Failed Escape
The packhouse slept under the silver light of the moon.
But elena didn't.
She lay on her side, eyes open, watching the shadows move across the walls. Every sound the ticking of the clock, the faint footsteps of guards outside her door made her pulse race faster.
Sleep wouldn't come. Not here. Not in his house.
Not in his world.
To everyone else, this place was a sanctuary—home of the most feared Alpha in the northern territories. But to her, it was a gilded cage dressed up as comfort. The soft bed, the silk curtains, the elegant room… all lies meant to hide the truth.
She wasn't a guest here.
She was a prisoner.
Her chest tightened as she turned to look at the window. The moon hung heavy above the treetops watching, waiting.
Her wolf stirred restlessly inside her. Don't do it, the whisper came, soft but urgent. He'll find you.
Elena shut it out. She couldn't live like this trapped, silent, constantly under the weight of his gaze. She had to try. Even if it meant dying in the attempt.
When the moon slipped behind a cloud, Elena swung her legs out of bed. The floor was cold under her feet. Her fingers shook as she reached for the door handle.
She paused. Listened.
Nothing.
A quick breath. Then another.
She turned the handle and eased the door open.
The guards were there, two of them, leaning close together and whispering about something that clearly wasn't her. Their backs were turned. Her pulse jumped.
Now or never.
She slipped through the narrow gap, heart hammering, every instinct screaming at her to run.
Down the stairs.
Past the portraits of dead Alphas with cold eyes and cruel smiles.
Across the marble floor that seemed to echo her every step.
The air smelled like cedar and smoke. Like him.
She hated that she noticed.
The oak doors were ahead massive, ancient, carved with the sigil of the Bloodfang Pack. They were heavy, but she could push them. She had to. Beyond them was the forest, freedom, the life she should have had before fate tied her to a man like Lorenzo.
Her fingers brushed the iron handle.
And then
"Going somewhere, little wolf?"
The voice wrapped around her like a chain.
Her blood turned to ice. Slowly, she turned toward the sound.
He was there.
Alpha Lorenzo.
Leaning lazily against the far wall as if he'd been waiting for her all along. Shadows clung to him, and yet his golden eyes gleamed through them ,bright, sharp, dangerous.
Elena's breath hitched. Her knees nearly gave way.
He looked devastatingly calm. Too calm. His black shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up, the faintest sheen of moonlight catching the muscles along his arms. He wasn't dressed for war, but every inch of him radiated Alpha.
"You think I wouldn't notice?" he said softly, pushing off the wall. His voice was velvet over steel. "Every heartbeat in this house answers to me. Did you really think you could slip away unnoticed?"
He took a slow step forward. Then another. Each one deliberate. Each one meant to make her remember who he was.
She took a step back, shaking her head, fingers trembling.
Her silence screamed louder than any words could.
Lorenzo stopped in front of her, towering and terrifying, yet heartbreakingly beautiful in a way that made her chest ache.
"You're afraid of me." His tone wasn't mocking. It was an observation, quiet and certain. "Good. Fear keeps you alive."
He reached out, brushing his knuckles against her cheek. The touch was almost tender, but she jerked away.
That hint of amusement in his golden eyes disappeared.
For a heartbeat, the air between them changed.
"You can run from my guards," he murmured, his voice low, dangerous, and intimate, "you can run from these walls… but you'll never run from me."
Elena's chest heaved. She wanted to scream I don't belong to you! But her throat betrayed her like always.
Her eyes blazed instead, full of defiance.
Lorenzo's lips curved just slightly. "Still fighting," he whispered, almost like it pleased him. "I should hate that. I don't."
He moved closer until the scent of him surrounded her. Cedar. Smoke. The faint spice of power. Her body betrayed her completely her pulse fluttered, her wolf whimpered in recognition, aching for the bond she refused to accept.
His breath brushed her ear when he spoke again.
"You're mine, Elena. You always will be."
Her knees weakened.
Before she could react, his arms were around her, lifting her easily as though she weighed nothing. She pushed at his chest, but he didn't budge. His grip was firm, but not cruel. Possessive. Certain.
He carried her back through the hall the portraits of the past Alphas seeming to watch as though approving of her defeat. The guards didn't dare look up when he passed.
When they reached her room, Lorenzo set her down on the bed with a carefulness that didn't match the power burning in his eyes.
He stood there for a long moment, studying her. The silence between them was so heavy she could almost hear her heartbeat against it.
Finally, he spoke.
"Try to run again," he said quietly, "and I won't just bring you back."
He leaned in slightly, his voice a whisper of danger and promise.
"I'll show you what it truly means to be the Alpha's mate."
The words sank into her skin like a brand.
Then he turned, his hand resting briefly on the doorframe before he left. The door shut behind him with a deep, final thud. The sound of the lock sliding into place echoed in her bones.
Elena sat motionless, her breath coming in ragged bursts.
The room felt smaller now, the air heavier. She pressed her hand to her chest, trying to calm the wild beating of her heart.
The scent of him lingered in the air.
The memory of his touch still burned on her skin.
Tears blurred her vision as she sank back onto the bed.
She'd thought she could escape him.
She'd been wrong.
Alpha Lorenzo didn't just control the pack.
He controlled her heartbeat.
Her wolf.
Her fate.
And no matter how much she wanted to hate him…
Somewhere deep inside, something darker whispered the truth
She didn't want to stop feeling him.
This time, there would be no escape.
Not from his house.
Not from his claim.
Not from him.
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