Hadn’t his uncle done the exact same thing? Dismissing him, taking everything he wanted, draining the inheritance his late parents had saved through hard work. Never once giving Ehlian a shred of care.
Ehlian clenched his teeth. He wouldn’t be anyone’s pawn again. He wouldn’t let anyone use or disregard him. Not here. Not now. He needed to draw the line immediately. He wouldn’t survive this place otherwise.
“Did you hear what I said?” He pressed, his voice sharper this time.
“Loud and clear.”
“Good,” Ehlian said curtly. “We have a deal, then.”
The alpha clapped the book shut and tossed it onto the bed. Ehlian felt his sharp eyes finally fix on him. “No. I don’t think we do.”
“Tough luck, dickhead. My deal or no deal.”
The alpha stood up, his movements unnervingly calm. His bare feet padded soundlessly on the carpet, yet Ehlian felt the dangerous energy of each step.
Now Ehlian noticed a faint, barely visible scar running up his neck. Telepaths rarely got into physical fights. They simply didn’t need to.
He had no idea why this alpha was in prison.
For all he knew, the man could be a cold-blooded killer.
“You take one more step,” Ehlian tightened his grip on the bottle, “and we’ll find out just how real this bottle is.”
The weak threat barely left his lips before he realised how hollow it sounded, a plea lost in the endless void of space. The alpha didn’t even hesitate, stepping closer with maddening calm. Ehlian mirrored him, retreating as the gap between them shrank.
“I mean it,” he said again, his voice faltering. He raised the bottle over his head, ready to swing.
“Don’t do anything reckless, Ehlian.” The alpha’s tone was disturbingly even. “Put that down.”
Ehlian’s breath hitched. His shock at hearing his name froze him for a moment. But there wasn’t time to dwell on it, the alpha was already too close. A rush of panic hit him, and he swung—
‘Put it down.’
The command wasn’t spoken aloud. It invaded his mind like a cold, unwelcome wave. The foreign thought overrode his will, suppressing his intentions and fading his anger into the background. It was as though a part of himself had ceased toexist. His fingers loosened. His arm lowered. And as though moving in a dream, he placed the bottle back on the bar.
‘Good.’The alpha’s voice hummed smoothly in his head, a low purr that made Ehlian shiver.‘On your knees.’
Everything in him screamed to resist. But his body betrayed him, obeying without hesitation. Slowly, he sank to his knees.
Ehlian’s chest burned with shame and rage, his breath shallow and uneven.
With a snap of his fingers, the alpha had taken complete control of him.
A strange, distant heat coiled low in his belly, but he didn’t dare look at it too closely.
Fuck.
The alpha was one of the strongest telepaths Ehlian had ever met.
When the alpha’s grip on his mind released, Ehlian gasped as though surfacing from deep water. He could move again, but didn’t dare, too aware of the danger of another reckless mistake.
“Look at me.” The alpha’s voice was calm, yet the order sent a shiver down Ehlian’s spine.
“No.”
“What are you so scared of?” Warm fingers brushed through his silvery-blond hair. “We can’t bond unless we both want it. You think I’d tie myself to an omega who’s gone in a year? Don’t insult me.”
Bonds could only form with consent, but Ehlian wouldn’t take any chances. One moment of weakness, and he could be enchanted.
