THE ALPHA CAPTIVE MATE

The little wooden wolf was warm inside my shirt, right over my heart.

I held my hand there while I walked quiet through the big pine trees. My little brother Elias gave it to me the day the wolves came and took everything. He was only eight. He had a big gap where his front tooth fell out. He was so proud because he carved it himself with his tiny knife. “For good luck, Nys,” he said and hugged me hard. That was the last time I'd saw him smile. The wooden wolf and a big scar on my shoulder are all I have left from home.

Tonight somebody else’s luck was going to run out.

I am now twenty-four. The scared little girl who used to hide and cry under the table is gone. Now I am the Shadow Blade for the rebels in the east. I move super quiet, super fast, and I am really, really mad inside. For twelve years I trained every day. For twelve years I had bad dreams. For twelve years I kept the same promise in my heart and made it sharper than any knife.

Tonight Alpha Raiden is going to die.

The edge of their land had wolf skulls on tall sticks. The moon made them look super white and spooky. I sneaked right between two of them without making the frost crunch. My boots had soft bunny fur on the bottom so they didn’t make noise. I rubbed stinky wolf-bane paste all over my skin. It tasted yucky in my mouth and made my head feel funny, but it hid my smell from the wolves.

At least that’s what it was supposed to do.

I hid behind a big fallen tree and counted my heartbeats to stay calm. One minute. Two minutes. Nothing moved except the wind way up in the trees. An owl said “hoot-hoot” far away, then everything got quiet again. I let myself take one big breath that wasn’t sneaky-quiet.

I was inside their land now.

I stood up, fixed the silver dagger on my leg so it didn’t wiggle, and started walking down the hill to where the Storm pack lives. My plan was easy: get to the big pack house before the moon goes away, climb in the east window my friends told me about, and stick my special silver knife right in Raiden’s heart while he is sleeping. Then walk out before anybody wakes up. Easy.

I have done harder stuff.

The hill got steeper. Little rocks went skitter-skitter under my feet. I grabbed a baby tree so I didn’t fall, then froze and listened super hard. Still nothing. My heart was loud in my ears, but it was steady like a drum. Good. I kept going.

The trees got thinner. I saw orange torch lights blinking between the trunks. That was the first wall around their houses. I got down on my belly like a snake and crawled the last part, hiding in every dark spot. When I got to the edge I stayed super still and counted the guards. Two at the gate, one on top of the wall, and one walking back and forth. They were being lazy. They didn’t think anybody would be crazy enough to come here all alone.

They were wrong.

I waited until the walking guard turned around, then I ran super fast across the open part like I was made of night. My fingers grabbed the rough wood wall. I put my climbing claws in and pulled myself up, swung my leg over the top, and dropped down inside.

I landed soft behind a pile of firewood. The smell hit me like a punch. Smoke, cooking meat, pine trees, and that wild wolf smell when too many wolves are close together. My tummy flipped. I felt scared and mad at the same time. I closed my eyes for one second and saw my mom in the doorway with fire in her hair, yelling at me to run.

I opened my eyes. I had to stay focused.

The pack house was right in front of me. It was huge, two floors of dark wood with raven birds carved on it. Light came out the top windows. Somebody was still awake. I didn’t care. I waited twelve years; I could wait a little more.

I walked along the wall, staying in the darkest shadows. My heart beat slow and calm the way my teachers showed me: breathe in, hold, and breathe out. My silver dagger felt heavier with every step, like it knew whose heart it wanted.

I got to the east corner. The window was high and skinny, just like my friends said, and no bars because nobody is crazy enough to climb straight up the wall.

But I am.

I took my little rope with the hook off my belt, swung it round and round, and threw it up. It grabbed the roof with a tiny thunk sound. I pulled to make sure it was strong, then climbed up till I could swing my legs inside the window. One more breath, and I slid into the house.

I landed in a dark hallway that smelled like cedar trees and old blood. Moonlight made stripes on the floor from a broken window cover. Far away I heard a fire crack-crack-crack. I pulled my dagger out and let the cover fall super quiet on the floor.

Left or right? My friends said his room was at the north end. I turned left.

The hallway was long and empty. Pictures of old alphas stared at me with mean gray eyes. They all looked like him. I made an angry face and kept walking.

Ten more steps. A door on the right was open a little. Fire light danced inside. I got close, stuck my back to the wall, and listened.

Nothing.

I peeked fast. Empty room with furry rugs and a glass with dark drink in it. No Raiden.

I sneaked past another door. This one was shut tight.

I reached for the handle.

A super low growl came from behind me. It was so deep I felt it in my bones.

I turned fast with my dagger up.

The hallway was empty.

But the growl came again, closer this time, and it sounded like it was laughing at me.

Then a big warm hand covered my mouth. A super strong arm grabbed my waist and pulled me back hard against a chest that felt like rock.

“Looking for me, little killer?” a voice said right into my ear. It was low and rough and I knew that voice from my worst dreams.

My whole body froze like ice.

Raiden.

I tried to fight and kick and get my dagger up. He grabbed my wrist super easy and pushed it against the wall way over my head. His other hand stayed on my mouth, and his thumb rubbed my cheek soft like he was being nice.

“Breathe,” he said quietly. “You’re shaking.”

I hated that he was right.

Moonlight came in and made his face shine. Black hair, big scar from his eyebrow to his chin, eyes like a big gray storm coming. He was the monster from every bad dream.

He leaned super close till our noses almost touched and sniffed me slow.

His whole body stopped moving.

The growl he made this time wasn’t mad.

It sounded happy and surprised.

“Mate,” he whispered like someone was pulling the word out of his heart.

I laughed against his hand even though it hurt. I bit my tongue and tasted blood. I was so mad.

I came here to kill you!.

I tried to yell, but it only came out as muffled sounds.

He knew anyway. His smile was slow and sharp and way too pretty for a monster.

“I know,” he said.

Then everything tilted, my feet went up in the air, and everything went black.