Under different circumstances, Corey’s house would have impressed me. But as we pulled into the driveway and his gate automatically opened and closed behind us, I felt as though I’d just been delivered to an expensive prison instead of a new home.

It was a very modern house, but something about it was cold. It felt like a place to show off to your single friends rather than a place to start a family. But that wasn’t what Corey had in mind for me. I was just here to be his plaything, his toy, his slave.

And out there somewhere, was Juan.

Was he looking for me? Was he thinking about me?

He had to at least be thinking about me. I hadn’t been able to get him out of my mind since we left Blue Hole. His face, his abs, his shoulders. His scent…

It was like smelling the world’s most powerful drug. I tried to act as normal as possible on the drive home, but Corey wasn’t fooled. He knew what was going through my head, and he wasn’t happy about it. So when we arrived at the house and parked, I got an earful.

“Now, let’s get a few things straight,” he told me as we sat in the driveway. I felt like a mouse caught in a trap. “You belong to me now. Understand?”

I waited for him to go on, but he was staring at me like he actually wanted a response. I nodded.

“Yeah, I bet you do,” he grumbled. “You need to get that alpha out of your mind. He ain’t coming for you, and if he even thinks about doing something as stupid as that, I’ll fucking kill him. You got me?”

I nodded again.

“What? I can’t hear you!”

“I—I got you,” I replied sheepishly.

“Second thing,” he continued. “You call me sir. When I ask you something, you respond with, ‘yes, sir.’ Is that clear?”

“Yes,” I replied. Quickly, Corey slapped me again.

“Yes, what?” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” I muttered. He smiled and opened his door. “That’s right. Much better.”

I watched him get out and stretch. Without waiting for me, he headed towards the front door of the house. For a minute, I thought about getting out and running. But where would I go? This was his neighborhood, I was on foot, and he was an alpha—he’d be able to catch me anyway.

No, you’re stuck here…

When he reached the door, Corey turned back to face me. The look on his face wasn’t pretty, and I knew what he wanted. He was beckoning me, getting me used to obeying him without him having to waste time explicitly telling me what to do. I felt my heart drop as I opened the car door and stepped out.

Come save me, Juan, I thought as I walked slowly over to my new owner. It was an unrealistic thing to expect of an alpha I’d just met, but if what my mind and body were telling me was correct, he was my fated-mate, and that had to count for something. Right?

Corey waved something in front of a small black sensor beside the door and I heard the lock click. He pulled it open and stepped inside. I hesitated, but when he looked back over his shoulder all I could think about were the slaps I’d already endured. With a deep breath, I took my first step over the threshold.

It was cold inside the house. Central air, but that wasn’t just it. The furniture was minimal and the walls were mostly bare. The few paintings that hung were abstract modern, simple paint splatters with no meaning or purpose. Soulless. Things rich people bought to show off how hip and in tune with the art scene they were.

The floor was white marble or some sort of tile. The walls were white, the ceilings were white and most of the furniture was white or off-white. It felt like stepping into an enormous walk-in refrigerator.

“Upstairs,” Corey said, waving a hand at a stairwell to my left. “I’m gonna grab a drink while you get yourself ready.”

Get myself ready?

I stood there motionless while he made his way down the hall towards what must have been the kitchen. He turned and looked back at me.

“You deaf?”

“No! I just—get ready?” I asked nervously. My hands were shaking, so I quickly crossed my arms to hide it from him.

“We’ve got to consummate this relationship, don’t we?” He grinned. “Show our love for one another?”

His words sent a chill down my spine and I felt myself shiver. I wasn’t sure if he was expecting an answer or not, but either way, I couldn’t find the words. His smile slowly faded.

“Sir,” he told me.

“Y—yes, sir,” I blurted out as he turned away.

“Now, go get ready,” he said firmly.

As he vanished into the kitchen, I looked behind me at the two tall wooden doors that lead outside. No doubt they were locked by now, and I couldn’t see any other way out. Where would I go anyway?

I had no other choice. I took the stairs slowly to the second floor and looked around. A light was shining from a room at the end of the hall to my left. Everything else was dark. I heard Corey downstairs making his way towards the stairs and quickly made my way down the hall and opened the door to what turned out to be a bedroom.

It was as simple and bare as the rest of the house, with a simple bed at the center flanked by identical white oak dressers with identical lamps.

“Now what?” I whispered to myself. “Get ready?”

What did he mean by that? I’d half expected there to be some sort of “sexy outfit” laid out for me on the bed, but I wasn’t some hot chick supermodel and this wasn’t a romance novel. What did he want me to do?

Corey’s footsteps in the hallway echoed behind me like the hammer of death, steadily approaching with an intent that made me want to crawl into a corner and die. There was a set of glass doors that opened onto a balcony that overlooked the back yard and the pool, and as I stood there waiting for him, the man who had ordered me to call him “sir,” I felt something inside me snap.

I raced forward and pushed the doors, but they didn’t open. Something was stopping them. Corey’s footsteps were getting closer as I tried to figure out how to open them. Finally, I found a simple set of latches on the floor. I pulled one up and freed the right door. I heard the bedroom door open behind me as I threw myself onto the balcony.

“Hey!” Corey shouted, racing up behind me. I only had a moment. Gripping the railing, I pulled myself forward and leapt. But before I could make it over the edge, Corey’s strong hand grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me back.

I slammed down hard on the balcony, knocking the wind out of me. My body twisted as pain shot through my back and I looked up at Corey, who was standing above me looking down at me like I was a dog that needed discipline.

“I thought we had an understanding,” he said through clenched teeth. I couldn’t contain myself anymore. All the fear and anxiety that had been building up inside of me came spilling out as I howled up at him.

“No! Just let me go!”

A deafening sound came from behind me, as though a bomb had gone off. Corey released me and spun around to see what had happened, but I already knew.

My heart soared as the heavenly scent swept into my nostrils and I tilted my head back as my fated-mate, in full bear glory, barreled into the bedroom, turning the door to splinters.