Chapter 6- TRAPPED TOGETHER

The iron bars pressed against my shoulders as I tried to breathe. Dust still floated in the air. My chest ached from the fall and my wrist throbbed where Rhett had grabbed me at the last second.

I pushed myself up.

“Are you hurt?” Rhett asked. He was already beside me, close enough that his knee brushed mine.

“I’m fine.”

He reached for my arm anyway. His fingers moved carefully over my wrist, checking for swelling. “You’re bruised.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Nora.”

The way he said my name made me look at him. His face was only inches from mine. The cage was far too small for two people. Every time either of us shifted, our bodies touched. There was nowhere to escape the heat of him.

I pulled my arm away. “We need to get out.”

Rhett nodded and gripped the bars. He pulled hard. The metal groaned but held. He tried again, muscles straining under his shirt. Nothing. He kicked the door. The sound echoed through the pit and came back empty.

“This was meant for one person,” I said quietly.

“Cassia meant it for you?”

My stomach twisted. “Yes.”

He looked around the cage, jaw tight. “Does she not think I would be with you? I clearly picked you in front of everyone.”

A bitter laugh slipped out of me. “Clearly. She wanted me out of the Trial. She wanted us to come back in last place even though you are with me.”

Silence settled between us, heavy and close. Then I heard a low growl. I glanced at Rhett. His eyes had darkened.

“Your wolf?”

He nodded once. “He doesn’t like this.”

“Being trapped?” I asked.

“Not really.”

My heart skipped. Heat rose in my cheeks.

Rhett looked almost embarrassed. “He’s restless. He can sense we’re alone… and he knows we’re in danger.”

I swallowed. “Danger from what?”

“The forest gets worse after dark.”

I looked up at the opening. The sunlight was already fading, turning the trees above us into black shapes. “Then we need to get out before night.”

“I know.”

We searched every inch of the cage. I ran my fingers along the bars and tested the lock. Rhett tried bending the metal with pure strength. We even used a broken branch as a lever. Nothing worked.

After another failed attempt I sat down hard. “We’re stuck.”

“We'll need to wait for rescuers."

“That sounds hopeful.”

“Of course.”

He tried adjusting for a better posture beside me. My breasts rested firmly on his chest. I tried to shift away, but there was nowhere to go.

“Stop moving,” he said quietly.

“I’m trying to give you space.”

“But there is no space.”

He was right. The cage forced us together. His warmth slowly spread through my side. His scent filled the small space, clean forest, sweat, and something deeper that made my stomach tighten. I hated how much I noticed it.

“You’re quiet,” he said.

“So are you.”

“I’m thinking.”

“About what?”

He looked toward the darkening trees. “Being the Alpha tomorrow.”

I turned to him. “You don’t seem worried.”

“I am.” His voice was softer than before. “Everyone thinks being future Alpha means having everything under control. It doesn’t. Every decision I make better be good or it'll affect the pack. Every mistake becomes a pack mistake. Sometimes I wonder if I really want to be the future alpha.”

I studied his face. “You don’t have to be perfect.”

He gave a small smile. “Tell that to the Elders.”

“You know I would if I had a wolf.”

He laughed quietly. For a moment the forest didn’t feel so frightening. Then I remembered the truth waiting for us outside.

“Our coming-of-age ceremony and yours is soon.”

His smile disappeared. “I know.”

“You’ll have to choose your mate.”

“I know.”

“Then you should do what tradition says.”

He looked at me sharply. “Nora I—”

“Rhett, you can’t fight everything. This tradition has been happening for generations. Even you can’t defy what the pack has decided.”

His eyes stayed on mine, dark and intense. “But—”

“Let’s not talk about it.” I looked away. “Let’s get out of here, it'll be dark soon.”

He sighed. “Fine.”

We tried again. Rhett pulled the bars until his arms shook. I searched for any weakness in the lock. We pushed together with everything we had. Nothing moved.

The sky turned orange, then gray. Darkness slowly swallowed the forest. The temperature dropped fast. I wrapped my arms around myself and tried not to shiver.

Rhett noticed and tried putting his hands over me.

“I’m fine.” I stopped him.

“But you're freezing.”

“So are you.”

“My wolf is keeping me warm.”

“I don’t need your help.”

A cold wind swept through the cage. I shivered hard. Rhett put his hand around me pulling me into him for a tight hug without asking again.

“Stop pretending you’re not cold.”

I hesitated, then I just let him. My body stiffened at first.

“Nora. Relax.”

“I’m trying.”

His arm settled around my waist, steady and warm. His heartbeat was strong under my cheek. For several seconds neither of us spoke. I could hear every breath he took. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest. When I finally lifted my head, our faces were close. Too close.

His eyes dropped to my lips. My breath caught. His hand moved slowly up my back, fingers spreading against the thin fabric of my dress. I didn’t pull away.

Then a howl suddenly tore through the darkness.

We both froze. Another howl answered from farther away.

Rhett pulled back, listening hard.

“That’s the pack.”

“They’re searching for us?”

“They must be.”

Relief rushed through me, then another sound came. Footsteps. Voices.

I turned toward the opening above us. Someone was up there.

“Rhett?” a male voice called. “Nora?”

I opened my mouth to shout. “We are down—”

Then I heard Cassia. “I saw Nora run off alone in that direction.”

My blood went cold.

Rhett’s arm tightened around me like iron. I stared upward in disbelief. Was she that stupid, or too angry? How could she not expect the future Alpha, who had chosen me as his partner in front of everyone, to be missing too?

Above us her voice continued, calm and clear.

“She must have left the Trial. I tried to follow, but she disappeared into the deeper woods.”

I started shouting but the footsteps were already fading.

I looked at Rhett. The warmth in his eyes was gone. In its place was something cold and dangerous.

If Cassia wanted me to spend the night trapped in this cage, she had succeeded.

But she had made one mistake. She had trapped the future Alpha with me.

And he had just heard every word of her lie.