Forced To Love You

Darkness

When I woke up and came back to consciousness, I knew something wasn't right. My head was fuzzy and heavy. I could hardly move it from side to side. My chest ached when I took a breath.

I glanced around me to try and get an idea of where I was. I didn't recognize the room I was in and fear began to settle in. I tried sitting up but my wrists were tied to the bed I was lying on.

The room was small though similar in size to my bedroom at my aunt's house. The walls had wood paneling on them and the lights were dim, making it hard for me to see much of anything. A dresser sat against the wall directly across from me with a lamp on top. It was the only light in the room.

I could smell the sweat and must throughout the room. The scent of someone masculine who was wearing cologne came from somewhere in the room but I couldn't determine where.

I didn't know what to do in a situation like that. I'd never been tied down and unable to move without my consent. It was the kind of thing you saw in movies or on TV but never in person. I couldn't think of anything other than how I was going to get out of there.

I didn't even know how to answer that question. Without my arms and legs free, there was no way for me to escape. I wasn't strong enough to break free and with the way my brain was going, I wasn't smart enough, either. I couldn't think of anything and that made me even more panicked.

"You're a long way from Twisp." I struggled against the restraints and my own heavy head to see where the voice was coming from. It wasn't someone I knew which made the situation a little worse. As if that were possible.

"W-who are you?"

"Christian didn't tell you about me? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He was always afraid I'd overshadow him." The man who was speaking moved from behind me and stood on my left side. In the dim lighting, I couldn't get a good look at him. He was tall, similar in height to Christian. He had a sharp jawline and his nose looked a little crooked. Maybe he broke it at some point. "I'm Everett."

"How do you know Christian?"

Even in the darkness, I could see his lip twitch as he smirked. "You're awfully protective of your mate for someone who's running away from him."

"I'm not running away."

"I don't think Christian would let you off on your own without sending someone to protect you."

Maybe he knew Christian better than I did. "How do you know him?"

"I'm his brother."

Brother? I had no idea Christian had a brother. He never even hinted at having one. Neither had his father though I didn't know him as well as I knew Christian. Or thought I knew.

"He never..."

"No, I doubt he would. I'm sort of... shut out from that side of my family. All of my family, actually." He ran his fingertips along the sheet on the bed, working his way up from my knee to my arm. He ran his fingers over the crease in my arm and I struggled to keep my breathing even. "I thought maybe you would have been my mate considering..."

"Considering what?"

He lifted his head and looked up at the ceiling. "Christian was never supposed to be the Alpha of the pack in Twisp. He wasn't the next in line for the title."

If it wasn't Christian then... "Was it supposed to be you?"

"At one point, I was. My father then decided when we were both young that Christian would inherit the title and not me."

"Why?" I was hoping that maybe if I was nice to him, he would let me go. Or, at the very least, not kill me.

"I'm... more reckless than Christian. I don't think things through before I do them. I'm not cautious with my actions or decisions. Not like him. Apparently, those aren't good traits for an Alpha."

"Who told you that?"

"My mother."

My breath caught as everything fell into place. The rouge that killed Christian's mother was his own brother. And I thought I had family problems.

Everett took a step closer to me and put his hand just beside my head. "I didn't come here for small talk. I just wanted to get back at Christian for once. He stole what was mine so I'm doing the same."

"What are you talking about?"

He leaned down so his face was just a few inches away from mine. I could feel his breath as it hit my face. "You're not going back to him. Not if I can help it."

Before I could say anything, he leaned down even further and bit the side of my neck, right above the area where my neck met my shoulder. The pain was something I'd never experienced before. It felt similar to what I thought being stabbed would feel like but just on a smaller scale.

His teeth didn't feel like teeth but more like long canines biting into my skin. A warmth spread from where his mouth touched my skin and invaded my body like wildfire. I felt like I was being burned alive. It was the worst feeling I'd ever had to deal with in my life.

A scream escaped my lips and my body seized up. I couldn't feel anything or move anything. All I could think about was the pain I was feeling as it was so consuming.

My eyes rolled back in my head and a darkness that I'd never seen before began to eat away at me until there was nothing left but black.