I changed direction and started backing slowly toward the door.
The man stared at me for a long minute, tilting his head slowly as if surprised I had the nerve to ask. His expression shifted from impatience to amusement.
"It seems you weren’t properly informed about why you’re here."
By this time, I’d succeeded in reaching the door. My hand shot out behind me, looking for the handle. Every instinct I possessed was screaming at me to run.
The man sighed deeply, as if talking to me was stressing him out. "Because I want to see the mark that shows you’re a Shadewolf. Don’t worry, I’m not in the mood for sex today," he paused, gesturing lazily to the couch. "Just show me your body."
"Sex?" I scoffed, relaxing visibly. "I’m not going to have sex with you, and I’m not going to strip!"
I spun around and lunged for the door, grasping the handle and pulling desperately. Nothing happened. The door was locked.
"Ah, women!" he shook his head. "You’re all at first. You try to be resistant and defiant, and then they come around later on, making you wonder why they had to resist so much in the first place."
"What is your name?" he asked quietly.
"Weren’t you told my name?" I retorted coldly, trying to be bold. "Open the door now. You don’t want me screaming down this entire place."
He stared at me for a few more seconds and then laughed. Slowly, he pulled a key from his pocket and dangled it in front of me. "Looking for this?"
I tried to swipe at the key, but he raised his hand higher. He was taller than I, so reaching for it was impossible.
"Slow down, Shadewolf. If you show me what I want to see, then you can live. I promise you. Just show me your mark. I need to confirm you’re a real Shadewolf."
"Give me the key first and I’ll do whatever you want."
"Smart," he chuckled. "But I am no dummy, now stop wasting our time and do as you’re told."
He tossed the key up, and just before it landed in his hand, I jumped as far as my body could carry me and almost caught the key when the man pushed me to the ground.
"I hate smart people," the man said quietly, still watching me with amusement in his eyes. "The more you fight me, the angrier I get. Strip. Now!"
"I’m not some specimen for your entertainment," I snapped.
"On the contrary," he murmured, pocketing the key, "you’re the rarest specimen of all."
Then in a flurry, he lunged at me.
I dodged and tried to roll away when he hand grazed my wrist, but I twisted out of his grasp and ran on all four towards the wine corner of the room. I grabbed one of the heavy glass bottles and held it like a weapon in front of me.
"Don’t come near me!" I warned.
The man stood slowly, unbuttoning more buttons on his shirt and rolling his sleeves. "Don’t make this hard, my dear. I need to confirm one simple thing, and then you’ll be on your way. Why must you be difficult?"
"What do you want from me?" I asked through gritted teeth. "Why do you need to confirm I am a Shadewolf?"
"We want to know what you can do," he said quietly. "What your dormant wolf is capable of becoming. Whether you can carry hybrids, we want to test everything. Your blood, your strength, your fertility. And if that includes seduction...well, we’ll get there." Googlᴇ search NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt
"Yes," the man nodded. "Do you know what people will give just to have you in their possession? "
"I’m not going to be your experiment."
"Oh, I think you already are," he said with a crooked smile and walked towards me.
He lunged for me again, but I was faster.
Fueled by terror and the need to survive, I grabbed the corkscrew wine opener from the bar counter and drove it straight through his hand.
The man screamed in pain as the metal pierced through his flesh and pinned his palm to the polished wood of the bar. His eyes went wide with shock as blood spurted over his expensive cufflinks.
I didn’t wait for him to finish the sentence. I ran over to him and shoved my hand into his pocket. Every part of my body was pumping with adrenaline. I found the key in his left pocket.
Quickly, I took it and ran toward the door. Since I was still shaking so violently from fear, I fumbled with the lock several times before finally managing to turn it and burst out of the room.
The outer room looked emptier than before.
All the Alphas from earlier, including my father, were no longer there. Not that I cared though. It benefited me because the room felt less crowded. I forced myself to slow down and walk briskly when I neared the exit.
I lowered my head, trying not to look as terrified as I felt, as I passed two burly guards who stood at the entrance.
I heard one mutter something, but I didn’t stop. The moment I came out of the door, I increased my pace and then broke into a small sprint.
I darted past people in the corridor, constantly looking over my shoulder for signs that I was being chased.
My heart was hammering so hard I could barely think straight, and the ridiculous dress I was wearing made every movement feel awkward and exposed.
I darted past open doors, past a room thick with cigar smoke, but none of them looked familiar.
Where was the exit? Where was the door we came in through?
Panic clawed at my chest as I barreled into a side hall, then through a half-open door.
Inside was a smoky lounge filled with laughing men in fine suits and young girls draped over their laps like decorations. Why on earth did all the girls look my age? Most of the girls, too, were werewolves, and the men were all human.
A man saw me, his eyes gleaming as they ran through my body. "Come here!" he flicked his finger at me, but I ignored him and bolted out of the room again.
My legs were aching, and my chest burned with tears I was trying to hold back. I slammed through another set of doors, entering what looked like a wine-tasting room with flickering candles and whispers. People glanced up at me.
I was too busy trying to see if the room felt familiar when I bumped into a table and went crashing with it to the ground. I felt my heels break from the impact of the fall and small stings all over my body from where the glass had pierced my skin.
I quickly stood up, muttering an apology and removing my shoes as I ran past them.
This time, I crashed through a swinging door into a blinding strobe of lights and music vibrating all over the place like war drums. It was a disco hall, and it was filled with only humans.