Chapter 4: Captive

Jane

"Hey, shut the fuck up. No more sleep for you." His words ring in my head as if I were underwater. I scan my eyes around us, finding nothing but him, another man in the car, and thousands of trees stretched for miles on both sides of the road. 

The snow underneath me is refreshing on my burning skin, and my shoulder aches with the arrow still protruding from it. Some of it has been broken off, but the end of it is still buried inside me. As if I had been smacked, my eyes widen in realization. 

I stumble to my feet, sliding slightly on the wet snow beneath me. 

"Y-yes, alpha," I say, quickly pulling my gaze away from him and returning it to the ground. I get back into the backseat of the car and wait for his door to close to glance up at him again. I swallow dryly at the sight of his hair falling around his ears that are red from the cold. I want to ask what happened, where we are going, but I am too nervous to do so. 

I turn my gaze to the passing trees and let the sound of the wheels take me into my mind. Staying awake isn't hard to do after the stranger had ordered me to. I knew he was an alpha from the aura that surrounded him, but I still do not know who he is or why I am with him. 

Why didn't he kill me? 

When I look into the rearview mirror, his eyes instantly catch mine, and I turn away. When the sun sinks down and is replaced by a large, nearly full moon, we remain driving. I force my eyes to stay open, peering out the window, looking for something. I am unsure of what I am looking for, but anything would do. 

Anything to keep me awake. To keep me from angering the strange alpha who has taken me. The next time I glance at the front seat, he is slumped in his chair and snoring softly. The driver doesn't bother looking back at me, and he keeps the radio quiet. If I hadn't been threatened into staying awake, I would be fast asleep right now. 

The time on the dash is nearly 9 am, the next day, when the stranger wakes up once again. I watch him from my seat, hiding my gaze under my hands that my head sits in. I had stolen glances at him multiple times throughout the night, letting my mind wander about him. 

Who was he? Why did he take me? And for some reason, I fantasized about him being my savior. The one who will protect me from the Montana wolf pack. But I shake the idea out of my head as it comes. Wolves are brutes, and he is just another alpha wolf. 

 It is nearly midnight by the time we reach what I assume to be our destination. A large house, more like a mansion, in a cabin style that is tucked away. Miles into the back country of wherever we are. My theory is confirmed when both the driver and the stranger exit the vehicle. I follow suit, hoping that is what is expected. 

The air is frigid cold, but I don't dare shiver in its wake. Alpha Chris would beat me black and blue if I showed any sign of discomfort, especially during his assaults. Sexual or beatings. The alpha turns back to glance at me, scanning down my body until his eyes land on my canvas-covered feet that sink into the snow. 

I stare past him, careful not to look directly at him. 

"Let's go," is all he says. I follow him into the warmth of the building. He and the other man are both greeted by two omegas, despite the late timing of our arrival. They take the alpha and driver's coats for them with warm greetings before scurrying away. 

"Do you want me to take her to the maid's chamber?" The driver asks, and I watch the interaction closely, studying their relationship. One thing that I got good at was studying wolves' behavior while I was locked in the dungeons. I could tell when I was going to be beaten, and when it would be worse. 

"No, put her in Emily's room," he orders quietly while taking his shoes off. When the driver does the same, I decide to take mine off as well. They both watch me with judgful eyes, and I question myself if I made the right assumption. 

"Are you sure?" The driver asks, whispering back to the alpha while they both scan me up and down. He responds with a grumble and a nod. When both of them head up the stairs on the right, I follow suit, starting to feel like a lost puppy with no home. 

"This is where you'll be staying," the driver says, and I watch as the alpha disappears behind the door only feet away from the one I am entering. Finally, left without the drowing aura of the alpha, I let my questions flow. 

"Where are we? And who are you two?" I ask the questions quickly while whispering, not trying to alert the alpha to come back out. Before the man has time to answer, I ask another question. 

"And who is Emily?" I add, watching him sigh in frustration. The man has been driving for two days straight with hardly any breaks to go to the bathroom, little to loan sleep. Here I am annoying the hell out of him. 

"This is the King's home, in Alaska." My eyes widen in horror.

"The King's home? That means, the alpha is-" I stop talking, turning away from the man staring at me like I am his next meal. He seems tired, but that doesn't mean he won't do anything if left unattended for too long. A shudder runs through me at the thought, and I take several steps away from him.

"I am Beta Arch, and that is Alpha Lucas, King of Wolves. We will take care of your shoulder tomorrow," He says simply with a tired smile on his face. I give him a small nod of understanding, and he leaves me alone in the room. My shoulder burns, but I can handle it until morning. 

The bed seems to judge me as I stand there. It knows I won't sleep in it. I can't. When I sleep in bed's bad things happen. I couldn't trust these wolves not to do those things that Chris had done. They're all the same. With that thought in mind, I make my way to the far corner of the room on the floor to sleep.