Waking Up In the Wrong Nightmare

ZELDA’S POV

“No!” I screamed, drenched in sweat, my heart pounding fast.

It was just another nightmare.

Then it hit me. I wasn’t in my room. The bright sunlight hit me first, then the unfamiliar scent of the room came after.

Wait. The black van. The masked man.

I tried standing up, but my hands were bound, and so were my legs.

I looked to the side and saw Mia, tied up too, lying on the ground.

“Mia! Mia!” I tried to wake her, but she didn’t even move.

“Shit!” I started tugging at the rope in my hands, and after a few tugs it came loose. I untied my legs just as easily.

I rushed to Mia’s side and tapped her gently.

“Mia, Mia,” I said, shaking her. Finally, I felt her eyes move.

“Mia, wake up,” I said again, and this time her eyes opened fully.

“Where are we?” she said, trying to sit up. I quickly helped untie her hands.

“I don’t know, Mia, but I know we have to get out of here.” I pulled her up, my legs a little wobbly as we headed to the door.

My first thought was that the door would be locked and we’d have a hard time breaking it down, but as soon as I reached for it, it opened easily. First a loose tie, now an unlocked door.

This had to be the laziest kidnapper alive.

The moment I opened the door, I heard a growl. It was low at first, then grew louder. I turned to

Mia. She’d heard it too.

“Please tell me that’s a dog,” I said, listening to footsteps and the growl growing closer.

“It should be,” Mia said, unconvincingly, stepping back. I followed her.

The growl only grew louder, until we were backed against the wall. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears.

The growling didn’t stop, and slowly the door opened. My stomach dropped. Mia was shaking beside me. In front of us stood two massive wolves, brown and striped with black, far bigger than any wolf I’d seen in movies or pictures.

Their eyes locked on us like we were their next meal, feet stamping against the ground.

“Who guards humans with wolves?” I managed to say.

An answer came, right in front of us. The two wolves began to shift. All I heard was the crack of bone, the disappearance of fur, and then two naked men stood where the wolves had been.

What was happening?

My head went fuzzy, my vision blurred, and darkness claimed me. All I could hear were whispers.

I don’t know how long passed, but the whispers seemed to follow me as I slowly opened my eyes. The scent of antiseptic hit me first. I wasn’t in that room anymore. I was in a hospital.

A woman approached with a syringe. I raised my head immediately.

“I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to give you some shots for your baby,” she said softly.

My hand flew to my belly. I’d forgotten all about it.

“Where am I?” I asked, looking around. “And where’s my friend?”

“Your friend is okay, but first you need to rest,” she said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

I caught her hand before it touched me. “I don’t need rest. I just want you to get away from me, or I’ll call the cops.” My hand stretched toward my back pocket. Nothing.

What was I expecting?

“Miss, you really need rest, for the baby’s sake,” the nurse said, looking genuinely concerned.

“I don't need your help.” I tried to stand.

My head went fuzzy, and I nearly fell, catching myself on a hand that held me steady before I was laid back on the bed.

I don’t know what happened over the next few minutes. Movement all around me. I was too tired to speak.

It took a while to regain my strength. When I finally sat up, the nurse was beside me. My plan was simple: remove the needle, threaten her.

I yanked the IV out and charged at her. Like she had eyes at the back of her head, she caught my wrist with ease. I had always been strong, but my strength was useless here. As slim as the nurse looked, she had me flat on the bed in seconds. I fought with everything I had, kicking, struggling, refusing to give in, yet it was all for nothing.

“I told you humans are very feisty.” A masculine voice echoed through the room.

Humans?

My head snapped toward the voice.

A young man stepped into view, far too young to be a doctor if you asked me.

“I think we need to get the Alpha,” he said before turning to me. His gaze swept from my head to my toes, and the disgust written all over his face was impossible to miss.

He turned to leave, only to pause at the door.

“Oh… he’s here already.”

Instantly, both of them lowered their heads.

“Greetings, Alpha.”

Meanwhile, I remained frozen on the bed, completely baffled, my mind screaming, What the hell is wrong with these people?

My gaze darted from the nurse to the doctor before following the direction they were facing.

A shadow appeared first.

Then its owner stepped into the room.

I froze.

Vance.

He looked as cold and untouchable as I remembered. A shiver crawled down my spine the moment our eyes met, and for a heartbeat, the rest of the world simply ceased to exist.

Against my will, the corners of my lips twitched into the faintest smile.

It vanished just as quickly.

Another presence entered behind him.

She was breathtaking, her aura colder than ice and commanding enough to make the room feel smaller. Her hand was wrapped possessively around Vance’s arm.

Then her eyes settled on me.

A slow, mocking smile curved her lips.

“Sweetheart…” she purred, looking up at him before turning back to me. “Is this the whore who seduced you?”