Claimed By The Alpha

The car was a silent cage, trapping Aria in its hum. Her headphones, dead since the highway, pressed mute plastic against her ears—a shield against her mother’s nervous glances. Elena’s gold bracelet clinked, circling her wrist like a restless ghost. The sound scraped Aria’s nerves raw, sharp as teeth. Outside, the forest swallowed the road. Scattered pines thickened into a towering wall, branches clawing a sky heavy with mist. The gravel path twisted, barely wide enough for the car, as if the world was closing in. Symbols like claw marks flickered in the shadows, etched into the trees. “How much longer?” Aria muttered, yanking an earbud free. Elena’s smile cracked, too quick. “Close. It’s… remote.” “Remote?” Aria snorted. “You mean cursed. We’re moving into your fiancé’s gothic nightmare, and I’m stuck with some mystery stepbrother named Kael. Forgive me if I’m not thrilled.” “Aria,” Elena whispered, knuckles white on the wheel. “Please. I need this to work.” Aria smirked, slouching back. “Sure. Smooth as a crypt.” The road curved, and iron gates loomed from the mist—spiked, twisted with symbols like warnings carved by claws. Beyond them, the mansion crouched, gray stone under a bruised sky, windows shuttered like closed eyes. Moss clung to its roof, shadows pooling deep. Aria’s breath hitched. “Christ.” The gates groaned open, vibrating through her bones. The car rolled past a fountain choked with moss, its eyeless stone angels staring blankly. Vines gripped the columns like skeletal hands, whispering of secrets buried deep. A man in black opened Aria’s door before she could touch it. She stepped into air thick with pine, earth, and something wilder—musky, alive, like a predator’s breath. Elena smoothed her blouse, voice tight. “Be polite.” “To Dracula?” Aria’s lips twitched. “No promises.” The front doors swung open without a knock. A woman stood there—tall, severe, her black dress sharp as a blade, hair in a bun tight enough to ache. “Miss Vale. Mrs. Thorne. Welcome,” she said, voice flat, timed like a clock. Aria followed Elena inside, and the air shifted—aware, pressing against her chest like the house was breathing. The foyer stretched high, stone columns vanishing into shadow, a staircase curling like a spine into the dark. A creak echoed above. Aria’s head snapped up. Nothing but shadows. Her skin prickled, as if invisible fingers brushed her neck. She shook it off, forcing her feet forward. Dinner was a judgment hall. The dining room’s chandelier, all skeletal glass, threw jagged light across cold marble. The table stretched endlessly, a polished illusion of power. Aldric Thorne sat at the far end, her new stepfather, alpha of this strange pack. Pale eyes like ice tracked her, unblinking. He didn’t rise, just watched, his presence as heavy as the stone walls. Aria slid into a chair, leaving three empty seats between them. Elena’s smile faltered. “Aria, this is—” “Got it,” Aria cut in, grabbing water, ignoring the untouched food. Aldric’s fork tapped once, sharp. “Where do you study, Aria?” She leaned back, smirking. “Gap year. Revolutionary: no classes, too much coffee, zero small talk.” Elena’s inhale was sharp, but Aldric’s face stayed stone, unyielding. Then—a scrape. A chair dragged across marble, loud as a blade. Aria froze. Kael. He was there, sliding into the seat across from her without a sound. No greeting. No glance at Elena or Aldric. Just silence—and eyes. Storm-gray, brutal, cutting through her like they saw her soul. Her hand shook as she reached for her glass. She prayed he didn’t notice. He did. Aldric’s voice sliced through. “You’re late, Kael.” Kael ignored him, leaning forward, elbows on the table, gaze locked on Aria. His nostrils flared, slow, deliberately, breathing her in, like a wolf scenting prey. Her pulse stuttered. The heat flared low, traitorously. She crossed her thighs, snapping, “You gonna speak, or just sniff me like a creep?” Silence. Then his lips curved, a faint, infuriating smirk that sent a shiver down her spine. Aria shoved her chair back, screeching against marble. “I’ll find my room.” “East wing,” Aldric said coolly. “Across from Kael.” Of course. The east wing was a labyrinth of shadows. Velvet wallpaper crumbled under Aria’s fingers, sconces flickering weakly, barely holding the dark at bay. She paused at double doors carved with wolves—fangs too long, eyes too wild, too alive. Her hand grazed the handle. A grip clamped her wrist, iron-tight. The housekeeper, Elena’s shadow, her eyes cold. “That wing is forbidden,” she said, her voice flat, gaze flicking at the doors. Aria arched a brow, defiant. “What, like Hogwarts?” The woman’s gaze didn’t waver. “Watch where you walk in this house.” She vanished into the dark, silent as a specter, leaving Aria’s pulse racing. Aria turned and stopped. A painting glowed faintly on the wall: Kael or his twin gleaming armor, silver-eyed, amid a battlefield strewn with wolves. His gaze seemed to follow her, alive, piercing. She blinked. The shimmer faded. Her heart pounded as she hurried to her room, the hallway stretching too long behind her. The bedroom was gothic, cold—dark wood, heavy curtains, a four-poster bed sagging for centuries. Aria crossed to the window. The forest stretched black and endless, mist curling like a living thing. A howl split the night, deep, wild, not a dog's. Her breath fogged the glass, her skin prickling. “Dinner not to your liking?” Aldric’s voice came from the doorway, smooth and unyielding. She spun, arms crossing tightly. “I can handle intense.” His pale eyes studied her, sharp as a blade. “Can you?” Another howl, closer, vibrating through her bones. Aria’s voice dropped, barely a whisper. “What’s out there?” “This forest belongs to our pack,” Aldric said softly, stepping closer. “But even we don’t walk it at night.” His gaze locked on hers. “You’re tethering, Aria. To Kael. To us. It’s begun.” Her throat tightened, the word heavy. “Tethering?” He didn’t blink, his presence swallowing the room. “Lock your door tonight.” She did, the bolt sliding with a heavy click. Past midnight, a knock—soft, deliberate—jerked her awake, her heart slamming against her ribs. “Mom?” Silence. She opened the door, hands trembling. The hallway was empty. Almost. Across the hall, Kael leaned in his doorway, shirtless, moonlight carving the hard lines of his chest. His eyes locked on hers—not human, but wolf. Hungry, deciding. Prey—or his.