Chapter 5: “Who is She?”

Naya’s POV

The night swallowed me whole.

My boots scraped softly against the uneven road as I hurried forward, breath coming in short, panicked bursts. Every shadow felt alive. Every sound behind me sent my heart slamming against my ribs.

I didn’t dare slow down.

I occasionally looked over my shoulder.

But nothing.

Just trees, an empty road and silence.

Relief barely had time to bloom before I slammed into something solid.

“Oouch…!”

I stumbled back, palms colliding with a broad chest.

Not a wall.

A man.

No… three of them.

I froze.

They were huge, towering like living shadows, red eyes glowing unnaturally in the dark. One of them grinned slowly, his gaze dragging over me.

“Well… well,” he drawled. “Look what wandered into our path.”

My heart plummeted.

I stepped back.

Another man moved instantly, circling behind me, cutting off my escape. I felt the heat of his body, the trap closing.

“Easy, beauty,” the third said softly, stepping too close. He leaned in, inhaled. “Interesting… your scent’s masked. Hard to tell what you are. I like that.”

They laughed… low and ugly.

Fear clawed up my throat.

“Please,” I whispered. “Please… let me go.”

A hand clamped around my arm. I gasped as I was yanked closer.

“Relax,” he mocked. “We won’t hurt you, we just want to have a little fun.”

They shoved me between them. Hands pushed. Bodies blocked. The world spun as panic took over.

Tears burned my eyes.

“Please…no,” I cried. “Let me go… I’m pregnant.”

For a heartbeat, everything stilled.

Then they burst out laughing.

“Yeah right,” one sneered.

Hands grabbed at my clothes. Fabric tore. I screamed, thrashing wildly as they cheered, tossing me between them.

Then…

Headlights flared.

Blinding white light cut through the darkness.

A car.

Hope exploded in my chest.

“Please! Help me!” I screamed, waving frantically.

The engine idled. A door creaked open.

A silhouette stepped into the light.

Tall. Broad. Unmoving.

“Hey.. nothing to see here! Beat it!!” one of them barked.

“This doesn’t concern you man!” Another jeered

The stranger didn’t move.

“I suggest you let the lady go.”

His voice was calm yet carried power and command.

It sent a shiver down my spine.

“Uhhh.. and if we don’t?” The third challenged.

He didn’t answer.

But then I heard cracking bones.

In the next second, a massive black wolf stood where the man had been… enormous, terrifying, its presence crushing the air from my lungs.

Chaos erupted.

The wolf moved with brutal efficiency. No hesitation. No mercy. Screams filled the night as bodies crashed to the ground, blood splattering the earth.

I stumbled back until my spine hit a tree, hands flying to my mouth.

It was over in seconds.

Three men lay torn apart by one man.

The wolf shifted back.

A man stood there again… blood streaking his skin, chest barely heaving.

I saw him clearly now.

Alpha Zane Ashfang.

My stomach dropped.

“He… he found me,” I whispered.

He calmly wiped his hands with a handkerchief, then lifted his gaze to me.

I couldn’t breathe.

He approached slowly.

I tried to run.

My legs wouldn’t move.

He stopped inches away and lifted a hand.

I flinched.

Instead of the impact I expected, he wiped the blood from my cheek.

My knees nearly buckled.

Then without warning, he bent and hauled me over his shoulder.

“No! Wait!” I screamed, pounding uselessly. “Put me down!”

He didn’t respond.

He placed me in the car, climbed in after me, and locked the doors.

“Drive.”

The car lurched forward.

I turned to the driver. “Please… stop… let me out!!” Tugging at the door knob all to no avail.

He didn’t look at me.

I faced Zane again, tears spilling. “Sir, Thank you for saving me. I promise, I won’t tell anyone what I just saw. Please… just let me go.”

His cold glare silenced me.

Then his eyes dropped.

That was when I realized.

My clothes were torn. My bra fully exposed.

Mortified, I tried to cover myself with my hands.

Instantly Zane removed his coat and draped it over my shoulders.

The warmth suddenly calmedme.

And I hated that it did.

Our gazes met briefly.

There was nothing in his expression.

I looked away and focused on the dark road.

As we drove past tall trees and empty roads I couldn’t help but wonder where he was taking me.

Then lanterns appeared ahead, illuminating massive stone walls and a huge iron gate engraved with one word:

MOONVEIL

My stomach tightened at the realization that he was taking me to his pack…

It seemed to calm me a bit but then he voice came faintly

“Take the tunnels,”

Blood drained from my face.

The tunnel? What was he planning to do to me?

Was he going to lock me up like some prisoner? What about his pup? Was he going to kill us both?

And then…

My hand flew to my stomach.

No.

“No… please,” I sobbed. “Not the tunnels. My child… please.”

I tugged at him desperately, tears blinding me.

He didn’t look at me.

Didn’t even react.

He sat back against the seat, one arm resting casually as his gaze fixed on the road ahead, his face carved from stone.

The car swerved and descended into darkness.

Cold stone, closing walls, suffocating fear.

I frantically dragged the door knob but it wouldn’t bulge

Then the car stopped.

I reached for the door again.

It opened.

But before I could get to my feet he was already there.

He bent over and picked me up again, carrying me through towering doors as my screams echoed unanswered.

My frantic hands collided with the cold walls of the tunnel but he didn’t bulge until he stopped and unlocked a door.

He set me down inside the room and stepped back.

“Freshen up,” he said coolly. “Dinner will be sent in five.”

The door slammed.

The lock clicked.

I pounded on it, screaming, begging… until his footsteps died off.

I finally turned into the room, it was luxurious. Large. Warm. Nothing like what I had imagined.

But it didn’t matter.

I collapsed onto the bed, burying my head into my hand, sobbing uncontrollably.

“He’s going to kill me..” i chocked out…

I have to escape.

My feet slid off the bed as the thought struck, adrenaline flooding my veins. I wiped my tears with shaking hands and scanned the room wildly, searching for anything… anything…that could help me get out before he returned.

Then…

The doorknob turned.

My breath caught violently in my throat.

He was back.

Panic exploded through me. I stumbled away from the bed, positioning myself instinctively, my body already angling toward the far side of the room. If the door opened and it was him, I’d run. I didn’t care how impossible it was…I would try.

The lock clicked.

The door swung open.

Relief flashed through me for half a heartbeat.

It wasn’t Zane.

A woman stood in the doorway.

She was tall, dressed in an elegant, body-hugging gown that screamed wealth and status. Her hair was perfectly styled, her face layered in flawless makeup… beautiful in a sharp, dangerous way.

Then her eyes met mine.

I froze.

I could see rage.

Raw.

Undiluted.

Burning rage.

It wasn’t mere curiosity. It wasn’t even just surprise.

It was fury… focused and personal, as though my mere existence offended her.

My stomach twisted painfully.

I took an unconscious step back.

Who is she?

And why did she look at me like I was something she couldn’t wait to destroy?