Chapter 3: Saved By a Stranger

Alina's Point of View

The air felt heavy around me as I crossed the threshold of the Iron Fang Pack’s territory. Each step on the cold, hard ground sent tremors through me, my feet unsteady, my heart sinking deeper into my chest with every inch. I had been here for hours now, but the land still felt foreign, thick with an energy that twisted my stomach into knots.

The towering trees cast long, menacing shadows across the path ahead, their branches reaching out like skeletal hands trying to pull me into the darkness. It was as if the very earth beneath my feet was alive with a hunger, and I was its prey. I had been summoned, but that was the only thing that had been certain in all this. I wasn't walking into a marriage; I was walking into a nightmare.

My breath came out in shallow gasps as we passed the warriors of the pack, tall, fierce men who didn’t even spare me a glance. But it wasn’t out of respect; it was because I was nothing to them. Just a girl, no different from the animals they kept in their cages.

When we finally reached the compound, my chest tightened. I had been told it would be a grand place, opulent even but instead, it was just dark stone, cold and imposing. The walls of Alpha Thorne’s den loomed in front of me like an execution chamber. There was nothing welcoming about this place. There never had been.

The moment the door swung open, I could feel the weight of his presence before I even saw him. Alpha Thorne was a beast, towering and unyielding, with eyes as cold and dead as the stone walls that surrounded us. His lips twisted into a cruel grin as he looked me over, and in that moment, I felt something inside me crack, a breaking that left me hollow.

"Ahhh! I see you’ve arrived," he purred, his voice smooth, like dark honey slipping through a crackling fire. "Welcome to your new life."

I couldn’t breathe. Every word he spoke was a nail being driven into my chest, each one sealing my fate further. I wasn’t some cherished mate being welcomed into his pack. No. I was his property. Just a tool to be used and discarded.

Before I could speak, he took a step toward me, his hand snaking out with lightning speed to grip my wrist. The strength in his fingers was unforgiving as he twisted, forcing me closer. I recoiled, but it didn’t matter. His grip tightened, his nails cutting into my skin as he pulled me toward him.

"Don’t touch me," I whispered, voice trembling.

He laughed.. A dark and guttural sound that sent chills into my body. "You think you can tell me what to do? You’re nothing but a worthless breeder to me." His breath stank of alcohol, and I could taste it on the back of my throat as he leaned in closer, his lips curling in a sickening sneer. "You’ll learn your place tonight."

Terror clamped down on my chest, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t. My legs were weak, my arms trembling as I tried to pull away from him. But it was futile. I was nothing. I always had been.

He dragged me down the corridor, each step sending waves of nausea through me. I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight back, but all the courage I once had had been shattered. The silence of the place suffocated me, wrapping around my body like chains, squeezing until I couldn’t breathe.

When he shoved me into his chambers, the door slamming shut behind us with a sickening thud, I felt the weight of my situation settle into my bones. He was a monster, and he wasn’t interested in kindness. I was his prize, nothing more.

My legs buckled beneath me as he pushed me toward the bed. I landed hard, the pain shooting up my knees, but I barely registered it. His shadow loomed over me like a predator circling its prey, and my body shook from fear.

"You think you’re better than others just because you’re an Alpha’s daughter?" Thorne sneered, grabbing a fistful of my hair, jerking my head back. "You’re nothing. You’re just a vessel for my bloodline, nothing more."

Tears blurred my vision as I tried to fight him off, but I was too weak. Too small. He loomed over me like a storm about to crash down, and I could do nothing but tremble. My breaths came in sharp gasps, my heart thundering in my chest.

"I-I’m not your breeder," I pleaded, my voice cracking. "I’m not.."

But he cut me off, his grip tightening, pushing my face down against the mattress as he tried to pin me beneath him.

The door to the chamber suddenly slammed open, and I froze, my pulse racing. I could feel it, the shift in the air. Something had changed.

A figure stepped into the room, moving like a shadow, his presence demanding attention in a way I hadn’t expected. My heart skipped a beat as my gaze collided with his. For a brief, fleeting moment, there was something in his eyes… something intense, something that made my breath catch. It wasn’t just anger; it was something else. Something dangerous.

The stranger didn’t hesitate. His voice was low, commanding, and it echoed through the room like a warning.

"Touch her one more time," he said, his tone smooth but deadly, "and you’ll regret it."

I felt the blood rush from my face. This man.. he wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t like the others. He wasn’t bowing to Thorne, wasn’t cowering. There was no fear in him, just unshakable strength.

Thorne, momentarily stunned, released his grip on me, his eyes narrowing as he faced the stranger. But there was a flicker of uncertainty in his expression, something that made him pause for just a second.

I took in a shaky breath, my body still trembling from the intensity of the moment. For the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t completely alone. For the first time, someone had stepped in to defend me.

But who was he? And why was he here?

The room was silent, except for the steady thrum of my heartbeat in my ears. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the stranger, his presence now the only thing that seemed to hold any power here..

I didn’t know what would happen next, but I knew one thing for certain.

The stranger wasn’t going to let Thorne have me.

Not without a fight.