Surprise Mate Of The Cruel Alpha

Chapter 6

VERA'S POV.

The chill of the cold dungeon seeped through my skin, biting deeper than before as my eyes fluttered open. I glanced around just to confirm that I was still here. And I was. It wasn’t a nightmare after all, not the kind I was hoping it was.

I was disoriented and aching all over. My head throbbed as fragments of my last confrontation with Alpha Draven floated through my mind—his furious expression, his voice dripping with venom as he demanded answers about the poison I’d used. It was laughable, really. If I could muster the strength to laugh, I would have. I’d come here to kill him, to finally end the life of the monster who was his father’s son through and through. Yet now, I was the one held captive, poisoned and bound to him in a way I didn’t understand, and, even worse, I needed him to survive. Or he needed me to survive, whichever it was.

Kora’s words echoed painfully in my mind yet again, and I just wanted to block them out. At this point, I didn’t even know whom I wanted to kill more—alpha Draven, Kora, or even myself. I couldn’t believe I had fought so hard to survive, only to end up here. I probably should have let them finish me.

My fated mate? Alpha Draven? The mere thought made my stomach twist in revulsion. I couldn’t accept it, wouldn’t accept it. But every time I tried to push the idea away, it clung to me like a shadow, reminding me of everything that had happened leading up to this point. How could I be bound to the man who’d taken everything from me? It wasn’t exactly him, but he’d inherited it all from his late father, and he didn’t seem any better to me. In fact, he struck me as a different shade of monster. For all I know he could be worse than his father. I hated him.

“Why me?” I whispered to the empty cell, my voice cracking in the silence. “Why him?”

I didn’t expect an answer; I was met with only the quiet stillness of the dungeon walls, their indifference almost mocking me. My breath hitched as I shifted my clothes slightly to look at my chest. The dark, twisted veins around the wound had grown, looking worse than they had earlier and feeling even more painful. I could feel the poison eating away at me from the inside, sapping my strength and making every heartbeat an agony. My vision blurred for a moment, and I leaned against the wall, gritting my teeth to hold back a wave of nausea. I needed to think, needed to decide what to do before it was too late. As much as I hated the man and wanted him dead, I refused to let him be the death of me. I refused to die because of Alpha Draven and his father.

Kora had warned me, but it was already too late. The deed was already done. As if the bond weren’t enough of a curse on its own, now I had to deal with this too. I didn’t know how to save him, didn’t even know if I wanted to. The idea of him surviving, of us being tied together, repulsed me as much as the thought of my own death. Was there even a choice here? The situation was a cruel, twisted trap, and every option felt like walking into fire.

Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway, pushing through my thoughts. My pulse quickened as my eyes shifted back to the door. He’s coming again. He’s back. What does he want from me? I’d already told him I didn’t have the cure; why wouldn’t he leave me alone?

The cell door creaked open, and Alpha Draven stepped inside, his gaze hard and assessing. His lips curled into a sneer, the anger in his eyes unmistakable. “So,” he said, his voice low and dangerous, “enjoying your stay yet? Is the room comfortable enough for you, my little witch?”

I glared at him, my throat too dry and my breath too unstable to speak.

“Are you ready to talk yet, Vera? Or shall we go ahead and do this the hard way?”

He asked with a tilt of his head.

Still, I remained silent.

He took a step closer, the space between us feeling even smaller than it was. “You’re awfully quiet now. I wonder why? You weren't this quiet a moment ago. In fact if I remember correctly, your tongue was going off like a damn firecracker. I would’ve thought you’d have more to say for yourself after that little stunt you pulled. Not to mention I thought I’d already given you enough time to do all the thinking you need to.” His gaze flickered to the dark veins on my chest. “Oh damn... that doesn’t look so good, my dear Vera. In fact, it looks like you’re dying.”

I remained quiet, too tired and weak to bother replying to his questions.

“You know,” he continued, slowly pacing in front of me, “what I still can’t figure out is how you’re suffering from the exact same poison you used on me, Vera. How is it possible that we’re both dying from a stab wound that only I got? You’re the witch, aren’t you? I would think you would be more careful and cautious when messing around with such powerful dark magic. Which is how I know you really have no control over whatever it is that’s happening. It seems it’s beyond you as well. Something has to be wrong somewhere if we’re both being affected by poison that was supposed to be in my veins only. Whatever it is, I have a feeling you know, and you’re going to tell me. Right now. I wasn't kidding earlier when I told you I'd make you suffer, Vera. You don't want to be testing my pacience."

A faint, involuntary shudder went through me, and I gulped heavily. “I don’t owe you any explanations,” I managed in a rough voice.

Alpha Draven’s expression darkened. “On the contrary, I think you do, Vera,” he snapped. “Unless you’ve forgotten, you tried to kill me right inside my bedroom. And now we’re both... poisoned.” He spat the word like it tasted bitter. “I want to know what you did. How did you get this poison to affect us both?”

I scoffed weakly. “Do you seriously think I’d willingly bound myself to you, Alpha Draven? Why would I do something like that? Of what use is my revenge if I end up dying with you?”

He narrowed his eyes. “I think you’re hiding something, Vera.” He stopped, squatting in front of me and bringing his face level with mine. “Tell me the truth. Now.”

There was something fierce, almost desperate, in his eyes, but I refused to flinch this time. “The truth?” I echoed, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. “Why would I tell you anything? Your father was the one who destroyed my family. You’re the last person I’d help. I would rather die, Alpha Draven.”

His jaw clenched, and he reached out, gripping my chin tightly. His touch was rough but not enough to hide the tremor in his hand. The poison was affecting him just as much as it was me. He just knew how to hide it better.

“And you think you’re in any position to bargain?” he hissed. “You’re the one rotting in my dungeon, Vera, need I remind you. You are at my mercy. I could do whatever I want with you, and there would be no one to question me. I could kill you right this second, and no one would know or even care.”

My heart pounded at the truth behind his words, but I forced myself to keep my gaze steady. “If you were going to kill me, you would’ve done it already.”

The silence stretched between us, thick and heavy with tension as he roughly let go of my chin, though his gaze stayed locked on mine. “Fine,” he said, his voice softer but no less menacing. “Then let’s try another question: why are you suffering from the same poison you used on me, Vera?”

I didn’t answer, my heart already pounding with the weight of the truth I refused to acknowledge.

He let out a harsh laugh, frustration clear in his eyes. “I know a witch’s spell when I see one. So tell me—how did you curse us?”

“Curse you?” I scoffed. “Is that what you really think this is?” I shook my head. “I’m not a witch, Alpha Draven, for the hundredth time. And even if I were, I’d never waste a single spell on you.”

His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched at my words. “Then explain it.”

I bit my lip, feeling the poison twist inside me as if in response to his command. The truth was right there, lodged in my throat like a stone, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. How could I admit that the man I loathed, the offspring of the monster responsible for my pain, was my fated mate? Never.

“I have nothing to say to you,” I replied, my voice barely a whisper. “If you want answers, find them yourself, Alpha Draven. You won’t be getting anything from me.”

His frustration surged, and he slammed his fist into the wall beside my head, the sound reverberating through the cell. I let out a sharp scream in panic, squeezing my eyes shut.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Vera,” he growled as I slowly opened my eyes.

I met his gaze, mustering every bit of strength I had left. “And I have nothing left to lose. Go to hell, Alpha Draven. I hope you suffer.”

He stared at me, his eyes searching mine as if he could see right through my anger and false bravery, as if he could pull the truth out of me with just his gaze. Finally, he drew back, his expression cold and unreadable as he spoke. “Fine then, have it your way, Vera. Keep your secrets. But know this—if you don’t tell me what I need to know, you’ll die here, slowly and painfully. Is that what you want?”

I swallowed hard, the venom in my veins pulsing in time with his words, almost as if in response. He was right. If I didn’t find a way to stop this poison, it would consume us both. But the thought of saving him was almost unbearable.

And yet, survival was a powerful instinct.

“Alpha Draven,” I said slowly, choosing my words carefully, “if you want to live, you’ll need to find some other way to achieve that. Because even if, by some miracle, I happen to find the cure, I wouldn’t give it to you. So, you see? If I'm your only hope at surviving this, then it simply means you have none.”

He raised an eyebrow at my words, but it was the amusement in his eyes that both shocked and confused me.

What’s wrong with him? Does he really think this is funny?

Alpha Draven chuckled softly as he nodded. "Very well then. Have it your way. I have plans for you, Vera. Big plans. By the time I’m done with you, you’re going to wish you had died with your wretched pack. If I were you, Vera, I’d pray that the poison gets to you first, because death is the only thing that can save you from me. Have fun in your new room; I hope the arrangement is to your liking."

Then he got up and walked out of the cell, leaving me alone once more.

"Maybe we should tell him, Vera," Ira's voice sounded in my head, but I shook my head.

"No, Ira. We can’t."

"But..." She started to speak again, only to trail off, as if deciding against whatever it was she was about to say.

Thank goodness for that. I barely had enough strength to keep breathing as it was; I didn’t have any left for more arguments.

As I lay back down on the cold cement ground, only one thought stayed on my mind:

How do I cure myself of this poison? I can’t afford to die with him. I’m scared...