A Cage of Power
898 Words
I didn’t sleep.
Even when exhaustion dragged at my body… even when my eyes burned from staying open too long… sleep refused to come.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it again.
Kael’s face.
Cold. Unfeeling.
“I, Alpha Kael… reject you.”
My chest tightened.
The pain wasn’t as sharp as before,but it hadn’t disappeared.
It lingered.
Like something broken that would never fully heal.
And then there was… this.
That pull.
That unnatural, overwhelming connection I could still feel, even now.
It was faint,but constant.
Like a thread tied somewhere deep inside me.
Leading straight to him.
I sat up slowly, pressing a hand to my chest.
“This isn’t real…” I whispered.
It couldn’t be.
I had already found my mate.
Even if he rejected me…
That didn’t mean
The door opened.
I froze.
Two women stepped inside, both dressed in dark, fitted clothing that marked them as members of this pack.
Their eyes landed on me instantly.
Assessing.
Judging.
“So it’s true,” one of them said, crossing her arms. “He really brought her back.”
“Why?” the other muttered, frowning. “She doesn’t look like anything special.”
I said nothing.
Did nothing.
I had learned that lesson already.
The first woman stepped closer, her gaze sharp.
“Get up.”
I hesitated.
Just for a second.
Her expression hardened.
“I don’t like repeating myself.”
Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the way my body protested.
Every movement reminded me that I wasn’t safe here.
That I didn’t belong.
“Follow us,” she said, turning without waiting to see if I would obey.
I did.
Because right now… I had no choice.
The moment I stepped outside, I realized just how wrong I had been.
This wasn’t just a pack.
It was a fortress.
High stone walls surrounded the entire territory, guards stationed at every visible point. The air felt different here,heavier, sharper, stronger.
This place didn’t just exist.
It dominated.
“Where… am I?” I asked quietly before I could stop myself.
The second woman glanced at me, something like amusement flickering in her eyes.
“You really don’t know?”
I shook my head.
She let out a short laugh.
“Then you’re worse off than we thought.”
The first woman stopped walking abruptly, turning to face me.
“You’re in the territory of Alpha Darius.”
The name hit me instantly.
My stomach dropped.
No.
No, that wasn’t possible.
Alpha Darius.
The most feared Alpha on this side of the continent.
Ruthless,strategic,unforgiving.
The one even Kael avoided provoking.
And now…
I was here.
A cold wave of realization washed over me.
This wasn't an escape.
It was something worse.
“We’ve been instructed to prepare you,” the first woman continued.
My brows pulled together.
“Prepare me… for what?”
They exchanged a glance.
“For your presentation.”
Confusion flickered through me.
“Presentation?”
Neither of them answered.
Instead, they led me into a large stone building, guiding me through narrow hallways until we reached a room filled with clothing, mirrors, and unfamiliar scents.
I stopped at the doorway.
“I’m not staying here.”
The words came out before I could stop them.Weak,but real.
The first woman turned slowly.
And smiled.
Not kindly.
“You think this is a choice?”
Before I could react, she grabbed my arm tight enough to make me wince, and pulled me inside.
“Listen carefully,” she said, her voice dropping low. “You are only here because he allowed it.”
My heart pounded.
“If he changes his mind,” she continued, her grip tightening slightly, “you won’t leave this place alive.”
Silence.
Then she let go.
“Now,” she said flatly, “get dressed.”
They moved around me quickly, pulling out clothing far more elegant than anything I had ever worn.
Dark fabric. Rich. Heavy.
Intimidating.
I stared at it.
Then at them.
“I won’t do this.”
The room went still.
The second woman laughed softly.
“Stubborn,” she said. “That won’t last long.”
I lifted my chin slightly.
“It doesn’t matter what he says. I’m not his.”
The words felt stronger than I expected.
Like a last piece of myself refusing to break.
The first woman stepped closer again.
But this time… she didn’t grab me.
She leaned in slightly.
And whispered
“You still don’t understand, do you?”
A pause.
“People don’t refuse Alpha Darius.”
Something in her tone made my stomach twist.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Certainty.
She stepped back, gesturing to the clothes again.
“Dress yourself,” she said. “Or we’ll do it for you.”
The threat was clear.
My hands clenched at my sides.
Every instinct screamed at me to fight.
To resist.
To run.
But I had already tried running.
And look where it got me.
Slowly… reluctantly…
I reached for the dress.
Not because I accepted this.
Not because I was giving in.
But because I needed time.
To think.
To understand.
To survive.
As the fabric slid over my skin, that pull returned again.
Stronger this time.
More insistent.
I froze.
He was near.
I could feel it.
And somehow…
That terrified me more than anything else.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD