Shattered Bonds of the Shadowed Alpha

Chapter 2

I pressed myself against the cold floor, heart hammering in my chest. The bar was dim, its worn wooden beams barely lit by flickering overhead lights. My wolf clawed inside me, desperate to grovel before Jax, the Alpha of the Shadow Ridge pack. She thought he was everything, our savior, our mate. I knew better.

Jax’s low chuckle cut through the silence. “Get up, Anna.”

His voice carried no force, but my wolf obeyed instantly, urging me to my feet. I kept my eyes down, avoiding his piercing gaze. The Howling Moon, once a grimy dive, now thrived because of me, yet here I was, still a prisoner.

“Look at me,” he commanded.

I hesitated, dread pooling in my gut. Three years since he’d dragged me here, left me to rot under Parker’s watch. Three years since he’d rejected our bond. Now he was back, and I had no idea why.

Reluctantly, I met his eyes. Dark, intense, they pinned me in place. My wolf whined with longing, but I shoved her down. Jax Bishop was no hero.

He leaned against the counter, twirling a coaster between his fingers. “Stabbing customers isn’t exactly good for business.”

I clenched my jaw. “It’s kept this place profitable. Maybe you should thank me instead of questioning my methods.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. My wolf whimpered, and I braced for his anger, expecting a snarl or worse. Instead, he tilted his head, studying me.

The bar was empty now, save for Jensen, his second-in-command, lurking near the door. His presence was a sharp reminder of that night claws at my throat as Jax ended my father’s life.

Jax’s voice softened, but it held an edge. “The bar's closed. Everyone out.”

Jensen’s eyes flicked to me, unreadable, before he stepped outside. The door thudded shut, leaving us alone.

“Pour us another round,” Jax said.

I moved behind the counter, grabbing two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. My hands were steady, but my mind raced. Was this it? Was he here to finally end me? Or worse, to claim what our bond entitled him to?

He took a sip, watching me over the rim. “Parker said you were trouble. A liability. Yet this place is my best earner now. You're doing, I assume?”

I nodded, wary. “Parker drank more than he worked. I handled the rest of the menu, suppliers, everything.”

He grunted. “Impressive. But you’re still Dirk Langley’s daughter. That shadow doesn’t fade.”

My throat tightened. “I’m not him.”

“No?” He leaned closer. “You’ve got his fire. That’s dangerous.”

I gripped the counter, fighting the urge to snap back. “Why are you here, Jax? To remind me I’m trapped?”

He set his glass down, eyes narrowing. “Parker’s death. You don’t buy the suicide story.”

“No,” I said firmly. “He wouldn’t. Not Parker.”

Jax’s lips twitched, almost a smirk. “He left a note. Blame the isolation, the burden of guarding you.”

“That’s a lie,” I shot back, voice rising. “Parker was tough. He didn’t break.”

Jax stood, towering over me. “Careful, Anna. Questioning me won’t end well.”

I swallowed hard, but didn’t back down. “What did the note say?”

He ignored the question, pacing to the window. The night outside was pitch-black, the forest beyond a wall of shadows. “Danny’s your new manager. You’ll report to him.”

My stomach dropped. “Danny’s a creep. He’ll ”

“I know what he is,” Jax cut in, turning sharply. “And you’ll deal with it.”

“I quit,” I said, voice shaking.

He laughed, cold and humorless. “This isn’t a job, Anna. It’s your sentence. You leave when I say.”

My hands clenched into fists. “You can’t keep me caged forever.”

“Try running,” he said, stepping closer. “I’ll hunt you down. And trust me, you won’t like what comes next.”

The air between us crackled, my wolf keening despite my anger. I hated how she craved him, how my body betrayed me with every glance.

He moved to the door, pausing. “Stay put. Do your job. Maybe I’ll stay away another three years.”

The door slammed behind him, and I sagged against the counter, breath ragged. Parker’s death, Danny’s promotion, it was all wrong. My instincts screamed that something darker was at play.

****

The dream came again that night, as it always did.

Jax’s voice was soft, warm, nothing like the real him. “Anna, let me in.”

We were nowhere a void of darkness, just us. His hands slid over my skin, gentle, reverent. My body arched into his touch, craving what reality denied.

“You’re mine,” he murmured, lips brushing my ear. “Why do you fight it?”

“Because you’re not real,” I whispered, even as I pressed closer. “You’re just a dream.”

His fingers tightened, pulling me against him. “I could be more. If you’d let me.”

I wanted to believe it, I wanted the hero my wolf saw in him. But this wasn’t Jax. Not the man who’d rejected me, who’d left me to fend for myself.

Still, I didn’t pull away. I let the fantasy consume me, let his touch ignite something I’d buried deep. My breath hitched as he moved, slow and deliberate, drawing me into a haze of want.

“Anna,” he growled, and I shattered, calling his name into the void.

I woke up gasping, tangled in my sheets. The tiny apartment above the bar was stifling, the single window letting in a sliver of moonlight. My bed, a narrow cot, creaked as I sat up. The dresser stood against the wall, empty but heavy, a barrier against the world. A small fridge and microwave sat in the corner, no stove, just a hot plate I rarely used.

My life was this room, this bar. A cage, just as Jax had said.

I rubbed my face, trying to shake the dream. It wasn’t healthy, clinging to a version of him that didn’t exist. But it was all I had a fleeting escape from the reality of Danny’s leers and the pack’s disdain.

The bar was silent below, closed for the night. But sleep wouldn’t come again, not with Jax’s visit and Parker’s death gnawing at me. I slipped on jeans and a shirt, moving quietly to the window. The forest stretched out, dark and endless. I could run, disappear into the rogue lands. I knew the paths, the rivers. But Jax’s threat echoed he’d find me.

A creak on the stairs snapped me out of my thoughts. My heart raced. No one should be here.

I grabbed the knife I kept under my pillow, small but sharp. The door rattled, and I froze, gripping the blade.

“Anna?” a voice whispered, low and urgent.

I didn’t move. “Who’s there?”

The door creaked open, revealing a figure in the shadows. A woman, her face half-hidden. “It’s me, Lila.”

Lila? I hadn’t heard that name in years. A friend from before, from my father’s pack. How had she found me?

“What are you doing here?” I hissed, knife still raised.

She stepped closer, eyes wide. “You’re in danger. Parker didn’t kill himself. They’re lying.”

My grip tightened. “Who’s lying?”

“Jax. The pack. They’re hiding something.” She glanced back, nervous. “You need to leave. Tonight.”

Footsteps echoed below, heavy and deliberate. Lila’s face paled. “They’re coming.”

“Who?” I demanded, but she was already backing away.

“Run, Anna. Before it’s too late.”

The door burst open, and Jax stormed in, eyes blazing. Jensen followed, claws glinting in the moonlight.

“What the hell is she doing here?” Jax growled, pointing at Lila.

I stood frozen, knife in hand, as Lila bolted for the window. But Jensen was faster, blocking her path.

Jax’s gaze locked on me, fury and something else betrayal? burning in his eyes. “You’re not going anywhere.”

The room seemed to close in, my wolf howling in panic. Whatever was happening, I was trapped in the middle of it.

And this time, there was no escape.