Chapter 14: Rebellion

Two days had passed, and Cara had been almost completely confined to her room. Each day, she was provided with three meals that were both rich and delicious. She also received beautiful dresses made from an incredibly soft material - something the servants referred to as “fabric” - to replace her torn and ragged animal-hide clothing. But whenever she tried to step outside, the two warriors guarding her door would immediately stop her and gently advise,

“Miss, the Alpha has ordered that you stay in the room and await his arrangements.”

Cara was growing increasingly restless. She had come here to find Gray Wolf, not to be locked up and wait around for orders from someone she didn’t even know. She didn’t like the Dark Eclipse pack, nor the way they treated her like an outsider and looked at her with suspicion. She wanted to leave this place and continue her journey to find her mate.

But what could she do? There were too many of them, and the poison in her body was almost depleted after two months of trekking through the forest.

Cara kept thinking, searching for a way to escape. She quietly observed the guards outside her door, memorizing the timing of their shift changes. She strained to hear footsteps in the hallway, trying to estimate how many people were nearby.

Alpha Gerano still had no intention of meeting the daughter he had been separated from for seventeen years. And although Cara lacked nothing in terms of food and clothing, she was being treated like a true prisoner. By the fifth day, she decided to risk everything on a single escape attempt.

Early that morning, when the two warriors opened the door to bring in her meal, Cara seized the moment and threw a handful of pale blue powder at them. The powder quickly dispersed into the air, and within seconds, the two warriors began to feel their bodies grow heavy and their limbs lose strength. One of them staggered against the wall, while the other tried to reach for his weapon, but it was too late.

Cara wasted no time. She dashed out, slipping past the collapsing guards and sprinting down the hallway. She didn’t know exactly where the exit was, but if she could just get out of the pack house, she could use the dense forest terrain to her advantage and escape.

But she hadn’t made it far when the alarm horn sounded. The thunder of footsteps echoed across the marble floor, and in the blink of an eye, a group of warriors appeared ahead, blocking her path.

“Miss, please return to your room. The Alpha has forbidden you from leaving the pack house,” one of them barked.

Ever since entering the territory of the Dark Eclipse pack, Cara had barely spoken a word, so no one even knew her name.

Cara clenched her fists. She knew she wasn’t strong enough to face off directly against a group of powerful warriors, but this wasn’t the time for hesitation. She pulled out the last dose of poison hidden on her body and quickly flung it into the air. A cloud of red powder immediately spread through the space. Everyone who inhaled it - except for Cara - began to stagger, their breathing growing heavy before collapsing one by one.

Others farther away, horrified by Cara’s actions. They cried out in fear,

“A witch! She’s a witch!”

Those who hadn't yet been affected by the powder quickly backed away, their eyes filled with wariness and alarm.

“The Alpha’s daughter is a witch! Quick, bring the Alpha here!”

Cara hadn’t made it far when Alpha Gerano himself arrived, flanked by a team of warriors who surrounded her.

“You’re a witch, are you?” he asked coldly, his voice low and sharp, his eyes flashing with a mix of wariness and disgust.

Cara didn’t answer. She felt utterly hopeless. In her current state, with no poison left to protect herself, escaping this place was impossible.

Receiving no reply, Alpha Gerano’s expression darkened in fury. He waved his hand and gave the order for his warriors to seize her.

Believing her to be a witch, the warriors were clearly wary. But an Alpha’s command was absolute, and they had no choice but to charge in despite the danger.

Surprisingly, the capture turned out to be much easier than they had expected. Cara struggled fiercely as strong hands grabbed hold of her. She bit her lip, trying to break free, but it was useless. Her strength was no match for the well-trained wolves of the Dark Eclipse pack. She was shoved hard to the floor, her arms yanked behind her back.

Alpha Gerano stepped up in front of her, his leopard-skin boots nearly brushing her nose. He looked down at her from above, his eyes narrowing with an overpowering air of authority.

“Why did you try to run?”

Cara lifted her head, her eyes blazing with hatred as she stared at him. A low, furious growl escaped her throat.

“Let me go!” she said, enunciating each word with clear defiance.

Too familiar. That look, those eyes were exactly like Elisa’s, and the hatred behind them was just as intense. Alpha Gerano felt his chest tighten, a storm of emotions surging within him, pain, anger, frustration. A violent urge rose inside him, a desire to destroy the defiant she-wolf before him.

But she was his daughter. The daughter of Elisa. He couldn’t kill her.

“Lock her in her room. Double the guards. No one is to go near her unless I give the order,” he commanded in a cold, firm voice.

Cara was immediately dragged along the marble hallway, back to the room where she had been imprisoned for the past five days. The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind her, the echo reverberating like a sentence being passed. She collapsed to the floor, fists clenched tightly, her stormy gray-blue eyes burning with fury. Her chest rose and fell violently, as if it might burst from the pressure inside her.

Alpha Gerano stood before the now-sealed room, his expression dark and terrifying.

“Elisa, you would rather live as a wild wolf, die alone and forgotten in the wilderness, than become the mistress of an Alpha. Now, I will imprison your daughter for life, let her pay the price for your betrayal.”

**

Author’s note: A weak omega, with no poisons left as weapons—how will Cara ever escape her father’s imprisonment?