a's

up sh

ike a broken doll tossed aside. The soreness from the day before settled into my bones, a heavy ache that made i

n the pain wa

larm. Just the occasional snap of twigs, a grunt or growl from

rift in from the hallway, or the smell of wild berries, the birds chirping and the smell of fresh bread but

hit me,

nce curled and heavy around my mind like smoke seeping under a door. It made me feel watched, even though I was alone. There w

ate

eade

loat

es shut, trying

You're not mine.

Just remained there, s

nd a metal cup of water left on the ground. The bread was cold and hard as

at. But a ne

muffled and low. I tried to differentiate them. One was gruff, older maybe. Another sharp and

nly , A low an

trailed u

ld, but I could learn

ened, I felt him

t him. He wasn't just huge he filled the space. His jacket was dark and worn, probably once high-end but now streaked with dirt and blood.

meone so monstrous, he had a scar along his left eye . It made his scrutiny sharper, more intense, his hair was a deep blac

yed s

gh that the bond sparked. That horrible warmth crept i

d, his voice rough but smooth li

just stared ahead

d, his laughter smooth to the ears." But your body i

I said tightly.

ored , practiced. "Sa

nd surged, heat, ownership, desire wrapped in

d. He noticed....

l it, do

sgusted,"

"That's the part your brain controls. The bond

'll cut

ld have. "You won't. You can't. A

y standing, one hand around my throat, it wasn't tight,

d flare

, worse. It was R

ing myself. My body tr

arn. I don't need to break yo

prisoner to the bond if you ac

anted t

my blood's. That flicker of longing that

he cell d

he sai

dn't

ner. Not exactly. C

e ordered me to, but b

.

e camp w

d with duct tape. Corrugated iron bent into shelters. Blankets hung like walls. Tree trunks sharpened int

wolves, they were di

ned coats covered in blood and dirt. Tattoos, scars, snarls. But n

all, braided hair, face smeared with ash, stirred some

uriosity. Some with disgust. One or two...

zed thei

l beside me like a

cl

wasn

ay, then turned back to the cell. I was quiet the

ight over me

llion?

left me alone, The si

floor, my hear

ur old life was a cag

pped in blood and a bond i didn't want., I felt him leave, though he said nothi

lt the static of his thoughts, emotions, concerns, Curiosity. Hunger.

think him. Because this wasn't just a physical battle. It was a war for who I wa

beat sl

g, like a whisper. I was chained by the bond but maybe

che in my chest and the worry in my heart I drifted

.

v

for the crowning ceremony for the new Alpha were ongoing but

a was worried, there was no sign of sera, they searched everywhere but couldn't find her., after the burial of the pack mates who died, training int

able, picked up her phone and left the room. There was nothing

she was going to come b