Chapter Seven

Laura drifted in and out of sleep, lost in a fog of pain and tiredness. Time meant nothing. Shadows grew and faded. Sometimes, she heard voices, quiet whispers she couldn't make out. Other times, hands touched her skin, hands which felt cold and distant, caring for her wounds.

But the darkness always pulled her back.

Then, suddenly, it was gone.

Her eyes opened wide, with her body going stiff right away. A gasp escaped her lips as she tried to focus.

The smell of blood and smoke filled the air, but under it was something stronger. Something powerful. It stuck to the walls, heavy and choking, pressing against her senses.

"Where am I?" she whispered to herself, her throat dry and scratchy.

This wasn't Silver Moon land. The scent was all wrong.

Laura tried to sit up, but the moment she moved, a sharp pain burned around her wrists. She made a hissing sound, looking down.

Silver cuffs.

Thick, magic-filled, and glowing softly with strange marks. A heavy chain tied them to the stone wall behind her. The metal burned against her skin, making her wolf cry in pain.

"No, no, no," she whispered, panic rising in her chest.

Her breath came quick. Why was she tied up?

She hadn't been a danger to anyone for years. She had buried her fighter side, played the part of the perfect Luna. And yet, here she was, chained like a wrongdoer.

She pulled at the cuffs, but the magic in them got tighter, sending a burning heat through her body.

"Aaaah!" The pain shot up her arms, making her teeth clench.

Laura swallowed hard, forcing herself to calm down. Getting scared wouldn't help. She needed to figure out where she was.

Her eyes got used to the dim light. She was lying on a large bed covered in black furs, softer than anything she had ever felt. The room was cold, dark, and scary quiet. The walls were rough stone, with torches burning along them.

A single window sat high in the wall, too small to escape through but big enough for pale moonlight to come in.

Her stomach twisted when she noticed the pack marks carved into the walls.

Bloodfang Pack.

"No..." she breathed, her heart dropping to her stomach.

She was in Lucian Blackwood's land.

As if called by the thought, footsteps echoed outside the heavy wooden door.

Slow and steadily.

Her heart beat faster as she waited. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The lock clicked.

Then the door swung open, and he stepped inside.

Lucian Blackwood.

Even in the dim torchlight, he was hard to miss.

He was tall, wide-shouldered, and totally at ease, like a hunter who knew he was the king of the forest. He wore black pants and a gray shirt, simple but doing nothing to hide the raw strength under them. The strange tattoos she had seen before curved over his neck, dark against his tanned skin.

But it was his eyes that held her still.

Silver, glowing softly in the firelight.

They locked onto her, sharp and studying, and she felt it—his power filling the room, surrounding her like a force she couldn't see.

Lucian stepped forward, closing the door behind him with a soft click. His eyes moved slowly over her body making her feel naked until it stopped the silver cuffs.

Something flashed in his face but she wasn't sure what.

Then his eyes met hers again.

"You're awake," he said, his voice deep and smooth. "Good. I don't like weak things in my land."

Laura clenched her jaw. Weak.

After everything, after Kieran's episode, after fighting for her life, after living through the pain of a broken mate bond, he brushed her off so easily.

A slow fire burned in her chest and despite herself and the danger she was in her sharp tongue lashed out.

"I didn't ask to be brought here," she shot back, shaking the chains. The sound of metal rattling filled the room. "Or to be treated like a fucking prisoner."

Something flickered in Lucian's eyes.

It was there and gone in a flash.

He crouched beside the bed, bringing them to eye level. Up close, he was even more scary. His silver eyes weren't just one color, they had bits of blue in them.

"And yet here you are," he said softly. His breath smelled of mint and forest.

His hand lifted, fingers brushing over the silver cuff on her wrist.

The metal heated at his touch, sending a sharp jolt through her body. Laura flinched but didn't make a sound. She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.

Lucian tilted his head slightly, watching her. A small smile played on his lips.

"Rejected. Left. Betrayed," he said quietly, each word cutting deep. His fingers moved from the cuff to her skin, lightly touching her wrist. "And yet... you're still breathing."

His touch sent shivers up her arm. Though not entirely all from fear.

His voice was hard to read. Almost curious.

"Why am I here?" Laura asked, her voice barely a whisper. "What do you want from me?"

Lucian didn't answer right away. His thumb traced small circles on her wrist.

Laura swallowed, pushing back the sting of his words. She wouldn't let him see her break.

She lifted her chin, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

"I am no one's prisoner," she said, voice steady. "Not Kieran's. Not yours. I broke my mate bond to be free, not to trade one cage for another."

Lucian's face didn't change.

Then, slowly, he smiled.

"You don't understand, little Luna," he said softly.

He leaned in, close enough that she could feel his breath against her skin, warm, mixed with something wild.

"You are not my prisoner."

His fingers tipped her chin up slightly, forcing her to keep looking at him. His grip wasn't painful, but it was firm.

"You are mine now," he said, voice calm, sure and unquestioned.

Laura's stomach twisted. Her heart raced so fast she thought it might burst.

"Mine to protect. Mine to control. Mine to use as I need."

"I belong to no one," she whispered, but her voice trembled.

"We'll see about that," he replied, his finger tracing the line of her jaw. "You're stronger than I expected. Most wolves don't survive a broken mate bond."

Each word sank deep, and the worst part was, she didn't know if she had the strength to fight it.

Because she wasn't just trapped in Bloodfang's den.

She was trapped with a very dangerous Alpha.