Captive

The frigid wind cut through my thin jacket as I hurried down the dark sidewalk. The streetlights cast eerie shadows, making me flinch with every movement. But I didn't dare slow my pace. I had to gather my belongings and leave town before my stepdad returned from his usual late night at the bars. 

Tonight he had crossed a line even my numb spirit couldn't ignore. The hollow eyes staring at me with twisted intent would haunt my dreams forever. If I stayed, he would eventually succeed in carrying out his vile threats. The thought made bile rise in my throat.

As the sagging outlines of my building came into view, I paused, listening for any sound within the dingy apartment. Silence greeted me. Slipping inside, I rushed to grab my meager possessions - some clothes, toiletries, the wad of cash I had hidden away, and a photo of Mom. My only memento left of her. 

Zipping my backpack, I headed for the door before my stepdad appeared. I had no solid plan, just knew I must get far away from here. Away from the accusing glares, the isolation, the abuse. Out there had to be a better life than this wretched existence. Even if finding it scared me senseless.

My hand had just closed around the front doorknob when it jerked open from the other side. I stumbled back with a gasp as my stepdad swaggered in, the hulking form of the Beta at his side. No, not now! Desperation clawed at my heart.

My stepdad's bloodshot eyes narrowed on my backpack. "Where do you think you're going, bitch?" He jabbed an accusing finger at me. "Here she is, trying to do a runner!"  

The Beta studied me coldly. "So you weren't satisfied with killing your own mother? Now you're targeting your stepfather too?"

"No!" I cried. "He tried to hurt me, I just defended myself!" But my protests fell on deaf ears. These two had already decided my guilt.

Rough hands grabbed my arms, shoving me outside towards a waiting van. "You're getting what you deserve now, witch," my stepdad hissed in my ear. "We warned the Alpha you were dangerous. He agreed to sending you somewhere you can't hurt anyone else."

I struggled in vain as they loaded me inside the van. "Where are you taking me?" I shouted desperately. "I didn't do anything wrong!" The Beta slammed the doors shut, leaving me in darkness.

The vehicle rumbled to life, hitting potholes that made me slam hard into the metal sides. I huddled on the floor, arms wrapped around my knees. Crystal whimpered softly in my mind. We were trapped with an unknown, but surely awful fate ahead of us.

After three torturous hours, the van lurched to a stop. Muffled male voices approached before the doors were wrenched open. I squinted in the sudden light, making out a muscular guard in black fatigues looming over me. His eyes held no mercy.

"Let's go, girl. Don't cause trouble." His steel grip latched onto my arm, hauling me outside. My knees nearly buckled under me after so long cramped on that hard floor. But the guard kept me upright and marching towards an ominous iron gate topped with barbed wire. 

I glanced around wildly through the bars. The surrounding forest was dark, felt heavy with menace. "Where am I?" I managed to ask through chattering teeth. "What is this place?"

The guard barked out a harsh laugh. "Blackblood Pack territory, that's all you need to know. 

Blackblood pack... 

The color drained from my face. "What? No!" Being sent to the notorious pack was a fate worse than death. Their Alpha was notoriously cruel...and very interested in fertile young female wolves from what I'd heard. 

I thrashed desperately as the gate creaked open to allow two more Blackblood guards through. Without ceremony I was exchanged into their custody. One, a burly man with cold grey eyes, clamped onto my arm. 

"Behave yourself if you want to survive here," he rumbled. They dragged me towards another windowless van. Despair flooded through me. What nightmarish fate awaited within this strange pack?

I jolted at the sound of a weak cough nearby. Peering into the gloom of the van interior, I made out a hunched figure already occuping the long bench seat. The guards roughly shoved me inside before slamming the doors, leaving us in darkness.

"So, fresh meat arrives," came a raspy voice. My eyes adjusted to reveal an elderly, unkempt man staring at me. "Quite the looker too. Alpha Kai will be pleased."

Revulsion twisted my stomach. "What do you mean?" I whispered through stiff lips. "Why did he want me brought here?"

The man shrugged. "Who knows why Alphas do anything? But rumor says he wants more young bitches to breed. Reckon that sweet face would catch his eye." He gave a wet, hacking laugh. "You'll birth him strong pups and entertain him awhile before he discards you."

His casual words ignited panic inside me. Breeding stock? Forced to birth children for some cruel Alpha? Bile burned the back of my throat. I would rather die than be used that way! 

The hours dragged by in tense silence. Every bump in the road jostled my increasingly aching body. Crystal nuzzled my spirit in concern, but neither of us could see any escape from this nightmare.

At long last, the van rumbled to a stop. Before I could react, the doors swung open flooding the cramped space with silvery moonlight. The elderly man was swiftly pulled outside by waiting guards. Fear locked my muscles when rough hands reached for me.

I struggled wildly as the guards dragged me into a sprawling mansion bustling with servants. A matronly housekeeper received custody of me, clucking over my ragged clothes and tangled hair. Before I could beg for her help, she whisked me to a luxurious suite.

"A bath first before meeting the Alpha," she declared. "Can't present you to Alpha Kai covered in filth." Despite my frail resistance, she peeled away my clothes and ordered me into the steamy, jasmine scented water.

I hugged knees to chest, watching the housekeeper select some skimpy red lingerie and a matching sheer robe from the expansive wardrobe. They meant to dress me like some sex slave. But my spirit felt too broken to even muster tears over this final humiliation.

Sometime later, clad in the slinky outfit that left almost nothing to imagination, the housekeeper began applying makeup with brisk efficiency while another servant curled and arranged my hair. I remained numb and silent through their ministrations. When finished, they rouged and glossed my lips before clasping a golden collar around my throat, its dangling tag etched with a strange insignia. A feral beast inside a spiked circle.

Master Reed soon arrived to inspect their work, a distinguished silver fox shifter leaning heavily on an ebony cane. His penetrating gaze swept over me in frank appraisal. "Exquisite. Virgin too despite those full breasts, I'd wager. Alpha Kai will be well pleased."  

Bile rose in my throat again. How dare they discuss me like livestock at auction! But icy fear kept fury at bay. This Reed held my fate in his hands.

Master Reed dismissed the servants before circling me slowly. "Normally I'd sample new wares myself first. But Kai was quite firm that you remain untouched." He traced one lacquered nail down my cheek almost gently. Revulsion crawled across my skin at his touch. 

"Let's get you delivered before his impatience gets out of hand, shall we?" Reed held my leash in a punishing grip as we walked to his sleek town car idling outside. Palms sweating, I slid across slick leather seats, hyper aware of my near nakedness. In the tense silence, my heart pounded loud as thunder in my ears.

Twenty tortuous minutes later, Reed pulled in front of an ultramodern highrise with glittering wall of windows. "Penthouse suite befitting an Alpha," he remarked. "Best remember your place, girl - show proper submission or his temper may get ugly." 

He handed my leash off to expressionless security guards who ushered me through polished corridors to an elevator requiring both retinal scan and passcode. As it ascended, trepidation gnawed at my fragile composure. 

The doors whispered open into an opulent marble foyer flanked by lush exotic plants. My heels sank into plush cream carpet as the sentries led me through the hushed elegance. All evidence of immense wealth and power surrounding this shadowy figure awaiting my arrival.

They paused before double ebony doors etched with snarling wolves. Muffled cursing sounded beyond it followed by shattering glass. I made a faint gasping sound despite myself. One guard immediately backhanded me. "Silence, bitch!" 

He tapped a code on the security panel. As the doors swung inward, I was roughly propelled over the threshold towards the unknown.

My knees struck lush fur, sending pain ricocheting through my legs. Gasping through the sting, I slowly lifted my eyes. A powerfully built man stood silhouetted against floor to ceiling windows, backlit by city lights. His white dress shirt clung to broad shoulders, black slacks emphasizing muscular thighs. Inky hair curled just above his collar. From this distance, his face remained a beautiful, haughty mask...except for the eyes. They burned crimson lanterns in the shadows, searing me to my core.

So this was Alpha Kai in all his dangerous magnetism. And I now belonged to him.

Swallowing down molten dread, I lowered my gaze submissively. What fate had he planned for me in this lush gilded cage? Why had I been chosen to slake this notorious Alpha's appetites? 

I sensed those scarlet eyes assessing my supplicant pose. A pleased rumble vibrated from his chest. "At last...leave us." 

The guards retreated instantly and silence reigned. The next move belonged solely to the predator studying new prey. I scarcely dared breathe, awaiting his command. 

Could obeying this feral beast be my only hope for survival now?