Chapter 4: Guest
1619 Words
Mia
The cell lock was easier to pick than I'd expected.
I'd woken up in a cold, damp room that smelled like blood. Silver bars and reinforced walls. Clearly, this Alpha Kieran didn't mess around when it came to prisoners.
But he'd underestimated me.
Growing up, I'd been curious about everything. Including the time I'd watched our pack's locksmith teach his son the trade. I'd memorized every technique, every trick, thinking it was just interesting knowledge. You never knew when information like that might come in handy.
Turns out, today was that day.
I used a thin piece of metal I'd found on the floor. It took me twenty minutes of careful work, my fingers cramping from the awkward angle, but eventually, I heard that satisfying click.
Freedom.
I slipped out of the cell as quietly as possible. The guards were nowhere to be seen, probably off gisting among themselves.
I needed to get out of this territory. Fast.
From what I'd overheard earlier, I was in the Bloodfang pack lands. I'd heard stories about this place growing up. Whispered tales that mothers used to scare their children into behaving.
Alpha Kieran and his reputation for brutality. They said he killed every woman who entered his life, that his courtyard was filled with graves.
I'd always thought they were just stories. Apparently, I was wrong.
I wasn't planning to become part of the list of the women who were killed by him.
I stuck to the shadows, moving as quietly as I could through what looked like a massive compound. The packhouse was huge, bigger than anything I'd ever seen. Stone walls that looked ancient, towers that stretched toward the sky. This wasn't just a pack house - it was a fortress.
But I wasn't here to admire the place.
I was here to survive. And then get back to what really mattered.
Selene.
The thought of her sent a fresh wave of rage through me. My best friend. The woman I'd trusted with my life, with my son's life. She'd murdered my innocent baby and then stood there watching as I was executed for her crime.
My hands clenched into fists. I wanted to tear her apart with my bare hands. I wanted to make her suffer the way she'd made my son suffer.
But first, I had to get out of here alive.
I could hear voices in the distance, coming from what looked like a training ground. Men shouting orders, the clash of weapons. Good. That meant most of the pack was occupied.
The eastern border seemed like my best bet. I'd overheard some of the pack members talking about neutral lands in that direction. If I could just make it there, I'd be safe. At least temporarily.
But as I moved through the forest, weaving between massive trees that blocked out most of the sunlight, I started to feel... more weak.
My legs felt like they were made of steel. Each step was harder than the last. My vision kept blurring at the edges, and there was a ringing in my ears that wouldn't go away.
When was the last time I'd eaten? Before the execution, maybe? That felt like a lifetime ago.
Because it was a lifetime ago.
I stumbled over a fallen branch and had to grab onto a tree to keep from falling. The bark was rough against my palms, and I could feel my hands shaking.
This was pathetic. I was a Luna. I'd been trained to be strong, to endure hardship. But right now, I felt like I was falling apart.
"Come on," I whispered to myself. "Just a little further."
I could see the border up ahead. A line of oak trees that marked where Bloodfang territory ended and neutral lands began. So close. I was so close.
But with each step, my body felt heavier. My breathing was getting shallow, and black spots were dancing at the edges of my vision.
Not now. Not when I was this close.
I forced myself to keep moving, one foot in front of the other. Safety was right there.
I took another step forward, and that was when I felt it. I turned and saw a massive wolf running towards me.
I tried to run away but my knees hit the ground hard, sending sharp pain shooting through my legs. I tried to get up, tried to force my body to move, but I had nothing left.
The last thing I remembered before everything went black was the wolf shifting back to him and begging him to spare me.
When I woke up again, I was back in the cell.
But this time, I wasn't alone.
Alpha Kieran stood outside the bars, his blue eyes burning with an anger that made my blood run cold. He looked like he wanted to tear me apart with his bare hands.
And honestly? Part of me wanted to let him try. I was so tired of fighting, so tired of running.
But the bigger part of me - the part that remembered Caleb's face, that remembered Selene's cruel smile - that part wouldn't let me give up.
"You just couldn't stay put, could you?" he said, his voice deadly quiet.
I tried to sit up, but my body still felt weak. The hunger was worse now.
"I was leaving," I said, proud that my voice didn't shake. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
"What I wanted," he said, stepping closer to the bars, "was for you to stay in the cell until I decided what to do with you. But since you can't follow simple instructions..."
He reached for something at his belt. A silver knife that gleamed in the dim light.
"I guess I'll have to solve this problem the permanent way."
Fear shot through me, but I forced myself to meet his gaze. I wasn't going to beg. I'd rather die with dignity than show fear before this monster.
Besides, what was one more death? I'd already died once. Maybe this time, I'd stay dead.
"Go ahead," I said, surprised by how steady my voice sounded. "But you should know, killing me won't solve whatever problem you think I am."
"We'll see about that."
He was reaching for the cell door when a voice cut through the tension.
"Alpha."
An elderly woman appeared from the shadows like she was made out of thin air. She was small and frail-looking, with white hair braided down her back. But there was something about her presence that made even Kieran pause.
Her eyes were completely white, clouded over with age or blindness. But when she turned toward me, I felt like she could see straight through my soul.
"Nora," Kieran said, his voice tight with irritation. "Not now."
"Especially now," the old woman said. There was power in her voice. "I need to speak with you. Privately."
"Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of the prisoner."
"No," Nora said firmly, and for a moment, I could have sworn I saw something flicker in those blind eyes. "I cannot."
For a moment, I thought Kieran was going to refuse. His hand was still on the knife, his jaw clenched with barely controlled rage.
But then he stepped away from the cell.
"Fine. But make it quick."
They moved to the far corner of the room, and I strained to hear what they were saying. Nora was whispering urgently, her gnarled hands gesturing as she spoke. I caught fragments - words like "destiny" and "bound" and "careful."
But it was Kieran's reaction that caught my attention. I watched his posture change, saw the anger in his eyes shift to something else. Something that looked almost like... fear?
What could an old woman possibly say to make a man like him afraid?
Their conversation lasted maybe five minutes, but it felt like hours. Finally, Nora stepped back, and Kieran turned to stare at me with an expression I couldn't read.
"Unlock the cell," he said finally.
The guard who'd been standing nearby looked confused. "Alpha?"
"You heard me. Unlock it."
"But... the prisoner..."
"Is no longer a prisoner," Kieran said, though he looked like the words tasted bitter in his mouth. "She's a guest."
I stared at him in shock. A guest? What the hell had the old woman said to him?
The guard reluctantly unlocked the cell door. I stood up slowly, my legs still shaky from exhaustion and hunger. This had to be some kind of trick.
"You'll be given a room in the packhouse," Kieran said, his voice carefully neutral. "Food. Clothes. Whatever you need."
"Why?" I asked, because I had to know. "Five minutes ago you were ready to kill me."
For a moment, his mask slipped, and I saw something raw and vulnerable in his eyes. But then it was gone, replaced by his usual cold expression.
"Because apparently," he said, "you're exactly where you're supposed to be."
He turned and walked away without another word, leaving me standing there with more questions than answers.
What had the woman told him? Why had he changed his mind so completely? And what did he mean, I was where I was supposed to be?
Well I could use that to my advantage at least until I figured out what had happened to me. I had bigger things to worry about than some Alpha and his mysterious pack.
I looked over at Nora, but the old woman was already shuffling away, humming softly to herself like she hadn't just saved my life.
And I had no idea if that was a good thing or a very, very bad thing.
Only time would tell.
- Writer
