The Shadows Of Crescent Bay

Captive's Dilemma

Vienna’s heart raced, her body trembling as his voice sliced through the air with a commanding presence that sent shivers down her spine.

In her gut, she had braced herself for this, knowing that what had gone down so far was just the start of a waking nightmare she couldn’t wiggle out of.

“Why’d you do that?” The question hung there, heavy and suffocating. It wasn’t just a question, but a demand, laced with a clear warning that sent a chill running down her spine.

“I…I…Axton!”

Her mind raced, hunting for the right words. Saying sorry felt like a lost cause, maybe even pointless in this charged moment. Vienna knew she had to pick her words carefully.

Deep in her soul, she could feel the storm brewing, and it scared the hell out of her. This wasn’t your everyday Alpha scolding his Luna for a daring escape. No, with Axton, it was something deeper, something hidden in shadows and secrets.

She couldn’t shake the knowledge that, in the new supernatural order, humans were often seen as troublemakers. They didn’t experience the same jolt of sensation when meeting their soulmates. They didn’t feel the same binding connection. Vienna’s outburst had been far from ordinary, and in Axton's eyes, it held a significant weight.

This wasn’t just about dominance; it was a revelation of something more intricate, something darker. In this charged moment, Vienna knew her path was about to take a dive into unfamiliar territory, a route she couldn’t dodge, no matter how badly she wished she could.

The words that came after were a stark reminder of her dicey situation. “When I talk to you, I expect answers, Luna! Let’s start again. Why did you run away when I made it damn clear there's no other home for you except with me?”

Axton leaned in, almost brushing his lips against hers. The heat spiked, sending his wolf into a seductive frenzy. He almost growled in temptation, catching himself just in time to finish what he'd started.

Primal instincts were at play, maybe he needed to shelve them until they were on the same page—or at least until he made himself clear and Vienna understood him.

“Or maybe you’re pushing me to prove something.” Reluctantly, he pulled back, keeping enough distance to safeguard his resolve.

‘Don’t get any closer to her. No! She’s lethal!’ He reminded himself, putting space between them.

“Prove… Prove?” Her trembling whisper did something to him, something that words couldn't quite capture. And just like that, Axton knew he wasn’t meant to hear it.

“Yeah! Maybe you want me to show you my capabilities!”

‘What the hell? It sounded more meaningful in my head!’ He nearly face-palmed. He didn’t mean those capabilities. He was trying to assert his power over her existence.

It was meant to be a statement, a declaration that echoed through the room. To an outsider, it might have sounded like the routine scolding of a Luna, but Vienna knew better. There was a chilling undercurrent of possessiveness in his tone, a blunt reminder of the power he held over her—physically and otherwise.

The threat was loud and clear!

“Maybe… just maybe, you don’t care about Duke Brook or his wife Riya or their little Cheery! I was wondering if his journey from the News Station and back is safe each night. Road accidents are so common nowadays.”

“Axton!” She gasped, making blood rush to his southern region.

‘Stop thinking with your libido for once, Axton! This is serious.’ This time, he couldn’t contain the growl. Her pleading tone was getting to him, and he couldn’t hide it any longer.

She was his mate. She might be human, but he'd waited freaking thirty years for her.

It had already been a month since he'd recognized her, and talking should be the last thing they were doing.

‘Claim her!’ His wolf demanded, but he jabbed him back to his place.

She was too terrified to surrender, and he wouldn’t touch her strands until she was completely into him.

Axton knew he wasn’t a saint, but he could try resisting for now. He might be a tough Alpha for the world, but he had a conscience to keep and a Moon Goddess to answer to.

“Don’t Axton me!”... at least not so sensually!

“I was just thinking about the odds!” He finished, somehow checking himself just in time before he gave away too much of his desperation.

“Do you take me for a fool? You think I won’t understand? Fine! You win! DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! I AM NOT MOVING AN INCH FROM HERE. I’M ALL YOURS. HAPPY? Just keep my family out of it! Duke, Riya, Cherry, Mom, Dad… no one has anything to do with me being your mate.”

Vienna’s world had been upended, leaving her reeling in a whirlwind of fear and shame. The sanctuary of her homeland had been replaced by the cold, imposing walls of Axton’s mansion overlooking Crescent Bay.

In his eyes, she saw not a person, but a conquest, a possession to be claimed. Her own reflection had become a cruel reminder of her shattered confidence. She couldn't bear to meet her own gaze, for fear of seeing the reflection of defeat. The icy depths of Axton’s eyes bore into her, a constant reminder that she was no longer free, that she was his whether she liked it or not. Whether she wanted it or not!

Her mind was a battleground of self-recrimination. How had she allowed this to happen? Why hadn't she fought back, screaming for help? The voice within her berated her for her perceived weakness, urging her to have some dignity and face the consequences. It was a brutal internal struggle that threatened to consume her.

Meanwhile, Axton, the orchestrator of her captivity, grappled with his own conflicting emotions. The demanding tone he had wielded earlier had softened, replaced by a storm of unfamiliar feelings. He reached out to wipe away her tears, only to be met with her desperate retreat.

‘I ain’t a monster!’ He wanted to yell at her.

Vienna’s physical restraints were a cruel reminder of how he had to do it. Handcuffs bound her wrists, ropes secured her legs, and the faint trace of the gag silenced her protests. Her once defiant spirit now seemed distant, replaced by a trembling vulnerability.

Axton retreated to the wall-sized window, seeking solace in the cool night air. His heart battled with his duty, whispering that Vienna was his mate, that he had a right to feel this turmoil.

“You know, it's not my hobby to mess with people. They're my people too. You kinda brought it on yourself. You pushed me!” He said in a hushed tone after a beat. “Your stubbornness, Vienna. You're really trying to go against the flow, aren't you? It's like you're trying to break the universe's rules.”

“You aren’t my destiny. I didn’t choose you!” Vienna yelled.

As vulnerable and helpless as she was, she, however, was not one to be underestimated. She carried a strength that emanated from the very soul of the universe. She had defied expectations before. So why did she now feel like a helpless captive, yearning for sympathy from those who saw her as less human?

Yet now she sits, in the confines of his room, upright, her gaze fixed on the distant moon, a silent witness to her inner turmoil. The winter breeze played a haunting tune, the window frames creaking in rhythm with her racing thoughts.

He had shown her that she was not even worth fighting for, that it was a child's game for him to have her. He had made her sustain his power, upon which she had made snarling remarks in the past standing on the same land. The remarks that had landed her in such drastic circumstances in the first place.

‘He kept his promise.’ She scoffed in her head. ‘Didn’t even take a whole week.’

A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces with a sledgehammer, seemed to flow through her heart, making her sit erect on the bed as she waited for his next move, his next words, anticipating a raging cry of ecstasy and victory as soon as he walks into the room.

She thought of her parents, her brother, his wife, her collage, her backpack, her room, and her pet. She thought about everything that she wouldn't be able to see again. It felt beautiful and reminiscent. Her reverie was broken short by his strong cologne.

Axton let out a hearty laugh, a little quirk he’d picked up to clear his head of too much thinking. His laughter filled the room. There was a hint of mockery in the air.

Meeting her puffy, red eyes, he felt a strange mix of pride and sadness wash over him. His usually calculated mind seemed to have abandoned him, leaving him at the mercy of his, well, non-existent heart. It was a first for Axton, not knowing how to steer the situation. He was acutely aware that how he handled this moment would set the tone for their relationship as soulmates.

His sharp mind quickly assessed the situation, laying out two options for him.

“Vienna, let me break it down for you. Destiny isn't some menu we get to choose from in this world. It's more like the universe's twisted sense of humor. Those who try to play against it? They end up in a living hell hole. Humans, bless their hearts, thought they could outsmart it. Look at where they landed! They're practically dirt under the shoes of supernaturals. Still,” he added with a bitter smirk, “they never learn.”

“Well, as your oh-so-lucky mate, I do respect your desire for options. So here's what I’m offering you: a thrilling choice between good ol' marriage or the ever-enticing role of mistress,” he quipped with a teasing grin, his tone laced with just a hint of cockiness.

“Well…for you better understanding, I’ll simply tell you the pros and cons.” He swung his index finger under her nose.

“Before that let’s discuss the common!” Vivid, a beautiful hallucination flashed through his mind where he would flog her to death with a rubber truncheon, make her a slave in his house, and crumple her esteem each passing second.

“I would tie you naked on this bed and r****h you to the last inch and make you see stars through my stamina just before c****x each night till you breath. I would unleash my inner beast and f**k you until you can’t take anymore and kill yourself or accept defeat.”

Ravish! The thought made a wave of pleasure pass through his spine, bringing a sensation in between his thighs as he pictured himself above her, penetrating her from every angle until she couldn't afford to scream or see anything but his face and the i*********e.

He would make her beg for mercy in a thousand ways as he would enjoy the feeling of clenching her insides around his p***s.

Axton couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration at his own thoughts. He despised her for all the wrong reasons — her breathtaking beauty, her unwavering resolve, the way she challenged him. She was an alluring force he couldn't ignore, a presence that invaded his every waking moment and haunted his dreams. He loathed her for making him toss and turn in his sleep, plagued by a thousand forbidden fantasies he'd never dared entertain with anyone else. The truth was, he despised her because he yearned to be with her, to share a level of intimacy he'd never experienced before.

He leaned against the backdoor, his gaze fixed on Vienna, his face a mask of inscrutability. It was always a challenge to decipher his thoughts behind that nonchalant exterior. He exuded power, a palpable force that seemed to emanate from him. His eyes were intense, deep charcoal with a hint of warm brown, framed by long lashes that contrasted with his fair skin and meticulously groomed beard.

With each deliberate step he took, closing the gap between them, Vienna's heart pounded in her chest. She couldn't help but flinch in surprise.

Silence hung in the air as neither of the two said anything, Axton didn't utter a word because he didn't want to while Vienna didn't say anything because she simply couldn't.

“Well, if you go down the mistress route instead of being my lucky mate, brace yourself for a wild ride. Once I'm through with you, you'll get a one-way ticket out of this mansion. And who knows, by then you might be running your own little wolf daycare with all the steamy nights we’ll spend together. You'll be head over heels for those pups, believe me. You'll do anything to make sure they're fed and happy.

But here's the kicker – just as you're getting all maternal, some other bombshell she-wolf will probably have swooped in to steal my heart. You'll be her number one nemesis, trust me on that. On the plus side, you can still hold on to that glimmer of hope that you'll walk out of here in one piece. It's something, right?!”

Vienna couldn't help but feel like a spectator in her own life, distant and detached. She could practically see the whole melodrama play out in front of her – him playing the role of a s*x-driven monster, and her, the damsel in distress.

Just then Axton unveiled his personal favorite option.

“Alright, let's say you take the plunge and become my mate. Here, you'll be getting the whole package deal every single night, just like I mentioned earlier. But here's the kicker – eventually, you might just find yourself getting used to it. Who knows, you might even start looking forward to it. I do have a certain charm, after all.

Sure, you won't be strolling out of here anytime soon, but you'll have a cozy sense of security and a pretty influential role. You'll be my Luna, standing tall right by my side, an equal in all this madness. Quite the offer, isn't it? Now excuse me, I’ve to use the bathroom. You’ve till a while to choose. We start tonight!”

And he left his little captive in a dangerous dilemma. Against all the odds, Axton was amused thoroughly.