Chapter 8-The Golden Prison

       They carried me like a broken doll. My eyes closed. My body weak. The whispers of the crowd still ringing in my ears even though I was gone.  

“She is cursed.”  

“She is chosen.”  

“She is dangerous.”  

I could not move. I could not answer. The world was dark.  

When I opened my eyes again I was not on the dirt ground anymore. I was in a room so bright my eyes burned. Gold everywhere. Gold on the walls. Gold on the floor. Gold on the chairs. Gold on the bed where I lay.  

I turned my head slow. The curtains were silk. The pillows soft like clouds. A big wolf skin rug on the ground. The air smelled of power and money. This was Damien’s house. His golden house. His prison.  

My chest was heavy. My hands weak. I wanted to rise but I couldn’t. My head spun.  

The door opened. Two elders walked in. The fossils. Their faces hard, their eyes cold. They looked at me like I was not human. Like I was something they wanted to study.  

“She carries something strange,” one said.  

“The power of the moon maybe,” the other whispered.  

“It cannot be. A human cannot hold such power.”  

I closed my eyes again. I didn’t want to hear them.  

Then I heard footsteps. Heavy. Strong. The sound made my chest tremble. Damien entered. His eyes sharp. His face dark. He did not look happy.  

He looked at me, then at the fossils. His voice was low but hard. “Explain what happened. Explain how a weak human fainted, rose, and fought like that. Explain now.”  

The fossils bowed their heads. “We cannot explain Alpha. The girl carries something. Maybe the goddess. Maybe a curse. We do not know.”  

Damien’s fists clenched. He turned his eyes on me again. They were fire. Not soft. Not gentle. Fire.  

“She is weak,” he said. “She is nothing. Yet she fought. I saw it with my own eyes. She is not lying there innocent. She hides something.”  

The fossils nodded. “We must watch her. We must test her. This is dangerous.”  

My chest ached. I wanted to cry but no tears came. I wanted to shout I did not ask for this. I did not want this. I wanted to be left alone. But my lips were dry. My throat locked.  

Damien walked close. He stood over me. His shadow fell on my face. His scent filled the room. It was strong. It made me want to breathe more and choke at the same time.  

“Wake,” he said. His voice sharp. “Wake and tell me what you are.”  

But my body did not move. My eyes closed again. Darkness came back.  

---

In the darkness the silver woman appeared again. The moon goddess. Her eyes soft but sharp.  

“Do not answer him,” she said. “He is not ready to hear. He is not ready to know. You belong to me first. Then to him.”  

“Why me,” I whispered. “Why did you choose me.”  

Her voice cut through my soul. “Because you carry pain. Because you carry fire. The strong are not always chosen. Sometimes the broken are chosen. And you, Elara, are broken enough to rise.”  

Her words burned. I wanted to argue. I wanted to scream. But then she was gone. And I was back in my weak body.  

---

The fossils left after more whispers. The door closed. It was only me and Damien. The silence heavy. He sat in a golden chair, his eyes still fixed on me.  

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. His voice lower now. “Why do I feel your pain. Why does your weakness pull me. I don’t want this bond. I never asked for it. Yet I cannot look away.”  

I wanted to answer but my lips stayed shut. My body frozen.  

He stood and walked to the window. He pulled the curtain aside. The moon was bright in the sky. He clenched his fist. His back was stiff.  

“I will not be controlled,” he whispered. His voice full of anger. “Not by the goddess. Not by fate. Not by you.”  

His words cut me though I could not move. Tears slipped from my eyes even though he could not see.  

The door burst open again. Clara entered. Her face red with anger. She bowed her head to Damien but her eyes full of hate for me.  

“Alpha,” she said, her voice sweet but sharp. “Why is she here. Why did you bring this human trash into your house. She is dangerous. She is cursed. She should be thrown out.”  

Damien turned to her, his face cold. “Leave Clara.”  

Her eyes widened. “But Alpha—”  

“I said leave.” His voice thundered.  

Clara bit her lip. Her fists shook. She looked at me with fire in her eyes. Then she turned and left, slamming the door.  

---

The silence returned. Damien walked back to the chair. He sat again, his eyes never leaving me.  

“You make everything burn,” he said softly. “Even when you are unconscious. You bring war into my house. You bring weakness into my heart.”  

I wanted to whisper I didn’t mean to. I didn’t ask for it. I wanted to tell him I hated this bond as much as he did. But my lips stayed still. My body heavy.  

He leaned closer. His breath touched my face. “If you are truly chosen by the moon goddess, then you are mine. But if you are cursed, then you are my enemy. And I do not forgive enemies.”  

The words sank deep into me like knives.  

He sat back. He looked at the ceiling. His hand rubbed his temple. He looked tired. He looked angry. He looked confused.  

I watched him through weak eyes. The Alpha who ruled everyone. The Alpha who feared nothing. Yet now he was restless because of me. Because of the bond. Because of what I carried inside.  

---

Night passed slow. He never left the room. He stayed, pacing, sitting, rising, pacing again. His eyes sharp, his jaw hard.  

The moonlight filled the golden house. The walls shined. But inside it felt like prison. I was trapped. Trapped by fate. Trapped by bond. Trapped by him.  

And still the goddess whispered in my ears, “This is only the beginning.”  

---

I closed my eyes again, but sleep did not come. Only fear. Only confusion. Only the heavy truth that my life would never be mine again.  

I did not want this. I did not ask for this. Yet here I was. In the golden house of the Alpha. His prisoner. His mate. His curse. His choice.  

And I knew tomorrow, the whispers of the pack would grow louder. The fossils would plan. Clara would burn with hate. Damien would break with confusion.  

And me… I would carry a power I did not ask for.  

A power that could kill me.  

A power that could save me.  

A power that tied me to him forever.  

And the worst part… deep inside my broken heart, I was afraid of what I felt whenever his eyes stayed on me.