The Alpha and His Dancer

Chapter 3 - The Alpha with Red Eyes

DELILAH

I awoke with a loud gasp, to find myself in the back of a moving car. My head was still spinning, and my vision blurry, but I could still make out the outline of a man driving. For a second, hope sparked within me. Maybe I dreamt about the wolf attacking. Maybe I passed out in the backseat of the taxi. But my gaze caught the driver's through the rear-view mirror, and I froze once more. It was the man from the club, the animal who had kidnapped me. Tears left my eyes before I squeezed them shut, my body trembling like a leaf. My lower lip shivered while my hand tapped the pocket of my jeans. My phone was missing.

"I am so sorry about this, madam, but I did not have time or another choice," the man spoke, making me hold in a sob. "I promise not to hurt you. You do not have to be afraid. I am sorry about the way this happened. Please sit up and wipe your tears."

I sniffled, slowly obliging to his command even as my heart hammered in my chest. "What... What do you want from me?" I asked, daring to open my eyes and look at him.

"Just a single performance, after which I promise to drop you home myself. My name is Alex. I'm sure you're aware of my kind. I am a werewolf. I belong to the Blood Moon pack. It is my Alpha's engagement paarty today, and he was very mad with the arrangements. He said they lacked entertainment, so my Beta, Ryan, asked me to go to the nearest club and bring him any performer I could find. I was meant to get one of the professional dancers, but then I saw you, and you were better than all of them. So I asked you to come along. When you refused, I swear I would've listened, but Beta Ryan called and he was very mad. So I had to do all of this."

A wave of dizziness washed over me.

Just how insensitive were these creatures?

They kidnapped a girl to make her dance at a party?

What the hell was this?

My heart dropped further.

He was taking me to an Alpha's engagement. The place would be crawling with his kind. Oh my God.

The surroundings once again started to close in on me.

"Ma'am, we're here. Please relax. I promise you shal return unharmed. Your heart is beating too fast."

Like hell it was.

I couldn't even respond. My voice had failed me.

The car stopped before two black, wrought-iron double-gates, the barred design resembling the doors of a dungeon. They slowly swung open, and reality hit me harder than it had ever before. What if I never got to leave? My mind started running now, the paralysing fear suddenly getting replaced with extreme panic. I slid to the side, frantically trying to open the door of the car, but it refused to budge.

"Help!" the first choked sob left my lips as I slammed my hands against the glass window.

"Ma'am, please don't be dramatic. Calm down. No one will help you."

"Please," I cried, "please let me go. I have done nothing wrong."

"I never said you have. Please calm down. Consider this a warning. The sooner you relax, the sooner you can perform and leave."

I leaned my back against the seat, my head spinning. How did I get myself into this? This was all Brianna's fault. If she hadn't dragged me to the club, none of this would haave happened. I wouldn't be kidnapped by a monster. I would be safe at home.

The car stopped moving, and I realised he had parked it. He got off and walked around, opening the door to my seat. I quickly shifted away from him, my eyes wide.

"Ma'am, please step out. I promise to protect you, to not let anyone harm you. Please come on. I do not want to drag you inside. Let's act civil and get this over with as quickly as we can."

Black dots started to appear before my eyes. My lids felt heavy.

"Ma'am," the man snapped now, making me flinch out of that state. "Step out of the car," he said through a clenched jaw. Chills rushed through me, and I swallowed hard, before crawling out of the car. He closed the door shut, the sound making me flinch. "Please," he gestured towards the entrance. I realised we were at the back of the house instead of the front. He probably did not want guests to see a trembling girl being forced to go inside. Although I didn't think his kind would have cared. This was probably normal for them, an everyday occurence. Humans being kidnapped, tortured, tormented, even mauled. The thought made me nauseous, but one look from him and I started walking. I had to be positive. If I gave in to the harrowing fears within me, I would faint again. And being unconscious with a werewolf was the last thing that would help me survive. Maybe he would let me go if I did as he said. Maybe I would walk out of this place alive.

The house was awfully silent for one where there was a party going on. My nerves tightened further as he led me through the multiple corridors, which were surprisingly well-lit and open. I was expecting darkness and frightening statues, but the quiet aside, this place was rather lively to be owned by bloodthirsty monsters. Alex, the werewolf, stopped before huge double doors and turned to lok at me. I swallowed, blinking at him and trying to keep my trembling still. I knew there wasn't any poin in trying to fight or outrun him. I knew all too well how that would end. My parents had already paid with blood when they tried that.

"The party is happening inside. I will first introduce you to the Beta, and then I will personally excort you to the platform which you have to ascend and then perform. Please try to act normal. Once you're done, then you can either choose to stay and help yourself with the food or I will go to drop you home myself. Which one will it be?"

"Neither," I whispered, forcing my voice out. "I'll go home myself."

Alex shrugged. "Whatever you prefer, ma'am."

He pushed open the doors, and the second he did, music poured from inside like a wave. I frowned, realising the rooms were soundproof. But why? What happened within those rooms that they had to seal all sounds inside?

I swallowed as Alex walked in, and gestured at me to follow. I blinked a couple of times before forcing my legs to move, constantly reminding myself that I couldn't run. It would definitely end me in a grave. I wasn't dealing with humans, I was dealing with animals. The best way to dodge those was to play dead.

"Ma'am?"

I flinched at his voice, quickly pulling myself out of my thoughts and stepping into the large, sparkling hall. The hall that was crawling with beasts, any one of which could tear me apart within seconds. Eyes turned towards me from all sides, and I quickly lowered my gaze, keeping it stuck to the ground as I silently went wherever Alex was going. It felt as though each one of them was staring at me like I were something to eat, or a play toy they could rip to shreds without any consequences. Even the law did not apply to them. The werewolves of Wildcrest had every single law firm, every judge and every police officer in their pockets. It was why my family never got the justice they deserved. It was why they weren't afraid of anyone or anything.

Not like human punishments could ever scare them anyway. Werewolves healed within minutes, if not seconds, and they were easily ten times stronger than the average human. They were also faster, with every sense heightened--hearing, smell, taste...

My heart beat louder than music as Alex stopped, and another tall, muscular man approached him. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to calm myself down. It didn't really help.

"Took you long enough," the man snapped, I could feel his gaze on me. "What's wrong with her? She looks like she came back from the dead."

Alex cleared his throat. "I kidnapped her, Beta Ryan."

"What?" Ryan snapped, making me flinch. "Are you crazy?" he growled.

The sound send shivers through me, and I closed my eyes tighter. You're safe. You're safe. I repeated falsely to myself, trying to fool my heart and mind. Play dead and they'll move on. Do not run. Do not fight back.

"I'm sorry, but you left me no choice," Alex whispered back. "You told me to get someone random."

"Goddess," Ryan muttered. "Xavier will hate this... but anyway, the point was to get onto his nerves. What's her name?"

A silence followed. I felt their eyes on me.

"Ma'am?"

I drew in a quick breath and glanced at Alex. "Del--Delilah."

"You're safe, Delilah," Ryan said, giving me a soft, reassuring smile. "You just have to give a quick performance and then you can leave. Please forgive the stupid acts of this i***t. Let me escort you to the stage, alright?"

I blinked, before loweringmy gaze again. Ryan gestured towards the raised platform and started walking, so I followed, mustering up every bit of courage I had left within my body. More heads turned towards me as we ascended that thing, and when Ryan spoke, I knew all wolf eyes were on me. Chills crept through me, and I curled my toes, closing my eyes to push away the dizziness that was trying to take over. I had to be strong until I was out of here. I clenched my toes and my fists to keep still.

"I present you all, and my beloved Alpha and sister, the groom and the bride, Ms. Delilah, an incredible dancer who will steal our hearts with her moves. Let's welcome her with a round of applause!"

The hall broke out into cheers and claps, after which I felt Ryan step in front of me. I opened my teary eyes to glance at him.

"You're okay," he whispered. "What song will you dance on?"

I thought for a second. "Any--anything."

He gave me a nod, then glanced towards the corner, probably at whoever was in charge of the music. He gave them a nod as well, before jumping off the platform, making me flinch. Soft music started playing, and I closed my eyes, letting it take over my body and my mind, letting it flow through me like blood. My hands and feet soon started responding, calming the shivers and relieving my skin of the goosebumps that covered it. The crowd erupted into soft gasps and sounds of admiration, and finally, I found the guts to open my eyes and look up. I held my head high, moving to the beat, my hair swaying with the steps, as much a part of the show as the rest of my body.

I twirled and ended it with a body wave, after which my gaze fell upon the crowd, and everything around me froze.

My gaze locked with a man's--no, a werewolf's, and my heart pounded so hard it made me pause and suck in a breath.

He was beautiful. Extraordinarily so, his eyes a deep blue, hair dark and tousled, chest broad. He was easily the tallest man in the room, but his appearance wasn't what caught me.

It was the way he stared at me, his gaze so intense it locked mine in place.

And then he opened his mouth, and his eyes changed colour, changing from the blue to a purple, and then a deep, glowing crimson.

"Mine," he growled, and my knees gave away.

- - - - - -

So... finally they meet. What do you think will happen next? How do you think Xavier is going to react, and what do you think Delilah will do now? Is she going to be stuck here for the rest of her life, or will she find a way to leave this behind?

Stay tuned to find out!

Let me know if you're enjoying the story! And do recommend it to others. Don't forget to follow me on i*stagr*m - jamersy.dreame, and on f*ceb*ok - JAmersy Writes.