THE ALPHA'S DEFIANT MATE

Stuck

|Aria|

I couldn’t even process what was going on before I met myself in the dungeon. I just sat in the dimly lit room within the prisonwalls, staring into space. The heavy stench of mold and faint scent of silver graced my nose over and over until I was numb to it.

After a few hours of sitting in the middle where I was thrown, I shifted to the side to support my back with the wall. The coldness bit into my skin harshly. The only light in the room was coming from the flickering lamp hung at the far end of the room, casting eerie shadows on the wall.

The thought of escaping crossed my mind, but as my eyes dropped on the heavy iron-reinforced door and silver-plated hinges, I knew it was a dream that would never come true. Everything had been designed to ground my wolf’s abilities.

“I should have just died back there. Why did he bother to save me if he was going to make me pass through hell?”

The heavy chains pulled along as I tried to shift from the cold wall. My eyes were filled with fear, anger, and desperation to get out of the situation I was forced in.

I wondered why the Alpha’s mother hated me that much, considering the fact that we just met. I couldn’t think long before the effect of my weakened state took its toll on me. I haven’t eaten anything for hours, and I had used the previous meal to race through the forest.

“She should at least feed me. Why is she feeling threatened by a rogue?”

Bitterness flashed through my soul, but I couldn’t retain it for a long while. I was too fatigued to think of anything else. The hunger and pain had clouded my senses and made them dull, so I couldn’t focus or think clearly.

“Will he ever come to save me?”

My mind wandered to him finally. He was my last hope and resort. I was waiting for him to show up at any minute, but my patience thinned out without him in sight.

“Come to think of it, I have only provoked him ever since I came here. He would be having a peaceful day without me.

I talked myself out of the delusion of him coming to save me like the other day in the human world. I had done nothing to deserve his favor, only disobeying his orders over and over.

Hours passed gradually, and I lost every hope. The silver chains had eaten so deeply into my skin that it started to burn cruelly. The fact that I haven’t honed my wolf’s abilities or done anything to build my resistance made it worse.

My eyes were already closing in the morning of the third day. I was denied water and food ever since I got thrown into the dungeon, so there was nowhere to draw strength from. I was on the verge of giving up when I saw the soldier that was beside the Alpha’s mother enter the room.

“Bring her out.” Her voice was slightly husky and dripped with authority

The door was unlocked, and the maids dragged me out in the same way I was brought here. I didn’t have any strength to fight or resist, so I just allowed them to have their way.

“Is that the way you were trained to treat the Alpha’s guests?” a familiar voice sounded from a close distance and my closed eyes flew open immediately

Oh, Niamh! What took her so long to come look for me?

Her eyes held glares of fire that almost melted the maids as they slowly led me to my feet and withdrew their hands. Niamh closed up the distance between us as her brown gown flowed with her elegant steps.

She stopped right in front of me, locking her eyes with my tired ones. “I am so sorry for coming late, my lady. The situation was beyond my rank and I had to wait for my master’s return.

Her master’s return? Damien had not been in the pack for days? It dawned on me that his absence was what gave anybody the right to treat me this way. He wasn’t the one that ordered my arrest.

“I cursed him for nothing,” I mumbled and bit the side of my lips

“We will take the matter up from here. Please, hand her over." Niamh’s voice was solid as ever.

She looked like someone who had experienced such situations over and over. Her confidence was built on the Alpha’s instruction, and no one dares to disrespect it.

The maids stood there beside me, their gaze flickering from the warrior that led them into the dungeon and Niamh, who locked eyes with her. It was then that it occurred to me that they were on the same rank but serving two different entities.

“You don’t want me to inform the alpha of your hesitation, right?

Niamh was already bored of the hesitation, so was I. I was dangling between staying awake and collapsing, while waiting for them to give in.

“Hand her over,” the warrior finally commanded

Her voice was vibrating because of the depth. It matched the toughness of her aura and her face, whichwas void of ease or smile. Without wasting time, the maids behind Niamh rushed to my side to support me and guide me back to my room.

****

Within minutes, I was helped with bathing and massaging the experience out of my system. My food was brought, and I gulped it down without hesitation. My eyes were already flashing between life and death.

“You have to get your health checked,” Niamh announced as she came with a man whose uniform gave him out that he was a doctor

He kept checking my pulse through my wrist, pulled my lower eyelids down to check my eyes, and some other things. By the time he was done, I was already closing my eyes to have some peaceful moments of sleep.

“She just has to rest well. There’s no concern about her health.

The last sentence was heard as I fell asleep deeply. I didn’t know when they all exited and cleaned the room. I was far gone and didn’t even care to ask of the alpha that had facilitated my release.

I woke up at midnight to see a small letter beside my bed. It was folded neatly and placed carefully, as if it were meant to be the first thing I'd open my eyes to see as soon as I wake up.

“You are forever mine, little rogue.”

My head screamed in frustration. He didn’t have to remind me of the failed escape and how I would be stuck with my parents’ killer forever.

My head shook in denial as I crumpled the paper and tore it into pieces before throwing it to the side of the room in anger.

“You stubborn wench!” the voice yelled at me and I turned around to see who it was

No one was with me in the room, and I definitely would call myself that. I was confused about the voice and stepped out of the bed to check if someone was in the room with me, but none was found.

I turned back to the bed, and my leg froze instantly at the realization; the voice was familiar. No other person would be the culprit except who I was thinking of.

Lyra!