A Prisoner In Shadow Ridge
1095 Words
Neriah POV
When I wake up there is a blinding light in my eyes and I try to cover my eyes but my hands are stuck at my side.
When I fully open my eyes I realize I'm in a hospital but my hands are cuffed to the bed.
Panic rises as I try to move my hands again.
The metal digs into my wrists and my heart immediately begins racing. The last thing I remember is rogues dragging me toward the woods. For one terrifying second I wonder if they somehow took me somewhere else.
“Oh good you’re awake” I hear a woman’s voice.
“Where am I? Why am I in handcuffs?” I ask fear lacing my voice.
“Calm down sweet girl, you are in the Shadow Ridge Pack” she says.
Shadow Ridge?
I've heard the name before, but only in passing.
“How did I end up here?” I ask.
“Well you got into a nasty fight with some rogues and our Alpha and Beta brought you here when you passed out” she says.
So the wolves I saw before everything went black were real.
“Why am I handcuffed? I’m no danger to anyone here” I say low.
“The Alpha will be in here shortly to speak with you” she says.
That does absolutely nothing to make me feel better.
Less than two days ago I thought I was about to become Luna. I had spent three years building a future beside Kieran, convinced all my sacrifices were finally about to mean something. Now I was handcuffed to a hospital bed in a pack I'd never seen before, covered in bruises and wondering why their Alpha seemed to think I was some kind of criminal.
My heart pounds in my chest as I wait for their Alpha to show up.
Why would they handcuff me?
I’m not a rogue and I was the one being attacked.
The doctor checks my wounds and vitals.
“You are healing pretty slow for a wolf” she says.
“I don’t have my wolf yet” I say.
Her eyes widen at my words.
“How old are you sweetheart?” she asks.
“I just turned 21” I say.
The reaction isn't new. Most healers look at me exactly like that when they learn I still haven't shifted.
“Mind if I run some tests to possibly figure out why?” she asks.
I shrug.
“Sure. My dad said it’s because I’m an Omega. I can feel her but I don’t know” I say.
She smiles at me.
“We will look into it” she says as two men walk into the room.
The taller one stands by the door glaring at me and the other walks further into the room.
The glare is immediate and intense enough that I find myself sitting up a little straighter. I don't know what his problem is, but it's pretty clear he doesn't want me here.
“Hello my name is Garrett. I am the Beta of the pack. What is your name?” he asks.
“Neriah.”
The moment I say my name the man by the door goes completely still.
His jaw tightens and something flashes across his face before disappearing so quickly I almost think I imagined it.
“How did you end up at our border fighting eight rogues, Neriah?” Garrett asks.
I chuckle dryly.
“I honestly don’t know. I was leaving my old pack to return home and they had spikes in the road” I say.
He looks back at the Alpha.
“Did I do something wrong? I wasn’t trying to cross into your territory” I say.
“No, we just wanted to know how you ended up here. Did you take down all of those rogues by yourself?” he asks.
Finally it hits me.
I killed them.
My eyes go wide and my heart starts beating rapidly.
I can still remember the blood.
The knife.
The look on their faces.
“I-I killed them. I didn’t want to kill them. I just didn’t want to die” I say tears streaming down my face.
At the time surviving was the only thing that mattered. Now that the danger is gone, the reality of what happened crashes into me all at once.
The doctor comes and puts something into my IV and it relaxes me instantly.
“Hey it's okay, they were rogues that nobody would miss and if you didn’t kill them they would have killed you” Garrett says.
“Can I go?” I ask.
“NO!” The Alpha says.
My head snaps toward him.
“We think you should let your wounds heal before you go, especially since you don’t have a wolf to heal you” he says.
The explanation sounds reasonable but something about the way he says it makes me think that's not the real reason.
The Alpha steps further into the room.
“Do you know who I am?” he asks.
Aside from the fact that he is handsome, I have never seen his face before.
I shake my head.
“No. Should I know you?” I ask confused.
“You’re lying” he roars making me jump before storming out.
The room falls silent behind him.
Garrett sighs.
“Don’t mind him, he’s a bit grumpy” he says.
A bit grumpy? The man looks like he wants to throw me back to the rogues.
“Understatement of the year” I mutter.
Garrett laughs.
“My mate will be in shortly to help you and get you some new clothes. She will also remove the cuffs” he says before lowering his voice.
“She'll also explain why our Alpha has completely lost his mind.”
My brows shoot up.
Before I can ask what that means, Garrett winks and walks out of the room.
I stare at the closed door for several seconds.
How in the world did I end up here?
The last time my father heard from me, I was on my way home. By now he was probably wondering why I never arrived.
My father wasn't the type to sit around and hope for the best. If he couldn't reach me, he would come looking for me himself.
And considering the way Shadow Ridge's Alpha already seemed to hate me, I have a feeling that meeting is going to be a disaster.
- Writer
