6: A wolf-man still lived

The next morning, Lena's eyes opened. Pain moved through her body. She tried to move, but her limbs felt heavy. Every part of her ached. Her muscles were stiff from the torment of the night before. She felt numb and empty.

The cold stone beneath her reminded her that she was not safe and she was not free.

The sound of boots echoed in the corridor.

"Where is she?"

It was Darius.

Lena barely had the strength to lift her head, but she heard the sound of chains being unlocked. Only then did she fully understand where she was. She was in a cell and a prison.

The iron door opened with a groan.

Darius stepped inside, and his presence filled the small space.

He crouched before her, and his mismatched eyes studied her.

Lena pulled back and tried to make herself smaller.

His lips curled. "No, wife. That is not how you greet your husband."

Her breath caught. "Stay away from me."

He ignored her words. "Kara," he said as he tilted his head. "Do you not know why you are here."

"I do not care. Please, just leave me alone," she said.

His jaw tightened. In a quick motion, his hand shot out and wrapped around her throat.

Lena gasped, and her nails pressed into his wrist as he squeezed. He did not squeeze hard enough to choke her, but he squeezed hard enough to remind her who had the power.

"I do not expect you to care," he said, and his voice was cold. "But you will suffer for your mother's sins and for the blood she spilled. My mother's blood."

His grip tightened, and his eyes showed something old and cruel.

"You will beg for mercy," he said. "But I will never give it."

A tear went down Lena's cheek.

"My mother is not," she said, but the words stopped in her throat.

It happened again. Something was pulling the truth from her and silencing her before she could speak.

Darius watched her struggle, and then he laughed. "You are always looking for a way out of this. There is no escape."

He let go of her, and his gaze went down to her wrist.

His smile faded.

The wound from the ritual last night was still fresh. The edges were raw, and the blood had barely dried. It should have healed by now.

His eyes narrowed. "Why are you not healing."

Lena pulled her arm away and covered the wound with her fingers.

"Because I am not a werewolf," she said.

Silence filled the cell.

Then he grabbed her neck and forced her head to the side. His thumb moved over her skin as he searched, and then he found it.

The moon mark of restraint.

His lips parted, and his expression showed nothing.

"Your mother really prepared you, did she not," he said, and his voice was softer but still dangerous. "Did she think that if I saw you were human and without power, I would let you go."

He stood up and looked down at her. "It is for the better. I will not have to chase after wolves like you."

Then he turned and walked out, and he left her with nothing but questions.

Lena stared at the ceiling, and her heart pounded.

She wondered what he meant, and she wondered what they had all seen in her birthmark that made them call her a she-wolf.

---

"Alpha, the rogues are camping outside the border and looking for a way in," Beta Cedric said as he followed Darius toward his study. "Their presence is blocking humans and other species from entering the clan."

Darius reached his desk and looked at the scattered scrolls with an irritated sigh. "And that is bad for business, is it not."

"Yes, Alpha."

He exhaled sharply before he sat in his chair. "Tell Jade to prepare his army. Have them draw the rogues into the woods. I feel like going on a hunt." A smirk appeared on his lips.

Cedric bowed. "Yes, Alpha."

As Cedric turned to leave, Darius's voice stopped him. "Go to my wife's cell and take her to the healer."

Cedric hesitated. "Is the Luna not a wolf."

Darius's expression darkened. "Do not call her that again," he said, and his tone was cold.

Cedric dropped to one knee. "Forgive me, Alpha."

---

Darius stood at the edge of the woods, and he rested one hand on his jaw as he looked at the darkened landscape.

"Alpha, they are in," Jade said through the mind-link.

A smirk appeared on Darius's lips. "Good."

He started running, and his speed was fast even in his human form. The narrow paths of the forest went past him, and he enjoyed the feeling. His body changed slowly with each step.

Darius had a rare gift. He was an Alpha who was strong enough to run for miles without getting tired, and he shifted only when he chose to. He enjoyed the slow change, and he savored the moment when his wolf took over.

And then, he let go.

His bones broke, and his muscles stretched. His body grew into something large and powerful. A massive, black-furred beast stood on two feet and towered over the trees. His eyes were red and hungry.

"Draven, do you hear anything," Darius asked through the bond.

"They are scattered all over the field," his wolf said.

Darius stopped, and his gaze moved across the clearing. Over one hundred and fifty rogues were gathered there, and their howls shook the forest.

"You like what you see," Darius said.

"Of course. It has been too long since you let me out."

Then the rogues charged at him.

Draven did not like when prey ran toward him because he preferred the chase.

"Fools," he said, and his deep voice went through the clearing.

Then he howled, and that howl was loud and deep. It made even the bravest wolves stop.

He took one step, and the ground shook.

He took another step, and the rogues stopped moving.

"Run," he said.

The rogues turned and ran.

Draven smiled, and then he lunged at them.

Draven moved through the rogues, and he killed them one after another.

His claws went through flesh, and blood sprayed across the forest floor. He caught a wolf in the air, and his teeth went deep into its throat. The wolf made a sound, and then Draven snapped its neck.

Another rogue came from behind, and Draven spun around. He slashed with his claws, and the wolf's head went through the air before its body hit the ground.

A third rogue tried to run, and Draven landed on its back. His claws went deep into its muscles, and the wolf howled in pain. Draven bit its throat and tore it open.

More rogues came toward him, and Draven welcomed them.

He lunged again, and his claws went into the chest of a rogue. He ripped it apart with his strength. The smell of blood filled the air.

Another rogue tried to run, and Draven jumped on it. He pinned it to the ground, and his teeth closed over its skull. He jerked his head, and the rogue went still.

He killed them one after another, and he moved through them like death.

This was the hunt, and this was what he was born for.

When he was done, he shifted back to his human form. He was fully clothed, and he did not feel the pain that others felt during the shift.

Other wolves howled in pain when they shifted, and their clothes were torn apart. But Darius was not affected because his control was complete.

No one needed to remind him that he was not an ordinary Alpha.

He was a wolf-man.