Page 153 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

The implications hit Serenity with devastating clarity. They intended to place her, drugged into peak heat, in a room with multiple "feral" Alphas—men deliberately kept in a primitive state, their rational minds subjugated to their most primal instincts. The resulting chaos would be violent, potentially deadly—and would culminate in forced bonding.

A mating bond formed under such circumstances would be permanent. Unbreakable. A life sentence.

"My pack will find me," she managed, though the words slurred slightly as the drug's effect intensified. "Darius, Ronan, Lucian—they'll tear this place apart."

Elena smiled, the expression devoid of warmth. "We're counting on it. By the time they track you down, the bond will be established. Even they will be forced to recognize its legitimacy under Society law."

"And what about your precious Primal Circle?" Serenity asked, grasping at any potential leverage. "Won't they be displeased that their carefully managed breeding program has been disrupted?"

A flicker of unease crossed Victoria's face before she masked it. "This is a contingency they themselves approved. The Vale-Ryker bloodline must be preserved, even through... unconventional means."

Nikolai moved toward the door, his posture rigid with barely contained disgust. "I'll check on our guests' arrival status. The transport team should be en route with the candidates."

As he exited, Victoria turned to Elena. "Prepare the second injection. We need her at peak receptivity when they arrive."

Elena nodded, returning to the medical case. Serenity watched through increasingly unfocused eyes as the Beta prepared another syringe, this one filled with a darker liquid.

"Why?" she asked Elena, unable to fully articulate the depth of her question through the drug's haze. "You protected me. Helped me."

For a moment, something like regret flickered across Elena's face. "I protected Vale assets as ordered. But the Society comes first—it always has. Your father forgot that fundamental truth."

"He was protecting me," Serenity whispered, understanding blooming even through her drug-addled mind. "All those years hidden away, the false identity, the financial training—he was preparing me to fight exactly this."

"Yes," Elena acknowledged, approaching with the second syringe. "Marcus knew what would be expected when you reached maturity. He thought he could outsmart generations of tradition. He was wrong."

As the needle approached her neck again, Serenity summoned what remained of her clarity. "If you do this—if you force this bond—it won't end here. Whatever happens tonight, I will never stop fighting. And neither will they."

Victoria watched with clinical interest as Elena administered the second injection. "Fighting against a mating bond is biologically impossible. Once established, your own chemistry will ensure compliance."

The drug entered Serenity's system like liquid fire, searing through her veins and obliterating the last vestiges of rational thought. The heat that had been building became an inferno, consuming every cell, every nerve ending. Her body arched against the restraints, a cry tearing from her throat as her biology overrode everything else.

Through the haze of artificial heat, she heard Victoria's voice as if from a great distance.

"If we can't send you to the island in our society's offering, we'll have to bring a piece of the island here and force you to mate with the feral bastards to make up for the loss."

The words registered dimly in Serenity's consciousness, a final confirmation of the fate they had planned for her. As darkness crept into the edges of her vision, one thought burned brighter than the chemical fire in her veins.

Darius. Ronan. Lucian. Find me.

With that final plea echoing in her mind, she surrendered to the drug's effects, her consciousness slipping away as her body prepared for the violation to come.

30

THE EPIPHANY OF US

~SERENITY~

Heat clawed through her like wildfire, each breath thick and damp, each pulse a thunderous ache between her legs.

Serenity's body trembled, slick drenching the insides of her thighs, her skin clammy with sweat as she lay limp in the corner of the cold concrete room. Her wrists ached from the zip ties chafing her skin, and every fiber of her being screamed for relief.

The air was suffocating. Her mind, a hazy fog of instinct and pain, couldn’t hold a coherent thought for long. She tried to squeeze her thighs together—anything to dull the unbearable throb that refused to relent. Her legs quivered, her body overheating and betraying her with every labored breath. She whimpered involuntarily, her jaw clenched in defiance.

“Five minutes to midnight,” a low voice chuckled from across the room. The sound slid through her like oil, familiar and revolting.

Nikolai.

She didn’t have to see his face to know he was smiling—vile and certain. "Truck's on its way. Area’s secure. She’ll be in feral hands before the hour strikes."

---