CLAIMED BY THE ENEMY

Chapter 6: Bound by Blood

The world felt like it was spinning as I opened my eyes. I was lying on cold stone, the smell of damp earth and the metallic scent of silver filling my nostrils. My body ached, my limbs heavy from the restraints cutting into my wrists. The chains were cold, and I knew they were silver—designed to weaken me, suppress my powers, and keep me at the mercy of the werewolves who’d captured me.

I slowly pushed myself up, my head spinning from the disorientation. It was hard to focus, but I managed to stay on my feet long enough to look around. The room was dimly lit by flickering torches, and stone walls stretching high above me. There was a faint breeze coming through a small window, carrying the scent of the forest outside. I was in Ryker’s territory now.

The memory of the ambush flooded back to me. Ryker’s face. His eyes. The sharp bite of pain from the bond spell. I hated that I could still feel the echo of his touch in my bones, even as my anger flared.

I turned, eyes blazing with fury, to find him standing in the doorway, watching me. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel his gaze like a weight pressing against me. He was always watching, always calculating. The arrogant Alpha who had everything under control—except for me.

"Let me go," I spat, my voice hoarse but steady.

Ryker’s lips twisted into a half-smile. “You’re in no position to make demands, Nina.”

I glared at him, pulling against the chains that bound me to the wall. “You’re making a mistake. I’m not your prisoner. I won’t play your games.”

His eyes flicked over me, lingering on the pain in my posture. The silver chains were cutting into my skin, drawing blood, and I knew that was his intention. He wanted to see me weakened, vulnerable. But I wasn’t broken. Not yet.

“I know you’re angry,” Ryker said, his voice low, almost gentle. “But you’re not leaving here until we figure this out.”

“I’m not staying here,” I hissed, my teeth clenched. “You think I’m just going to roll over and accept this?”

The flicker of emotion in his eyes was gone as quickly as it appeared. He stepped closer, his movements fluid, but there was something about the way he moved—something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

He paused a few feet in front of me, his gaze never leaving mine. “I didn’t want this, Nina. I didn’t want you here. But now...”

He didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, he reached out and touched my arm, his fingers light against my skin. The contact sent a jolt of electricity through me, and before I could react, pain exploded in my chest.

I gasped, the agony radiating through my body like a fire, but it wasn’t just my pain. I could feel it from him—sharp, relentless as if my very soul was being torn in two.

“Damn it!” I shouted, trying to pull away, but the silver chains held me tight. “What the hell are you doing?”

Ryker stumbled back, his breath sharp as he winced, clearly in as much pain as I was. His hand went to his chest, but he didn’t fall. He stood there, his eyes locked onto mine, his jaw clenched.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” I managed to choke out, though I couldn’t hide the bitterness in my voice. “That damn bond spell.”

His expression was hard, his features set in determination. “I told you, Nina. We’re stuck with this. Whatever the hell this is between us, we have to deal with it.”

“Not we,” I growled, pulling against the chains again. “I don’t need you. I don’t need your help.”

Ryker’s eyes softened for a moment, the sharpness of his previous anger fading into something almost... tender. He moved toward me again, this time slow, cautious.

“I didn’t want this either,” he repeated, his voice rough. “But I can’t let you suffer like this.”

I pulled away from him, the chains digging into my skin as I resisted the pull of his touch. The pain from the silver was unbearable, but I wasn’t going to let him see me broken. Not now. Not ever.

“I don’t want your pity,” I snapped.

But when he touched me again, I didn’t recoil. His fingers brushed over my wound, the silver marks on my wrists, and for a moment, I swore I could feel something shifting between us. Not pain. Not hate. But a strange, gentle pull.

“You’re hurt,” he said quietly. “Let me help you.”

“No,” I breathed. “I don’t need you, Ryker. Not now. Not ever.”

But there was no fire in my voice anymore. I could feel it—the strange way my body responded to his proximity, the way my pulse quickened with every breath he took. It was infuriating. I hated it.

I fought to keep my distance, but the connection between us was undeniable. As much as I hated the bond, as much as I wanted to break it, there was something there—something I couldn’t ignore. It wasn’t just the pain. It was something deeper. Something that had been there all along.

“You don’t have to be alone in this,” he said, his voice softer now, a slight tremor in the words. “I know what it’s like... to be stuck between two worlds.”

I flinched at his words. How could he understand? He had power, loyalty, and a kingdom. What did he know about being trapped between two sides, two identities?

“I’m nothing like you,” I whispered harshly, my words sharp with anger. “You’ve never had to fight for your survival. You’ve never had to live with a lie.”

Ryker paused, his gaze growing more intense. “I’ve lived with a lie, Nina. I’ve lived with one every day of my life.”

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. His voice was thick with a pain I hadn’t expected, and it threw me off balance. He wasn’t just the arrogant, cruel Alpha. There was more to him.

I wanted to scream at him, to lash out and make him feel the rage that burned inside me. But then something shifted in the air around us. The bond. The spell. It pulsed and thrummed in the space between us.

I could feel it—something was awakening. My chest tightened as I tried to suppress the sudden wave of power surging inside me. It was strange, foreign, yet familiar.

Ryker must have felt it too. He stepped closer, his face unreadable. "You're not what you think you are, hunter," he said, his voice low and serious. "And neither am I."