CHAPTER 8
1422 Words
L E I L A N I
I stared at him, my mind about to explode. "Your territory? You're taking me to your home? So you can what? Lock me in a cage? Force me to have your baby? Keep me as your personal slave?"
"I'm not going to lock you in a cage," he said, a muscle feathering in his jaw. "You're my mate."
The word hung in the air between us, heavy and suffocating.
"I am not your mate," I said, my voice shaking with fury. "I don't want to be your mate. I want to be free! Don't you get it? I want to be left alone."
"You are free," he said, his tone so calm it was infuriating. "You're free to roam my lands. You're free to eat my food. You're free to live in my house. But you are not free to leave. And you are definitely not free to kill my child."
"Your child? It's my child too! And I don't want it! I won't be a prisoner, and I won't be a mother! I'd rather die!" I screamed, my words echoing in the confines of the car.
"You'd rather die?" he asked, turning to look at me. His amber eyes glowed in the dim light of the dashboard, and for a second, I saw the wolf inside him, a wild, untamable beast.
I held his gaze, refusing to back down. "Yes," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "I would rather die."
He looked away, his attention back on the road. "Well, you're not going to get your wish," he said, his voice cold as ice. "You're going to live, Leilani. And you're going to have my pup. And you're going to learn to accept it."
"I'll never accept it," I said, my voice trembling with rage. "I'll never accept you."
"We'll see about that," he said, a smug confidence in his tone that made me want to slap him.
I was trapped. Again. And this time, there was no escape. He was an Alpha, a powerful werewolf with a pack and a territory. He had resources, connections, and a strength I couldn't even begin to comprehend. I was just a human. A fragile, broken human with a target on her back.
The car slowed down, and I saw a large, iron gate looming in the distance. We were here.
The gate swung open as we approached, and we drove through, entering a sprawling estate nestled in the heart of the forest. It was beautiful, a paradise in the middle of nowhere. But it was a cage. A gilded, beautiful cage.
He parked the car in front of a massive, modern looking lodge, the kind I'd only seen in magazines. It was all glass and steel. It was very obvious that he was rich. Madly rich. Barron’s pack couldn’t even come close. No wonder he was feared my all Alphas including Barron. He is the first person that was able to bring genuine fear to Barron’s eyes.
"Get out," he commanded, turning off the engine.
I stayed where I was, my arms crossed over my chest in a defiant gesture.
He sighed, a long suffering sound that grated on my nerves. "Leilani, don't make this harder than it has to be."
"You've made my life a living hell," I shot back, my voice shaking with suppressed anger. "You think you can just kidnap me, force me to have your baby, and I'll just... what? Thank you?"
"I didn't force you to do anything," he said, his voice dangerously low. "You came to my bed willingly."
"I was a slave! I had no choice!" I screamed, tears of rage and frustration finally breaking free. "You bought me! Like a piece of meat! And now you're acting like you're some kind of hero. You're not a hero. You're a monster. Just like all the others."
He was out of the car and opening my door before I could even register his movement. He loomed over me, his massive frame blocking out the moonlight.
"I am not like the others," he growled, his amber eyes flashing with an intensity that made my breath catch. "I am so much worse of you test me. And you will learn that."
He grabbed my arm, pulling me out of the car. I stumbled, my legs still weak from everything I'd been through.
"Let go of me," I seethed, trying to pull away.
His grip tightened, a silent warning that I was pushing my luck. He practically dragged me towards the house, my feet barely touching the ground.
The front door opened as we approached, and a tall, slender woman with long, silver hair and kind, violet eyes stood in the doorway. She was dressed in a simple, white dress, and she exuded an aura of calm and serenity.
"Fenrir," she said, her voice a soft, melodic sound. "You're back." Her gaze fell on me, and her eyes widened slightly. "And you've brought a guest."
"She's not a guest, Lyra," Fenrir said, his tone curt. "She's my mate. And she's carrying my pup."
The woman, Lyra, looked from Fenrir to me, her expression unreadable. Then, a slow smile spread across her face. "Congratulations," she said, her voice genuine. "This is... unexpected."
"f*****g unexpected for me too," I muttered under my breath.
Lyra's smile widened. "I like her," she said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "She's got fire. A redhead too."
"She's trouble," Fenrir grumbled, shoving me gently towards Lyra. "Take care of her. Get her something to eat and a room. I have business to attend to."
"You're leaving?" I asked, a strange mix of relief and panic washing over me.
"I have a pack to run, Leilani. I can't babysit you 24/7," he said, his tone impatient. "Lyra will take care of you. And don't even think about trying to escape. You won't get far."
With that, he turned and strode away, disappearing into the darkness of the night.
I stood there, staring after him, my mind a chaotic mess.
"Come," Lyra said, her voice gentle. "Let's get you settled in."
She led me into the house, and my jaw dropped. The inside was even more impressive than the outside. It was a open space with high ceilings, polished concrete floors, and floor to ceiling windows that offered a breathtaking view of the forest.
The furniture was modern and minimalist, but it was the little touches that made the house feel like a home. A vase of fresh flowers on the coffee table, a stack of books on the side table, a cozy throw blanket draped over the back of the sofa.
It was beautiful.
It was perfect.
And it was my prison.
"I'll show you to your room," Lyra said, leading me up a sweeping staircase. "And then I'll get you some food. You must be starving."
She led me down a long hallway and stopped in front of a door. She opened it, and I found myself in a large, airy bedroom with a king sized bed, a private balcony, and an en-suite bathroom.
"This is your room," she said, a warm smile on her face. "I hope you like it."
"I don’t want to be here. I don’t want any of this," I said, my voice barely a whisper.
"I know," she said, her sympathy genuine. "But I hope you learn to. This will be your home now."
She turned and left, closing the door softly behind her.
I walked over to the balcony, my bare feet sinking into the plush carpet. I pushed open the glass doors and stepped outside, the cool night air a welcome relief.
The forest stretched out before me, a dark expanse of trees and mountains.
I was trapped.
I was a prisoner in a beautiful cage, and there was no escape.
But as I stood there, a strange sense of calm washed over me.
I was pregnant.
I was carrying a monster's child.
And I was going to have to learn to live with it.
Whether I liked it or not.
Could I really live with that? Could I look into my child's eyes and not see the father? Not see the monster who had forced this life upon me?
I didn't know.
But I knew one thing.
I was not going to give up.
I was going to fight.
I was going to find a way out of this.
And when I did, I was going to make them all pay.
- Writer
