Chapter 5

HANNAH POV

The walk to the car was slow. The door shut behind me, I knew I couldn’t escape again. My body stiffened instantly.

The word Chosen, echoed in my head. I actually survived. I was still scared, and wondered what happened to the other girls, but I didn’t dare voice out my opinion. 

For a second, I thought the darkness inside the limousine was playing tricks on my eyes. I’ve never been in one, but I didn’t expect the interior to be dark. My heart pounded as I slowly lifted my head. That was when I saw them. Three men sat inside the limousine. My breath caught so sharply, I literally forgot I needed oxygen to survive. .

They weren’t seated close together. Each of them occupied the space like they owned it, as though the car had been built around their presence. One sat directly across from me, his posture relaxed but alert, his gaze fixed on my face with an intensity that made the hair on my skin come to life. . Another leaned against the tinted window, arms crossed, eyes sharp and observant. The third sat beside him, quiet, his expression unreadable, 

I had imagined many things on my way here. Monsters. Beasts. Creatures that looked nothing like humans. I never really paid attention to werewolves history, but listening to Valerie saying they were ugly, I never expected what I saw. 

They were handsome. Not the soft, harmless kind of beauty..They looked like Greek Gods.This was dangerous.  The kind that made your instincts scream even while your eyes refused to look away. They were tall, broad shouldered, their features too sharp, too perfect. Power clung to them in a way I couldn’t explain, filling the small space until I felt like I could barely breathe. I started coughing instantly, and the one across me smirked at me like he knew why I was coughing. 

Valerie lied. Every rumor. Every whispered warning.

Ugly wasn’t even a sentence used to describe the Greek Gods sitting with me in the limo. My fingers curled tightly into my palms as the car began to move, the forest outside disappearing into darkness. None of them spoke. The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating. I shifted slightly, my pulse racing.

The man sitting across from me leaned forward just a little, resting his elbows on his knees. His eyes never left mine, accessing me like he was trying to break me. 

“You survived,” he said calmly. His voice was deep, steady, carrying an authority that made my chest tighten.

I swallowed. “I didn’t have a choice.” An emotion rossed his face. Something like amusement. Or interest.

“You always have a choice,” the one by the window said, his voice smoother, quieter, but somehow more dangerous. “You chose to stay.” I knew he wasn’t lying, but I didn’t want to look weak in their eyes. 

“I didn’t know what I was walking into,” I said, forcing the words out despite the fear curling in my stomach.

“That doesn’t change the result,” the third one said.

His voice was low, controlled, and it sent an unexpected shiver through my body. 

I hugged myself tightly, suddenly very aware of how small I was compared to them. “So what happens now?”

The man in the middle studied me for a long moment. His gaze moved slowly, deliberately, like he was reading something written beneath my skin.

“You come with us,” he said. “To where?” I asked quietly.

“Our kingdom.” The word came as a shock. I knew I was going to spend my remaining life with them but I wasn’t ready to leave.  My chest tightened. “And the wish?”

All three of them went still. The man by the window tilted his head slightly, a faint smile touching his lips. “You’re brave to ask that already.”

“You promised,” I said, my voice trembling despite my effort to sound strong. “You said if I survived, I’d get one wish.” 

“You will,” the middle one replied. “If everything goes as it should.” Fear crept deeper into my chest. “And if it doesn’t?”

The third man leaned forward, his eyes darkening as they met mine. “Then you’ll learn why no human has ever stayed.”

My heart slammed violently against my chest. I tried to stay calm but I knew I was doing a bad job at that. 

“But I was chosen, what do you mean by if I  survive?” I asked, fear written all over my face. 

The guy across just looked at me and said. “ You’ll find out later.”  I didn’t know what to do or say so I just kept quiet. 

The car continued forward into the darkness. I stared ahead, my heartbeat loud in my ears, trying to steady myself. I had survived the ritual. That much was clear. But survival did not feel like victory.

The man seated across from me leaned back slightly, his gaze never leaving my face. “You should know something,” he said calmly.

I looked up. “What?” He exchanged a glance with the other two. Something passed between them, silent and heavy. 

I didn’t know what was going through their head or whatever discussion they were having and it was making me uncomfortable.. 

We did not choose you by accident,” he continued. “Humans sign up every year. Very few make it through the ritual.”

My fingers curled into my palms. “So why me?”

The alpha by the window smiled faintly, but there was nothing kind in it. “Because you were strong enough to endure it.”

“And because,” the third one added quietly, his eyes dark and unreadable, “once you crossed that line, there was no turning back.”

A chill ran through me. “What does that mean?”

The car began to slow. Through the window, tall iron gates appeared ahead, opening as we approached. Beyond them, the palace rose from the darkness, grand and unforgiving.

The middle alpha leaned closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper.

“It means the moment you stepped into that forest, your life stopped being your own.”

“ My breath caught. “And now,” he finished, “you belong to us.”