CHAPTER 3 Taken by the Alpha
733 Words
Ariel had never run so fast in her life.
She didn’t care who he was. Alpha, monster, prophecy, whatever. She wanted distance. Her legs flew over roots and fallen branches as she sprinted through the forest, lungs burning, heartbeat thundering in her ears.
But it didn’t matter.
He caught her in seconds.
One moment she was running.
The next, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her off the ground like she weighed nothing.
“Stop fighting,” he growled against her ear.
“Put me down!” she shouted, kicking wildly.
He did put her down, but only when he pinned her gently against a tree, both hands braced on either side of her head. His face was close enough that she could feel the heat of his breath.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, voice low and rough. “I’m trying to keep you alive.”
Ariel glared at him. “Then let me go home!”
“I can’t.” His jaw tightened. “If any wolf gets your scent now, you won’t make it to the village. They’ll know you touched me. They’ll know the prophecy is awake.”
“Why do you care?” she shot back. “You don’t even know me.”
His eyes softened for a split second, like her words reached somewhere he didn’t want touched.
“I don’t need to know you. I owe you a debt. You saved my life.”
She looked away, frustration building in her chest. “I didn’t save you so you could kidnap me.”
His voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m trying to protect you from myself.”
That made her freeze.
“What does that mean?” she whispered.
Kael stepped back, raking a hand through his dark hair like he was trying to pull out his own thoughts.
“When the prophecy connects us, it changes things inside me. My wolf reacts. My instincts sharpen. I feel drawn to you even when I don’t want to. And if fate decides the only way to break the prophecy is through your death…”
He looked at her with eyes full of a pain she didn’t understand.
“My wolf will turn on you. Against my will.”
Ariel swallowed. Hard.
“So your plan is to keep me prisoner? Control me like an object?”
His expression darkened. “You’re not a prisoner. But you’re not safe out here either.”
Before she could argue again, a howl echoed through the forest. Not a peaceful one. A hungry one.
Ariel flinched. “What was that?”
“Rogues,” Kael said, stepping in front of her. “They smell my blood.”
Another howl. Closer.
He grabbed her hand without warning.
“Come with me,” he said. “Please.”
That one word changed something.
Not an order.
A plea.
Ariel hesitated only a moment before nodding.
Kael took off running, pulling her along, moving with impossible speed. He didn’t even look back at the danger behind them. His focus was entirely on getting her away.
They broke through the trees into a clearing she’d never seen. A tall stone wall rose ahead, ancient and covered in vines. Behind it, rooftops, towers, and glowing lanterns flickered.
A hidden settlement.
A pack territory.
Kael placed one hand on a stone seal and the gate creaked open like it recognized him.
“Welcome to Bloodmoon,” he said.
Ariel stepped inside, breath catching at the sight of glowing eyes staring at her from the shadows. Wolves. Dozens of them. Watching. Judging.
Some shifted into human form, murmuring among themselves as she walked past.
“That’s her.”
“The human girl.”
“The cursed one.”
Ariel’s hands trembled.
Kael moved closer, shoulders tense. “Ignore them. They won’t touch you as long as I’m here.”
She looked at him, searching his face. “Why are they so afraid of me?”
He met her eyes, golden and intense. “Because they think you’re meant to be my death.”
Ariel’s stomach twisted.
“And what do you think?” she asked quietly.
Kael looked away, jaw flexing. “I don’t know yet.”
But the way he said it…
It didn’t sound like fear.
It sounded like something more complicated.
Something he wasn’t ready to admit.
- Writer
