To @CharlieBlissUWU you're cute ❤️ thanks for reading, voting and commenting 😭

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Tortuous: Full of unexpected twists and turns.

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I groaned in pain as a harsh light shone directly on my closed eyes. There was a painful throbbing in my temples enflamed by the light overhead. I tried to move my arm to cover my eyes but for some reason, it wouldn't move. I forced my eyes open, stiffly moving my head to look upwards.

I was tied up to a bedpost. My wrists were fastened together by a coarse rope, the thread cutting into my skin. It was abrasive, my skin red and swollen around the tight knot.

Suddenly, the memories of last night washed over me. He had come into my house, I slit his throat but he was still alive. And then, he had kissed me and made me faint by suffocation. I quickly assessed my aching body. There didn't seem to be any telltale signs that he had done anything else. I sighed with relief and then reminded myself that there was no relief. I was tied up in a foreign place with a potential narcissistic sociopath - according to my quick diagnosis.

My familiar cream coloured walls had been replaced with a plain white. The room was large and spacious, with an ensuite bathroom that I could spot because the door was slightly ajar. There were no visible cupboards, only sparsely placed furniture. The whole room, the bedsheets, the carpet, everything was white.

I dragged my legs up so I could sit upright and close to the bedpost, much to the chagrin of my protesting back. My clothes from the night before had been replaced with a flowy long white nightshirt which only accentuated the bruise marks on my body.

I had no idea where I was. He had obviously succeeded in kidnapping me.

Not he. Mikhail.

For some reason, he had decided to tell me his name just before I lost consciousness. Maybe he thought I wouldn't remember, but I did.

I gazed at my tied wrists in anger. Those knots were tied properly so unless I had a knife, I wouldn't be able to get myself free.

I tried tugging one more time just in case but all I received was a sharp pain in my wrists.

I looked around the room once again to see if I had missed anything when my gaze fell upon the large window with the curtains pushed back. Although I couldn't see completely, I could tell I was in a completely different area to Colsens. I could see lots of trees and houses that were big but didn't seem to be as massive as this one. I caught a glimpse of people walking in and out of the woods which I assumed surrounded this property. Wherever I was, it was really isolated.

The panic hit me like a tidal wave. I was in an unidentifiable place, taken by a man with a vendetta who had no moral or mortal limits. If this really was some sort of closed-off community, no one would be willing to help most likely. I would still try though.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching my room and I quietly dropped back into bed and pretended to be asleep. I was less likely to be hurt if they thought I was sleeping. I might even catch some snippets of conversation.

I heard the sound of a key turning in the lock and then the door swung open. I held my breath in an attempt to slow down my breathing. There were light footsteps as someone made their way toward me, stopping at the side of the bed.

"Goodness", an elderly feminine voice whispered as I felt a light touch on my wrists. I forced myself to keep my eyes shut as naturally as possible as she peered closely at my face.

As quickly as she came in, she moved back away from me as another pair of heavier familiar footsteps walked in.

"She's sleeping", that same feminine voice whispered.

The other person remained quiet and then I heard someone leaving the room. I kept my eyes shut as the door closed behind me. I could barely contain my excitement as I realised they had left it unlocked. If I got out of the ropes, I could scope out where I kept captive.

I opened my eyes and felt my heart drop as I was greeted by a pair of brown golden eyes.

"Hello", he breathed onto my face.

Dropping my facade of sleeping, I scrambled back away from him, untangling my legs from the bedsheet. He chuckled watching me and leaned back against the wall.

"That looks painful", he commented, staring at my wrists.

"That's-" I started, clearing my parched throat. "That's because it is".

"Well, if you didn't resist so much, I wouldn't have had to resort to such uncivilised measures".

"Would you have obeyed if you were in my position?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well, that's the difference between you and I", he replied, mockingly. "I will never be in your position".

I scoffed and looked away. He slowly walked towards me and gestured for me to show him my wrists. I hesitantly held out my bound wrists towards him and watched in fear and fascination as his index finger elongated into a sharp tip as he sliced through the rope. The scientist in me wanted to observe him, find out more, but my rational side advised me to keep my distance.

The torn ropes fell to the bed carelessly and I looked around unsure of what was to happen next.

"You're quite a curious little human", he said, deep in thought. "I can almost see the gears turning in your head as you try to figure out what's happening".

"Well, you must know, that I truly cannot figure it out. Why don't you save me some time and explain it to me now?"

"Hah", he laughed. "Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on how generous my mood is".

"And", he whispered, leaning in closer to my ear. "What you will give me for the information?" I felt a wet flicker on my ear and flinched back away from him, wiping my ear in disgust.

He watched me, smirking, his eyes gleaming. He was clearly getting a kick out of my reactions but I found it hard to stay still due to my instincts wanting me to stay as far as possible away from him.

"Well, unless you want to stay in that nightdress all day", he said. "I suggest you change. I'm not complaining, however". He gave my body a once over and glanced at my impassive face. "I would rather you not shower, as I can still smell him and my blood on your skin. Isn't that a delightful combination?"

He laughed at my stunned reaction and strolled to the door.

"Do not try anything", he said, threateningly, pausing in the doorway. "I'll know what you plan to do before you do it. Knock on the room door when you have changed".

He left the room, locking the door behind him. The sound resonated loudly, reminding me that I was, in fact, a prisoner. I collapsed in the bed and bought my knees up to my chest.

After how long will my parents realise that I'm missing? Probably awhile as I didn't talk to anyone much. And even if they did notice my absence, how would they find me?

The only good thing I did was leaving KK with Luka- Oh, God, Luka. I hoped he was alright.

But what if Karl didn't check his email?

No, my situation was dangerous enough without negative thoughts. I didn't need to add to my anxiety. Plus, Karl was always on his phone, he should have seen the notification.

I got out of the bed and stretched, feeling all my aching muscles pull. There were three nondescript and plain doors. One led outside but was locked. The other was to the ensuite bathroom.

I hesitantly walked over to the last and opened it. Inside was a white-walled closet with some clothes that after some inspecting were roughly in my size. I shuddered in disgust, imagining Mikhail knowing my size by looking at my body.

He obviously hated Malik and they must be related. They also had similar-sounding names. It sounded like a family rivalry. It just didn't make sense, if they both had the same abilities, why was one locked up and the other free when clearly Mikhail was the more deranged one.

The thought of Malik sent a pang of pain to my heart. He would be sitting in his cell probably with my replacement. And that was it. I would either be one of the many females he manipulated even though that was unlikely or he would miss me but wouldn't chase after me because I resigned. I even handed in my resignation form, so if he asked around, Dr Patel would also confirm that I resigned.

I was an idiot.

One thing I would do was shower. The sick bastard got a rise out of me smelling like Malik and him so this might put him off from me a little.

The bathroom was just as plain as the room. White-tiled, white bathtub, white toilet and white towels. It made me feel increasingly uncomfortable at how brilliantly bright everything was.

I stripped off my sweaty clothes and gratefully stepped under the hot jets of water. I watched as the blood remnants mixed in with the water, a clear contrast to the white floor. I scrubbed as hard as I could, trying to remove 'Malik's scent' and overly used the floral body washes provided.

Once I was done, I dried myself and came out of the bathroom to see an outfit laid out on the bed. It was a white dress, with white undergarments and a bra that suspiciously fitted perfectly.
I immediately thought of the other clothes in the closet. Ones that were not handpicked for me and laid out on the bed. Should I wear those instead? Another glance at the neatly arranged clothes told me I shouldn't. As much as I wanted to rebel, I was too scared to because of the power gap.

And even if I succeeded again, where would I go?

I was in the middle of nowhere with strangers who would most likely be unsympathetic to my cause.

The thought then struck me, much like lightning. This community was obviously very recluse and private. What if they were all like Malik and Mikhail? That possibility pretty much wiped away any future escapes.

I knocked on the door and within seconds, it unlocked and swung open. An elderly, aged woman looked back at me, close to the door as if waiting for me to come out. Her greying hair was pulled into a low bun and she wore an apron over her clothes.

"Dear me", she exclaimed. "Your hands".

I recognised the voice as the one who came in earlier when I pretended to sleep. I also noticed a large, burly man standing on the side, scowling.

"Alpha said she should go to his study", he barked.

"She needs to have her wounds treated first", the woman responded angrily. "It will only take a few minutes. Come with us if you must".

He glared at her sullenly and walked behind us as the old lady pulled me along. He took a loud sniff when I walked past him and covered up his nose, moving away.

I felt my heart sink. I was right. There were more of these people. I purposefully used lots of the floral wash for this purpose. I gazed at her strong grip on my hand in fear.

What if she was one too?

Then I would make her my ally. She seemed caring enough. I had to manipulate her a little but that all depended on me talking to her alone. That man didn't seem like he would leave us unsupervised.

She pulled me into a miniature hospital ward and forced me onto a spare bed. I could feel the stares of some people whispering quietly in the corner but I ignored them.

Without warning, she poured the antiseptic onto my wounds making me wince. I would have screamed but I didn't want to give anyone -especially that irritated man - the pleasure of seeing me in pain.

She wrapped my wrists firmly and patted my shoulder reassuringly.

"You can take her now", she said, steering me over to him. "Tell the Alpha that she needs to eat after".

Without a goodbye, she pushed us out of the room and shut the door behind us. I stood there awkwardly as he moved several steps away from me holding his nose.

"Follow me", he grunted.

He strode ahead, not considering my aching legs as I struggled to keep up with him. There were more hushed whispers as more people caught sight of me. Were newcomers that rare?

He came to a stop outside a large oak double door and knocked once.

He cocked his head as if listening for something.

"The Alpha said you can enter", he announced gruffly.

I looked at him in surprise. I had not heard anything. Maybe it was said so quietly that my human ears had not picked it up. I scowled at him and walked in, slamming the door shut behind me.

Mikhail sat in the centre of the room on a large mahogany polished desk with stacks of paperwork in front of him. The room was beautiful. There were tall wooden bookshelves scattered carefully around the room. There was a large window behind him that gave rise to the most beautiful landscape of nature that I had ever seen. If it wasn't for him, I would have loved the place.

Mikhail watched me with dark eyes as I took in the room around me.

"If you're done, then take a seat", he ordered.

I hesitated at first but decided to listen. There was no point arguing with someone like him. The high backed chair was just as comfortable as it looked and I almost sank in as I sat down.

"Well", he said, folding his hands on the desk. "Let us talk business".

I nodded, curious as to what he would say.

He sniffed the air and grimaced. "I am going to remove that scent from your bathroom. Don't try to be smart".

I shrugged in response.

"I want to know why you want me".

"I think you already know", he purred. "You tell me".

"It's something to do with... Malik", I said hesitantly, scared that he would snap at me for mentioning that name. "You clearly don't like him. Why? I don't know. But you don't want him to have any personal ties and you know somehow that he feels something for me".

"Yes", he snickered. "Spot on. Why don't I like him? Well, it's not that I don't like him. I hate him. I want him dead. And you, my darling, are just another bargaining chip I have over him".

"Why?" I asked, feeling brave. "Why do you hate him?"

"That is not the pressing matter. Like I said earlier. You need to repay a favour for a favour. If I answer that, it'll be a favour. Do you still want to know?" He said. "I wonder what I should ask from you? A kiss? Or maybe more..."

"I would rather not", I replied brusquely. "What do you plan to do with me?"

"Everything", he said. "I plan to make you mine".

"And I don't have any choice?" I asked in anger. "You want me only because he does".

"No, you do not have a choice", he laughed. "And yes, but I also adore that violent side of yours".

I shivered under his intense gaze and stared at the table instead.

"You do not need to feel too scared. After all, I will make sure you live a cosy life if you comply. If not... Well, let us just say that I can use more underhand and unpleasant methods", he trailed off.

"If I comply, you won't force me?"

"Not exactly, but I will give you time to adjust", he smirked. "We have forever don't we?"

I wasn't planning on complying. At least when I was alone. There's no way on Earth that I was going to sit here until he decided to use me for whatever purpose he saw fit.

"I'll give you a week", he said, interrupting my thoughts. "There will be a ceremony held - a wedding, if you like - where you shall be bound to me. It's a ritual amongst my people".

I gaped at him in horror. I had barely known him and he wanted us to marry? It didn't make sense why he would go this far just to spite Malik. And I didn't want to be legally bound to him. I had to get out somehow before this 'ceremony'. This place was starting to sound more and more like a cult.

"Are you related to him?" I asked, concealing my anger. "I'm assuming it's some sort of family rivalry that I have been dragged into. Maybe even sibling rivalry?"

"Malik is not just my brother", he purred, his sharp teeth glinting. "Our bond runs much deeper than that".

" How deeper?!?" I exclaimed in frustration.

"He is my twin".

Hi ✌😙

How's the chapter?

Anyway, IM SUPER EXCITED.
BECAUSE I MIGHT BE GETTING A KITTEN.
my friend's cat gave birth and she asked if I wanted one. My parents shouldn't mind. It's just one more. Right? 😈
If I am allowed, I'll do a double update.

So question for today:
Give me some cat names?

Also, silent readers. Yes, you. I have zero idea that you exist. So please at least comment once so I know that you're here. If you feel to shy, then vote. No one will see your vote and I'll appreciate it loads. (Loads of people are adding my book to reading lists but I don't recognise them 😭)

I'll see you guys next week when I update Xx

Thank you to my unofficial, unpaid, unemployed editor @qawsedtf 🐄

Whoever was first, comment here. It's a competition now 😂