Chapter 2

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The Alpha’s Prisoner

Liana woke to silk sheets and the scent of something wild.

For a moment, she thought she was dead. Then she felt the dull ache in her head, the bruises on her wrists, and the oppressive stillness of the air.

She sat up with a jolt.

The bed was massive—king-sized, carved from black wood, wrapped in navy linens that smelled faintly of pine and… him. Beyond the bed, thick velvet curtains cloaked the windows, and walls of stone loomed around her like a castle.

No doors.

Just one—solid, steel-reinforced, like something built for a high-security cell.

“What the hell…”

She swung her legs off the bed and tried to stand. Her knees buckled, but she caught herself on a nearby table. Her hands were shaking. Her skin still bore faint, muddy smears. And she was still in her diner uniform.

Still human.

Still alive.

But for how long?

Before she could process anything else, the steel door clicked open. Her breath hitched as a tall shadow stepped inside.

Kael Damaris.

Now clothed in a dark button-down and slacks, he looked even more dangerous in human form. Too composed. Too controlled. Like a lion pretending to be tame. His silver eyes pinned her to the bed like a threat wrapped in beauty.

“You’re awake,” he said.

“No thanks to you.”

His brow twitched. “You're surprisingly calm for someone who witnessed a wolf massacre, got knocked unconscious, and woke up in a stranger’s estate.”

She crossed her arms. “Is that what this is? An estate? Or a prison?”

His mouth curled into a smirk. “Depends on how cooperative you are.”

Liana bit back the rising panic. “You kidnapped me.”

“I saved your life.”

“By attacking me?”

He strode toward her slowly, like a man who knew he didn’t have to run to catch his prey.

“You were in rogue territory,” he said. “One of them saw you. If I hadn’t brought you here, they’d have ripped your throat out.”

“Oh, so I should be grateful?”

“No,” he said, stopping in front of her. “You should be quiet. And smart.”

She met his gaze. Unflinching. “What are you going to do to me?”

His eyes darkened. “That depends.”

“On what?”

He reached out, not touching her—but close enough that she could feel the heat of his palm.

“On why the second I smelled you… every part of me stopped shifting.”

Liana blinked. “What?”

Kael leaned in. His breath grazed her neck. Her pulse betrayed her—thudding, hot, fast.

“I’ve been cursed, girl. My wolf is barely controllable. I kill without warning. But the second I touched you…”

He inhaled again, low and slow.

“…everything calmed.”

Liana swallowed hard. “So what? I’m some kind of tranquilizer?”

“No,” he said. “You’re something else. And until I know what, you’re not going anywhere.”

“Like hell I’m not—!”

Before she could finish, he growled—actually growled—and in a blur, he slammed his hand against the stone wall behind her.

“Don’t test me,” he snapped.

She flinched—but didn’t back down. “You think that scares me? I’ve survived worse than you.”

He stared at her. Studied her.

And then, with maddening softness, he said, “No. You haven’t.”

She opened her mouth to retort—but a knock at the steel door interrupted them.

Kael didn’t take his eyes off her. “Eat. Rest. Don’t try to run. There are wolves outside this mansion who’d love the taste of a soft little human.”

He turned to leave, pausing at the door.

“And Liana?”

She stiffened.

He smiled, slow and lethal. “If you were meant to die that night, the moon wouldn’t have sent you to me.”

Then he was gone.

And for the first time since she was a child, Liana felt truly afraid—not of dying, but of what she might become if she stayed.

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