Chapter 4: The Mark of the Beast

The roar of the outside world faded, replaced by the heavy sound of Alexander’s breathing. Jana was trapped beneath his body, feeling the searing heat emanating from him. The prince’s fury was unlike that of other men; it was a silent storm, a force of nature that accepted no reason.

"Ahhh! Alex, please, stop!" Jana pleaded, trying to push against his shoulders of steel. But her hands, which only minutes ago had been bruised by Leticia’s grip, had hardly any strength.

"I will teach you to be obedient, Jana!" he roared, his red eyes flashing with an intensity that made her tremble. "You spoke to them! You let them touch you! Your hands are red because of them!"

"I’m sorry! I didn't want to...!"

"You will learn from this!" Alexander declared.

In a fit of blind possessiveness, Alexander left no room for words. The sound of tearing fabric shattered the silence of the room. Jana felt the cold air against her skin before the prince’s heat enveloped her again. *I don’t want it to happen like this,* she thought desperately, as tears rolled down her temples. *I only wanted to know him, to understand the man behind the myth... is he truly this barbarian?*

The hours blurred. Time in the quarters stood still as Alexander reclaimed what he considered his with a ferocity Jana could never have imagined. There was no delicacy, only the raw assertion that she belonged to him and no one else.

As the evening shadows began to lengthen, silence returned to the room. Alexander woke first. He sat up slightly, observing the girl lying beside him, her hair disheveled and visible marks on her fair skin. A strange feeling—a mixture of triumph and an almost violent protectiveness—settled in his chest.

*(I will never let you return to wherever you came from)*, he vowed to himself while tracing the contour of her shoulder.

Jana opened her eyes and let out a moan of pain. She tried to move, but every muscle in her body seemed to protest.

"Ah... everything hurts!" she complained, covering herself with the sheets. "Are you an animal or what? Why didn't you stop for so long?"

Alexander leaned over her, a predatory smile appearing on his lips.

"Do you want more? I still have energy. If it were up to me, I wouldn't let you leave this room for days. But you are very weak, Jana. You need to eat more."

"You didn't let me eat!" she shouted, throwing a pillow at him. He caught it with one hand, laughing genuinely for the first time.

"I’ll tell Liz to bring up food immediately," he said, getting up with enviable agility.

"Fine!"

Alexander dressed quickly and, before leaving, turned to look at her one last time.

"You look cute when you’re angry," he tossed out mockingly.

Jana’s jaw dropped. *(He looks so handsome when he smiles; too bad he’s a barbarian)*, she thought, though she forced herself to keep a scowl until the door closed.

In the hallway, Alexander ran into Liz, who was waiting with her head bowed.

"Hey, you!" the prince called in his usual commanding tone.

"Yes, Your Highness?" the maid replied, trembling.

"Bring food to my quarters. Now!"

"As you command, Your Highness."

As Liz hurried toward the kitchens, an elegant, blonde figure blocked her path. Prince Tomás observed her with a calculating look hidden behind his habitual mask of kindness.

"Hey, you! Over there!" Tomás called. Liz stopped dead. "I want you to check my brother's bed when you go in. If there is blood, you must inform me immediately."

Liz turned pale. "Prince Tomás... I..."

"Listen well," Tomás’s voice turned cold as ice. "If my brother realizes you suspect something, I don't want to imagine what he’ll do to you and your family. But if you hide information from me, I will personally see to it that you regret it."

Liz nodded frantically, trapped between two royal monsters. Tomás let her go, muttering to himself: *(I am certain my brother took that young woman. This changes the rules of the game).*

But Tomás wasn't the only one watching. Leticia appeared from the shadows of a pillar, her eyes bloodshot with hatred.

"I heard what Tomás asked of you, servant," the redhead hissed. "I want to know everything as well. If that wench has defiled my fiancé’s honor, she will pay with her life."

Liz finally entered the quarters, her hands shaking as she set down the food tray. Alexander was still there, waiting.

"Here is what you requested, Your Highness," Liz whispered.

"Dismissed," he ordered.

"Highness..." Liz hesitated for a second. "A guard asked me to tell you that Commander Felix has something urgent to communicate."

Alexander sighed, frustrated by the interruption. Jana, from the bed, looked at him pleadingly.

"Can you let Liz stay to help me? Everything hurts and I can't dress myself."

Alexander looked at Jana and then at the maid.

"Fine. But do not leave this room. I’ll be back in a while, and if you disobey... you know what awaits you."

"Idiot!" Jana muttered under her breath as he turned around. Alexander only let out a chuckle before walking out.

Liz approached the bed and, helping Jana up, couldn't help but stifle a gasp of surprise. The young woman’s body was covered in marks and bruises. As she pulled back the sheets to clean, the maid saw the scarlet stain on the white linen. Her orders were clear, but compassion was stronger.

"Liz, please... don’t tell anyone," Jana begged, embarrassed. "I’m so ashamed for anyone to see me like this."

Liz nodded in silence, her eyes filled with deep sadness as she helped the girl soak in a warm bath.

Outside, near the ramparts, Alexander found Felix. The commander looked agitated.

"Felix? What’s going on that you seek me so urgently?"

"Highness, we need to gather mercenaries to support the northern troops," Felix explained. "The situation is critical."

"I will send the necessary gold," Alexander replied distractedly. "Is that all?"

Felix looked at him gravely.

"Highness, rumors are spreading that the girl is still in your quarters. Leticia is beside herself; she knows she can have her killed in any moment of carelessness. And Prince Tomás is already pulling strings. It won't be long before it reaches King Leopold's ears."

Alexander clenched his jaw. "My father..."

"Do you think he plans to act?" Felix asked. "If the King decides the girl is a threat to the alliance with Leticia’s family..."

"He may already know," Alexander interrupted with a terrifying coldness. "That is the most likely case."

Felix put a hand to his forehead, overwhelmed. "And if he doesn't care about your protection? Are you going to...?"

"I will spill blood in this palace before anyone lays a hand on her," the prince declared.

Felix nodded, knowing Alexander wasn't joking. "I expect the money, Highness. I’ll take my leave."

Just as Alexander was preparing to return to Jana, the figure of his brother Tomás appeared in the courtyard with an unusually solemn expression.

"Brother," Tomás said, his voice echoing with a seriousness he rarely showed. "Our father, the King, requests your immediate presence in the throne room. This is not an invitation."

Alexander felt the air grow heavy. He knew the bubble he had created around Jana was about to burst.

"Let’s go," he replied, heading toward the encounter with the most powerful and ruthless man in Rome.

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