The Alpha's Christmas Captive

The champagne tasted like lies. Riley Cameron forced another smile as her bridesmaids squealed around her, their voices sharp and artificial in the grand ballroom of the Royal Winter Lodge. Crystal chandeliers threw dancing light across designer gowns that cost more than most wolves earned in a year. Everything sparkled—the decorations, the jewelry, the fake happiness. "To the bride!" someone shrieked. Riley lifted her glass, the weight of it suddenly unbearable. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, snow fell soft and silent, blanketing the forest beyond. She wanted to be out there. Anywhere but here. "You look stunning!" A blonde bridesmaid—Jessica? Jennifer?—grabbed her arm. "Ethan Stone is so lucky!" Lucky. Riley's stomach twisted. She excused herself, weaving through the crowd of women who didn't really know her. They knew her father's name. His power. His money. They knew the designer labels she wore and the palace she lived in. But they didn't know that she lay awake at night, staring at the ceiling, feeling like she was drowning. The bathroom was mercifully empty. Riley gripped the marble sink, staring at her reflection. Twenty-two years old, wearing a dress that cost more than a car, with perfect makeup highlighting features people called beautiful. She looked like a bride-to-be. She looked like a stranger. The door opened. Madison slipped inside, closing it behind her. Riley's lady-in-waiting—her only real friend—leaned against the door, her dark eyes concerned. "You okay?" Riley laughed, but it came out wrong. "I'm getting married in seven days." "That's not what I asked." The silence stretched between them. Outside, someone cranked up the music. More squealing. "Do you love him?" Madison asked quietly. Riley's hands trembled. She gripped the sink harder. "Does it matter?" "Riley—" "It's my duty." The words tasted like ash. "Father arranged this marriage. Ethan's pack is powerful. It's good for our alliance. Good for—" "But do you love him?" "No." The word hung in the air, sharp and final. Riley's chest tightened. She'd never said it out loud before. Not even to herself. Madison moved closer. "Then don't marry him." "I have to." "You don't—" "You don't understand." Riley's voice cracked. "Father expects this. The pack expects this. Ethan is perfect on paper. Handsome. Wealthy. From a good bloodline." She swallowed hard. "It doesn't matter that he's cold. That he controls everything I do. That when he looks at me, I feel... nothing." Madison touched her shoulder. "Riley..." "I'm fine." Riley straightened, smoothing her dress. Rebuilding the mask. "I'm fine. Let's go back." She made it through another hour. More champagne. More fake smiles. More congratulations for a wedding that felt like a funeral. When she couldn't breathe anymore, Riley slipped through the side doors onto the balcony. The cold air hit her like salvation. She gulped it down, gripping the railing. Snow swirled around her bare shoulders, but she didn't care. Out here, away from the noise and the lies, she could almost think. The forest stretched before her, dark and wild. Free. Then she saw him. At the tree line, barely visible in the shadows—a wolf. Massive. Silver-furred. Standing completely still. Riley's breath caught. Their eyes met. Even from this distance, she could see them—silver, glowing, intense. They pinned her in place. Her heart slammed against her ribs. Heat flooded through her body, sudden and overwhelming. Every nerve ending sparked to life. The wolf didn't move. Didn't look away. Neither did Riley. Something electric passed between them. Something impossible. Her wolf stirred inside her, rising to the surface for the first time in months. Since Ethan had entered her life, her wolf had gone dormant, buried under duty and obligation. Now she surged forward, pressing against Riley's skin, desperate to— The wolf vanished. Riley blinked. The tree line was empty. Just shadows and snow. Had she imagined it? Her hands shook. Her whole body trembled. What was that? "Riley!" Madison's voice came from inside. "They're bringing out the cake!" Riley turned toward the door, her mind spinning. She glanced back at the forest once more. Nothing. She stepped inside. The ballroom seemed too bright now. Too loud. Everything felt wrong. Her skin prickled with awareness. She couldn't shake the feeling of those silver eyes, the way they'd looked at her like— Like they knew her. "Here she is!" Jessica-or-Jennifer grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the center of the room where an enormous cake waited. "Speech time!" Riley opened her mouth. The words stuck in her throat. The room tilted slightly. No. Not tilted. Spinning. Riley blinked hard. The faces around her blurred. Her tongue felt thick. Heavy. "Riley?" Madison's voice sounded far away. The champagne. Something was wrong with the champagne. Her knees buckled. Strong hands caught her—but not Madison's. These hands were rougher. Unfamiliar. "She's had too much to drink," a voice said. Male. One of the staff members. "Let's get her to her room." "I'll help—" Madison started. "We've got her. You stay with the guests." Riley tried to speak, to tell Madison something was wrong, but her mouth wouldn't work. The world spun faster. Darkness crept in at the edges of her vision. She felt herself being carried. Heard a door open. Cold air again—but different. Outside. Not to her room. Outside. Panic flared through the fog in her mind, but her body wouldn't respond. She couldn't fight. Couldn't scream. An engine rumbled. She was placed on a seat. Leather. A vehicle. "Go," someone said. "Now." The vehicle lurched forward. Through the drugged haze, Riley fought to stay conscious. To understand. This wasn't real. This couldn't be— Kidnapped. She was being kidn*pped. From her own bachelorette party. The last thing she saw before darkness claimed her was the Royal Winter Lodge disappearing into the distance, its lights swallowed by the storm. And the last thing she felt, burning through the fear and the drugs and the confusion— Was the memory of silver eyes watching from the forest. Claiming her.