Falling for Her Ruthless Captor

Aria's Pov I had a life plan. It wasn't the best, nor was it particularly impressive, but it was simple : Wake up. Avoid my annoying stepmother. And exist in peace. Nowhere on that list did it say : “Get kidnapped by a rogue werewolf and discover he's your mate.” And yet, here I was — tied to a chair in a dark room in God-knows-where, with a giant, terrifying wolf standing in front of me. 7 hours ago, I wiped down the counter, beads of sweat forming on my forehead. “Go wash this in the back.” Lilian tossed a dusty rag on the counter and I nearly snapped. What the hell! She threw her blonde hair over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes. “Do you want to say something?” My face turned red, but I didn't dare say anything. I couldn't speak harsh words to the wife of my boss, Justin Holloway, owner of the Black Bear Tavern. “No,” I say, shaking my head. “Nothing.” “Good.” When she walked away, I slammed my fist on the counter and cursed. Let me tell you about my life. It. Is. Horrible. I know, I know. As the only daughter of the Alpha of the RedBlood Pack, I should have an easier, no, privileged life, right? Pampering, silk dresses, with suitors lining up at my expensive feet. No. That's not how this story goes. Instead, my life was a tragic soap opera where I played the role of the least favorite daughter. Father treats me like an inconvenience, My stepmother hates me and My half-brother — Don't even get me started on that walking disaster. The cherry on top is that I'm being forced into a political marriage with the Crescent Moon Pack's Alpha, a man famously known for treating women like they were disposable napkins. I tried to protest. Really, I did. “You should be grateful, Aria.” My stepmother, Maria, had said to me this morning. “Not many Alpha's will accept a weak little wolf like you.” She wasn't wrong. I was. I was pathetically weak for a werewolf. My wolf barely listened to me and I didn't have fighting skills. Let's just say a toddler could probably take me down. But still. “Maybe, I should just run away,” I grumbled, pulling back to reality. Across the room, my best friend, Alianna, walked to the counter. “Run away to where. You wouldn't even survive 5 minutes in the woods without getting lost.” I rolled my eyes. “Rude.” “True.” Well, she had a point. I had the survival skills of the spoiled house cat Lady Maria carries around. Running away would only mean me being eaten by a wild animal or worse, kidnapped and killed by a rogue. Alianna kissed her teeth and shook her head. “You need a break, honey?” “Yeah,” I nearly sob. Alianna is an angel. “Thank you.” I went to the back of the tavern, enjoying a destitute mug of warm milk and sweet bread. As I ate slowly, I couldn't help but feel eyes on me. As I stared at the red pair, I couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen. The thing is, something big was about to happen, and it was way worse than I could've imagined. 5 hours later, my fate was sealed. Literally. The wedding was happening in a week. And father, being the absolute ray of sunshine he was, ordered me to stay inside the packhouse to “prepare.” And me, being the obedient daughter that I was (ha), immediately snuck out. I wanted freedom. Needed freedom. There was no way I would give up my last moment of freedom before being chained to a man who referred to all women as “females.” I wasn't planning anything reckless, but I saw it as a walk in the woods so much better than getting my fate tied to a cruel man under the full moon. My escape was going great until — Rustle. I froze. The hairs on the back of my arms stood on their ends. Someone… Something was watching me. “Who… who's there?” I called out, my voice shaky. Silence spilled into the air. No answer. Not even a little whisper. I brushed it away. Maybe it was just a squirrel or the wind or — A massive, dark figure lunged from the shadows. I didn't even get the chance to scream before I was yanked into the darkness. ***** The first thing I realized when I came to was that my wrists were tied. The second thing was that my body hurt like hell. “Ouch.” I mumbled, blinking against the dim light. Where was I? I tried to sit up only to realize that my ankles were also tied. Oh. Oh no. Kidnapped. Have I been kidnapped? A very large, very scary-looking werewolf stood near the entrance of what looked like a tent. His large arms were crossed over his chest and his face was set in a scowl. He looked very … familiar. He stepped closer and … No. No, no. Heavens, no! This wasn't just any werewolf. This was HIM! Xavier BlackWood, Leader of the Rogues and the Alpha of the Blue Moon pack. No. Hell no. This man was a cold-blooded beast. A ruthless killer. The very enemy of literally everyone. And I was in his camp. “No.” I struggled against the ropes. “I have to get out of here.” Xavier just stared at me. “What are you doing?” “Trying to escape,” I said matter-of-factly. He stepped forward and my heart nearly stopped. Was he planning to ransom me? Torture me? Feed me to HIS wolves? Still, no reaction. Instead, he took a slow step forward. Something in the air shifted and then — A scent hit me like a brick wall. It was warm, addictive and oh-so-familiar. No way! There was no way. No freaking way. My heart nearly stopped for real. A rough hand grabbed my chin, lifting my gaze to meet his. His icy-blue eyes locked onto mine, intense and unreadable. And then, he said the words that ruined my life : “You're my mate.” Silence. Pure. Absolute. Silence.