The Cage
1170 Words
Talia lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling of a house that no longer felt like home. It felt like a cage.
She reached out in her mind for Kaela, her wolf, needing the comforting hum of her presence. She was met with a cold, echoing silence.
I need you, girl, Talia thought, desperation clawing at her throat. Don’t leave me alone in this.
Nothing. It was like Kaela had packed up and left, unable to bear the weight of the rejection that had severed their connection to the pack's prime line.
Talia finally rolled out of bed, her body aching not from physical exertion, but from the sheer emotional trauma of the previous night. The memory of Thomas’s voice echoed through her mind, smug and cold before the entire pack.
“Talia is no longer my mate.”
And the kicker: "I name Talia her bodyguard."
She went to the shower, turning the water so hot it stung her skin, trying to scrub away the feeling of his betrayal, the looks of pity from the pack. It didn't work.
Dressed in her leathers—the uniform of a warrior, now warped into the uniform of a servant—she checked her phone. There was one notification.
Thomas.
Her stomach rolled. She opened the message.
Commander Talia,
Be advised of the official written notice of reassignment: You now serve as the personal bodyguard to the future Luna, Mira. You will report to the Alpha house within the hour.
Furthermore, regarding your sister Alina. Upon turning 18 in two months, she will be wedded to Beta Leon. To ensure her safety and proper training before the shift, he will take her under his care immediately. She will be moved into the Pack house tonight.
This is decreed. There will be no further discussion.
– Alpha Thomas
Talia stared at the screen until the words blurred.
It wasn't just insult added to injury. It was a hostage situation.
Leon. The creepy Beta who stared at Alina like she was a piece of meat. Thomas knew Talia would have run—she would have grabbed Alina and fled into the night without a second thought. But by moving Alina into the Pack House, under high guard, he had checkmated her.
Talia couldn't leave. Not without leaving Alina to a monster.
A growl tore from her own throat, raw and human. She shoved the phone into her pocket and stormed out of the house toward the training grounds. She needed to hit something until her knuckles bled.
The training grounds were sparse this early. The air smelled of pine and damp earth—the scent of the territory she used to protect, which now felt like a prison yard.
She threw herself into a practice dummy, unleashing a flurry of kicks and punches that were sloppy with rage.
“Form, Graves.”
The voice was gruff, low, and familiar. Roland. Her father’s oldest friend, and an advisor to the Alpha.
Talia stopped, chest heaving, sweat stinging her eyes. She didn't salute. She barely nodded.
“Here to make sure I report for duty, Roland?” she spat, wiping blood from a split knuckle onto her leathers.
Roland stepped closer, his expression grim. He didn't look like a friend today. He looked like part of the machinery that was crushing her.
"I'm here to tell you to smarten up," he said quietly, glancing around to ensure they were alone. "Thomas has doubled the perimeter guards. He knows you're a flight risk."
"He took Alina hostage," Talia hissed, stepping into Roland's space. "He's giving her to Leon."
"I know." A flicker of shame crossed Roland's face, but he hardened it quickly. "Which is why you need to keep your head down. You cannot fight him on this, Talia. Not today. If you give him a reason, he will label you a rogue and lock you in the cells, and Alina will be left alone with Leon."
The threat hung heavily in the air.
"So that's it?" Talia’s voice trembled with fury. "I just take it? I guard the b***h wearing my future while her mate sells my sister?"
"You survive," Roland said harshly, gripping her shoulder. "You are Elias Graves' daughter. You endure until you find an opening. But right now, you are surrounded."
He let her go and stepped back, his voice returning to a formal, monotone bark.
"Report to the Alpha house in ten minutes for your first shift with the future Luna. Don't be late."
Roland walked away, leaving Talia standing alone in the center of the grounds.
She looked up at the massive timber-and-stone structure of the Alpha house on the hill overlooking the grounds. Her new post. Her prison.
She clenched her bleeding fist.
Survive until you find an opening.
.She would do more than survive. She would wait. And when the opening came, she wouldn't just run. She would burn it all down on her way out.
The Alpha House loomed larger with every step.
Talia forced herself to walk, not run. Running would be read as a weakness. Fear. Guilt. She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders, every instinct screaming while her face betrayed nothing.
Wolves watched her as she crossed the grounds.
Some with pity.
Some with curiosity.
A few with satisfaction, she catalogued for later.
Inside, the air was thick with dominance. Old stone, old blood, old power layered into the walls. This wasn’t just a residence—it was a statement. A reminder of who ruled and who obeyed.
Mira was already there.
She sat near the hearth, draped in pale silk that clung too delicately to her frame, her posture relaxed, as if she had never known scarcity or consequence. When she looked up, her smile was practiced.
“Talia,” Mira said softly. “I’m glad it’s you.”
The words scraped.
Glad. As if this were a kindness.
Talia inclined her head just enough to be respectful. “Future Luna.”
Mira’s eyes flicked briefly—calculating, possessive—before settling again. “Thomas says you’re the best fighter on the territory.”
He would, Talia thought.
“I’m here to ensure your safety,” she replied evenly. “Nothing more.”
Thomas entered then, presence filling the room without effort. He didn’t look at her right away. That was deliberate too.
“Good,” he said at last. “You’re punctual.”
A reminder. A leash tugged just hard enough to feel.
Talia met his gaze, her wolf silent but not gone—coiled deep, watching.
“Yes, Alpha.”
For now.
As she took her position by the wall, back straight, eyes forward, Talia felt it again—faint, almost imperceptible.
A ripple.
Not from Thomas.
Not from Mira.
From the walls themselves.
The Alpha House had secrets. Old ones. Cracks hidden beneath stone and power.
And for the first time since the cage closed around her, Talia felt something shift.
Not hope.
Opportunity.
And that was far more dangerous.
- Writer
