Forsaken By The Alpha

chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Wolf’s Warning

Elara's POV

Lucian dragged me back towards the estate. His fingers around my arm were unyielding, hot as a brand, and each step he took echoed with controlled fury. My skin prickled at the intensity of his silence, each beat of it pressing down on me like weights. I'd failed, and he was letting me feel every bit of it.

He didn't utter a word, tugging me down the hall and pushing me into the confines of my room. The heavy door slammed shut behind him as he followed me inside, the sharp sound making me flinch despite myself.

His tall frame cast a long shadow in the dim room; his eyes, dark and smoldering with anger, locked onto mine. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?" His voice was low, steady-more dangerous than if he'd yelled.

I didn't cower. "I tried to leave," I said simply, lifting my chin. My voice shook only a little, but I clung to the flicker of defiance sparking inside me. "That's all.

Lucian laughed; the laughter was bitter and devoid of any real mirth. "That's all?" He repeated the words, his footsteps edging closer until he crowded her space in the room, his shadow suffocating every corner. "You are my wife, Elara. You don't get to 'leave".

Anger, hot and sharp, swelled up in my chest as the fear was pushed aside. "You don't own me," I snapped- louder now. "No matter what you think, I'm not yours, i will never be yours.

His gaze narrowed, and the tension in the room felt heavy. For a second there, I thought he would hit me, but instead, he took another step forward, close enough that the heat rising from him radiated toward me. "You're mine," he said, his voice soft and yet not one bit relenting. "And I will do whatever it takes to make sure you understand that.

I made my eyes lock on his, but my heart thundered against my rib cage like a bird attempting to break free. "Why do you care?" I shouted, the tremors of my voice betraying my anger and desperation. "If you hate me so much, why don't you just let me go?

Lucian's jaw flexed, a grim smile playing on his lips. "Because I don't let what's mine walk away," he said simply. "And because out there, you'd last a day—if that.

I opened my mouth to argue, but something in his gaze shut me up. For a second there, I could have sworn I saw something flash behind his eyes, something almost human. It was there and gone in an instant, replaced by cold, unyielding steel.

Running from me was foolish, Elara, he said in a low, cutting tone. Do you even understand the danger you have put yourself in? The forest is not some fairy tale of escape; it is a graveyard for anyone who does not belong.

I clenched my fists into my sides, my nails digging into my palms. “The forest is better than this prison”.

His smile broadened, though there was no warmth in it. "A prison? Is that what you think this is?" His voice dropped even lower, soft like a threat. "You don't know what a prison is, Elara. But if you try this again, I'll make sure you do.

A chill ran down my spine, but I didn't let my fear show. "You think you can scare me into obedience?" I asked, forcing my voice to stay steady. "You can drag me back, Lucian, but you'll never break me.

His eyes darkened, and for a moment, it seemed the air between us crackled with tension. Then he leaned in, his face inches from mine, voice low-a growl. "You will learn, Elara," he whispered. "One way or another, you will learn.

Before I could say a word, he straightened and turned away; every movement sharp, deliberate. He left the room, slamming the door behind him, and plunged me into oppressive silence.

A moment I stood there, shallow gasps of breath coming into my lungs. My mind raced, playing back in my head every word he'd said, every step of my failed escape. My arms were heavy, my legs lead, but I forced myself to move-the act keeping my mind from spiraling into despair.

I crossed the room to the small window, slapping my palms onto the cold glass as I peered out into the dark sprawl of the forest. It had been so close. I could still feel the rush of hope that I'd felt when I reached the trees, the taste of freedom just within reach. And then—Lucian. Always Lucian.

My reflection stared back at me in the glass, pale and shadowed, the faint glimmer of tears threatening to spill. I clenched my jaw, forcing them back. Crying wouldn't help. It never had before, and it wouldn't now.

He thought he'd won. He thought dragging me back here and throwing his threats in my face would break me. But he was wrong. I may have failed tonight, but I wouldn't stop fighting. I couldn't. My freedom, my life-it was all I had left, and I wouldn't let him take it from me.

It had been a mistake to head into the forest. I could see that now. Lucian's reach extended farther than I'd realized, his power suffocating even beyond the walls of his estate. If I was going to escape, I'd have to be smarter. I'd have to find a way to outmaneuver him, to slip through the cracks of his control. And I would.

I pulled the locket from my pocket, clenching it tightly in my fist. It was the one thing from my past that Darius hadn't managed to tear away, and I didn't want Lucian touching it either. The memory of my mother, her soft strength, her resilience-was all I had to hang onto now.

I would live through this. I must survive.

I turned away from the window, my resolve hardening with every step I took back toward the center of the room. This time, Lucian had caught me, but he wouldn't win. At least, not in the ways that mattered.

For now, I would wait. I would let him think he'd won, let him underestimate me. But when the time came, when I saw my next chance, I would be ready.

And this time, I wouldn't fail.