The Alpha’s Dark Heritage

Chapter 1

***Nina***

A shiver surged through me as the damp, cold air wrapped around my body. The ache from the hard, wet floor sank into my bones, causing me to wrap my arms tightly around myself in a desperate attempt to create some warmth. Curled tightly against the wall, I lay on my right side, fighting the chilling numbing sensation that threatened to pull me under.

I squeezed my eyes shut, holding back the urge to sleep, knowing that doing so would only deepen my torment in this icy dark. Slowly, I opened my eyes, met only by an inky black void looming around me. Ignoring the heaviness dragging me down, I pushed myself up, my body stiff and sore as I took stock of my surroundings.

“Where am I?” I murmured, blinking rapidly, searching for anything..anything..to break through the oppressive darkness.

“Our location hasn’t changed, princess,” a male voice replied from the shadows, jolting me back to reality.

“Who’s there?” I demanded, straightening up and pressing my back firmly against the cold wall, instinctively bracing myself.

A sigh echoed in the stillness, followed by the sound of chattering teeth. “You haven’t been in the dungeons long, have you? You’ve already forgotten who I am,” the voice retorted, more a statement than a question. “It’s me, Harold.”

“Harold?” Confusion clouded my mind, unable to grasp who he was.

“Nora!” Harold’s voice called urgently, slicing through the stillness. “We’re in a dungeon—prisoners of that damned demon, Crowley.”

Recognition crashed over me like a wave, and everything clicked. “Nora?” I echoed, realizing I wasn’t Nora; I was her twin, and we had been searching for her for weeks. Somehow, I had ended up in the very place meant for her.

Determined, I reached out to feel the wall behind me, using it to guide myself until my fingers brushed against cold metal bars. A cell. It wasn’t just any cell—it was Nora’s. Crowley, the demon we thought we had evaded, had managed to capture us once again.

“Are you alright, Nora?” Harold asked, concern lacing his voice.

“I..I think..” I trailed off, but the sound of footsteps approaching cut me off.

A flickering light appeared from the left, growing brighter as a figure approached. My heart raced as the light illuminated the hallway, revealing the rows of cells that lined it. A surge of fear coursed through me as recognition settled in when the figure drew closer.

“Crowley,” I breathed, shock barely contained.

“Harold,” he acknowledged the man in the opposite cell as if they were old friends.

Crowley’s sneer sent chills down my spine as he turned his attention to Harold, who strained against the chains binding him to the wall. His ragged clothes and unkempt beard made him seem almost primal.

“What do you want, demon?!” Harold spat, his voice saturated with defiance.

“It seems your daughters are very well-trained despite your absence,” Crowley began, eliciting a chuckle from Harold.

“I taught them well from a young age. I knew they’d carry those lessons forward,” he replied, pride tinged with defiance.

Harold’s laughter faltered as he sensed something amiss with Crowley, who began to mimic his chuckle, sending a chill through me.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” Crowley stated. “Your eldest may yet be useful to me. She has left her mate’s protection and returned home to uncover what your family has sworn to guard.”

Harold lunged forward, only to be restrained by the chains. “If you touch a hair on my daughters..”

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t,” Crowley interrupted with a sinister laugh. “But someone else might.” He started to turn away but paused when I spoke, halting his amusement.

“How are you still alive?” I demanded, my voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

“Thanks to your sister it wasn’t easy but her failed attempts to banish me didn’t work as they intended. I barely managed to survive,” he grumbled as he scrutinized my face.

His expression shifted almost instantly, awareness dawning on him, morphing into a sinister smile that sent dread spiraling through me.

“Well, hello, Nina. I don’t know how you’re able to see through your sister’s eyes—perhaps it’s your gift or just that twin connection,” he mused, stepping closer and grabbing my wrist. Nora’s wrist. A wave of discomfort coursed through me, fear clenching my heart. “Why don’t you come save your sister before it’s too late?” His whisper sent chills through me as pain flared in his grip, causing me to cry out.

“Get away from me!” I gasped, wrenching my arm back, but the burning sensation lingered. Crowley chuckled, his ominous presence casting shadows on my resolve.

“I will find my sister,” I managed to declare, though fear gnawed at my determination.

“I’m sure you will, Nina.” His voice slithered through the air like smoke, leaving me breathless. “I’ll be waiting..” His form began to fade, the light dimming until only his haunting voice echoed in the dark.

With a final scream, I clutched my wrist to my chest, the heat still searing my skin.

“Nina!” came a familiar voice, pulling me from the darkness.

Panicking, I blinked frantically, searching for the source, my mind racing to comprehend the pain.

“Nina! Wake up!” The voice urged again, followed by gentle shaking that roused me from the nightmare.

With a gasp, I shot upright, my heart racing as the weight of reality flooded back. I was in my room, on my bed, drenched in sweat. It had all been a terrifying dream.

“What?” I stammered, struggling to catch my breath.

“You were screaming; I think you had a nightmare.” Nevin, my brother, sat beside me, concern etched on his face. “Was it just a nightmare? Or did you see something?”

“I..I don’t know,” I admitted, the lingering cold dread from the dream still pressing down on me.

Nevin studied me, searching for signs of distress. Though doubt lingered in his eyes, he chose not to press further—for now.

“Mateo was trying to reach you. He called me when you didn’t answer. He said he’ll pick you up from our house in Willowsfield if you create a portal there,” Nevin explained, delivering my mate’s message.

Still breathless, I nodded in response as he stood to leave. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I suddenly felt that same burning sensation return to my right wrist.

Looking down, my heart sank as I watched dark, swirling ink begin to seep into my skin.

“Ah!” I gasped, collapsing to the floor as the heat intensified, searing my wrist. There, a symbol formed— an upside-down crescent moon enclosing a circle I had never seen before.

A wave of dread washed over me. Something terrible loomed on the horizon, and perhaps the dream had been more than a nightmare. I now knew: Nora was alive, locked in a cell, and time was running out.