Chapter 2

I woke up feeling warmth. For as long as I could recall, my body had known only the bite of cold metal, the sting of a whip, and that of the rough scrape of stone beneath my skin.

But this… this was different, the softness of the bed, with my body covered with a thick blanket. For a second, I couldn't believe it was me.

My mind panicked before my body could react to it.

Where am I?

Sitting up in the bed, my breath was hitching heavily and just in, the room door swayed open, and a wave of dizziness struck me like a blow as I gripped. 

I figured I was standing in there and for a second, I dare not raise my face up.

Standing at the door post was Killian Blackwood.

The Alpha.

Memories of the night before slammed into me- the rogues, the blood, the cage, and then his golden eyes.

I twisted, my heart was pounding heavily but for a second no words, so I raised my head.

He stood near the window, with his back to me. His arms were crossed around his chest.

I barely breathed, his presence was suffocating me, but not like that of Sebastian.

Why am I here? And why did he take me yesterday?

This was not a dungeon. Not a cell. Not the kind of place men like him kept girls like me.

Alphas did not give their captives warmth, why did he give me this warmth?

They did not place them in clean beds with soft blankets. They did not…. I stopped immediately as he turned.

My body stiffened instantly, every muscle locking into place as those golden eyes met mine and I took my head low.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke, I had my eyes blinking at the duvet.

Then, his gaze flicked down to my shaking hands.

“You’re awake.” His voice was rough as he spoke up.

I pressed myself back against the headboard, ignoring the way my hand trembled. I should have felt relieved. Likewise, I was no longer in chains, no longer in a cage. But fear had been carved into my bones, and I didn’t know how to exist without it.

He took a slow step forward, I flinched.

Then he stopped.

His jaw was tense, and something flickered behind his eyes as he stared at me in silence. I couldn't read the expression.

"I’m not going to hurt you, relax.” 

I had heard those words before. From different men who had tormented my life. In different places.

They had always been lies, and here he is saying the same to me.

My silence didn’t seem to surprise him. He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.

“You’re in my home,” he said after a moment. “The Blackwood pack”

I knew the name.

Everyone did.

The Blackwood Pack was one of the most powerful in the North. Known for it Ruthless and unforgiving. Their Alpha was a man feared by many. A man who had never been defeated in battle. A man who—

Had saved me.

Why? 

I clenched my hands into fists, pressing my nails into my palms until the pain grounded me, now I am feeling the real pain I wanted. I needed to think. I needed to understand.

Killian watched me closely.

“You were being sold,” he said after a long pause. “By rogues.” He added.

I flinched again, shame was burning my skin. He had seen me like that. Caged. Helpless. Owned.

His gaze darkened as he spoke up. “How long have you been in captivity?”

I didn't answer. I couldn’t.

The words stuck in my throat even when I attempted to speak, I had been tangled in years of silence.

Killian’s fingers curled into fists at his sides as he examined me carefully. “Who did this to you?”

Still, I said nothing.

A muscle in his jaw ticked as he exhaled. “You’re safe now.”

Safe?

The word felt foreign to me.

There was no such thing as “safe” in my world.

Silence stretched between us, but my mind was racing with many thoughts. I expected him to get angry. To grow impatient with my silence. But he didn’t.

Instead, he did something that unraveled me completely and left my jaw dropped.

He lowered himself to his knees.

My breath hitched for a while.

Killian Blackwood—an Alpha feared by all—was kneeling before me. No way!

I gripped the blankets, so tightly my knuckles turned white as I crawled my shaking hands to my face.

I would rather not see that.

Alphas don't kneel. They commanded. They owned it.

But he… he was looking at me with something that wasn’t pity.

It was something far worse.

I could say he was understanding.

“I don’t know what you’ve been through,” he murmured then paused, his voice was quieter now, rough with something I would rather not name then he continued. 

“And I won’t ask. But you don’t have to be afraid of me.”

I wanted to believe him.

However, belief had cost me before.

I swallowed hard of my saliva, my throat was dry and aching. I needed to leave.

This pack, this man, this strange act, and the suffocating kindness—it was dangerous for me because I had never been shown such before.

I had spent years surviving because I had learned to read people, to sense threats before they struck.

And Killian Blackwood was the most dangerous man I had ever met.

Not because he wanted to hurt me.

Nonetheless, because I didn’t think he ever would.

And that was more terrifying than anything else.

I forced my body to move, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. Pain was lanced up my side, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through it. I had survived worse.

Killian’s eyes followed my movements. “You need rest.”

I ignored him. My bare feet touched the wooden floor, and I fought the wave of nausea that crashed into me. I would not be weak. I would not—

My knees buckled when l less expected it and I found myself falling…

Before I could hit the ground, strong arms caught me.

My breath left me in a sharp gasp as I crashed against a hard chest. Heat surfaced through me, so intense it shook me to my core.

It was Killian.

Slowly, his head dipped as he gently dropped me on the bed.

"You're hurt?” he asked in a low voice.

His fingers flexed suddenly, as if he saw something strange. 

“Stay here, I will be back.” With that, he hurried out.

It wasn’t a command. It was something else. A plea.

I would rather not stay.

I couldn’t stay.

But as Killian pulled away, I was certain of one thing.

I had just become his problem.

And Killian Blackwood didn’t let go of what was his.

What does Killian Blackwood want from me? And why does my wolf—silent for years—whisper his name to me?