When she muttered, “I didn’t want to follow them,” with that infuriating spark in her eyes, I moved faster than humanly possible. My fingers dug into the swollen flesh around the mangled claiming bite as I pinned her against the wall, relishing her gasp of pain. The towel fell away easily beneath my claws, exposing raw skin.
My violent temper, I knew, was what she feared most, and her pathetic defiance only intensified my resolve. “First rule,” I snarled against her ear as my claws pricked blood from her throat. “When I enter a room, you beg to serve me. And you will address me as your lord, because I truly fucking am your lord now.” Her rabbit-quick pulse hammered against my palm, wheremymate mark now thrummed with her confused feelings for me. Where it once beat for another, now it beats only for me. “Say it.”
Her breath hitched, that delicious hesitation before submission, then came out in a whimper: “H-how may I serve you…my lord?”
She cowered as I barked commands. I told her to fix her rat’s nest of hair, to dry it properly this time, to put on the expensive makeup I’d been so gracious to provide. My words hit her like blows, and I loved how she flinched at each one. The little whore wasn’t nearly as strong as she pretended to be, and I was going to enjoy breaking her again.
“Now, get your fucking naked ass in that bathroom,” I growled, watching her wilt as the command thundered through the room. My alpha growl bent her more with each word.
I dropped her to the floor with a harsh “MOVE.” The starkness of the room only amplified her shame, leaving her raw and vulnerable as I kept my gaze fixed on her. The air crackled with her discomfort, which only fueled my triumph. She shuffled across the space with the fragility of a bird, her body wrapped in defeat as she followed my orders.
I was walking a tightrope. My research was paramount. The serum had been circulating through my veins for over a week. So far, so good. Dr. Chen had been monitoring my vitals very closely. Hovering like a mother hen, actually. I knew she was in love with me. I’ve had to tread carefully in bringing in Juliet. Lila Chen is the last woman on Earth I want in my bed now. She’s no longer necessary to fill those needs. My transformation had been the perfect excuse to end that part of our relationship. But my sadistic side loved the idea of flaunting all the dirty things Chen would be forced to track in the name of science. We have to know exactly every physiological change I will experience as a newly created Alpha taking on an Omega. And the idea of Juliet being humiliated by being watched while I take her added to my sadistic delight.
The clash of the door behind her echoed my anger, and I quickly summoned Jenna to wheel in a cart loaded with the brunch I’d had guards pick up on their food run. Fluffy eggs,bacon, creamy soup, fresh bread, and jam—luxuries I knew she wouldn’t appreciate, but they made her pathetic attempts to resist all the more entertaining.
With the tray in front of me, I was in complete control of her entire fucking world.
She emerged from the bathroom, trembling and exposed, and the pleasure I took in her fragile state was immeasurable.
“May I dress, my lord?” she asked, and the pathetic quality in her voice almost made me fucking hard.
I nodded at the tiny satin dress on the bed. She clearly didn’t want to wear the revealing garment I’d chosen for her. “Put. It. On. Juliet,” I said, my tone dripping with icy disdain. Her weakness was intoxicating, a sweet nectar that fueled my dominance. “If you know what’s good for you.”
“There are no panties.” Her voice was small.
“That’s by design. Your cunt is to be available to me at all times.”
The way her head jerked up to meet my eyes gave me such satisfaction. Watching her struggle to follow my instructions was almost too delicious to bear. She had the garment on, such as it was, in record time and stood trembling as she faced me, wanting to speak but unable to find the courage. Her breasts were almost entirely exposed in the low-cut garment.
“Now what?” I asked, sneering as she recoiled from the steel in my voice.
“Thank you for breakfast,” she whispered.
I watched her closely, letting the silence grow between us, letting her hope grow too.
“That’s all?” I asked, feigning disappointment.
The change in her was instantaneous.
“What else do you want from me?” Her indignation was delightful. In just a few weeks away from me, she’d discovered a backbone. I’d be removing that with haste.
I stood and gripped her throat once again, lifting her until she stood on the tips of her toes. Allowing my claws to grow until she felt them prick her skin, I growled, my breath in her face. “I demand your respect, Juliet. I am your Alpha. You seem to keep forgetting. You said, ‘Thank you for breakfast.’ I asked if that was all. You forgot how to address me. It’s all I was asking. And yet, you came at me with hostility. Now, use that beautiful brain of yours, Juliet. What was I looking for?”
She looked at me with those deep brown eyes and breathed, “My lord.”
I retracted my claws and rubbed my thumb across my claiming mark that had healed over. She shivered at my touch. Then I brushed my lips across hers and couldn’t hide the smile when she leaned toward me when I pulled back.
She watched my every move as I took a seat. I motioned to the floor in front of me.
The full weight of my authority crashed down on her. “On your knees, Juliet. Dogs don’t sit in chairs.” She hit her knees.
She shook as I began to eat, and I relished the shudder that rolled through her body. Every bite I took reminded her of who she was, of her place, and I let her feel it. The way she couldn’t meet my eyes told me everything I needed to know. The longer we sat in silence the meekness I had hoped to see seemed to fade. Her mind was running away with her. I could feel through the bond a feeling of chaos and anger. I needed to take her down a few notches before she got out of hand.
“Juliet. I have much in store for you. Our relationship will not be what it was before.” Her glare told me she hated the idea of anything I wanted from her. I cut a piece of breakfast sausage and lowered it to her mouth. She just looked at me. “I told you I expected you to eat. You will need your strength for what I have in mind for you.” She opened and took the morsel from me. I smirked as she chewed. I continued in this manner for several bites, instructing her on how her life would be from now on.
I took a spoonful of soup and offered it to her. She lifted her hand to push it away, causing it to splatter on my shoe. I calmly put the spoon back on the table, then made eye contact with her. My temper had risen like a rocket. “Lick that off of my shoe, Juliet.”
Her mouth was in a straight line as she defiantly shook her head.
