ALANNA
I lay on the cold stone floor of the cell, staring at the ceiling like it had answers. Heck, I couldn't believe what I'd just done.
What the hell was I thinking, mouthing off to Alpha Stefan like that? I didn't even recognize the version of me that spoke to him.
It was like someone else had taken over, someone reckless, unhinged, and done with surviving quietly.
And the worst part? Every goddamn time he touched me, my wolf stirred.
She lit up like a flame... then died the second he moved away. Like he had a fucking switch inside me.
As soon as he left, all that fake-ass confidence crumbled. I lay there, half expecting him to storm back in and tear my throat out for the stunt I pulled, but he didn't. No guards came to re-chain me, no punishment, nothing, just pure silence.
Even the next day, all I got was food and fresh air. My cell window was open. I wasn't bound. It was suspicious as hell.
Did that mean he'd accepted my offer? Or was he just waiting for the perfect moment to snap my neck?
When he finally returned that evening, I felt him before I saw him, his aura slammed into me like a goddamn wall. I shot to my feet as the door creaked open.
He wasn't alone, the guards were back, along with the same men from last time.
"Repeat what you offered yesterday," Stefan ordered, voice like ice.
Shit. I blinked. But I stood tall and said it anyway, like it was a vow from the grave.
"I offer myself, completely and wholeheartedly, as a slave to Alpha Stefan. My body, my soul and my everything. I'll serve at his mercy. In return, he'll give me what I need to destroy the fuckers who ruined my life, and once that's done, he can kill me. I don't care. My life ended the day I died."
Silence. Even Stefan looked stunned.
"How the fuck do you know my name?" he growled.
"I heard them call you that," I said, voice lower.
He turned to the men beside him. "Exactly what I told you," he muttered. His voice was sharp enough to slice through steel.
They nodded stiffly. One of them, Mason, gave me a long, cold stare.
"Those are strong words," he said. "But determination doesn't mean shit if you can't survive the pack."
I nodded, already knowing I'd take whatever they threw at me.
"We can't let our Alpha form a bond with someone who might not make it through the night," the other man added.
Stefan didn't wait around. "My job here is done. Contact me when she's ready."
Then he walked out without sparing me another glance.
The moment he left, the others turned their attention on me like wolves sizing up dinner.
"This is really insane," one of them hissed.
Mason ignored him and stepped closer. "What's your motive?"
"To kill the people who made me this way," I said flatly.
The other man cursed again and rubbed his face like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Everyone's lost their fucking minds."
Mason's eyes narrowed. "Survive tonight first. Then we'll talk about your damn vendetta." He turned to the guards. "Prep her for the ritual."
Chains. Blindfold. Hands grabbing me like I was nothing. They dragged me out of the cell and into a room barely bigger than a closet.
"Twenty minutes," one of the guards barked, tossing a heavy-ass bag at me. "Get presentable."
"She's worse than an omega," the other one sneered. "With that mouth? She'll be dead before nightfall."
They slammed the door. I stumbled to the filthy bed, heart racing. What the hell had I signed up for?
The room was a dump, dust, cracked walls, a single chair, and a barely functioning bathroom that smelled like it hadn't seen soap in years.
Still, I found some basics in the bag and pulled myself together. Bath, quick scrub, hair in a bun, dress over my head, sandals on. I didn't feel human. I felt like a corpse playing dress-up.
They came for me again. Chains. Blindfold. Gag. They led me to another room, this one dimly lit with metal walls and eerie silence. They strapped my legs to a chair, cold steel biting into my skin.
Then came Mason and others. A ritual, apparently, qnd I was the sacrifice.
"Thornclaw has acquired a new slave," Mason declared like I was some prized livestock. "She offered herself willingly. Tonight we bind her, not as a pack member, but as a servant. Her loyalty belongs to us."
He revealed something sharp and metallic, claw-like.
"You. State your name."
"Alanna Agnelli," I whispered.
"By my authority as Beta of Thornclaw, I accept your offer. From this moment on, your agreement is known only to the Alpha and those he chooses. You're forbidden from ever speaking of it. No special treatment, and no favors. You're property. Until you prove yourself, you're nothing."
I wanted to scream, this is fucking bullshit. But I held it in. My voice was steady. "Yes, Beta."
"This bond is non-reversible. The only way out is death... or if some miracle lands you a powerful mate. Still willing?"
I laughed bitterly in my head. Trust someone again? Fall in love? Mate? Not a fucking chance. My only purpose now was vengeance.
"Yes," I said.
He stepped forward and drove the metal into my arm.
The pain was unreal. Hot. Searing. Mind-numbing. My scream was silent, swallowed by the weight of everything being rewritten inside me.
The mark burned through my skin, branding me, rewriting the rules of my existence. I was nobody now. I had no will. No identity. I obeyed. I served. I belonged to Alpha Stefan.
Tears streamed down my face, and then, like a whisper from my past, I remembered a line from the prophecy.
She must never be marked… not until she takes her rightful place.
Chase had wanted to mark me once. I stopped him. I thought I had time.
But now? Fuck the prophecy. Fuck the past. My old life was ashes.
Mason's voice snapped me back. "You'll undergo your first test tonight. You'll join the other slaves. No one will help you. Find your way back if you're still breathing. Keep your head down. Don't talk unless spoken to, and remember, everyone here outranks you."
I nodded silently.
"Go."
The chains came off, and I stumbled forward. I had no idea where I was going. No map. No mercy.
And then, as I reached the door, a voice echoed in my head, smooth, menacing.
'Word of advice, Alanna. Never forget your place. You're a tamed wolf… and this pack? We eat creatures like you for lunch.'
I froze.
Alpha Stefan.
I spun around. He wasn't there. But I knew that voice. How was he in my head when I wasn't a member of his pack?
"What the fuck are you waiting for?" someone barked. "Move!"
I did. I hurried out into the unknown.
Behind me, someone laughed. "If she survives tonight, I'm all in on enslaving tamed wolves. Sounds fucking delightful."
"She won't make it," another chimed in.
My legs kept moving, but my thoughts spiraled. What the hell was waiting for me out there?
When they said I had to find my way, I figured a few wrong turns. Maybe some threats. I was ready for that.
What I wasn't ready for… was what I saw when I stepped outside.
I froze like a deer in headlights.
Dozens of massive wolves prowled the grounds. Their eyes glowed red like demons. Their growls were low, hungry, and they looked at me… like I was dinner.
One of the main things that differentiated us from the wild wolves was that they preferred their wolf side to their human side.
I'd heard the rumors. They ate and slept in wolf form. I'd never thought I'd experience it. I also knew that they ate anything that came their way.
They didn't care if it was their kind or not. They would tear whatever it was apart and feast on it. The worst part was that they didn't feel bad afterward. They claimed it was part of their nature.
I wanted to turn back and rush back into the building. But my senses and even my new mark had told me that I needed to pass through the sea of untamed wolves and get to the other side.
How on earth was I supposed to do that? I was in no position to fight or ward off an untamed werewolf for goodness sake.
Maybe everyone was right. There was no way I'd survive tonight.