Chapter Three: Kidnapped 

The glass window of the car was cold against my temple as I leaned into it, my eyes swollen and burning from the endless tears I had shed. Outside, the world rolled by in a blur of trees and fading twilight, yet nothing reached me. My heart was too heavy, too wounded, to feel the beauty of the passing night.

Everything I had known felt as if it had shattered in a single moment. My parents were gone, ripped from me in a rogue attack that still haunted my dreams. My sister, Elena, had taken Kael, the man I loved with every piece of my soul. And Kael himself had rejected me, severing the bond we were meant to share because the Moon Goddess had paired him with my sister. It was as though life had conspired to leave me hollow.

My hands shook violently as I reached for the bottle of liquor resting on the seat beside me. I had taken it from the packhouse earlier, hoping it would numb me, hoping it would silence the agony clawing through my chest. I tilted it to my lips and drank greedily, the fiery liquid burning its way down my throat. Half the bottle was gone before I even realized. My vision blurred, my head swayed, and then a stabbing pain pierced through my temples.

Karina, my wolf, whimpered weakly inside my mind. Stop, Aria. Please stop. This is not the way.

But her voice was faint, distant, as though something was smothering her. My body gave in to the haze, and darkness swallowed me whole.

---

When I woke, the air was heavy with the stench of mildew and rotting wood. My body ached everywhere, and when I tried to move, sharp pain bit into my wrists and ankles. Chains. Cold, unforgiving chains bound me to a thick wooden post in the center of a decayed cabin. My hands were stretched above me, my legs shackled to the ground. A filthy cloth gagged my mouth. The place was dimly lit by a single oil lamp that flickered weakly in the corner.

Panic surged through me. My chest heaved as I tried to call Karina, but her voice was muffled again, locked away as though someone had sealed her off. I felt naked without her strength. Vulnerable. Alone.

The door creaked open slowly. My heart froze. A figure dressed in black entered the room, her face hidden behind a mask. Her movements were graceful yet predatory, each step deliberate as though she savored the fear she was about to unleash. She stopped in front of me and tilted her head slightly, examining me the way a hunter studies trapped prey.

“Poor little angel,” she said, her voice dripping with mockery.

The sound jolted me. That voice. It clawed at the edges of my memory.

She gave a soft laugh that was cruel and taunting. “Your little Kael belongs to me now.”

My body stiffened. I knew that voice. I prayed I was wrong, yet my heart already knew the truth.

The woman reached up and slowly removed the mask. My world tilted, and bile rose in my throat.

“Elena…” I whispered, my voice muffled beneath the gag, though the sound still escaped.

Her lips curved into a chilling smile. The sister who had once held me close when I cried, the sister I thought had been my only family left in the world, was now my captor. Her eyes burned with a venom I had never seen before.

Another woman entered behind her, also masked, though her voice was clear and sharp. “Untie her mouth. I want to hear what she has to say before we finish this.”

Elena moved closer, yanked the filthy cloth from my lips, and let it fall to the floor. My mouth was dry, but my voice managed to break free.

“Elena, why? How could you do this to me? What happened to me? How did I get here?” My words shook with fear.

She leaned close until I could feel her breath on my ear. “I slipped something into your drink,” she whispered. “You passed out, and the rest was easy. That is all you need to know.”

My stomach churned violently. My own sister had drugged me.

“Elena, why?” My voice cracked. “You begged me earlier. You said you were sorry. You said you would step aside for me. You promised.”

Her laugh was like shards of broken glass cutting through the air. “Do you truly think I would give him up so easily? I only said those things to keep you calm. Do not be so foolish, Aria. I loved Kael first. He belongs to me. You were the one who stole him, like you always steal everything. When our parents were alive, they adored you more. Everyone admired you. I was the shadow in your light. But now I finally have something of my own, and I will not allow you to ruin it.”

My heart squeezed painfully. “You are my sister. My blood. I am done with Kael. I do not want him anymore. Just let me go.”

Her eyes flared with hatred. Without hesitation, she drew a silver knife from her pocket and pressed it to my arm. In one swift motion, she cut deep across my skin. I cried out as the searing pain exploded through me, blood trickling hot and fast down my arm.

Elena’s lips twisted into a cruel smile. “Do you feel that, Aria? This is the pain you gave me every time you were chosen over me.”

The other masked woman stepped forward, her tone cold yet practical. “If you kill her now, it will be nothing but blood wasted. Think. Your Luna ceremony is approaching. Such an event demands wealth. Kael may be Alpha, but his resources cannot cover everything. Why not use her? Sell her. The price of a healthy young she-wolf will fetch more than enough to fund your celebration. And no one will ever know what happened to her.”

Elena’s eyes glistened with cruel delight. She turned her gaze back to me, and I saw her decision solidify in that wicked smile. “You are right. Selling her is the perfect plan. She will finally be out of my way, and I will have everything I need.”

My stomach dropped, and icy fear tore through me. My own sister, my blood, was plotting to sell me like livestock.

Elena waved her hand toward the door. “Take her to the car.”

The women grabbed me roughly, unlocking the chains and dragging me across the dirt floor. My knees scraped against the ground, leaving raw wounds that stung with every movement. They pulled me out into the night air. It was cold, sharp against my skin, filled with the scent of pine and damp earth. A black car waited outside, its back door already open.

As they shoved me inside, Karina stirred weakly within me, her voice breaking through at last. 

"Aria, do not give in, darkness is coming, but you must survive it, hold on"

The door slammed shut, plunging me into the suffocating silence of the car’s interior. My heart pounded wildly, each beat louder than the last. I did not know where they were taking me. I did not know who they planned to sell me to.

But one thing was certain. Whatever awaited me next would change the course of my life forever.