Rebecca’s POV
My eyes snapped open to the dark cave, and my heart dropped into my stomach.
Standing over me in the dim light of the dying fire was one of the tiger warriors. His breath reeked of strong alcohol, and his eyes were dark, greedy, and heavy with lust.
"Shut up," he rasped, leaning down so close his dirty face was inches from mine. "Open up and I’ll do this quickly and leave. Or I’ll hit you until you pass out, and I’ll still have my way."
"No!" I gasped, my whole body trembling as panic flooded my veins. I shook my head frantically, pulling back. "No! Get away from me! Get away!"
My mind raced desperately. No, no, no... I couldn’t survive this. If he touched me—if he did this to me and hurt my baby—I would break completely.
I tried to push him away with my bound hands, shoving against his broad chest with everything I had. But he was too strong. With a cruel sneer, he raised his heavy hand and slapped me hard across the face.
SLAP!
The force of the blow slammed my head against the cold stone, making my vision spin with bright stars. Before I could catch my breath, he shoved me flat onto the floor, his heavy body climbing over mine to pin me down.
"Stop! Please!" I sobbed, kicking my tied legs helplessly beneath him.
He ignored my cries, slapping me again to keep me down. The sharp pain echoed through my skull, but I kept fighting, twisting my body from side to side. Tears blurred my eyes as I heard the harsh sound of his pants unzipping.
Goddess, please! Help me!
Just as his hand reached for the hem of my skirt, another hand shot down from above, seized him by the back of his shirt, and ripped him off me with terrifying force.
The warrior was thrown through the air, crashing hard against the stone wall of the cave. The loud, heavy thud echoed through the silent cavern, instantly waking up the rest of the shifters who had been sleeping around the dying fire.
Gasping for air, I scrambled backward on my hands and knees, pulling my knees tight against my chest as I looked up.
It was the leader—the shirtless, tattooed man who had spoken to me earlier.
His face was twisted in pure, terrifying rage. He stepped over to the warrior, grabbed the back of the man’s hair, and slammed his face straight into the rock wall.
CRACK!
The warrior groaned, but the leader didn’t stop. He dragged him back and smashed his head against the stone again. And again.
The entire cave went dead silent. No one moved. No one dared to speak a word as they watched the leader beat the warrior until the man’s face was covered in thick, dark blood, his body going completely limp in the leader’s grip.
Finally, the leader let go. The half-dead warrior crumpled onto the stone floor like a ragdoll.
The leader turned around, breathing heavily as his sharp eyes moved over me. He looked at my torn skirt, my tied hands, and my terrified face, checking to see if the man had managed to touch me.
The moment he realized I was completely untouched, a huge wave of relief washed over his face.
He turned around to face his people, his voice booming through the cave like thunder.
"No one... absolutely no one touches her!" he roared, pointing a furious finger at me. "Are you people completely insane?!"
He gestured wildly toward the ceiling. "She belongs to Alpha Kaden! The fucking Alpha King! Yes, he might not be able to track us right now through our spell, but that doesn’t mean we should provoke him! If he pays us the ransom, we get the money we want and release her to him. But if he finds out she was touched... he will tear down this entire world to hunt us! He will hunt every single one of us down and rip us to pieces! Are you all fucking mad?!"
Every single tiger shifter stood frozen. Not a single person dared to speak or look him in the eye. The leader made Kaden sound like a monster, a terrifying force of nature—and his voice shook with real, undeniable fear at the very thought of the Alpha King’s wrath.
The leader took a deep breath, trying to calm his raging pulse. "No one touches her," he repeated, his tone cold and commanding. "All she is here for is a payout. We get our money from the Alpha King, and we give her back. She is his goddamn woman, for God’s sake!"
He turned and walked away toward the center of the cave, tossing one last command over his shoulder. "If you are horny, go pleasure yourself or find ladies from our own pack! All the slaves are untouchable—especially the Alpha King’s woman! Do I make myself clear?!"
"Clear!" the shifters shouted back in unison.
I leaned my back against the cold stone wall, letting out a long, trembling breath. Two strong warriors stepped forward, grabbing the half-dead man by his boots and dragging his limp, bloody body away across the cave floor.
For the first time in my life, I felt truly grateful for my place beside Kaden. It felt completely surreal—even ridiculous—to think about it. But being known as the Alpha King’s woman had just saved me from a nightmare.
A pale servant girl from Kane’s pack, who was sitting a few feet away with an iron collar around her neck, looked over at me with wide, worried eyes.
"Are you okay?" she whispered softly.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced a small nod. "I’m okay."
Suddenly, a wave of deep, violent nausea hit my throat. My stomach turned upside down, the cold stew I had eaten earlier threatening to come right back up.
I clamped my jaw shut, pressing my bound hands tightly against my lips, holding it back with everything inside me.
I couldn’t throw up. I couldn’t let them notice.
If these rogues realized I was pregnant, they would use my baby against Kaden. They would demand double the money, or worse, put my pup in even greater danger. I had to swallow the sickness, swallow the fear, and keep my secret safe no matter what.
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