Clara's POV
In that moment, fear took over me. I knew I was doomed; the Alpha's endurance was legendary, and there was no escaping this punishment. This felt like the end of me. My teeth began to clatter uncontrollably, my body growing numb as the cold seeped into every fiber of my being. The ice-cold water was too much for me, making it nearly impossible to feel my own skin. Every shiver sent pain through my body, and my mind struggled to hold its grip on reality. The ice seemed to turn into glass, slicing through my life with each passing second. Alpha Lucas kept his eyes on me with no expression as usual. His silence was more scary than any words could have been. Time stretched on, and the minutes dragged as Delores continued her task but still unable to make him cum. As the icy water numbed my senses, I felt consciousness slipping away. My teeth chattered, and my limbs seemed to lose their strength. The cold was too much, and I could barely differentiate where the water ended and my own pain began. There is no doubt I am not going to survive this. Why did I try to escape? I had wanted freedom from this cruel man, but now I was trapped, facing a punishment that seemed designed to break me. I struggled to stay conscious, fighting against the urge to surrender to death. My body could no longer endure the pain, and my eyes began to close. Death is honestly better than a life with Alpha Lucas. As my vision got dark and I sank deeper into the icy water of the bath, ready to die, a strong arm went under my thighs and behind my back, lifting me out of the cold water effortlessly. In that instant, life came back into me as I gasped, air rushing into my lungs. I heard Alpha Lucas bark at Delores, "Give that to me." I opened my eyes slightly and saw Delores handing him a duvet, which he quickly wrapped around me, trying to provide some warmth while my body trembled. He looked at Delores and said, "Have the maids fetch something to help. You can leave." He covered me in the duvet and held me close to his chest, warming me as best he could. "You should stop trying to run away from me, Clara," he said in a low voice, then added, "I hate to punish you like this." He was going to be the death of me—there was no doubt about it. Gently carrying me, still wrapped in the duvet, he carried me out of his room and made his way to mine. A couple of maids walked ahead of him and reached my room before he did, holding the door open as he entered and gently placed me on the bed. My body continued to tremble from the aftermath, like a baby whose brain has been taken over by jaundice. He watched me for a moment, his expression unreadable, before saying, "The doctor will check on you tomorrow. The maids will take care of you tonight." I had to fight back tears and the disgust I felt for him. He was always like this—switching between punishment and care. What kind of psychopath was he?I had never met anyone as cold and ruthless as the man. All my life that I have lived, Alpha Lucas was like a sword of Damocles hanging over my head. There were a lot of threats that he spoke of. And he would always see to it that they were meted out to us, if we did the opposite of his warnings. Leaning closer, his silver eyes fixed on mine, he said coldly, "If you try to escape again, the punishment will be worse," before leaving the room. The maid soon arrived with various medicines and soups to help with the cold. My thoughts kept circling back to the Alpha, scared of what he might do next. Was this the end of his punishment, or was there more to come? The next morning, I woke up feeling nauseous. I rushed to the bathroom and vomited into the toilet, feeling very sick. I couldn't endure this any longer. I went to my drawer, searching for a pregnancy test that I had asked a close maid to buy for me due to the strange feeling I had been experiencing. I had hesitated to take the test, afraid of what a positive result might mean. The alpha didn't want me to get pregnant, he always threatened me saying scary things like; "Don't get pregnant. If you do, I will force you to have the baby and then kill it in front of you as punishment. No baby should ever come between us Clara." Those words always made me scared . No mother could endure witnessing her child being murdered. But Alpha Lucas didn't give a damn. He would kill the child while smiling at the mother. It was a complete dare. If she ever fit pregnant again and he found out about it, the same thing would be done. I went to the bathroom, preparing myself to take the test. I waited for the results, praying for a negative one. When I checked it, my heart immediately stopped. Unfortunately, my prayers went unanswered; two lines appeared clearly and boldly. The test slipped from my hands falling to the ground as tears rolled down my face. I was pregnant. The Alpha was definitely going to kill it. Why now? Why did this have to happen at this moment? How would I survive this? At that moment, I knew I had to act. I needed to plan an escape, one last attempt. If I got caught this time, I would fight with everything I had, even if it meant losing my life. Anything was better than watching my own child be killed. I had to escape, no matter the cost. No matter what it took me to make it happen, I had to be free from Alpha Lucas.