6

ARIA

I stirred, then my eyes snapped open. I tried to sit up too fast, and pain exploded through my head. A sharp, blinding ache made me gasp as the world tilted violently.

I let out a broken sound before collapsing back against the bed, clutching my head.

“Easy… easy.” The voice was soft and close.

I froze, my eyes snapping open again, wider this time, my breath catching as I turned my head.

A woman stood beside me, calm, composed, smiling. She was pale with wavy hair and the most beautiful eyes.

“…Is this a dream?” I whispered.

She laughed lightly. “Oh no. This is very real.”

I forced myself up again, ignoring the way my head throbbed. She reached out to steady me, and I slapped her hand away.

“Don’t touch me.” I said, panic rising fast. “What is going on? What’s happening?!”

My chest heaved as my eyes darted around the room. That’s when I noticed everything was wrong. The bed, the sheets, the room. It was too clean, too polished, too expensive.

I touched my body. My clothes were different, soft, clean and ugly. They were not mine. My stomach twisted.

“What is this?” I demanded, my voice shaking. “Where am I? What did you people do to me?”

The lady didn’t panic. She didn’t flinch. She just smiled calmly.

“My name is Mira,” she said. “Mira Ashwyn. Alpha Alaric told me to stay with you until you woke up.”

I stared at her, blank.

“There’s also Selene Vexley,” Mira continued. “She’s out running a few things, but she’ll help look after you too.”

I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

“What do you mean? I’m a waitress. I live off tips. I serve drinks at a rundown bar. So what are you talking about? That I suddenly have people looking after me?”

My hands trembled.

“What’s going on? Is this some kind of sick joke?”

Mira’s smile softened and it made my stomach drop.

“You’re in Alpha Alaric’s territory.” The word hit me like a physical blow. Alpha. My mind flashed. Blood, teeth, claws, the sound of flesh tearing apart. My breathing stuttered.

“Alpha?” I whispered.

My chest tightened, air caught in my throat. My fingers curled into the sheets as my vision blurred.

“I… I can’t…”

“Hey…” Mira’s expression shifted instantly.

I shook my head.

“I can’t breathe...”

“Someone!” she called quickly.

I heard footsteps. Then the door opened, and there was silence. His presence filled the room, heavy and terrifying.

Mira stepped back.

“Leave.” Alaric said with a low sound.

She didn’t argue. She turned and walked out.

“No!” I shouted with all my power as I moved to kneel on the bed. “Don’t go! Please, don’t leave me with him!”

The door closed and I was alone with him.

My heart pounded as I scrambled backward on the bed, shaking. Tears spilled down my face.

“Please… don’t kill me… I’ll pay you back, I swear... I’ll find a way, just don’t hurt me.” I pressed the sheets to my face, trying to shield myself from the sight of him.

“Look at me.”

My body stiffened. I shook my head, clutching the sheets tighter.

“I...I can’t...”

“Look at me.” His voice dropped lower, commanding. It wasn’t a request, it was an order.

I slowly lowered the sheets, only because I didn’t want to get the beast angry. He stood there like nothing had happened, like he wasn’t a monster, like he hadn’t torn men apart hours ago.

His gaze locked on mine, cold and assessing.

“You’re afraid of me,” he said.

I let out a shuddering breath in response.

His lips curved slightly.

“Good. The scent of your fear… it fills the entire room. I like it.”

Something inside me twisted. What kind of person says that? What kind of monster…

“Please…” I cried.

“Enough.” His voice was sharp. “Stop making that noise.”

I muffled my sobs with my hands, but the tears kept falling.

He watched for a moment, then said, “Your father couldn’t repay his debt. He offered you instead. You are here because I accepted. You belong to me now.”

My fingers tightened in the sheets.

“In my territory, what I say goes. You will learn your place. And if you don’t…” His gaze hardened. “There will be consequences.”

He turned toward the door. Like I didn’t matter. Like I was nothing.

He opened the door and walked out, and it closed behind him.

I didn’t move at first. Then the sheets slipped from my hands, and a broken sob escaped as I curled in on myself.

“What is this…” I whispered. “What kind of life is this…?”

A monster. I was trapped with a monster. And no one was coming to save me.

The door burst open again. Mira rushed in, this time with another woman, Selene. She had long black hair and gray eyes. They hurried to my side immediately.

“Please calm down.”

“What is going on?!” I cried, voice hoarse, eyes wild.

“What is going to happen to me?!”

They exchanged a glance, neither answering.

Mira spoke softly. “You need to eat. You’ve been unconscious for almost two days.”

“Two days?”

My mind flashed back to the sharp pain I had felt in my neck the other night.

“Oh my God…” I gasped as I covered my mouth in shock.

Selene rolled her eyes.

“Those idiots. They used the dose meant for a baby wolf on you. Instead of just a few hours, you were out like the dead.”

I blinked. Nothing made sense.

“I don’t understand…”

“You will. But first, you need strength.” Mira responded gently.

“I’m not eating,” I snapped. “How am I supposed to eat right now? I was dragged out of my home, brought here, drugged, and told I belong to some… monster! And you’re telling me to eat?!”

Silence.

“What can you say?” Mira finally said.

“If you want to survive here, fighting everything won’t help. Defiance will only bring you pain. In this place, you have to learn to obey.”

I swallowed hard.

“So… what am I supposed to do? What is my role here?”

Mira hesitated.

“We don’t know yet. The Alpha hasn’t decided. But he will.”

I felt worse. “Should I be scared?”

“I don’t know,” she said quietly, giving a small, tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She stood. “I’ll prepare a bath for you. You need it.”

And then she left. I was alone again. Sitting on a bed that wasn’t mine, in a life I didn’t understand, in a place I couldn’t escape.

My hands tightened in the sheets, and I realized this wasn’t just fear. It was the beginning of something far worse, something I might never wake up from.