Chapter Four
1258 Words
LYRA
I scoffed, finding my voice at last. "The word of a werewolf means nothing to me."
"Then judge me by my actions," he replied evenly. "Have I hurt you since I met you?"
I glanced down at my wrists, then back at him. "Not yet."
He nodded, as if this was a reasonable response. Silence stretched between us. I did not know what to expect next.
"Why is a human in a werewolf tribe?" he finally asked, his piercing gaze fixed on me.
The question caught me off guard. It was not what I expected him to say. His tone held genuine curiosity rather than disgust or anger.
I swallowed hard as my throat dried up. "If only your kind did not enjoy tearing mine away from our families and torturing us for fun," I replied with all the pent-up anger of twelve years. My hands trembled despite my efforts to appear strong. I curled them into fists to hide the shaking.
His face darkened at my words. A frown crossed his features, but he did not deny it or lash out in anger as Alpha Lucian or Nathan would have. His silence was more unsettling than any anger would have been.
"Were you trafficked to this pack?" he asked directly as his amber eyes studied my face.
I flinched at the bluntness of the question. I did not want to answer or give him any piece of my story. But there was no point in lying. He was my master now. I gave a small nod, and my gaze fell to my hands. My fingers were twisting the fabric of the dress. The memories flashed through my mind: being torn from my parents' arms, the dark van, the weeks of travel, the terror of seeing werewolves for the first time.
"How old were you?" His voice remained even and controlled.
"Six," I answered, the word barely audible. "I was six."
He was silent for another long moment. I could feel his eyes on me, and I shifted uncomfortably on the bed.
I started to pull down the strap of my dress when I realized there was nothing much to talk about again.
“What are you doing?” The Alpha asked.
“Doing what I came here to do.”
"I understand your fear. But you are not here for what you think."
"Then why am I here?" I demanded. "Alpha Lucian gave me to you. Everyone knows what happens to human girls who are 'gifted' to werewolves."
"I am not Alpha Lucian or his pack," Alpha Kael said, his voice hardening slightly at the mention of the other Alpha. "I accepted you as a gift to remove you from his pack, not to use you as they have."
I laughed bitterly. "Do you expect me to believe that? You are a werewolf. An Alpha. Why would you care about the fate of one human girl?"
He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. "That depends," he said. "Would you consider coming with me to my pack?”
I stared at him in disbelief, then let out a harsh laugh that held no humor. "Goods like me do not make choices, Alpha. We only obey,” I replied with biting sarcasm.
"You are not goods." His voice hardened, not with anger at me, but at something else. "You are a person."
"Not in this world." I gestured around us, blinking back my stinging tears. "Not in your world." I touched my neck reflexively, remembering the ointment he had given me. The cut was already healing, faster than my wounds usually did.
"Why did you help me?" I asked the question that had been plaguing me since our first encounter. “Why are you being nice to me?”
He seemed to consider his words carefully. "You reminded me of someone... someone I lost."
I did not know how to respond to that. One act of kindness, then another; it did not fit with twelve years of learned experience.
"Who?" I finally asked, hating the vulnerability in my voice.
"My younger sister. She disappeared when she was a child."
My eyes widened and my jaw almost hit the floor. The personal admission surprised me. Werewolves did not share vulnerabilities with humans, especially not Alphas.
"What happened to her?" I asked before I could stop myself.
"We do not know." His face remained devoid of any emotions." She vanished twelve years ago. We searched everywhere, but..."
Twelve years. The same amount of time I had been here. The coincidence was not lost on me.
"That is why I am helping you," he continued. "And why I am asking if you will come to Silverfang with me."
I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes at him. "And why should I believe Silverfang is any different from Shadowmoon?"
"Because we do not traffic humans." His voice was firm. "We do not keep slaves. The staff in our pack are employees. They are paid. They have homes of their own."
The words sounded too good to be true. I studied his face, searching for signs of deception. His expression remained open, his amber eyes steady on mine. Either he was telling the truth, or he was the most skilled liar I had ever encountered.
"I do not trust you," I said bluntly.
He nodded. "I would be concerned if you did, given what you have experienced. Trust must be earned."
Then, he stood slowly as if not to startle me. His tall frame once again dominated the room as he walked to the door. "I will give you the night to consider. I leave at dawn, with or without you." He paused with his hand on the handle. "The choice is yours."
The door closed behind him softly. But the lock was not turned. He had left it unlocked.
Freedom called. Since Alpha Lucian had already given me away, I could run from Alpha Kael. But where would I go? I had no money, identification, or resources. How far would I get before being captured and brought back? Or worse, found by rogue wolves who would do far worse than the Shadowmoon Pack had?
My mind raced through possibilities. Alpha Kael could be lying. This could all be a way to lure me into a false sense of security before revealing his true intentions. But why go to such lengths? He already owned me now, according to Alpha Lucian's gift. He could do whatever he wanted without the pretense.
Or maybe, he was telling the truth.
What did I have to lose? My life in the Shadowmoon Pack was a daily nightmare. Nathan would not stop his assault; he had made that clear. It was only a matter of time before he succeeded, no matter how much I fought back. If Alpha Kael was lying and Silverfang was just as bad, I would be no worse off than I was now. And if he was telling the truth...
I drew my knees up to my chest, thinking. When it seemed he was gone for too long, I shifted and sat at the edge of the bed. I stood when the door opened again. Alpha Kael appeared again. His eyes found mine, questioning.
"What could be worse than this place?" I asked, more to myself than to him. "I will go with you."
He studied me for a moment, then gave a curt nod. "We leave at dawn. Pack whatever you need,” he stated. “Now, leave my room.”
- Writer
