C8

The sharp, deafening mechanical grinding of the central shaft mechanism violently shuddered through the elevator car. Elowen Hartwell immediately reached out, her dark fingers locking frantically around the cold steel handrail mounted to the interior wall.

The overhead fluorescent strips flickered once, buzzed with an ominous hum, and cut out entirely, plunging the cramped metal box into pitch darkness. A heavy, resounding metal thump echoed from the cables above, making the entire structure drop two inches before catching on the emergency brakes. A chorus of terrified screams instantly erupted from the crowded pack members trapped inside.

"What the hell is happening to the lifts?" an aggressive beta male shouted from near the control panel.

"We are trapped!" a female voice shrieked from the front row.

"Oh Goddess above, I cannot breathe in here..." a younger female whimpered, her breathing turning fast and shallow in the suffocating darkness.

Someone near the front pulled out a communication device, flicking on its small flashlight beam. Without hesitating, he slammed his fist into the yellow emergency call button on the side panel.

Static crackled sharply from the overhead speaker, followed by the deep, steady voice of a senior maintenance officer. "Listen to me, everyone in lift three! Stay calm and do not shift or panic! The central secondary grid experienced a sudden power surge. Maintenance teams are already dispatched to reset the floor brakes. Remain still, and you will be moving again shortly."

The speaker cut out with a sharp click, leaving the lift in heavy, tense silence. Elowen tried to pull her dark hood lower over her forehead, but a sudden wave of dizziness hit her head, making her balance wobble on her worn boots. She stumbled back slightly in the dark, her foot accidentally crushing the boot of the female standing behind her.

"I... I am so sorry," Elowen whispered quickly, her breath catching behind her thick cloth mask. "I lost my footing."

The female was already on edge from the claustrophobic darkness and showed zero mercy. "Watch where you are stepping, you worthless brat!"

Instead of accepting the apology, the woman shoved Elowen forward with full force. Elowen lost her balance completely, stumbling backward directly into the broad, towering wall of muscle standing behind her.

Two massive, rock-hard arms reached around her waist in the dark, catching her frame instantly before she could crash against the floor.

"Careful," a low, deep voice growled right near her ear.

A sharp, electric shock rippled straight through Elowen’s skin, making her breath hitch violently in her chest. The voice was deep, smooth, and laced with absolute, terrifying authority. Her internal wolf leaped to life beneath her ribs, howling with a fierce, possessive recognition that made her blood burn like fire.

Before she could process the touch, the elevator cables above groaned again, a violent metallic shudder rocking the shaft. The car jolted downward another inch, causing fresh screams to explode through the dark space.

"Hold on, everyone!" the speaker blared again, but Elowen barely heard it.

In the chaos, Elowen’s free hand had instinctively wrapped around the stranger's broad shoulder, her fingers gripping the expensive fabric of his tailored coat.

"I am... I am sorry," Elowen gasped, trying to pull her hand away from his neck.

Instead of releasing her, his heavy arm tightened around her waist, his large hand pinning her hips directly against his thighs, drawing her completely against his muscular front. "Stay still."

"What?" Elowen breathed out, her heart hammering frantically against her ribs like a trapped bird.

She felt his head lower into the crook of her neck. A hot, steady trail of breath fanned over the exposed skin of her jawline, sending shivers plunging straight into her lower abdomen.

"Your scent..." he murmured, his deep voice dropping into a hoarse, lethal whisper that sent panic spiking through her veins. "It is entirely undeniable. Wild vanilla and ripe strawberries."

Elowen’s entire body went rigid as stone. Her mind reeled in sheer horror. She knew that voice. She knew that scorching physical heat pressing against her back.

It was Calloway Sterling. The High Alpha of the Sterling Metropolitan District. The lethal leader who had driven his knot into her body just days ago while she pretended to be her twin sister.

The terror of being trapped in the dark elevator was nothing compared to the suffocating panic seizing her chest right now. Her father Benedict Hartwell and her stepmother Cordelia Ashbourne had made their threats clear: if she ever crossed paths with Calloway or exposed the switch, they would have her dying mother's body thrown to the border rogues.

"Who are you?" Calloway demanded softly against her skin. His grip on her waist was iron-clad, his massive palm holding her flush against his frame while his dominant alpha aura began to leak softly into the cramped space.

Cold sweat broke out across Elowen's dark forehead beneath her hood. Her hand trembled inside her coat pocket.

"How long is this maintenance going to take?" the woman who had pushed her yelled toward the ceiling.

"It is getting hot in here!" another male barked, banging his palm against the steel doors.

Calloway ignored the shouting entirely. He pulled Elowen closer, resting his heavy chin near her shoulder, his warm breath heating her cheek through her mask.

Elowen's internal instincts were screaming in total contradiction. Her logical mind begged her to fight, to push him away and run for her life, but her Omega body reacted to his proximity with treacherous heat, her core slicking with wetness at the raw, possessive grip of her true mate.

Goddess, help me, she prayed silently, squeezing her eyes shut.