The cell was cold. Damp stone walls pressed in from all sides. Sienna's wrists were raw from the silver cuffs. She shivered, not from the cold — but from the look Daemon had given her.
Like she was a monster.
The door creaked open. Heavy boots approached. She didn't dare raise her head until the footsteps stopped right in front of her.
"You crossed the border," Daemon said, his voice low and dangerous. "You trespassed into my land."
Sienna swallowed. "I didn't mean to. I was running from—"
"Rogues?" he cut her off. "That's what they all say. Then they destroy everything in their path."
"I'm not one of them!" she cried. "Please, I didn't even know I crossed—"
But he stepped closer, grabbing her chin roughly and forcing her to look at him. "Do you feel it too?" he asked. His voice trembled—barely.
She did. That strange pull in her chest, the warmth that shouldn't be there. Her heart beat faster every time he was near. Her wolf stirred deep inside, confused… awake.
"M-Mate?" she whispered.
Daemon let go of her so fast she fell back against the wall.
"No," he hissed. "That can't be."
He turned away like her face burned him. "You can't be my mate. It's a trick. A curse."
Sienna's breath caught. "What are you talking about?"
He stared at the stone wall. "A prophecy. It's followed me all my life. 'The one who bears your mark will bring your death.'"
She froze. "You think… I'm your death?"
His eyes turned cold as ice. "I won't let you kill me or my pack. You'll stay locked here until I decide what to do with you."
And then he left — locking the door behind him with a slam that made her jump.
Sienna sank to the floor, heart racing.
Mate. Curse. Death.
Was this her fate?