chapter 4

Roxanne's POV:

"I told you to be gentle with her, didn't I?" I heard a deep voice with an accent say, followed by an intimidating hiss.

"I'm sorry, master. Next time, I'll be careful," a lighter male voice responded.

"There won't be a next time, you..." The words were cut short when I opened my eyes and slowly sat upright, touching my head.

I still felt somehow dizzy, and my headache was killing me.

"Leave," came a dominant command that made me feel uncomfortable. I found myself trying to stand up before I lost my balance.

I was about to hit the ground when a large arm went around my waist and held me.

The headache instantly subsided, replaced by beautiful tingles that spread throughout my entire body.

My wolf was as shocked as she was concerned for us. I, too, was stunned.

I carefully turned with widened eyes to look at the man who was holding me.

No matter what, he was my mate! I could feel it, and so could my wolf.

The room was somehow dark, so I couldn't make out his face, but I could make out his build and his eyes, which were glowing bright red.

"Easy," he whispered, then helped me stand upright.

He was tall, taller than me, and he was hugely built in a good way. His hair was long and tied into a ponytail.

He had an intimidating aura around him that made me feel uneasy.

"Oh, pardon me," he whispered, then dropped his hand and walked to where the door was, turning on the light switch.

"Is this better?" he asked when he turned to face me.

I instantly held my breath.

He was gorgeous. No, he was the most attractive, handsome man I had ever set my eyes on. His dark skin looked very much like my mother's, and his strong jawline complemented his eyes, which were a dark shade of red, not bright red like I had seen in the dark.

His hair was black but looked silky wet, and it reached around his broad shoulders. He was in light grey trousers, a waistcoat, and a white shirt.

"Take a picture, it will last longer," he said.

"Thank you," I nervously responded as I quickly touched my pocket and pulled out my cell phone, raising it and going to the camera to take a picture.

Once I had captured him, I slowly lowered my phone only to find him looking at me with a shocked expression on his face.

I swallowed hard and then cleared my throat.

"You told me to do it," I whispered softly, then quickly shoved my cell phone back into my pocket.

I was startled when he burst out into laughter.

Why was he laughing? Was my act a joke to him? I asked myself silently while I stood there admiring his amazing laugh, at the same time thinking of a way to tell him that he was my mate.

"You are such a funny lady, Roxanne," he whispered as a shiver went throughout my entire body.

His damn accent made it sound so sexy and caused my mouth to water.

"Wait, how do you know my name?" I asked in a husky voice that sounded unlike my own.

"Oh, I know a lot more than your name, dear," he answered, then walked to his desk and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, which was next to the whiskey glass cup.

"Well, I don't know who you are, and I would love to go back home," I said confidently.

He poured whiskey into his glass, then carefully put the bottle down, grabbing the whiskey glass.

"I don't know if you are intelligent and courageous or just stupid and naive to not understand the situation you are in," he said, then turned and faced me as I glared at him.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, asking him to repeat his insults.

"Better. Your apology is accepted," he whispered back as I chuckled in disbelief.

"Oh no, you must be mistaken. I wasn't apologizing. I wanted you to repeat your fucking words!" I spat loudly.

"Ah, manners, Roxanne. Manners," he said in a low, calm tone, then took a sip from his cup.

What the hell was wrong with this bastard? His face was a total worst because his behavior was shitty!

"You lack a sense of fear, dear, and that is kind of stupid, but at the same time, admirable," he said, then put his glass down on the table.

What did he expect me to do? Cower in fear while crying for my mother and father? I was an Alpha queen trained for such situations. Moreover, I wasn't the damsel in distress type of girl.

Just that thought made me uncomfortable as my mind wandered back to Larson and what had happened at Aunt Samantha's place.

I bit my lower lip to stop my tears from forming, then cleared my throat.

"I believe you have something to say to me. That's why you drugged me and brought me here. If you wanted me dead, you would have killed me while I was unconscious. So what exactly do you want from me, mate?" I asked strongly, making sure my wolf had partial control.

I wanted him to see how serious I was, now that I was setting aside our little fun chat.

"I really love that you are intelligent," he answered, surprising me that he wasn't fazed by being called my mate.

"I also think you know what I am," he said, then smiled widely, showing off his two pointy teeth.

"You are a vampire, so what? We have two of your kind in my family as well, so don't expect a grand applause," I spat as his expression turned serious.

"I want nothing from you, Roxanne," he answered as I felt my chest tighten.

My wolf whimpered silently at the harsh tone and words of our mate, while I stood there feeling confused.

A second ago, I was crying because of Larson, but now I was feeling hurt over a stranger's words whom I knew nothing about.

"I have business with Ian, and to get him here, I had to kidnap you," he said as I clenched my fists in anger.

So that was all he needed! To make me put my father's life in danger!

To think I had thought of such a disgusting man as sexy.

"Do you want him to come over and play poker with you?" I asked sarcastically.

"Oh no. I want him to die in front of the council because he owes his life to us," he said as I sighed loudly and went to the door, opening it and going out.

As I walked in the passage, I was expecting him to follow me, but weirdly he didn't.

I sadly blamed myself for always feeling attracted to assholes. He was my mate, yet he was still capable of hurting my feelings.

When I came out, I was greeted with a lot of red pairs of eyes.

A group of vampires were in front of me, all in a fighting stance.

I chuckled softly and pulled back, letting my wolf take over, knowing very well what she was capable of.