Claimed By The Cursed Alpha

Chapter 3: His Territory

Lyra’s POV

My eyes fluttered open, and for a panicked second, I had no clue where the hell I was. Sunlight, thick and hazy, slanted through a window I couldn't quite reach from where i laid on the huge bed. The air smelled of woodsmoke and something else… something wilder, like damp earth and pine. I was lying on a surprisingly comfortable bed piled with the most comfortable pillows I have ever slept on, and the room, though simply furnished with rough-hewn wood, felt solid, and lived-in.

"Where the f**k am i...?" I mumbled, trying to sit up, but a sharp throb in my hand reminded me of the night before –rouges, the teeth, the panic, and then… the massive black wolf who helped me.

The door creaked open, and the guy from the forest stood there. Kael. Even without the red eyes blazing, he had this intense cool vibe about him, like a storm cloud about to burst.

He was dressed in dark, practical clothes now, and yeah, still looked like he could snap a person in half without breaking a single sweat.

"You're awake," he stated, his voice just as rough as I remembered.

"No s**t, Sherlock," I shot back, instantly regretting the sass as his gaze narrowed on me. "Where am I? What is this place?"

"Shadowclaw territory," he said, his tone flat. "My home."

My eyes widened. Shadowclaw. The outlaw pack. The ones whispered about in hushed tones, the ones even my shitty pack avoided.

"You're... you're really Kael Draven?" I asked, a knot of unease tightening in my gut.

He just gave a curt nod.

I tried to swing my legs over the side of the bed, but a wave of dizziness hit me. "Whoa."

"You're still weak," Kael said, though there wasn't a hint of concern in his voice. "The rogues attack wasn't clean."

"Yeah, well, getting almost eaten tends to do that," I muttered. I looked around the room again, taking in the sturdy walls and the lack of bars on the windows. It wasn't a prison cell, exactly, but I sure as hell hadn't agreed to be in here. "Look, thanks for not letting those mutts turn me into their dinner, but I gotta go."

You didn’t want to help me anyways.

Kael moved further into the room, his presence filling the small space. "Go where?"

The question was simple but it hit me harder than I expected. Go where exactly? Back to the pack that tossed you out like garbage? Wander around the cursed woods until something else decided to have a snack?

"Doesn't matter," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "Anywhere but here."

He watched me, those intense eyes boring into mine. "My wolves aren't exactly welcoming to outsiders. Especially not one who stumbled half-dead onto our land."

Just then, the door opened again, and another wolf-shifter stood there. This one was younger, with sandy brown hair and a wary expression. He eyed me like I was a particular nasty bug. And I'm guessing that bug is an insect called mosquito.

"Alpha," the younger guy said, his voice tight. "The others... they're asking about her." He flicked his gaze towards me, making it clear he didn't consider me a 'her' so much as an 'it'.

Kael's jaw tightened. "They'll get answers when I'm ready to give them some." He looked back at me. "Try anything stupid, and you'll regret it."

The younger wolf's eyes flickered with resentment at Kael's tone, but he didn't say anything. He just nodded stiffly and left.

I swallowed, suddenly feeling very small and very much like a prey. I was in a pack of outlaws, ruled by a guy who shifted into a monster, and none of them looked happy I was here.

"Look," I said, trying a different approach. "I appreciate the save, really. But I don't belong here. I'm just gonna... slip out when you're not looking."

Kael's lips quirked up, a humorless twist. "You think that'll be easy?"

A wave of defiance surged through me. "I've survived worse."

He just stared at me, a silent challenge in his red-tinged eyes. I held his gaze for as long as I could before the weight of my situation crashed down on me again. I was weak, alone, and surrounded by wolves who clearly wanted me gone. Escape wasn't going to be easy. Not at all.

"Fine," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Just... tell me what the hell is going on."

Kael didn't answer immediately. He just watched me, and I had the unsettling feeling that I was a puzzle he was trying to solve.