The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 28

Daxon's POV

I stood in the shadows with a bright smile stretching across my face as I watched Athena walk away from that pathetic stranger, her entire body still trembling like a leaf in a storm.

I knew what I needed to do to break the little hope she was starting to build again.

Even from this distance, I could smell her fear, that sweet, intoxicating scent that had always driven me wild with hunger.

She was still completely affected by me. Still broken. Still mine.

My wolf was growling and pacing inside my mind, calling out for what belonged to us.

*Our mate! She's right there! Take her!*

"Yeah, she's ours," I murmured under my breath, watching her stumble out of the alley like a wounded animal. "She'll always be ours."

*Let's go get her now. Claim her. Drag her back where she belongs. Make her remember who owns her.*

*Calm down, buddy. She'll be ours soon enough. But not yet.*

I'd watched with delicious satisfaction as she chased after that random stranger, desperation written all over her face.

Did she really think running halfway around the world would free her from me? That she could just reject our bond and pretend I didn't exist anymore?

The stupid little girl still thought about me constantly. I could see it in the way she jumped at shadows, the way she looked over her shoulder wherever she went. She missed me, needed me, even if she was too stubborn and proud to admit it.

But that's what I loved about breaking her - she always fought back just enough to make it interesting before she inevitably crumbled under the weight of her own weakness.

She probably wanted me to come crawling back, begging for another chance like some pathetic, lovesick fool. That would be the last thing I'd ever do. I was the predator here, not some desperate prey animal chasing after scraps of affection.

No, I had much better plans for my stubborn little mate.

I'd make sure to eliminate anyone who tried to stand in my way of getting her back. Starting with that so-called "brother" of hers who looked at her like she was his entire world.

The way Tristan Hayes stared at Athena when he thought no one was watching was absolutely disgusting - all soft eyes and protective instincts and barely concealed longing.

Especially him. He'd be first on my list.

I'd been in this pathetic excuse for a country for over a week now, had landed just two days after Athena did. Did she really think she could hide from me? That I wouldn't track her down no matter where she ran?

Following her had been almost insultingly easy. She'd gotten soft during our time apart, careless.

She walked the same routes every day, when she's not with her broother, worked at the same company, lived in the same house with her precious protector who was too blind to see what was right in front of his face.

*Let's take her tonight. Drag her back to our territory where she belongs.*

*Soon. Very soon. But first, let her bask in her pathetic illusion of safety. Let her think she's making progress, healing, getting stronger. That's when we'll remind her exactly who she belongs to.*

The thought made me laugh quietly to myself. She was starting to learn how to fight? Taking those ridiculous little self-defense classes with humans who had no idea what real violence looked like? How adorable.

Let's see how well those pretty new skills worked against someone who'd spent years perfecting the art of breaking stubborn spirits.

Just the thought of me appearing in her life again would destroy whatever microscopic progress she thought she'd made.

I know exactly which buttons to push to send her spiraling back into the terrified, helpless creature I'd molded her into.

I had so many delicious plans for reminding her who she really was.

I didn't even have to show my face. Leaving little hints would be enough. This was just the beginning.

The event at the grocery store, was caused by me. I knew she'd have that crazy dream she always had, dreams of me doing her naughty things.

She'd always wake up begging me to stop whatever I was doing to her, I used to love the way she cry's out my name in her dreams.

I'll make sure she doesn't stop having them, she'll see me everywhere she goes.

And every time she started to feel safe, I'd be there to yank that security away.

Every moment of happiness would be poisoned with the knowledge that I was watching, waiting, planning. Every night she managed to sleep peacefully would be followed by nightmares that felt more real than her waking hours.

I wanted to break her down so completely that no one would be able to put her back together again. Not her precious brother, not her new friends, and especially not that pathetic excuse for an alpha who thought he could protect what belonged to me.

I'd met Tristan Hayes a few days ago, actually. Pure coincidence - my foot. I thought he'd be so smart, as she'd run to him for protection but he's nothing compared to me.

I had pretended my vehicle broke down right where I knew he'd be going for lunch. He'd acted frustrated, like I was running late for something, and he'd offered to help like the good Samaritan he was.

When he was done, I thanked him. Shaken his hand and told him how grateful I was for the assistance. If he only knew he'd been chatting pleasantly with the monster who was planning to destroy everything he cared about.

"True alpha," my ass. The man was weak, soft, ruled entirely by emotions he was too cowardly to even acknowledge.

He claimed to be protecting Athena, but he couldn't even see the danger standing right in front of him. Too busy playing the noble hero to recognize a real predator when one stood in front of him.

That's what I'd been trying to teach Athena all those years we were together - that emotions only make you weak. Love, compassion, trust, hope - they were all just vulnerabilities waiting to be exploited by someone strong enough to use them properly.

But she was just like all the rest of them. Too weak to embrace what she could become, too soft to appreciate the strength I was trying to give her. She kept clinging to these pathetic human concepts of kindness and healing instead of accepting the beautiful darkness I offered.

That's why she needed me. Someone had to show her what real power looked like, what it meant to take what you wanted instead of begging for scraps from people who would abandon you the moment things got difficult.

I'd tried to be patient with her, tried to teach her gently at first. But gentle lessons hadn't worked, had they? She'd just gotten more stubborn, more defiant, more convinced that she deserved something better than what I was offering.

She'd killed our pup because of she wouldn't close her eyes when she saw me trying to enjoy myself. It was all her fault.

Because she didn't know her place. Didn't know that if she walked in on me having sex with someone, she should wait for me to finish. Not stand there and stare at me with those deceptive looks of hers.

So I'd been forced to use stronger methods. And just when she was finally starting to understand, finally beginning to break properly, she'd run away like a coward.

But that was fine. The hunt was half the fun anyway.

I could already imagine the look on her face when she realized I'd found her. The way her eyes would go wide with terror, the way her hands would start shaking uncontrollably, the way she'd try to run and discover there was nowhere left to go.

This time, I wouldn't make the mistake of being too lenient. This time, I'd make sure she understood from the very beginning that there was no escape, no rescue coming, no hope of freedom.

I'd strip away every support system she'd built, every friendship she'd formed, every tiny scrap of confidence she'd managed to scrape together.

I'd make her watch as I destroyed the people she cared about, starting with that garage owner who'd given her a job, the one that's called Orion. Then I'll move on to that bubbly little secretary who'd become her friend.

I'd save Tristan for last, make sure Athena saw exactly what happened to men who thought they could steal what belonged to me.

By the time I was finished with all of them, she'd be begging me to take her back. She'd be so grateful for my attention, so desperate for someone to make the pain stop, that she'd never even think about running again.

And this time, I'd make sure the lesson stuck permanently.

My wolf was practically vibrating with anticipation, hungry for the violence and domination to come. Soon, we'd remind everyone in this pathetic little pack what real strength looked like. Soon, we'd reclaim what had always been ours.

Athena could enjoy her last few days of imagined freedom. She could play house with her substitute family, pretend that her little self-defense classes were making her stronger, convince herself that she was healing from the lessons I'd taught her.

But deep down, she knew the truth. She belonged to me, and I always collected what was mine.

The game was just beginning, and this time, I'd make sure there would be no escape for any of them.