Chapter Ten

The door creaked open.

Laura didn't move.

She didn't need to look to know it was him. His presence filled the room before she even saw him. That heavy feeling, thick and impossible to ignore, pressing into the air like a storm about to break.

Lucian Blackwood.

She turned her head just as he stepped inside, carrying a tray in one hand. The smell of hot meat and fresh bread filled the air, making her stomach hurt with hunger. How long since she last ate? One day? Two? The hours had blurred together in this stone room.

But he didn't come closer.

Didn't speak.

Didn't put the food down.

Instead, he stood by the door, watching her with those silver eyes that gave nothing away. Waiting.

Laura's heart beat faster against her ribs. She had seen this before. A test.

Would she beg? Would she ask for mercy?

She wouldn't. Never again.

Ignoring the pain shooting through her body, she moved against the furs, getting ready. The silver cuffs burned her skin like fire, the chain making a soft clinking noise as she sat up. Every move sent waves of pain through her, but she didn't stop.

She wouldn't show weakness.

Not to him.

Lucian's eyes moved over her, taking in her bruised arms, her tangled hair, her determined face. His expression gave nothing away.

The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words.

Laura looked right at him, breathing hard but steady, feeling slightly irritated as he just stood there staring at her. "Are you going to stand there all night?" she finally asked, her voice rough from disuse.

A slow smile touched his lips. Amused. Like she was a puppy trying to growl at a wolf.

"Your spirit hasn't broken yet," he said, his voice low. "Good."

Laura narrowed her eyes. "It won't break. Ever."

Without another word, he finally moved.

Walking across the room, he bent down by the small wooden table near the bed and put the tray down. The soft sound of the plate on wood seemed very loud in the quiet room.

But he didn't take off the cuffs.

Didn't push the tray toward her.

Just put it down, then leaned against the table, arms crossed over his chest, muscles tight under his black shirt.

Like he was still waiting for something.

Laura tightened her jaw.

Pain filled her body, hunger clawed at her stomach, but as usual her fierce anger burned stronger than both.

She looked at the food, steaming meat, fresh bread, a cup of something hot, then back at him. He was testing her, seeing if she would give in, if she would ask for something as simple as food.

She wouldn't. Not after everything she'd been through.

Her voice was cold when she spoke. "What is this? Some kind of sick game to you?"

Lucian tilted his head slightly. "If it were, you'd already be losing."

His voice was deep, smooth like honey but with an edge that cut like a knife.

Something broke inside her.

She pulled at the cuffs, ignoring the sharp pain as the silver grew hotter against her skin. "Why am I being kept like this?"

Lucian didn't blink. Didn't even seem bothered by her anger.

He looked too calm.

"I've told you before, you are mine," he said smoothly, "Besides, I don't trust you."

His silver eyes locked onto hers.

"Not yet."

Those two small words hung in the air between them. Not yet. Not never. Just... not yet.

Laura breathed fast, her chest rising and falling with frustration. The silver cuffs still burned, but the fire in her veins burned hotter.

"What have I done to make you not trust me?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly. "I'm the one who was attacked. I'm the one who was left to die. And now I'm the one in chains."

Lucian watched her, his face giving nothing away, standing relaxed as if her anger was just mild entertainment.

"You were found close to Bloodfang territory," he said, eyes never leaving hers. "Carrying another pack's scent."

Laura gripped the furs beneath her but said nothing.

Lucian nodded as if her silence confirmed something. "Trust isn't given," he said simply. "It's earned."

Laura glared at him. "How am I supposed to earn anything locked up in here?"

"You think my pack would accept you just walking free?" He pushed off from the table, taking a step closer. "They'd tear you apart the moment they saw you."

"So I'm stuck here forever?"

Then, he finally spoke words that made her heart skip.

"You want out of those chains?"

The words were slow, careful, like he was offering something precious.

Laura gritted her teeth at the stupid question, but she kept her anger in check, just this once. "Obviously."

Lucian's lips twitched, as if her sharp tone amused him. He pushed away from the table and took a slow step toward her.

"Then earn it."

Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "What?"

Lucian bent down beside her, so close she could smell him, the usual pine trees smell and something wild. His silver eyes shining in the dim torchlight. "One fight," he said, voice low, with something dangerous in it. "Win, and I'll take off the cuffs. Lose..." He reached out, tapping one of the glowing silver bands on her wrist. "And they stay exactly where they are."

Laura's heart pounded so hard she thought it might break through her chest.

A fight.

She was weak. Tired. Still getting better from the broken mate bond that had nearly killed her.

But it didn't matter.

Because she refused to be chained for one more day.

"Who would I fight?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Lucian's smile widened just a little. "Someone from my pack."

Laura swallowed hard. Bloodfang wolves were known for their strength, their brutality. And she was still healing.

"Who?" she pressed.

"Does it matter?" he asked. "They all want you dead anyway."

Laura's eyes narrowed. "You're setting me up to fail."

"I'm giving you a chance," he corrected. "More than most would."

"And if I say no?"

"Then you stay chained," he said simply. "And my pack continues to question why I'm keeping you alive."

The threat was clear in his words. The guards outside had been right. Her life hung by a thread.

She lifted her chin. "Fine. I'll fight."

Lucian smiled, standing. "I thought you might say that."

His eyes swept over her once more, lingering on the determination in her face.

"You'll need strength," he said, nodding toward the tray. "Eat."

Laura eyed the food suspiciously. "Why feed me if you're just going to watch me get beaten tomorrow?"

Lucian tilted his head. "Who said you'll lose?"

The question hung in the air between them. Did he actually think she could win? Or was this just another game?

"You don't even know what I can do," she said quietly.

"Don't I?" He raised an eyebrow. "I've listened to you talk in your sleep, fighting battles even while unconscious."

Laura felt her face heat up. "You've been watching me sleep?"

"I've been watching everything," he said simply. "And tomorrow, everyone else will be watching too."

He turned, heading for the door. His hand was on the handle when Laura found her voice again.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Why not just let me go? Or..." She couldn't bring herself to say the other option.

Lucian paused, his back to her. For a moment, she thought he wouldn't answer.

Then, without turning, he spoke. "Because Bloodfang respects only one thing—strength." He glanced back over his shoulder, his silver eyes meeting hers. "Show them yours, or die trying."

With that, he walked out, closing the door behind him.

The lock clicked into place.

Laura stared at the door long after he'd gone, her mind racing.

Tomorrow she would fight. Tomorrow she would either earn her freedom or lose what little hope she had left.

Her eyes fell on the food tray. The smell of it made her mouth water, her stomach ache with need.

She reached for it, the chains clinking as she moved.

If she was going to fight tomorrow, she needed her strength.

As she took the first bite of warm meat, she tried not to think about Lucian's words.

Mine.

Not yet.

Show them your strength, or die trying.

Whatever game the Alpha of Bloodfang was playing, she wouldn't be just a pawn in it.

She would fight.

She would win.

She would be free.

Even if it meant facing the worst of what his pack could throw at her.