CAUSSIUS’S POV.

I glared at the hallway in front of me. It seems not to end. Although there were guards stationed at the entrance, middle and the exit, they were inexistent to me. Nothing but a blurry view. But I could hear Raynna's footstep softly behind me. Each soft padding sound made against the tiled floor echoed her betrayal. How could she attempt to run away after our agreement? After how nicely I had treated her even if I knew that all the wolves in my pack would have wanted different. After realizing that I am her mate!

I clenched my jaws and frowned harder. From the corner of my eyes, the guards stood up straighter and their faces instantly turned stoic. But I cared less about them, whether they were slouching or not. All I wanted to do was punch something or yell at Rayna even though I couldn't explain why to myself. It was unusual for me to get worked up but the thought of Rayna about to hetrsy me without a second thought made my blood run several degrees hotter.

“No it's not.” Rayna whispered sharply. “Shut up!”

Part of my annoyance dissolved into curiousity as I grabbed the lamp on the wall before turning tinto a corner that led us down a spiral staircase. Who was she talking to? Obviously not me.

“That's a mistake on your part Katrina.”

Katrina? Who was that?

“We got our head bashed too many times, that's why. He's a god-level beast!”

I halted. Her body rammed into my back causing her to stumble backward. I turned around swiftly in time to catch one of her forearms as they flailed about trying to grasp whatever to save herself from falling and pulled her forward.

“Are you talking about me?” I wanted to ask so badly but when she snatched her arm out of loose hold, took a step backward and looked away, I swallowed my curiosity and turned around, wordlessly continuing our journey. I will not be the first one to talk. The Sweltering room was only a few distances away anyway.

Rayna wasn't talking anymore but part of me still wanted to know if the god-level beast she had mentioned was me. Along with my burning curiosity was me checking my decision to punish her. Wasn't I being too harsh? Too hasty? Wasn't the Sweltering room too much? I scanned my brain for other punishment methods and immediately decided that this was better since letting her go unpunished was not an option I was considering. If she had successfully escaped, as impossible as it seemed, what would have been said about the Alpha of Brujah pack? I am feared in many packs and among non-canid species. Nothing slips through my fingers and nothing that collides with me remains standing. I am more than an Alpha wolf, I am a…

God-level beast.

Those words filled in the gap in Rayna's voice. It didn't sound like an appraisal. It sounded like warning. Something you should stay away from. Something you should run away from.

Well, she is mated to me and this is my land! I decide who stays and I decide who doesn't! I thought furiously as I stopped in front of an old door.

Rusty but still solid, it would take a great deal of strength to push the door open to the side. However, since the room was built for a specific purpose, there was no risk of illegal entry hence no need for a lock.

I hung the lamp on the ruddy mounted bracket attached to the wall and grabbed the door handles on either side of the door to push it to the right. The door gave a deep groan, resisted a little and eventually moved to the right.

The heat was the first thing to greet us, rushing against our faces in a wave. I turned around and watched Rayana eye the room cautiously. One leg was planted backward as if ready to take off any time.

“What this place?”

“You don't get to ask questions?” I snapped.

She shifted back, shaking her head sideways as her blue eyes mirrored the images that flashed across her mind. There was only one word I coul use to describe them. Horror.

“W-why would I enter into a horribly humid room at the bottom of the manor without asking!” She shrieked. Her eyes darted to the stairs and immediately I moved to block that path.

“Don't even think about trying to run.” I threatened.

“Okay so you caught me outside in the middle of the night instead of being holed up in a room but who said I was going to run away? Am I dumb or something? Haha.” Her touched her head and laughed nervously.

I squared my shoulders and squinted my eyes. “You didn't deny it minutes ago.”

“Deny what?”

I frowned darkly. “Running away.”

“I never said I was running away. I can't deny what I never said. See?”

“You insisted you have the right to do whatever you want.” I reminded her.

“Exactly, and I still do. Part of it is me not wanting to enter that room.” She cast a furtive glance at the room and stuck out her chin defiantly at me. Although, her gaze wavered.

I scoffed and moved closer. “Well it's time to correct that. Don't you think?” I made to grab her arm but like slime, she slipped out through my side before I could hold her and dashed or the stairs.

“Dammit!” I cursed and chased her up the stairs.

She was fast. Very. I guess no man is as fast as the one running for his life but luckily, I was no man. I was a freaking Alpha who was fed up of dealing with a grown lycan that was as stubborn as a mule. In a flash, I caught up to her and pinned her back against the wall.

“Oh!” A sharp gust of wind left her lips as her back hit the wall. I dug my nails into her shoulder blades causing her to wince in pain while I growled down at her in warning.

“Oh!” She drew in breath sharply threw her teeth, trying to free her shoulders. “Caussius…” she moaned.

Something stirred in me. Hot. Settling below my abdomen. My groin area became tight and her lips, slightly opened suddenly became enticing. It's natural rosy colour beckoned on me to make a move. If only her face wasn't contorted in pain.

I recalled briefly what the Sweltering room was used for. The original reason for it's existence. Then, wolves of the lowest ranks, slaves and and captives were tortured there sexually for their enjoyment. As ignoble as that was, I was aroused by that thought of taking her in there for my enjoyment. Without the torture.

I released the grip on her shoulder and gazed upward, sighing deeply. That's when I realized we were closer to the mouth of the stairs than the foot. She had covered that much already? Looking at how far we were from the room, which was located at the bottom of the stairs, I got annoyed at having to go back down again. I galred at Rayna and she would have shrank into the wall if she could.

Forgetting how timid she looked now, I was certain she would take to her heels the moment I turn my back to her. So I wrapped my hands around her and swung her over my shoulder.

“Hey! Put me down! Put me down!” Her small fists hammered my back.

I laughed at how tiny her voice had turned. She sounded like a squeaky mouse.

“Put me down!” This time she tried wriggling over my shoulder causing me to stumble at a step.

“Behave!” I swatted her butt and continued downstairs. She stopped wriggling and just when I thought she had succumbed, I heard her curse sharply in my ear.

“The fuck is that!”

And with a force greater than before, she resumed her struggle for freedom by pummelling my back and wriggling at the same time with all her might. It was becoming difficult to keep her in place and she almost suceeded in tumbling onto the ground, hear first, over my back.

“You're going to break you neck.” I warned.

“Better than where you are taking me!” She retorted.

I crossed the threshold into the room in one long stride and in two, I dropped her on the bed. Panting. Pinning her onto the bed with my hips, I felt her go stiff underneath me.

Nothing but her chest moved up and down as she breathed. I didn't move either, I waited for her to say something. She didn't.

My head tilted to the side and one eyebrow twitched upward as I observed her. Her eyes were trained on me. Rapt. Like the gaze of a leopard locked in its prey, taking note of very flinch my muscle. I adjusted my weight to settle comfortably in between her legs and felt the sharp jolt of pleasure shoot through my veins. Rayna's pupils diluted and her breathing became shallow. Soft as it was, I could hear it.

I leaned forward, grabbed her wrists at her sides and raised it up it go above her head. That seemed to pull Rayna out of her dazed state instantly. She blinked twice and tried to jerk her hands out of my hold.

“What are you doing?” She snapped.

“Punishing you.”

Her dark brown eyebrows yanked towards each other in an angry frown. “What kind of punishment is this?”

“My brain tells me you know that already.” I answered with a groan as I struggled to keep her hands in place while I looked for thç e end of the chains hooked to the headboard of the bed.

Her eyes widened with fear and I had to turn my head to the side a bit to hide my smile. A crazy thought crossed my mind for a second.

If watching her face display her fears was this amusing, how much more would teasing her be?