Chapter 7: Bound in Shadows

LIRA

The first thing I became aware of was the steady, rhythmic pounding of hooves against the earth. Each beat sent a jolt through my body, waking me from the hazy fog that still clung to my mind. The sound was distant but oddly comforting, a steady cadence that kept me anchored.

Then came the warmth—a thick, all-encompassing heat. It radiated from the broad chest pressed against my back, from the muscled arm wrapped securely around my waist. For a moment, I thought it might be a dream, something comforting to distract me from the nightmare I was sure I had just escaped. But the heat was real. Too real.

And then… the scent.

It was undeniable. Deep, rich woodsmoke and the sharp bite of frost, mingling together in a way that twisted something inside me. It was him. The scent I had come to dread. The scent of the one who had torn apart everything I thought I knew.

Caius.

I sucked in a sharp breath, the air tasting thick and cold in my lungs. My eyes fluttered open, blinking rapidly as I tried to make sense of what was happening. For a moment, confusion gripped me like iron shackles. The moon was still high in the sky, a sliver of silver light casting long, eerie shadows. Stars blinked overhead, the only light in a world that felt too still, too silent. Dark trees rushed past in a blur of black and gray, their limbs reaching toward the heavens like twisted fingers.

My body was pressed against someone—a solid wall of muscle and warmth. No. Not just anyone.

Caius.

I twisted in his grasp, my heart hammering against my chest like a trapped animal. My breath came in quick, shallow bursts. Panic surged through me like a tidal wave, drowning everything else.

“Let me go!” I demanded, my voice strained and hoarse.

The arm around my waist didn’t budge. It was like trying to move a boulder. His grip was firm, unyielding, a vise that tightened around my ribs.

“You’re awake.” His voice was calm, almost amused, like this whole situation was nothing more than an inconvenience to him.

My pulse quickened. His indifference made my skin crawl.

I tried to push against him, but it was pointless. I might as well have been trying to push a mountain. His body was an immovable force. There was nothing I could do. Nothing I could change.

“I swear to the Goddess, Caius,” I growled, my teeth gritted in frustration, “if you don’t—”

“Save your strength.” His tone was infuriatingly detached, as though I were nothing more than an annoying fly buzzing in his ear. “You won’t win this fight.”

I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms. I had no idea what to do. I wasn’t in control anymore.

I was a prisoner.

I twisted again, my movements frantic, desperate. This time, I managed to pull away slightly, just enough to glimpse the world around me. But the movement sent the world spinning, the trees blurring together into a dizzying whirl. The ground beneath me felt unsteady, as though I might tumble off the edge of the earth itself. A dull ache settled at the back of my skull, and I swayed, my vision dimming for a moment.

Caius made a noise. It wasn’t a growl. Not quite. It was something between annoyance and concern. “I warned you.” His voice was a low rumble against my ear, vibrating through my body. “The sedative is still in your system.”

The memory rushed back like a tidal wave, crashing over me with the force of a storm. The fight. The clash of wolves, the harsh scent of blood, the searing pain in my side. His hand on my arm. The sudden, overwhelming wave of exhaustion. I had fought—fought with everything I had—but it hadn’t been enough.

I had lost.

“You drugged me?” I hissed, the accusation sharp as a blade.

He exhaled sharply, the sound heavy with frustration. “I had no choice. You wouldn’t have come willingly.”

My heart pounded in my chest, rage flooding my veins. “You’re damn right I wouldn’t!” I snapped, my words bitter and full of venom. “You think I’d willingly follow you into… this?”

He didn’t answer at first. I could feel his chest rise and fall against my back, steady and controlled. It was almost unnerving how calm he was, as though nothing had changed. As though kidnapping me, dragging me from everything I knew, was just another mundane task to him.

I looked around, my eyes scanning the night. There were other riders flanking us—at least six, their figures cloaked in dark hoods that hid their faces. Their wolves were silent, their presence almost predatory as they circled us. The scent of their pack, the Grimhowl Pack, was unmistakable. The stench of cold, the crispness of the northern winds, mixed with the scent of war.

I was deep in enemy territory.

Fear wrapped around my throat like a noose, choking off my breath. I couldn’t escape. The thought of what might be waiting for me in Grimhowl territory sent a shiver down my spine.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, my voice small, though I hated how weak it sounded.

For the first time since I’d woken, Caius hesitated. It was brief, almost imperceptible, but it was there. A flicker of something in his eyes, something that looked almost like uncertainty. But it was gone in a flash, replaced with the same icy detachment I had come to expect from him.

“North.” His voice was as cold as the wind that howled through the trees.

The one word sent a chill down my spine, colder than the frost biting at my skin. North. The Northern Territory. The land of endless snow, brutal winters, and wolves that were more monster than man.

Grimhowl.

My heart skipped a beat. I was a prisoner of the most feared Alpha in the land, a man who didn’t rule his pack with just strength, but with terror. Caius Vexmoor, the Alpha who had earned a reputation for cruelty, whose mere name sent shivers through the hearts of even the most battle-hardened wolves.

The realization hit me like a slap. I was no longer in control. I wasn’t in my territory, surrounded by my people, my pack. I wasn’t safe. I was a prisoner in a land ruled by monsters.

And I had no idea how I was going to survive this.

The darkness of the night pressed in, suffocating and oppressive. It felt like the world itself was closing around me, leaving me with only the pounding of hooves and the cold, unrelenting scent of Caius. My body ached, but it wasn’t just from the sedative. It was something deeper. Something that told me I was about to be a part of something far bigger than I could possibly understand.

Something that terrified me.