Alpha's Little Vampire Mate

Chloe's

POV

I sat in the dimly lit room, staring at the freshly delivered tray of food.

The scent of freshly cooked meat and the sight of a pristine blood bag taunted me. I felt like a prisoner in this lavish house, a guest who was not welcome to leave. Angelo had made it clear-Adympia was not a place where I could simply roam free.

I ran my fingers through my hair, longing for the warmth of my mate and the familiarity of home. This place was different, so cold and calculated.

I just got discharged from the hospital, my mate had betrayed me and my mom was nowhere to be found, and yet, I was the one trapped.

But in spite of all the madness around my union with Marcus, all I wanted was to return to him, to see his face and feel his arms around me.

My wolf had been so distant. It was almost as if she was not part of me anymore if not for her occasional groaning for her mate, my demon had totally taken over, possessing me entirely. I closed my eyes, fighting the tears that threatened to spill over.

The sound of footsteps outside my door startled me from my thoughts, and I turned just as Angelo stepped into the room. His face was inscrutable, his expression giving nothing away.

"I see you haven't touched your food," he remarked, eyeing the untouched tray with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not hungry," I replied, my voice weary and resigned.

"Angelo, I need to know when I'll be free to leave."

A ghost of a smile flitted across his face, quickly gone.

"Unfortunately, my dear Chloe, that is not possible."

My frustration finally boiled over, my patience shattered by Angelo's cold indifference.

"I need to go back to my mate!" I snapped, my eyes blazing.

"Your mate?" He answered, chuckling as he buttoned his sleeves. "The same one who has cheated on you repeatedly and has a child with your brother's mate? Or are we talking about anyone here? As far as I'm concerned, you do not have a mate."

"My personal issues with Marcus are none of your business, and for the record he didn't cheat on me per say, all these incidents happened long before I was born, so you cannot exactly call him a cheat. Haven't you had your own fair share of women in the past?" I asked with arms crossed against my chest as he walked past me and sucked his teeth.

"Are you seriously comparing me to that husband of yours? Of course, I've had my fair share with women in the past and if you must know we all have good relationships till this day, but your husband makes an enemy of every woman he has been with because he treats them like thrash. That there is a big difference between your husband and I, don't ever compare him to me ever again, am I understood?"

"How can you possibly understand what it means to love someone when you've never experienced it yourself? You talk about danger and balance, but what about my life, my happiness?"

Angelo's expression remained unchanged, his icy eyes fixed on me.

"Love is a luxury that you cannot afford at this time, it is a vulnerability that will be exploited. The safety of the many outweighs the happiness of the few."

"Stop speaking in parables Angelo, what has come over you. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought you swapped places with Jason, you used to be less rigid, you understood me better, why are you making life difficult for me all of a sudden?" "Parables? I am speaking of the reality, you just happen to have a low intelligence quotient sometimes. I am just protecting you from the dangers outside and I understand that you have enough powers to sustain you all your life, but trust me powers become useless without wisdom."

"So what are you saying in essence Angelo? You can't keep me here forever. I don't know this place, you're not answering my questions. I need to go back to my pack because of my child, don't you understand?" I said, losing my patience as my fist clenched by my side.

"Stop using your child as an excuse Chloe, you can have your child here. Just so you know, you're not returning to your pack until the child is born, for reasons best known to me, don't ask why." he said and turned his back to me and made for the door.

My fists clenched, my temper flaring like a bonfire in the night. "You can't keep me here forever! I will have my child among my own kind, in the safety of my pack."

Angelo leaned in, his expression hardening like steel.

"Chloe," Angelo began, his voice low and even, "You are a pawn in a game you do not yet understand. Your child, your mate-they are all part of a larger plan. You will remain here until your child is born, and only then will we consider your fate."

I just stared at him in disbelief, my heart hammering in my chest. "A game? What game? You're talking in circles, Angelo. You have to let me go, or I swear..."

Angelo cut me off, his tone a dagger of ice. "Or you swear what, Chloe?"

The air between us turned frigid, a frozen wasteland of unspoken threats and unyielding stubbornness.

My wolf raged inside of me desperate to rip into Angelo and escape this prison, but I knew it would be a futile battle.

"I swear, I will find a way out of here. One way or another, I will return to my mate."

Angelo stepped back, a smirk curling the corners of his mouth.

"You are free to try, my dear Chloe," he purred, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "But do remember-the walls of Adympia are thick, the guards are loyal, and your pack is not within your reach. What makes you think you have a chance against me?"

I bristled, my fingers twitching as I resisted the urge to sink my claws into Angelo's throat.

As Angelo turned to leave, his steps heavy with barely suppressed rage, my wolf strained against its restraints, desperate to unleash its fury.

But as he reached the door, a voice echoed in my mind, as faint as a dying ember.

"Chloe... his wolf has taken over... Marcus... Please.. come home..."

I froze.

My blood turned to ice in my veins as my heart twisted at the sound of my friend's weak pleas.

"Lily?" I whispered, hope and fear mingling in my voice.