The Alpha Who Wanted Me Dead

The First Kiss

Regina sat on the edge of the cot, her body stiff, her breath uneven. The small room inside the slave quarters was dimly lit by a single candle, its flame flickering against the damp stone walls. The air smelled of herbs and iron—Blue's presence filling the space with something both familiar and unsettling.

She winced as the needle pierced her skin again.

"Stay still," Blue muttered, his voice low, steady.

Regina clenched her fists in her lap, trying to focus on anything but the sharp sting as he stitched the wound on her arm. It wasn't deep, but it was long—thanks to the slave trainer who had tried to grab her earlier that night. Blue had stopped him, but not before she had been shoved against the rough bark of a tree, a branch slicing her arm open.

"I'm fine," she said, though her voice came out weaker than she wanted.

Blue didn't respond. He simply kept working, his fingers precise, his hands steady.

She watched him, taking in the way his brows furrowed slightly, his jaw clenched in concentration. He wasn't like the others. His touch wasn't cruel or careless. It was firm, but careful. Almost gentle.

A warrior's hands, trained for violence, now working to mend instead of harm.

The room was too quiet. The air between them felt heavy, something unsaid lingering between each breath.

"You didn't have to do this," she murmured.

Blue finally looked up, his piercing blue eyes meeting hers.

"Just following--"

"Orders, I know," she sighed and rolled her eyes.

His fingers lingered against her skin as he tied off the last stitch, his touch warm against the chill of the room. He was close. Closer than he had ever been before.

Regina could feel the heat radiating from him, the steady rise and fall of his chest. She wasn't used to this—to someone touching her without hurting her. To someone looking at her like she was something more than a slave.

"All done," he said, but he didn't move away.

Neither did she.

Her pulse quickened.

She should pull back. She should say something, anything to break the silence.

But she didn't.

Because for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel small. She didn't feel invisible.

She felt seen.

Blue's gaze dropped to her lips, just for a second.

Then—

His lips brushed against hers.

It wasn't rough or desperate. It was hesitant, as if waiting for her to pull away. As if asking permission.

Regina didn't stop him.

She let it happen.

Her breath caught as the warmth of his mouth lingered against hers. It was soft, uncertain—so different from everything she had known in this cruel, unforgiving world.

For a brief moment, she let herself sink into it.

But then—

Marco's face flashed in her mind.

His laughter. His voice. His promise.

"I'll come back for you."

Regina jerked away, her chest tightening.

Blue froze, his expression unreadable.

She looked down, her fingers curling into her lap. "I..." She shook her head. "I can't."

Blue studied her for a long moment, then exhaled. "I know."

His voice held no anger. No disappointment. Just quiet understanding.

Regina's heart ached.