Saving him

The blade was already falling.I stared at the cold edge above me, my body too weak to move.

After surviving three years as a rogue, after escaping countless hunts, I was going to die here—at the hands of the very pack that had captured me.

Clang!

A dagger shot through the air and collided with the sword just inches away from my throat.

The impact sent the sword flying from the warrior’s hand. It spun through the air before crashing onto the cold stone floor.

Everyone froze.

The warriors turned toward the doorway, their expressions changing instantly.

“Alpha?!”

My breath caught.Alpha Asher stood there, his face cold.

He saved me?The thought felt impossible.He was the one who wanted me dead.The one who called me a curse.Then why?

The elders’ faces darkened immediately.

“Alpha, why did you stop us?” one of them demanded. “Why would you save this rogue?”

His eyes flickered toward me before narrowing“Is it because he is your mate? Are you letting the bond cloud your judgment?”

“Enough.”Asher’s voice cut through the room.

The pressure of his Alpha aura filled the entire cell, forcing everyone into silence.

“Did none of you notice it?”

The elders exchanged confused looks.

Asher stepped closer, his gaze fixed on me.

“The scent.”His voice lowered.“Did you not smell what I smelled?”

My heart suddenly skipped a beat.

“The scent?” one of the warriors muttered, instinctively sniffing the air.

“Wait… something is wrong,” He muttered, confusion in his voice. “He looks like a filthy rogue, but… why does he smell like that? There’s alpha power in his scent. It’s faint but it’s there. How is that possible?”

“Exactly,” another agreed, voice laced with suspicion. “A rogue shouldn’t smell like this. It’s unnatural. I noticed it faintly when we first entered, but now it’s clearer.”

“Suppressed?, One elder spoke.

“Yeah. I will keep him alive for now,” Asher murmured. “He will stay in one of the guest rooms under heavy guard. He trespassed on my land so he will serve his punishment as a rogue first. And… I need to understand why the Goddess would do this. Why she would curse me with a male mate. I want answers before I decide his fate.”

The elders didn’t argue further.

“Take him,” Asher ordered the guards.

Strong hands grabbed my arms. I didn’t fight as they dragged me out of the cell. My body was too exhausted and my mind still spinning from everything I had heard.

They didn’t throw me back into darkness.

Instead, I was taken to a large, sparsely furnished guest room. The guards shoved me inside and locked the door behind me instantly. Heavy chains were fastened around my ankle, securing me to the wall with just enough length to move around the room , to reach the bed, the desk, the small table by the window but not enough to reach the door or the window.

I tested the chain once. It didn’t give so I ignored it and slumped onto the edge of the bed, my body sagging with exhaustion. The mattress was soft, impossibly soft after years of sleeping on hard ground and cold stone.

For a moment, I allowed myself to sink into it. I stared up at the ceiling, my mind a whirlwind of fragmented thoughts.

Alpha power in his scent.

They had smelled it and now Asher was enough to keep me alive but at the same time I was unlucky. Because my scent could also lead to questions I couldn’t answer. Questions about my past. My lineage and my family.

I didn’t want him to know earlier that I was among the wolves that escaped in the pack he attacked. I wanted to have time and avenge my parent’s death.

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to breathe. I needed to rest. I needed to think. I needed to find a way out of this nightmare before Asher decided I was no longer worth the trouble.

Minutes passed. Or maybe hours. The silence of the room was a strange comfort after the chaos of the dungeon. No dripping water. No distant screams. Just the faint whisper of wind against the window and the steady beat of my own heart.

But just as I began to relax, just as I felt  sleep pulling me under I heard them.

Footsteps.  

My eyes snapped open, my heart lurching into my throat. I sat up abruptly, my chains clinking against the floor as I scrambled into a defensive position. My mind raced, my body tensing for whatever was coming.

Asher. It’s Asher. He’s come back to question me.