Caught

Elena

I ran.

Bare feet slapped against the rough earth, every stride slicing my skin open a little more. The ground was cold, cruel, and unyielding. My lungs burned; my heart felt like it was about to rupture. My wolf wanted to shift back—she was done, exhausted—but I couldn't stop. Not now. Not when every breath was survival.

I had to escape.

From him. From all of them.

From the life my father had signed away like I was a business transaction.

Married off to Henry Richardson—the Alpha of Crescent Moon Pack, the sadist with a reputation that made grown wolves shiver. A man who collected women like trophies. Tortured them. Broke them. And then threw them away.

It was a contract—the biggest, most ruthless contract in the history of this century-old pack, and I was the virgin sacrifice of it. A contract that favored my dad and Henry—but not me.

I was to be the virgin bride of Henry Richardson. The sadistic monster.

The contract had already been signed, because my father—the man who once swore he'd die for me—decided six months after my mate's death that I was going to be sold at the price of three billion dollars. Yes. That was what Henry offered. Along with soldiers, weapons, and more.

David. My mate. My one night of peace, gone by morning—his body washed up on the shore, mutilated beyond recognition. That image lived behind my eyelids. I ran harder to outrun it. To outrun everything.

Then the roar came.

Engines.

Deep, predatory, mechanical beasts cutting through the forest silence. My stomach dropped. I didn't have to look to know who sent them. My father's hounds—again.

Except this time, their scent made my skin prickle.

Familiar. Dangerous.

Sterling.

God damn it!

The Sterling Twins!

A black Bugatti skidded beside me, tires spitting gravel. My wolf growled, but curiosity dragged my gaze up.

The window rolled down.

A tattooed arm—moon and wolf inked into muscle.

Then the smirk. Those unmistakable green eyes.

Jax Sterling.

The younger of the infamous twins. The monster you were told to never look in the eye.

"Running too slow, little wolf," he drawled, cigarette perched between his fingers. His voice was lazy, low—like smoke and sin. "We'll catch you soon."

We.

The word hit me like a curse.

A white Bugatti screamed up beside us, trapping me in the middle of their game. This one, I knew before the window even came down.

Ashton Sterling.

The elder. The colder. The one with ink creeping up his throat like shadows trying to claim him. Both twins—both were the monsters everyone feared. But to my dad? They were his best buddies. They did his dirty work, the same way he did for them.

Ashton grinned, teeth sharp and perfect. "Little rebel," he said, voice slick as honey and twice as dangerous. "You're making Daddy very unhappy. Time to come home, princess."

Of course. When my father's entire pack failed, he unleashed his monsters. The Sterlings—his oldest allies, the kind of men whispered about in stories meant to frighten pups. They were...the worst nightmares to ever exist. Mateless for years, hungry for power, and men who dominated both days and night of this continent. The two most dangerous predators to ever exist—The Sterling fucking Twins.

I had no chance. None.

But I wasn't giving up without blood.

I darted left, sprinting for the bridge—but Jax's car swung ahead, blocking the road. Ashton closed the rear. All that waited beyond was the river's black water—and I couldn't swim.

They knew it. Bastards.

Trapped.

Jax stepped out first, smoke curling from his lips, eyes glinting with amusement as he crouched before me. "Hey, little wolf," he murmured, fingers brushing my fur like a caress.

I lunged, teeth bared—ready to tear his throat out.

But he moved faster. His hand clamped on the back of my neck, dominance radiating from his skin like fire. The smirk faded, his voice dropped.

"Shift."

The command hit me like lightning.

Bones cracked, muscles twisted, skin burned—and my wolf obeyed.

No. No, no, no.

I fought it, screaming through clenched teeth, but my body betrayed me, dragging me back into human form. My wolf didn't listen—she'd obeyed him all because these were some goddamned powerful Alphas we had no chance winning against.

"Shit," I gasped, collapsing to the cold asphalt, naked, trembling. Bruises, cuts, blood—my skin told the story of my run.

Ashton exhaled a cloud of smoke, watching with hooded eyes.

Jax's gaze slid over me once, slow and sharp, then he tore it away, jaw tightening. He shrugged off his leather jacket and crouched, offering it without a word.

"Put it on," he said softly.

His voice shouldn't have felt like that—gentle, grounding. I shouldn't have taken it. But I did.

The moment it covered me, I ran again—bare feet pounding the opposite direction, desperate, stupid hope screaming louder than reason.

It lasted all of three seconds.

A hand snatched my wrist mid-stride and yanked me back. Pain shot through my arm as I slammed into something solid—warm muscle, hard chest. My shoulder cracked.

"God—!" I hissed, clutching my arm, glaring up through my tears.

Ashton looked down at me, unimpressed.

"You think you can run from us?" His voice was pure ice. "You're so fucking naïve."

"Let me go, you asshole!" I swung at him, but he caught my fist easily, twisting it just enough to make me wince.

Behind him, Jax chuckled. Low. Amused. Dark.

Like this was all just another game between monsters.

"A punch?" Ashton's voice dripped with mockery. "Seriously? You have zero survival skills."

"The problem is I shouldn't have been put in this situation against two beasts like you in the first place!" I shouted, tears blurring my vision. "If you're here to drag me back to that hell and hand me over to that sadistic fuck, I will not go. Do you hear me? Even if it kills me—I will not marry him!"

My voice cracked, rage tangled with despair.

"So just like my father, you two—his loyal dogs—" I leaned closer, spitting the words, "can shove that information right up your asses."

"Oh, that's intense," Jax whistled, low and amused from behind. His voice curled around the air like smoke. Ashton's expression, though, darkened—his patience thinning.

"We don't care what you think, Elena."

The way my name rolled off his tongue—calm, deep, final—made something inside me still. It was the first time he'd said it in years. Somehow these men had always been around but we never talked. Never even stood face to face. And here they were—ruining my life.

"Gabrielle wants you back. That's all that matters. We deliver. You deal."

"Really?" I bit out, shaking, trembling with tears and fury. "If you truly didn't want any part in it, you wouldn't have come!"

His gaze lingered on the tear that slid down my cheek before flicking back to my face. Cold. Controlled.

"Your father's doing what's best for the pack," Jax said lazily, leaning against the hood, cigarette still burning between his fingers. "We're here because he needed help. A friend helps a friend, little wolf. You'd do the same."

"You piece of shit!" I snarled over Ashton's shoulder. "No—I wouldn't! I have morals, unlike you two!"

Ashton's jaw flexed. "Enough of that bullshit."

And then, before I could blink, I was airborne—slung over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.

"Let me go, you fucking bastard!" I screamed, fists hammering against his back. "I said let me go!"

He didn't even flinch. His body was solid stone, heat radiating through the fabric of his shirt, the scent of smoke and dominance clinging to his skin. I could feel his pulse against my ribs, steady and unbothered.

He stopped beside Jax, who was watching with that infuriating smirk of his.

"Leave your car," Ashton ordered flatly. "We'll take mine. Gabrielle can send someone for it later." Then, as if I wasn't still thrashing, "You take her."

"What—no, no, no—!" I twisted, but Ashton tossed me to Jax like I was nothing but a tantruming child.

I barely had time to curse before Jax's palm landed sharply on my ass—hard enough to make me gasp.

"Stop it, little wolf," he warned, his voice low and edged. "You're testing my patience."

I froze, more from shock than pain.

Did he—? He spanked me?

"You goddamned—"

"Enough." He shoved me into the backseat, my shoulder hitting the door with a dull thud. The locks clicked a second later.

Trapped. Again.

Jax slid in beside me, the confined space swallowing the air. He was too close—tall, broad, the faint scent of smoke and forest clinging to him. The darkness in his eyes flicked over me, slow, deliberate—from my bare thighs to my trembling lips.

"Well," he drawled, voice a sinful whisper, "seems like you're stuck now. Don't poke the monster, unless you're ready to be eaten."

A shiver rippled through me, traitorous and hot.

My eyes darted to the rearview mirror—Ashton's reflection met mine, unblinking, warning carved into every sharp line of his face.

Neither spoke. They didn't have to.

The car roared to life.

And I realized—I wasn't escaping this time.

Not from them.

Not from what they were about to do to my life.