all. They were very still. Their faces showed no expression.
They did not look at me when I walked past. I was happy about that. I did not want them to see my face. I did not want them to see that I was angry and sad.
I kept walking until I reached the door to my room. My room was at the very end of the hall. I opened the door. I stepped inside. I closed the door. I turned the lock. It made a loud click sound in the quiet room.
I was alone now.
I walked over to the big window. The window was made of one giant piece of glass. It was my wall. The city was very far below. It was night now. I could see so many lights. The lights from the buildings were yellow and white. The lights from the cars on the street were red and white. They moved like slow streams of light.
I could see people on the streets. They were very small from up here. They looked like tiny ants. They were all walking somewhere. They were living their lives.
They were free. I was here.
I was in the tallest tower in the city. I was in a beautiful, expensive home. But I was not free. I was trapped.
My father's words came back into my head. A new guard. A new person to watch me. The thought made my stomach hurt. It was a bad feeling. I already had guards outside my door. I already had cameras that watched me. Now, a man would be with me all the time. He would be my shadow.
The anger I felt in my father's office started to go away. The anger was like a fire, but it burned out fast. After the fire, there was just an empty, cold feeling. It was a sad feeling that was always with me. It had been with me for six months. It lived in my chest.
My hand moved up. I did not tell it to move. It moved by itself. It went to my neck. My fingers touched my scar. The scar was a thin, smooth line on my skin. It was just above my collarbone. It did not hurt anymore when I touched it. But it was a reminder. It was a permanent warning.
The last time I trusted a man, he hurt me very badly.
The memory was always there. It was always in my head, especially when I was alone. I closed my eyes. I could see his face. Julian. I remembered his smile first. It was always his smile that I remembered first. It was a warm and kind smile.
I remembered the way he looked at me. He made me feel like I was important. He made me feel safe.
He told me he loved me. I was so happy when he said that. I believed him with all my heart.
He told me he would set me free. I believed that, too. He was my fated mate. I thought he was my everything.
Then, the memory always changes. The good part ends. The bad part begins.
I remembered the parking garage. The air was cold. It smelled bad, like oil and wet concrete. I remembered him letting go of my hand. He just dropped my hand. He took one step away from me. He stood by a concrete pillar. And he just watched.
I remembered the five hooded men. They came out of the shadows.
I remembered the feeling of fear. It was a big, cold feeling. It made it hard to breathe.
I remembered the pain when they hit me. My body remembers the pain.
The worst part of the memory was Julian's face. I looked at him. I begged him with my eyes to help me. He did not help. He did not move. He just watched them hurt me. He had a look on his face. It was not a look of anger or fear. It was a look of belief. He believed what was happening was right.
He looked proud.
The memory of that look was the sharpest pain.
He let them hurt me. He let them cut me with a knife. The memory of the pain from the knife was very clear. It was a hot, sharp, burning pain.
That was six months ago. My life changed on that day. The girl who trusted people died in that parking garage. The girl who was left is me. I do not trust anyone. I especially do not trust a man my father chooses.
I stood by the window for a very long time. I just watched the city lights. I did not want tomorrow to come.
But tomorrow always comes.
I woke up the next morning. The sun was bright. I did not want to see it. The first thought in my head was about him. The new guard.
I felt a heavy, bad feeling in my stomach. I did not want to get out of bed. I wanted to stay under the soft covers and hide from the day. I knew that my prison would feel even smaller today. But I could not hide. My father would send someone to make me get up.
So I got out of bed. The morning was the same as always. I put on my clothes. A silent woman brought my food. I did not taste it. My mind was full of worry.
What kind of man would he be?
My mind made a picture of him. He was a big man. He had a mean face. His eyes were small and cruel. He would be a man who liked to give orders. He would be my new jailer. The thought made me feel more scared.
I waited all morning. The big house was very quiet. The silence made me feel more nervous. Every small sound made me jump. I sat in a chair in my room. I tried to read a book, but I could not see the words. I just looked at the door. I waited for my father to call me.
The time moved very, very slowly. Each minute felt like an hour.
Finally, a soft chime sound came from a speaker in my room.
It was time.
My heart started to beat very fast. It felt like a drum inside my chest. I took a slow breath to try to be calm. It did not work. I stood up. My legs felt weak.
I walked out of my room. I walked down the long hall. I did not want to go to my father's office. I had to go.
I reached the big, dark door. I stopped in front of it. I felt very nervous. I made my hand into a fist. I knocked on the door.
"Come in," my father's voice said from inside the room.
I pushed the door open. I walked inside.
My father was at his desk. He looked at me. He was not alone. There was another person in the room.
A man was standing by the big window. I could only see his back. He was looking out at the city.
He was very tall. His shoulders were very wide. He looked very strong. He was wearing simple, dark clothes.
He did not move at all. He was perfectly still. His stillness was not normal. It was the stillness of a hunter. It made me feel scared.
My father spoke. His voice was loud in the quiet room.
"Thea, come in," he said. "This is your new protector."