Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers

Evaline:

I gasped as his fingers tightened, forcing my head back, forcing me to meet his eyes.

And stars...

There was so much hatred in them. So much fury it made my chest tighten in fear.

"How did you dare?" he demanded, pressing the dagger harder until it pierced my skin.

Sharp pain followed, white-hot and immediate. A choked cry escaped me as I felt the warmth of blood beginning to seep out, trailing down my collarbone.

My body jerked instinctively. But his grip held me in place, unmoving, unyielding.

"How did you let them touch what belongs to me?" he hissed.

My vision blurred - from the pain, from lack of air, and from everything crashing down at once.

For a moment, I truly thought he was going to kill me. Right there. Right then.

His grip tightened, and he pressed the dagger just a fraction deeper.

And something inside me braced... for the end.

But I should have known better than to believe Damian would let me go this easily.

Because just as suddenly as he had grabbed my throat, he let go. His hand released my throat, allowing air to rush back into my lungs in a broken gasp.

He also pulled the dagger away. The burning pressure disappeared, leaving behind only the sting... and the slow trickle of blood.

I coughed, my chest heaving as I tried to breathe and to steady myself.

He stared at me for a second longer with that same storm of emotions raging behind his eyes.

And then, just like that, it was gone. It got replaced by something far worse - a controlled and certain calmness.

His hand reached out again, but not to hurt me this time. Instead, he pulled my sweater back up and adjusted my coat, covering the marks and hiding them again... as if they had never been there, as if he could pretend they didn’t exist.

"I know you have messed things up." He said suddenly, his voice softer than I expected. "But don’t worry, everything can still be fixed."

The words sent a chill down my spine, making my breath stutter.

"What...?" I tried to speak, my voice barely more than a whisper. "What do you mean?"

That smirk returned to his lips as he watched me. Then he suddenly raised his hand... and I flinched. My body reacted faster than my mind ever could.

A sharp inhale caught in my throat as my shoulders tensed, and my head instinctively turned away, bracing for impact that never came.

He froze just for a second, long enough for him to register my reaction. And then, he chuckled... sounding low, amused, satisfied.

The sound made something inside me twist painfully.

I felt sick.

Not because of the silver biting into my skin, not because of the drug still dulling my strength. But because of the way my body had betrayed me.

Because of how easy it had been for Damian to take control.

I thought I had finally grown stronger. That I had moved on. That I wasn’t that same terrified girl anymore - the one who used to shake at every raised voice, who used to curl into herself and pray for it to end.

All this time... I just made myself believe it.

I believed the nightmares had loosened their grip, that the panic attacks were behind me, that I had healed.

But now as I faced Damian once again, truth hit me right on the face.

My fear, my weakness, none of it ever disappeared. I never really defeated them, I just hid them beneath something warmer, safer...

My mates.

The ones who had pulled me out of that darkness piece by piece. Who had taught me how to breathe again, how to exist without fear clawing at my throat every second.

With them, I had learned to forget. Or at least... I thought I had.

But this?

This proved otherwise.

Because the moment he raised his hand, I didn’t see the present. I didn’t see the woman I had become.

I saw the past, and I felt it - the same suffocating terror, the same helplessness, and the same instinct to brace instead of fight.

My fingers curled weakly against the restraints as shame burned through me. So deep it hurt more than the physical pain.

"You see?" Damian murmured softly.

I forced my gaze up, even though it felt heavy, even though I didn’t want him to see what was in my eyes. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

But he already knew.

"You haven’t changed as much as you thought," he continued. "And you never will."

My jaw tightened, even as my chest felt like it was caving in on itself. I wanted to argue, wanted to deny it. But the words wouldn’t come.

Because a part of me, a part I hated, wasn’t sure I could.

His hand lowered slowly, almost lazily, as if my reaction had already given him everything he needed.

"I told you," he went on, tilting his head slightly as he studied me. "You can try to pretend... but your body remembers."

My throat felt tight.

Because he was right. And I hated that he was right.

"I broke you once," he added quietly. "Did you really think anyone else could fix that?"

Something inside me snapped at those words. Not loudly. Not visibly. But enough... enough to make something flicker beneath the fear.

Because no... he was wrong.

They had helped me. My mates. They had given me something he never could break.

But right now, right here, that strength felt so far away. Like it belonged to a different version of me. A version that wasn’t chained, wasn’t drugged, wasn’t facing the very person who had created all of her nightmares.

"I had everything planned," Damian continued, as if this was just another casual conversation.

My gaze sharpened slightly at that.

"I’ve been watching you for a long time, Eva," he said. "Learning your routines. Your habits. The people around you."

A chill ran down my spine.

"Everything was set perfectly," he added. "Every move accounted for."

His lips curved faintly again.

"Though... a few things didn’t go exactly as expected, but that doesn’t change the outcome."

My stomach dropped.

"I can still take you away," he said, "You just need to wait a little longer here... while I deal with the brothers first."

My breath caught.

"What are you planning-" I tried to ask, but the question died in my throat. Because he had already taken out a syringe from his pocket.

Panic hit me instantly.

"No-" I tried to pull back, struggling again despite the pain, despite the weakness dragging at my limbs. "Damian, don’t-"

It didn’t matter. Nothing I did mattered.

He caught my arm easily and held it in place. "Don’t worry," he murmured. "This will keep things easy for both of us."

My heart raced wildly as I shook my head, trying to fight, trying to get free... but I couldn’t.

I felt the sharp prick of the needle right before the sting. And all it took were a few seconds before the world began to tilt again.

"No..." I whispered weakly, my body going slack despite my mind screaming at me to stay awake.

His face was the last thing I saw, watching me with calmness.

And then... everything went black again.