Chapter 2 — The New Den

AURORA

I woke up with a start, chest heaving, drenched in sweat. For a fleeting moment, I prayed it had only been a nightmare, that my father hadn’t traded me away like livestock.

But when my eyes fluttered open, a scream tore from my throat.

I wasn’t in my bed. I wasn’t even in my house.

I was inside a dark wagon that was caged and barred, its wooden wheels creaking as it rattled down a dirt path.

The stench of sweat and fear choked me. Around me sat other girls, pressed together, some glaring in silence while one sobbed uncontrollably.

“Holy shit! Where am I?” I shrieked, trying to stand, only for agony to lance across my throat.

The girl nearest me snapped her head toward me, eyes sharp with irritation. “Shut up before you bring them here.”

“No… no, this isn’t real,” I whispered, shaking my head violently. “I’m still dreaming. This can’t be happening.”

Another girl chuckled bitterly. “At least she’s coping better than the one who won’t stop crying.”

“I’d rather both of you shut it,” the first girl muttered. “Do you want the guards to hear?”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “This isn’t happening. I’ll wake up. I’ll—”

A sudden sting in my arm forced my eyes open. I yelped. “Ow! Who did that?”

The third girl, a lean brunette, smirked. “You kept saying you were dreaming. I pinched you. Guess what? Still here.”

There were six of us total. Six girls herded together like sheep. My mouth went dry as reality coiled around me.

“How could he?” I whispered, my voice cracking, the truth burning through me. “My own father…”

The hostile girl groaned, rolling her eyes. “Get used to it. We’ve all been sold. Stop acting surprised.”

I snapped my gaze to her. “What the hell is your problem?”

She tilted her head mockingly. “Do you want me to spell it out for you?”

I ignored her because the wagon suddenly screeched to a stop. My pulse skyrocketed. I instinctively touched my neck… and froze.

A cold, heavy band encircled it. A collar.

“What is this?” I croaked.

The others avoided my gaze. They didn’t know or didn’t dare to say.

The back of the wagon groaned open. Harsh light spilled in, blinding. Two towering men filled the doorway, broad-shouldered and scarred, their amber wolf eyes glowing faintly even in daylight. Tribal markings, carved into their foreheads, glistened like fresh ink.

“Humans,” one sneered, his voice low and mocking, “welcome to your new den.”

The second stepped forward. “Those collars around your neck—”

“How long before I can leave?” I blurted out. “How long before my debt is paid?” My voice cracked in desperation.

The man smiled coldly. The air shifted, charged with raw power.

Before I could even blink, my body slammed against the wagon floor. I hadn’t seen him move. His claws hadn’t touched me. Yet I lay gasping, sprawled on the dirt.

“H-how… how did you do that?” I whispered, trembling.

His lip curled. “Don’t ever interrupt me again, girl.”

Then, with a cruel glint, he lifted a small iron device etched with runes and pressed it.

Agony tore through me. White-hot fire exploded from the collar down to my toes. I screamed so loud my throat nearly ripped apart.

“Make it stop!” I begged, clawing at the band.

He didn’t even flinch. “This,” he said, raising his voice for the others, “is what happens when you ask questions. Your collar obeys us, not you.”

When he released the rune-device, the pain ebbed, leaving me twitching and sobbing in the dirt. The other girls stared, pale and silent, even the one who had been weeping before.

“On your feet,” the second man barked. “Your tasks await.”

The girls stepped down from the wagon one by one. A kind-eyed blonde helped me up, though I was still shaking, my face streaked with tears. Limping, I followed them through the iron gates looming ahead.

And then I gasped.

The fortress made my stomach drop. Up close, it wasn’t pretty. It was built from black stone and the bleached ribs of wolves, a jagged fist of rock clawing at the sky.

Moonlight ran down the walls in veins, and runes pulsed green when the shadows slid across them. The gate opened like a wolf’s mouth; even from here I could feel the air change and become colder, as if the stones itself were holding its breath.

Inside, mist clung to the floor and little moon-crystals in the ceiling glowed faintly, casting eerie light down the corridor. For a fleeting second, I might’ve thought it beautiful if I hadn’t known this was my prison.

Four men appeared ahead. Tall, broad, red-haired and orange-haired alike, their eyes burned with a savage, fiery glow.

Unlike the guards, their markings weren’t just tattoos, they were glowing brands, etched into their flesh, symbols of high rank.

The two sentries who had dragged us bowed immediately, motioning for us to do the same. Hesitantly, we all lowered our heads.

As they passed, heat rippled through me. I felt a raw and oppressive power that made my knees tremble.

One of them stopped before me. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, his burning gaze fixed on me like prey.

“It’s this one,” he said, pointing directly at me. “Bring her.”

My blood ran cold. My heart thumped so hard it hurt.

And before I could resist, claws closed around my arm, and I was dragged away from the others.