Chapter 7: Sena - Fated to the Night King

Hugh laughed and fear crept over my skin.

"It's been a long time since you've been available for a Calling." He circled, examining me like he was trying to decide the first spot he'd sink his teeth in. "I was starting to think you were avoiding me."

Keeping my voice devoid of emotion, I shrugged. "Blame your father, if you want. He's the one who has the ultimate say on where and when I go. If I'm not here or am otherwise assigned, it's at the Alpha's order. Not my own." That truth stung my tongue, even if it was the only one that might save me from some of his retribution.

"I've missed the games we play, Sena." I held myself still even as he moved, using the reduced senses I had as much as I could. My skin itched and with each pass, he drifted closer and closer, narrowing the distance between us. His hand reached out, hovering in the space between us, then he lunged, teeth wide in a snarl, and that's when I spun. Instead of retreating from him, I moved inside his guard, the small knife Glory had gifted me slipping easily into my hand.

I pushed it in tight, the tip breaking the skin of his stomach. It wasn't much, but I'd scored first blood, and that gave me a limited reprieve. I also knew I'd pay for it in the hours to come, but I never could make myself go quietly. These games, as he referred to them, always ended with me on the losing end. But I never gave up without a fight. And I drew every ounce of satisfaction I could when I scored even a hint of his blood.

Hugh sucked in a breath that transformed into a low, dangerous laugh. "You've been planning ahead, sweetling. Came prepared tonight, didn't you?"

"I trained with you and Cassian. Alpha's orders, remember?" Hugh and his brother were my companions when we were children, but as the pack grew and more Stricken were found, beholden to the Alpha and his required worship, it was ordered that I would be his representative among the damaged ones. No matter what he said then, I still believed that Hugh's growing fascination with me was at the heart of the ordered separation. It was also one of the reasons I suspected the Alpha limited my availability even now. He didn't want his son and likely heir getting attached. The problem was that Hugh loved testing the bonds of his compulsion to follow Alpha orders. And his resistance was getting stronger.

Further cementing his belief that he would be the one to take over his father's position.

I was dancing along a blade's edge, and I knew it.

Hugh pushed himself forward, tempting me to drive the blade in. I held my ground and felt when his skin gave, saw the way lust filled his eyes, and cursed my lack of forethought. Pain only ramped up Hugh's desires. Receiving pain.

And causing it.

His fingers wrapped around my wrist, squeezing tight and twisting.

"Your foreplay needs a little work." He leaned in, dropping his nose to the notch of my neck and dragging in a deep breath. "You know I love your scent when we're like this."

A shiver slid over me, knowing what would come next. Hugh licked the column of my throat, following the vulnerable line of the tendon up to the spot behind my ear. He whispered, his voice slithering into that ear. "Fight me, Sena. It'll only make it that much better when I pin you to the bed again."

I stomped down, digging my heel into the top of his foot, ripping my hand from his grip when he pulled back. It didn't matter to me that he was right about the outcome. I was outmatched. That didn't mean I wasn't going to inflict as much damage as possible before he won.

He stared me down, his eyes narrowed as he watched me slide away, my steps carrying me toward the door.

"You know you'll never make it out of here." He lifted the hem of his undershirt, exposing the plane of his muscled abdomen. The fabric was stained with the deep red of his blood, but as he peeled it up, I could see the wound I'd inflicted was already healing. He had every advantage here. Strength. Speed. Healing.

All things I'd lost to the Silver Sickness.

The smell of his blood in the air was unmistakable. It didn't excite me, not in the way it did him.

I feinted to the left first, but he didn't follow me that way. His smile just spread wider, his teeth clicking as he snapped his jaws in my direction. He wasn't going to shift, that much I knew. But I also knew he didn't need to. Not to catch me.

"Go ahead and run. You know how much I love a good chase."

"It's not much of a chase, Hugh, if you've got me locked in this room."

His smile went feral, a gleam I'd seen too often entering his eyes. "If it wasn't against the rules, I'd chase you through the woods the way the Goddess intended."

"And you've always been such a rule follower." I was baiting him, testing for the line he might eventually cross. He side-stepped as I took a chance at slipping toward his desk. His dagger lay on top, the blade sharper and longer than my sad little knife. He cut off the angle and paced toward me. I ducked as his hand flew out, sliding under his arm and lunging toward the weapon.

"Uh uh, sweetling." His wheedling voice made my throat go tight and I stretched my fingers out. They brushed over the cold metal of the hilt, victory shooting through me.

Hugh's hand snagged in the back of my tunic, yanking me back until I crashed against his chest. "I don't think so. Knew you'd go for it, though. I think you like the blood play almost as much as I do."

Revulsion washed cold over my skin. In some way, he believed what he was saying. That everything that had gone on between us was something I enjoyed. I kicked, even throwing my head back, but his arms were a band of iron around me, limiting my movement as he carried me to his bed.

I snarled, letting loose an angry scream, and he just laughed.

A knock at his door made him stop. "Go away. I've business to attend to."

There was silence and my hope for a reprieve faded. Crying out for help wouldn't do any good. According to the doctrine, I'd been Called for, as was Hugh's right. There was nothing anyone could do.

But then the sound of knuckles rapping against the wood came again. Louder.

Hugh strode toward the door, still holding me tight. I didn't waste energy on struggling in his grip. Better to save it for when I could do some damage. He spun me as he slammed my back against the stone wall, his meaty hand encircling my neck as he held me in place.

"Go away!" He was seething now, an angry flush creeping over his face as he jerked the door open.

"Hugh," said a voice we both knew well. Cassian, youngest son of the Alpha, stepped into the gap. "You have to stop."

His eyes darted to mine, emotion flaring in them as he saw his brother's hand clamped tight around my neck. I sipped at the limited air, my lungs straining already. Hugh wouldn't kill me.

At least, I didn't think he would.

"You have no standing, Cass. She's mine." The words vibrated out of Hugh, his control slipping enough that his fangs were dropping into the shift, the rolling growl akin to a wolf scenting a competitor encroaching on his territory.

"It's not me, brother." He bravely laid his hand on Hugh's forearm, even as it held me in place. "It's father."

Hugh's growl only increased and black spots began to swim across my eyes, glittering at the edges as my vision began to tunnel. My throat ached under the pressure of his fingers, and I clawed at them on instinct.

"Hugh, your Alpha has Called for her. You must let her go."

Maybe it was the lack of oxygen, maybe it was simply shock, but I couldn't believe what Cassian said. Hugh's grip on my throat tightened a fraction and then released. I sagged, drawing in a pained breath as he released me, and it was Cass who caught me as my legs gave out.

"Deep breaths, Sena. I know it hurts, but you need to breathe." He whispered the instructions, keeping his body angled between me and his brother as Hugh prowled away. "Hugh, you've only got a few minutes. When your Alpha requires your presence, you'll need to answer. He won't wait for you."

A garbled snarl is all I heard and I flinched as he stalked back toward me.  Fear for Cass sent chills shooting through me. His back was turned. Hugh could shift to his claws in a flash, rip out his brother's spine as he stood protecting me. "She's mine. He promised."

"He is Alpha. He gives. He takes. As the Goddess commands." Cass recited the words we all knew by heart with a casual shrug. His voice was devoid of feeling, the phrases coming by rote. "You know the punishment of questioning his rule."

For a moment, the only sound was Hugh's furious breathing as he fought to regain control. When he finally spoke, it was with a warning.

"For now. But the day will come, Cassian. Trust in that."

"I know, brother." He stepped back, giving me a little distance and an assessing glance, as I tested my ability to stand. When I didn't need his support, he gave Hugh a final look. "Prepare yourself for He will require your presence."

Then Cassian walked out the door, his hand firmly around my upper arm, leading me away from one danger and straight to another.