Three - Questions Without Answers

Althea’s P.O.V

I spent the rest of the day testing the room like a caged animal. I wanted to scream, to shout but that would only hurt my heart and maybe no one would come to help.

The window didn't open. The door remained locked. There was nothing in the dresser except more oversized clothes and all in neutral colors, all practical.

There was no phone, no way to contact anyone.

I was truly trapped in a place where I had never stepped foot.

By the time the sun started to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple, I was pacing the room like a restless cat. My mind wouldn't stop spinning. Who were these people? What did they want with me? And why did that man, the Alpha, as Marla had called him look at me with such burning hatred?

I had done nothing to him. I was just a girl who’d had a car accident. I was a victim, but he was making me look like an antagonist.

The pain in my chest had faded to a dull, persistent ache. Like a bruise that wouldn't quite heal. I kept pressing my hand to my sternum, feeling my heartbeat, trying to reassure myself that everything was fine.

But nothing about this situation was fine.

Marla brought dinner around seven. This time there was roasted chicken, vegetables, and water. She wouldn't meet my eyes when I asked her questions.

"Please." I said, following her to the door.

"Just tell me what's going on. Why am I being kept here?" I pleaded but when I got her to reply, I realised that she was not going to say anything. She was loyal.

"It's not my place." She said quietly. Then, with something that almost sounded like sympathy, "Try to rest, Althea. Things will be clearer in the morning."

The door locked behind her with a definitive click.

I ate dinner alone, watching through the window as lights came on across the compound. I could see people gathering in the communal building. They were laughing, talking and moving with that same eerie coordination I had noticed earlier.

They looked normal. Happy, even.

So why did everything feel so wrong?

I was still standing at the window when I heard voices outside my door. Low, masculine but they were arguing.

I pressed my ear against the wood, straining to hear.

"...can't keep her locked up like this." That voice was unfamiliar, smooth and reasonable. "She's human. She doesn't understand-"

"I don't care what she understands." That cold and sharp voice I recognised. It was that man again.

"She's a security risk. She stays contained until I decide otherwise."

"Xavier, be reasonable…"

"I am being reasonable, Leo. If I were being unreasonable, she'd already be dead."

My blood turned to ice.

Dead?

"She's innocent." The other voice who I assumed was Leo insisted. "She had an accident. That's all. You can't punish her for stumbling onto our land."

"I can do whatever I want." The Alpha's voice was final, absolute. "She's my problem, and I'll handle her my way."

There was a pause. Then Leo spoke again, quieter this time. "This isn't about her, is it? You know the reason. This is about Em-"

"Don't." The single word cracked like a whip. "Don't say her name."

“Xavier, you can’t keep doing that to her. That’s your m-”

“Shut the fuck up, Leo.”

Silence.

Then footsteps, moving away.

I stumbled back from the door, my heart pounding.

Dead.

He said she'd already be dead. Like killing me was an option he was actively considering.

What the hell had I walked into?

I barely slept that night, jumping at every sound, expecting the door to burst open at any moment. But nothing happened. The compound grew quiet. The moon rose high and full, casting silver light through my window.

And somewhere in the darkest hours of the night, I could have sworn I heard howling.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, I woke to find the door unlocked.

I stared at it for a full minute, not quite believing it. Then, slowly, I turned the handle and it opened.

My heart leapt. Was this a test? A trap? I didn't care. I had to try.

I stepped into the hallway, my bare feet silent on the wooden floor. I realised that a massive house built like a lodge was quiet.

Morning light streamed through windows, illuminating wood paneled walls covered with paintings of wolves and forests.

Wolves. Everywhere I looked, there were wolves.

I shook off the unease and moved forward, trying to orient myself. The hallway branched in two directions. I chose left, moving as quietly as I could.

I passed several closed doors, each one identical. How many people lived here? The place was huge, built to house dozens of people at least.

I found a staircase and descended, my hand trailing along the smooth wooden banister. The first floor was even more impressive. The high ceilings, large windows and rustic furniture that looked both comfortable and expensive. It should have felt welcoming.

Instead, it felt like a beautiful prison.

I was moving toward what looked like a front entrance when I heard voices.

"-still in her room?"

"No, she's up. I saw her on the monitors."

Monitors? They were watching me?

I pressed myself against the wall, peeking around the corner. Two men stood near the entrance, both tall and muscular, both dressed in similar casual clothes. They looked like they could be brothers, with the same athletic build and alert posture.

Guards. They had to be guards.

"The Alpha wants her in his office at nine." One of them said.

"You think he'll let her go?"

"Doubtful. You saw how he reacted when he scented her."

"Shh. Don't talk about that here."

Scented? I smell myself but couldn’t acknowledge any scent and I didn’t remember applying perfum two days ago. What did that even mean?

I was so focused on listening that I didn't hear the footsteps behind me until it was too late.

"Lost, little human?"

I spun around, my back hitting the wall.

A young man stood there, maybe mid twenties, with sandy blond hair and warm hazel eyes. He was smiling, but there was something sharp in that smile. Something predatory.

"I…I was just-"

"Exploring?" He tilted his head, studying me with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

"Alpha doesn't like it when his... guests... wander."

The way he said 'guests' made it clear that's not what I was.

"I'm not a prisoner." I said, trying to sound braver than I felt.

His smile widened. "Aren't you?"

Before I could respond, another voice cut through the air like a blade.

"Caleb. Back off."

The blond man, Caleb immediately stepped back, his playful demeanor shifting to something more respectful. "Beta Leo. I was just..."

"I know what you were doing." The man who had spoken rounded the corner, and I recognised his voice from last night. This must be Leo, the one who had argued for my release.

He was tall, like all the men here seemed to be, with dark hair and intelligent brown eyes. His face was handsome in a classical way, less harsh than the Alpha's, and when he looked at me, there was actual warmth in his expression.

"Miss Althea." He said with a slight bow.

So much respect for a prisoner?

"I apologise for Caleb. He forgets his manners."

"I forget nothing." Caleb muttered, but he was already moving away, disappearing down the hallway.

Leo turned his attention fully to me, and I felt like I was being assessed and measured.

"You're supposed to be in the Alpha's office in twenty minutes. I suggest you get ready."

"Ready for what?" I demanded. "Another interrogation? More threats?"

Something flickered in Leo's eyes. Sympathy?

"Alpha Xavier wants to... discuss... your situation."

"My situation is that I'm being held against my will."

"Your situation," Leo interrupted gently, "is complicated. More than you know."

He paused, seeming to choose his words carefully.

"Xavier isn't a cruel man. Not usually. But he's... dealing with things. Loss. Grief. And your presence here is... difficult for him."

I didn't understand. What did his grief have to do with me? And if that’s the case then why was I being held here without my consent? That was ridiculous.

"I just want to go home." I said quietly.

Leo's expression softened.

"I know. But first, you need to talk to him. Really talk to him. Help him understand that you're not a threat and he might let you go."

A threat? Me? I was a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet, recovering from a major surgery, and completely at the mercy of whoever these people were. What threat could I impose?

"Where's his office?" I asked, because what choice did I have?

"Second floor, west wing. Last door on the right." Leo hesitated, then added, "And with due respect, Althea? Try not to push him. He's not... stable right now."

That was supposed to be comforting?

Leo left, and I stood there in the hallway, my heart hammering against my ribs. The smart thing would be to run. To find an exit, bolt for the trees and take my chances in the forest.

But something stopped me. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was the certainty that I wouldn't make it ten feet before someone caught me.

Or maybe it was the pull I felt toward that office. Toward him.

I didn't understand it. I didn't want it. But it was there, undeniable and terrifying.

I climbed the stairs slowly, counting down the minutes until nine o'clock. My palms were sweating. My chest ached with that dull, persistent pain.

When I reached the last door on the right, I raised my hand to knock.

Before I could, his voice came from inside.

"Come in, human."

How did he know I was there?

I opened the door and stepped into the lion's den.