Thirty days to seduce the cursed Alpha

Chapter 3

They headed deeper into the woods, and with every mile, the forest seemed to change. The air grew colder, the shadows darker, and the trees taller, their twisted branches stretching overhead like claws trying to blot out the sky. An eerie feeling settled over Nadia, penetrating her skin and sinking into her bones.

I don't want to do this anymore.

The thought hit her so suddenly that she almost said it aloud.

Her stomach churned with fear. Every instinct she possessed was screaming at her to run, to go home, to crawl back into her bed and pretend none of this had happened. But there was no going back. She had volunteered. She had made her choice.

Taking a deep breath, she clenched her butt cheeks in pure panic and tried to think happy thoughts.

It didn't work.

"Alpha... I don't think we should go any deeper."

Beta Hector's voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable strain beneath it.

Even he was afraid.

That somehow made everything worse.

Alpha Adam stared ahead for a few moments before nodding.

"You're right. Drop her here."

Nadia turned sharply toward him.

Here?

She looked outside.

There was nothing but trees. Endless, dark trees that seemed to go on forever.

For a brief moment, she thought it was cruel. Then she remembered that this had been her decision.

A few minutes later, she found herself standing alone in a small clearing as the vehicle disappeared into the forest.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Nadia wrapped her arms around herself. She was shivering, but not because of the cold.

The woods felt... wrong.

It was as though something was watching her.

She couldn't see anything, yet she could almost feel eyes on her from every direction. Hidden eyes. Patient eyes. Eyes that belonged to things she didn't want to imagine.

Why exactly did I have to wait here?

At this point, she wasn't even sure she would survive long enough to meet Alpha Lockwood. Some other monster would probably eat her first.

"I should have stayed home and prayed," she muttered bitterly.

Trying to be a hero was exhausting.

Unable to stand still, she began pacing. She didn't go far, remaining within a few metres of where they had left her. She had no intention of venturing deeper into the woods. No, the specific evil she was looking for could come and find her. She wasn't interested in accidentally meeting a different kind of evil first.

Time seemed strange in that forest.

She didn't have her phone, but she could have sworn an hour had passed. It should have been around noon, yet everything looked dim and grey, like the sun had already set behind thick winter clouds.

Nothing about this place made sense.

"Come and get me already," she said nervously, looking around. "Please. Don't leave me here."

The words escaped before she could stop them.

She was actually begging Alpha Lockwood to appear.

Because somehow, the infamous monster had become the lesser of her fears.

No one came.

Only the sounds of the forest answered her.

Leaves rustled.

Branches creaked.

Something cried in the distance.

Some noises were familiar enough to identify, while others made her shudder and pray she never discovered what had made them.

Her legs were beginning to ache, and she considered sitting down. One glance at the dark forest around her quickly changed her mind.

She wasn't about to let her guard down.

Unfortunately, she didn't need to.

"Are you lost, darling?"

The voice came from behind her.

Nadia spun around so quickly that she almost lost her footing. She had barely registered the outline of a man when something dropped over her head.

A sack.

It smelled of smoke and pine.

The world instantly went dark.

She stumbled backward, lost her balance, and as panic exploded inside her, only one thought crossed her mind.

I have been caught.

"He's going to be furious."

"He wants blood."

Nadia had been awake from the moment someone grabbed her and shoved her into the boot of a car.

She simply hadn't fought back.

Not because she wasn't afraid, but because she had willingly come here to be captured. Besides, if this had happened under different circumstances, she doubted she could have escaped anyway.

The boot smelled strongly of blood and wet fur. It was cramped, dark, and carried the lingering scent of several werewolves.

It was terrifying.

She could have pretended to wake up screaming and kicking, but she decided against it. Conserving her strength seemed wiser. So she remained perfectly still and listened.

"He wants their Alpha, not random pack member."

Ouch...She winced, then thought: Poor Alpha, Nadia thought dryly. Not that she had any idea who they were talking about.

"But we already took their Luna. That should count for something, right? Damn, I'm exhausted."

Understanding suddenly struck her.

They wanted Alpha Adam.

Why?

She couldn't think of a single reason anyone would want him. He had always seemed cowardly and selfish, more interested in protecting his position than his people.

"Yeah, well, that bastard keeps slipping away. Our Alpha wants revenge. Taking Adam's Luna was nothing. And this girl in the boot is definitely going to annoy him."

A pause.

"We might as well dump her back in the woods or take her for ourselves. She's obviously an Omega. Worthless."

Nadia's heart sank.

This was already going terribly.

"Nah," the other man said. "We can't do that. If he finds out, he'll rip our hearts out. We'll take her to him. She'll just end up as one of his newest slaves."

Relief flooded her.

Strange.

She was relieved to become a slave.

"I still don't understand why he keeps collecting them, he has too many women already. If he could just spare us some of his spoils." the first man muttered. "He's never had a redhead before, though."

"Neither have I."

The other chuckled.

"Then maybe this one will amuse us before him."

Nadia swallowed.

She desperately tried to think of an escape route anyway.

She needed to reach Alpha Lockwood and not become the plaything of a couple of thugs before she got to him.

Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to think.

The boot suddenly flew open.

Moonlight flooded in.

Two men stared down at her.

They were both grinning.

Nadia immediately began kicking against the restraints around her wrists and ankles.

"Look at that," one of them said with a laugh. "She's awake."

"Get me out of here!" she snapped.

The men exchanged amused looks.

"Feisty little thing."

"Untie me!" she demanded.

The first man crouched slightly.

"And if we don't?"

"Then you'll regret it."

For a moment, they simply stared at her.

Then both men burst into laughter.

"Did an Omega just threaten us?" one asked.

The other shook his head, still laughing.

"She's got spirit."

Nadia glared at them.

"Take me back right now."

"Oh, I don't think so."

The first man's grin slowly faded.

"You've had some bad luck tonight, sweetheart."

Something about his tone made her stomach twist.

The second man sighed.

"Just put her back. If our Alpha wants her, then she's his problem."

"Probably for the best," the first agreed. "This one talks too much."

Nadia almost thanked them.

Instead, she settled for glaring.

The boot slammed shut again.

After another long stretch of driving, the vehicle slowed.

Then stopped.

Moved again.

Stopped once more.

The air felt different.

She couldn't explain it.

The atmosphere itself seemed heavier.

Hostile.

Dark.

Filled with old pain, causing a chill to crawl down her spine.

Was this it?

Was this Alpha Lockwood's territory?

Could Talia really be here?

She held her breath as she heard footsteps outside.

Voices.

A few laughs.

Then silence.

Finally, the boot popped open.

The two men looked down at her, neither of them smiling anymore. Instead, they wore expressions that looked almost... satisfied, like they just gave her the punishment of a lifetime.

As if they knew something she didn't.

And somehow, that frightened her more than anything else.