CHAPTER ONE
Taken Alive
PART ONE
Nyra Ashcroft woke to the sound of screaming.
It was not her scream.
It came from somewhere down the hall, sharp and cut short, followed by a gunshot that rattled the walls of the estate.
Nyra was already moving before the second scream died.
She rolled out of bed, bare feet hitting the floor as another shot rang out. The lights flickered once, then went out completely.
Power was gone.
That meant only one thing.
They had breached the outer gates.
She reached for the drawer beneath her bed, fingers closing around cold steel. A pistol. She had never fired it at a living thing before, but tonight would not offer mercy.
Footsteps thundered closer. Heavy. Too fast. Not human.
Nyra backed toward the window just as the door exploded inward.
Wood splintered across the room. Men flooded inside dressed in black, faces hard, eyes glowing gold and silver in the dark.
Wolves.
Her chest tightened.
One lunged for her.
Nyra fired.
The shot hit his shoulder. He barely staggered.
The wolf laughed as he slammed her against the wall, his hand closing around her throat. Her head struck stone. Pain burst through her skull.
She kicked. She clawed. She refused to go quiet.
"She bites," he said calmly. "The Alpha will want her intact."
The pressure on her throat vanished suddenly.
The wolf was yanked away with violent force and hurled across the room. His body smashed into the wall hard enough to crack stone. He did not rise.
Silence fell instantly.
Nyra slid down the wall, gasping, lungs burning as she struggled to breathe.
Slow footsteps entered the room.
Each one felt measured. Controlled. Certain.
She lifted her head.
He stood in the doorway like the end of the world.
Tall. Broad shouldered. Dressed in black soaked with fresh blood that did not belong to him. His presence filled the room, crushing the air until even the wolves behind him stepped back instinctively.
Silver eyes locked onto hers.
Cold. Assessing. Unmoved.
The Alpha.
Nyra forced herself to stand, even as her vision swam. "Get out of my house."
One corner of his mouth lifted faintly.
"Your house burned the moment your father betrayed us."
Her pulse hammered. "My father is dead."
"So I heard," he replied calmly. "That does not erase his debt."
She tightened her grip on the gun. "You are not leaving with me."
He took one step closer.
Nyra fired again.
The bullet struck his chest.
He did not fall.
He did not even flinch.
His gaze dropped briefly to the bullet lodged uselessly against his body, then lifted back to her face.
Disbelief froze her blood.
He crossed the room in two strides and seized her wrist, crushing bone against bone until the gun fell from her hand.
Pain ripped a cry from her throat.
"You should have aimed for the eyes," he said quietly.
She spat at him.
He did not react.
"You killed my people," she hissed.
"Yes."
The word was flat.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
"You."
Her stomach dropped.
"For what?" she whispered.
He leaned closer, his voice low enough that only she could hear.
"To remind every territory what happens when wolves are challenged."
Her breath caught. "I am not your lesson."
"You are exactly my lesson."
He lifted her without effort and threw her over his shoulder. The world spun violently as she pounded against his back.
"Put me down!"
"Quiet."
The command was soft.
Her body obeyed before her mind could.
That terrified her.
They moved through corridors filled with smoke and blood. Bodies lay broken along the floors. Nyra refused to look at their faces.
Cold night air hit her as engines roared outside.
He shoved her into the back seat of a black SUV and climbed in after her. The doors locked immediately.
She pressed herself against the door, chest heaving.
"My family will come," she said. "You cannot keep me."
A slow smile touched his lips.
"I want them to try."
The car surged forward, swallowing the estate behind them.
Nyra stared at the forest rushing past the window, dread settling deep in her bones.
She was not being kidnapped.
She was being claimed.
And the Alpha who took her had no intention of letting her leave alive.
Nyra Ashcroft realized she had stopped shaking only when the gates closed behind them.
The sound was final. Heavy iron slamming shut with a deep echo that vibrated through the vehicle and into her bones.
This was not a place people escaped from.
The SUV rolled forward into a massive stone compound carved directly into the mountainside. Torches burned along the walls instead of lights, their flames steady, controlled, deliberate. Wolves lined the path on both sides, dozens of them, silent and watching as if they had been waiting.
Nyra lifted her chin despite the knot tightening in her chest.
She refused to look small.
The Alpha opened his door and stepped out without a word. Cold air rushed in as he reached across and yanked her toward him. She stumbled out of the car, nearly falling when her legs hit the ground.
Hands caught her arms.
Not his.
Two wolves restrained her from behind, gripping tight enough to bruise.
"Let go," she snapped.
They did not react.
The Alpha turned slowly, silver eyes sweeping over her.
"She walks," he said.
The hands loosened but did not disappear.
Nyra straightened her spine and took a step forward.
The wolves parted as the Alpha led her through the courtyard. Whispers followed her. Not spoken aloud, but heavy in the air.
Human.
Hostage.
Blood debt.
They entered the fortress through massive doors that slammed shut behind them.
The interior was worse than the outside.
Stone walls rose high overhead, carved with symbols she did not recognize. Firelight cast long shadows that twisted across the floor. The smell of iron and smoke lingered thick in the air.
A throne sat at the far end of the hall.
Not ceremonial.
Used.
The Alpha ascended the steps without looking back and sat.
Only then did Nyra understand what he was doing.
He wanted them to see her.
"Bring her forward," he ordered.
The wolves shoved her toward the center of the hall.
Nyra stumbled but stayed upright.
The Alpha leaned forward, forearms resting on his knees. His gaze pinned her in place.
"State your name."
She hesitated.
"Nyra Ashcroft."
The murmurs grew louder.
Ashcroft.
Recognition rippled through the pack.
The Alpha nodded once. "Daughter of the man who armed humans against us."
"I am not my father," she said sharply.
The Alpha's expression did not change. "You carry his blood."
A wolf stepped forward from the shadows. Older. Scarred. Power radiated from him.
"Alpha," the man said. "The pack will demand punishment."
"They will receive it."
The Alpha stood.
Nyra's heart thudded hard as he descended the steps and stopped inches from her.
"You will kneel," he said.
The words were not loud.
They did not need to be.
"No," she replied immediately.
Silence slammed down over the hall.
The Alpha tilted his head slightly. "You misunderstand. This is not a request."
"I will not kneel to you."
A muscle in his jaw tightened.
In the next second, his hand closed around the back of her neck and forced her downward. Pain exploded as her knees hit stone.
She gasped, palms scraping the floor as he kept her there.
"Look at them," he commanded.
Nyra lifted her head despite the pressure.
Dozens of wolves stared back at her. Cold. Curious. Hungry.
"This is what defiance earns," the Alpha said calmly. "Here, even pride bends."
Her teeth clenched. "You are afraid of me standing."
Something dangerous flickered in his eyes.
He released her abruptly.
Nyra sucked in air as she pushed herself upright.
"Take her to the lower wing," he ordered. "Chains. Food twice a day. No visitors."
She looked at him. "You think chains make you powerful."
He leaned close, his voice low enough that only she could hear.
"No," he said. "They make you aware of who owns the key."
Guards seized her arms and dragged her away.
She did not look back.
The lower wing was colder. Darker. Narrow halls with no windows. Her cell was stone, empty except for a bed bolted to the floor and iron chains fixed to the wall.
They shackled her wrists high, forcing her to stand on her toes.
Pain screamed through her shoulders.
The guards left without a word.
Nyra tested the chains. Solid. Unmoving.
Hours passed. Or minutes. Time blurred.
The door opened.
She lifted her head, ready to fight again.
It was him.
The Alpha entered alone, closing the door behind him.
"You staged that," she said hoarsely. "You wanted them to see me kneel."
"Yes."
"You humiliated me."
"You challenged me."
He stopped in front of her, studying her with unsettling focus.
"You did not cry," he noted. "Most do."
"Disappointing?" she asked bitterly.
"No," he said. "Interesting."
He reached up and unlocked one of the cuffs. Her arm dropped painfully.
Her breath hitched.
"Do not mistake this for mercy," he said. "You are here because I want you conscious."
"For what?" she demanded.
His fingers brushed her wrist, testing the pulse there.
"To learn," he said quietly, "how long you can endure before you beg."
Her chest tightened.
"I will never beg you."
A slow smile curved his lips.
"We will see."
He turned and left, locking the door behind him.
Nyra sagged against the wall, breath shaking as the weight of his words settled over her.
She was not here to be ransomed.
She was here to be broken.
And the Alpha had already decided she would not leave the same woman he took.