Bound By The Alpha: Her Dark Secret

Chapter ONE: Nina's bare feet hit the cold floor as water dripped from her matted hair. The nightmare always felt so real. She could still smell the smoke, still see her mother's blood pooling on the wooden floor of their old packhouse. "Get up, thief!" Ice water slammed into her face like a punch. Nina gasped and jerked awake, her body shaking from the cold. Lucien stood over her with an empty metal bucket, water dripping from its edges. His dark eyes showed no mercy, only cruel satisfaction. "Did you enjoy your little nap?" Bianca's voice cut through the silence like a blade. She stepped out from the shadows of the stone cell, her expensive red heels clicking against the wet floor. Even in a dungeon, she dressed like she was going to a party. "While you were dreaming about your dead parents, we've been thinking about your punishment." Nina tried to push herself up, but the silver chains around her wrists burned like fire. The pain was excruciating and it didn't seem like it was coming to an end. The metal had left angry red marks on her skin. She'd been here for three days now, maybe four. Time meant nothing in this windowless hell. She could not even tell. Who knows if it was even more than that. Who cares after all? Of course, she did. She cared as much as she didn’t. "Nothing to say?" Derek's deep voice filled the small space as he walked into the cell. At six-foot-four, he had to duck slightly under the low doorway. His presence made the air feel heavy. "That's different for you." Nina looked up at him through tangled hair. Once, those green eyes looked at her with kindness. The night he'd saved her from an attacker, he'd been gentle. He'd called her princess, they had talked and laughed. Now those same eyes burned with hatred and disgust, if someone would tell that he will do this to her she would never have believed. He was now completely different and now a stranger to her. "I didn't steal anything," Nina whispered. Her throat was raw from screaming during yesterday's torture session. She knew that everything she said would fall on deaf ears, but she didn’t mind. If only anyone could read minds and see through hers that she was innocent and not the thief they claim she was. Derek threw back his head and laughed. The sound echoed off the stone walls. "Still lying? Even now? Even after everything we've done to you?" Bianca moved closer, her perfume mixing with the smell of mold and blood. "Your parents would be so ashamed. Oh wait, they're dead. Killed by rogues because they were too weak to protect their own pack." The words hit Nina harder than any physical blow. Pain shot through her heart like a silver dagger. She bit down on her lip hard enough to taste blood, trying not to cry in front of them. "The royal seal is worth five million dollars," Lucien said, setting down the bucket with a loud clang. "Did you really think we wouldn't notice when it went missing? Did you think we were stupid?" "I don't even know what the seal you claim I stole looks like." Nina forced herself to meet Derek's stare. "I've never seen your vault. I don't know where you keep anything valuable." "Enough games." Derek grabbed Nina's chin roughly, his fingers digging into her skin. His touch used to make her heart race with excitement. Now it only brought fear. "You're going to tell us exactly where you hid it." "I can't tell you something I don't know." Derek's hand moved to her throat. His grip was tight enough to make breathing difficult. "Then you're going to suffer until you remember. Until you decide the truth is better than protecting whoever you're working for." Nina felt her wolf stirring deep inside her mind. Esmeralda wanted to fight back, wanted to tear these monsters apart with claws and fangs. But the priest's warning echoed through her memories like a church bell. Never show your true nature. The Alpha who killed your kind is still out there, still hunting. He'll sense your power if you use it. "Please," Nina managed to say around Derek's grip. "I swear on my parents' graves, I didn't take anything from you." "Your parents' graves?" Bianca laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "You mean the mass grave where they threw all the bodies after the attack? How romantic." Tears burned Nina's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Not in front of these people. Not when they were trying so hard to break her spirit. "Take her to the punishment room," Derek ordered, finally releasing her throat. "I want the silver tools ready. All of them." Two guards entered the cell. Nina recognized them as pack members who used to bow respectfully when they saw her in the halls. Now things are different, they avoided her eyes as they unlocked her chains from the wall. "No, please." Nina tried to pull away, but she was too weak. Days without food had left her shaky and dizzy. "Derek, you know me. You saved my life once. Doesn't that mean anything?" Derek's jaw tightened for just a moment. Then his expression went cold again. "That was before I knew what you really were." As the guards dragged her toward the door, Nina caught sight of a small window high up on the wall. Sunlight streamed through the bars, golden and warm. Somewhere out there, beyond these stone walls, Fey might still be alive. Her best friend might be free. That thought was the only thing keeping Nina's sanity intact. If Fey had escaped during the car chase, if she'd made it to safety, then maybe Edward would come looking for her. Maybe someone would realize Nina was innocent. The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind them with a sound like thunder. Nina closed her eyes and tried to remember her mother's face, her father's laugh, anything good from before this nightmare began. But all she could see was darkness ahead, not knowing what they plan to do to her next. ---