Alpha Of The Shadows

Chapter 4

Anna's POV

A painful itch on my toes forced me to shoot my eyes wide open.

Rats!

They were having a feast on my leg.

“Get away from me!” I cried as their teeth sank into my flesh.

In a flash, they ran into their holes.

My vision was still blurry, and my head rang with a shrieking sound. It felt like I had a migraine, the pain feeling like it was only going to stop with an explosion.

The room felt cold, icy, and hard. I could see my breath forming a smoke out of my mouth. The room was cold and dark. I shivered fearfully as I crawled to the flickering light I saw behind me.

The doors were locked and covered with thick iron bars, making a loud clanking sound with just a tap from my arms.

I was in a jail cell.

How did I get myself in trouble? I asked myself, looking around the room. I was once living the life of an heir and in the blink of an eye, betrayal struck.

Now, I was in a rival pack's cell, injured, cold and alone.

My fate, unknown.

Weeks passed, and I was still stuck in my pathetic position. I lost hope of ever living a normal life. Hell, I wasn't even sure I was living a life anymore. I was trapped in hell. A cold hell.

My condition only worsened without treatment, and to think I held on to the last thread of life without any hope of a better life.

“Rogers,” I whispered. “I'll make you pay. Vengeance will someday be mine. That brunette of yours will also bear the brunt,” I cried.

I wasn't sure if I was going to survive or not, but one thing was resolved in my mind. Someday, somehow, Rogers was going to pay for betraying me, using me as a fool, and turning my people against me.

That dream seemed bleak, not until I heard the clanking sound of the cell door sliding and unlocking.

A man stepped in, exuding an aura of dominance and royalty. He took a gentle stride in my direction but those looks of his made me hurriedly crawl back into the dark.

I was scared, having gone through a lot. My petrified flinch didn't stop him from advancing further. He walked and only stopping before me to shoot a stern gaze.

He was tall, dark, and muscular. I couldn't believe a figure like him stood before me. Maybe I was hallucinating but I soon got rid of that thought as he spoke with such a resounding voice that sent vibration through the walls.

“Who are you?” his voice deep, dominance mirroring in his eyes.

“Anna. Anna bond.” I stuttered, out of breath, my voice nothing but a whisper.

“How did you get here? You are well aware that your pack, the Bond Moon pack, and the Sage Moon pack have been rivals for centuries. How dare you step foot in my territory?”

“I… I didn't mean to. It was a mistake. I was desperate to survive,” I confessed.

This was it, huh? The part where I got questioned only to be publicly executed as an example to others.

My last drop of tears fell down my swollen eyes as I coiled my hands around my legs and explained all I had been through.

I mean, I was going to die anyway. It was better I told my story to a listening ear before death came with his sickle in hand to lead me to the…

“What’s happening?” I whispered to myself.

The handsome figure was actually listening to me, a flicker of concern radiating in his eyes. I turned mute the second I noticed it.

What was this? All this attention so he could humiliate me the next minute?

“Please, just end my suffering. You don't have to waste your time. I already know what's waiting for me,” I pleaded, trying to sniff silently.

“Address me as Alpha Gabriel,” the man said, turning to leave.

Two minutes later, two guards and a maid came to get me out of the cell. Trust me, I was confused, lost, and clueless.

The maid, Janice, led me to a room. I had a clean bath, changed my clothes, and ate a balanced meal. It seemed as though things were looking up but I couldn't help but panic within.

Janice came back to my room hours later, relaying information that the Alpha requested my presence in his chamber room.

I had every right to think I was going to be used as a breeder, nothing more. However, everything changed when I walked in, bowed my head, and waited for him to speak.

“I want you to stay, carry my heir, and when you are strong enough… you can return to your pack and claim back what's yours,” he proposed.

I was going to be under a contract marriage. I felt different. I wasn't afraid, shocked, or disheartened. His terms made me feel optimistic.

I was finally going to have a chance to get my revenge on Rogers and his mate. The contract favored both of us, so I didn't think twice before agreeing to sign.

After all I had been through, a contract with Alpha Gabriel was the least of my problems.

“I hope I don't regret this,” I muttered.

“None of us will, except you go against the terms of our contract,” Alpha Gabriel coldly replied, sending a rigid stare in my direction.

He brought out a contract document, pricking his fingers and signing it in my front with the blood dripping from his hands.

He gazed at me with dark eyes, signaling it was my turn.

Promptly, I pricked my fingers for the blood seal, making a little grunt as I cut my flesh open.

As I placed my bloody thumbprint on the documents, I felt a shift. A growl. A deep growl.

My wolf, for the first time, growled deeply as we signed our will, mind, body, and soul to each other.

I might have placed myself as a subject to his desires, thirst, and hunger, but I did not care. Something had awoken in me. Something that I wasn't aware of.

I just knew I had changed; my wolf had changed, but I could not place my fingers on it.