Two - Captive

Althea’s P.O.V

I woke to the smell of cedar and something earthy and wild that I couldn't quite place.

My eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, I had no idea where I was. The ceiling above me was made of rough hewn wooden beams, and soft morning light filtered through a window to my right. I was lying on a bed. A real bed with clean sheets and a thick comforter and I was warm.

It was so warm that I wanted to stay in bed. But then this was neither my bed nor a hospital bed.

I sat up quickly, and immediately regretted it. My head spun, and a dull ache pulsed through my chest. I pressed a hand to my sternum, feeling my heartbeat. It was steady and normal. I took a sigh of relief. Whatever had happened last night, my heart seemed fine now.

Last night.

The memories came flooding back. The crash. The forest. That massive wolf-dog and the man with silver eyes who looked at me like I was dirt beneath his boots.

Where was I?

I looked around the room, taking in the details. It was surprisingly spacious, with log walls and minimal furniture. It contained just the bed, a wooden dresser, and a chair by the window. Everything was clean but sparse, almost militaristic in its simplicity. Definitely not a hospital. Definitely not a hotel.

My muddy torn clothes from last night were gone. Instead, I was wearing an oversized grey t-shirt that fell to my mid-thigh and a pair of sweatpants that I had to roll at the waist to keep from falling off.

Someone had changed me.

My face burned at the thought. I tried not to think about who that someone might have been.

I had met only one person since I ended up here. What if it was him?

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, testing my balance. My body ached. There were bruises from the crash but nothing felt broken. My palms were bandaged, the cuts from last night were cleaned and dressed.

Someone had taken care of me.

But why and who?

I moved to the window and looked out.

My breath caught.

The view was stunning. The room overlooked a massive clearing surrounded by dense forest. In the center of the clearing stood what could only be described as a compound. Multiple buildings were arranged in a loose circle, all built from the same dark wood and stone. They looked expensive, well maintained, and deliberately isolated.

People moved between the buildings. But they didn’t look like normal people. There were too many of them, and they moved with a strange coordination, like they were all part of some organised group. Some were carrying supplies. Others seemed to be training in an open area, sparring with an intensity that made my stomach clench.

What was this place?

A cult? Some kind of survivalist compound? It was definitely not a construction site as I had thought.

Before I could process what I was seeing, the door behind me opened.

I spun around, my heart leaping into my throat.

A woman stood in the doorway. She was probably in her forties, with warm brown skin and dark hair pulled back in a neat bun. She wore practical clothes. Jeans and a flannel shirt. And carried a tray with food.

Her expression was kind, but there was something guarded in her eyes.

"You're awake." Her voice was gentle. "Good. You need to eat."

She set the tray with scrambled eggs, toast and a glass of orange juice on the dresser and turned to look at me. Her gaze swept over me with the assessing eye of someone used to caring for others.

"How are you feeling?"

"Confused." I said honestly.

"Where am I and who are you?"

"My name is Marla. You're in an estate namely Redmoon. The Alpha of the estate brought you here last night after you collapsed."

Alpha. That word again. Last night, the silver eyed man had said something about his "men," and now this woman was calling someone an Alpha like it was a title.

"What does that mean, Alpha?" I asked carefully.

Marla's expression flickered with something. Surprise, maybe? But she smoothed it away quickly.

"He's..he’s the leader here. This is his place and his people."

His people. Like he owned them.

Could he be the head of this village? He already looked like an arrogant brat. It wouldn’t be surprising if he asked the people here to address him as Alpha.

However, the way the woman had firmly stated that it made a chill ran down my spine.

"I need to leave." I said quickly. "My car? I need to call someone, get a tow truck…"

"Your car is totaled." Marla said matter of factly.

"It's not going anywhere. And you're not in any condition to leave yet either."

"I'm fine." I insisted, even though my legs felt shaky and my chest still ached. I needed to get out of here. "I just need to get to town, find a phone and…"

"The Alpha will decide when you leave."

The way she said it so calmly, so absolutely, made my blood run cold.

"What do you mean, he'll decide?" I took a step back, my shoulders hitting the window. "He can't keep me here without my consent. That's kidnapping."

Marla's expression softened, but there was pity in her eyes. "Eat your breakfast, Althea. You're going to need your strength."

She turned to leave. What the hell?

"Wait." I called after her. "How do you know my name?"

She paused at the door. "Your driver's license was in your pocket."

Then she was gone, the door clicking shut behind her before I could run behind her,

I stared at the closed door, my mind racing. This was insane. I had stumbled onto some private property or village or whatever this place was, and now I was being held here like a prisoner? By some man who called himself an Alpha?

I moved to the door and tried the handle.

Locked.

Of course it was locked.

Panic started to claw at my throat. I forced it down, forced myself to think. Okay. Okay, I just needed to stay calm. This was probably some misunderstanding. Once I talked to someone reasonable and explained what happened, they would let me go.

I just needed to talk to someone who wasn't that cold and cruel man from last night.

I ate the breakfast mechanically, barely tasting it. Then I waited.

An hour passed. Then two.

The sun climbed higher in the sky and the room became dark again. Through the window, I watched people move through the compound. I should have shouted, made noise to get their attention.

But they all looked strong, healthy, and purposeful. As if they loved staying here.

Whatever this place was, it was organised and disciplined and that made me realise that grabbing their attention wouldn’t help me.

Finally, around midday, the door opened again and my heart stopped.

It was him.

The moment my eyes landed on him standing in the doorway, my breath caught somewhere between my lungs and my throat, trapped like I'd forgotten how to exhale.

The man from last night strode into the room like he owned it which, apparently, he did. The commanding presence made the entire room feel smaller. He was even more imposing in daylight

His presence filled the space and made the room feel suddenly too small.

He wore dark jeans and a black shirt which was rolled up that did nothing to hide the corded muscle beneath, and his silver eyes locked onto me with that same cold intensity.

"You're awake." He said. It wasn't a question.

I straightened my spine, refusing to show fear even though my heart was hammering.

"You can't keep me here. I didn’t do anything to you."

His lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "I can do whatever I want. This is my territory."

"This is kidnapping." I said, my voice sharper than I felt. "I could go to the police for this."

"Go ahead." He crossed his arms over his chest, looking utterly unbothered. "Tell them you trespassed on private property in the middle of the night. See how sympathetic they are."

My hands clenched into fists. How could he be so confident? It was clear. He was either a mafia or someone related to a big politician. Not even a single drop of fear appeared in his eyes.

"I didn't trespass on purpose. I had an accident and-"

"And you think that gives you the right to wander through my land? To bring your human weakness here?"

The contempt in his voice was palpable, and with each word, that strange pain flickered in my chest again. Duller than last night, but still there. A warning.

I pressed a hand to my sternum without thinking.

His eyes tracked the movement. Something flickered across his face but it was too fast to read before his expression hardened again.

"You're a liability. Weak and fragile. You collapsed from nothing more than a few harsh words." He said coldly.

The pain sharpened, and I bit back a gasp.

"Let me go." I said through gritted teeth. "Just let me go, and you'll never see me again. I promise I won’t tell anybody about you and this… wherever I am."

He stared at me for a long moment, those silver eyes boring into mine. I felt pinned by that gaze, like he could see straight through me to every fear and weakness I carried.

"No." He said finally.

"You'll stay here until I decide what to do with you."

Then he turned and walked out, leaving me alone with my racing heart and the terrible certainty that I was trapped in something I didn't understand.

And that the most dangerous thing in this place wasn't the locked door or the isolated compound.

It was him.