Chapter 3

Rashel's eyes lazily flutter open, a dull ache throbbing in the side of her head. She winced in pain as her eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness that surrounded her.

 

"Where am I?" She sat up frantically, looking around in confusion. "How did I get here?" She whispered in panic.

 

She was in a cell. Almost as if she were arrested. But the difference here was that this was not looking like a legal detention.

 

"Help! Somebody!" She screamed at the top of her voice. She felt so weak. Her sides hurt.

 

She tried connecting with her wolf, but Ash felt too weak to speak. Realization hit her. She had been shot with wolfsbane.

 

"Help me, please!" She vigorously shook the bars of the cell she was locked in.

 

"Shut the fuck up!" A hulking man appeared from the darkness outside the cell, yelling at her with a menacing look. He had a stick of cigarette in his mouth.

 

From the way he smelled, Rashel didn't need anyone to tell her he was a rogue. What did she do? Were they... organ harvesters? Serial killers who just kill for fun? Or... Her mind reeled.

 

"Please. Please, let me out. What have I done wrong? I can give you money. How much do you want? "Please," Rashel asked in panic, tears flooding her eyes.

 

"Stop with the drama, bitch! Otherwise, I won't hesitate to put a bullet through that skull of yours!" He spat and walked away.

 

Rashel knew better than to keep up with the fight she was trying to put up.

 

She sat down there... Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into days.

 

She had heard voices outside the cell. For the first time since she got there, she heard a different voice from the usual masculine voices she always heard. It was a woman's voice. But she couldn't tell who the woman might be, as her hearing abilities were still limited. Ash was still not feeling better yet.

 

The strange woman issued an instruction to the men that shook Rashel to her very core. "Make her suffer before killing her." I don't want her to have an easy death."

 

Who had she offended this much? Rashel kept pondering.

 

Rashel couldn't tell how long she had been there, but she knew she'd been there for some days. The only interaction she had with anyone was the slender man who always came to give her a meager amount of food that could barely sustain her, let alone the baby in her womb.

 

"Thank you," she said to the slender man as he brought her ration for the day.

 

The man only glared at her and began walking away, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks when he heard a faint, choking sound coming from the cell.

 

His steps faltered, and he turned around, a deep frown creasing his forehead. He approached the cell cautiously, peering through the bars...

 

His heart skipped a beat as he saw Rashel on the floor, her face contorted in painful distress. She was gasping for air, her hands clutching her throat.

 

His eyes widened in fear as he realized what was happening. If Rashel died on his watch, his boss would not be pleased, and the consequences would be death for him.

 

With trembling hands, he fumbled with the keys, anxiety taking over him as he hurriedly unlocked the cell door.

 

He crouched beside her, trying to offer help.

 

'Perfect,' Rashel thought as she didn't miss the opportunity.

 

With a sudden burst of strength, Rashel pushed the slender man away. She swung her legs around and caught him off guard, throwing him to the floor. The surprise attack was swift and brutal, and despite his efforts to fight back, Rashel's desperation and training overpowered him.

 

She grabbed the man's keys, her fingers shaking with adrenaline, as she ran out the cell door, shutting it close and locking the monster in there. That would give her enough time to run as far away as possible before he'd call for help.

 

Her heart pounded in her chest as she sprinted out, her bare feet slapping against the cold concrete floor of the corridor.

 

She ran through a dimly lit passageway, which stretched on for a few minutes before coming to a door that looked like the exit.

 

She pulled it open, and the cold breeze slapped against her almost bare body.

 

Her clothes were torn and tattered, and her hair was a total mess.

 

"Where is everyone?" She asked herself as she met a large, empty field. But she didn't wait to get the answer to her question. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, but not for too long.

 

Desperate footsteps sounded from behind her. She knew it would be the end of her if she ever got caught.

 

She couldn't tell how long she had been running, but the ache in her body and the numbness of her limbs told her she had been running for way longer than she should have. She couldn't transform to her wolf form because the wolfsbane still had an effect on Ash.

 

Her head felt light, and her vision began to blur. But she couldn't give up. If not for anything, for the sake of her unborn child.

 

She panicked. The footsteps got closer. The woods were thick with trees and darkness. Suddenly, she crashed into something solid.

 

The impact sent her sprawling onto the cold, hard ground. She stumbled into a very hard surface, making her look up, panic taking over her.

 

Her gaze rested on him... A man... one whose eyes were as cold as death itself.

 

He gazed upon her with an amusement that made her shiver.

 

Rashel's breath hitched. She struggled to her feet, her muscles trembling with exhaustion. "Please. I am sorry. Don't hurt me, I beg of you." She pleaded with a trembling voice. "I'll give you money." A lot of money. Don't kill me."

 

The man's eyes narrowed, his gaze assessing her with a cool detachment. He remained silent, his expression unreadable. He took a step closer, his eyes raking over her disheveled state.

 

"Why on earth would I kill my mate?" He said, his lips twisting into the most beautiful smile she has ever seen.

 

It was at that point that realization struck her.

 

He was Alpha Jethro. The Alpha Jethro.