Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow

AdashaLiving in a gilded cage—this is my reality. For some of us, life becomes an inescapable trap, bound by invisible chains that are too tight, too complex to break. No matter how hard we try to free ourselves, we remain ensnared.At eighteen, I was chosen to be Luna of Woodshire. What should have been an honour quickly turned into a waking nightmare. Back then, Randy—my husband and Alpha—had seemed perfect. He was charming, attentive, and loving during our courtship. Everyone envied me, even to the point of jealousy. I lost friends over it, but I didn’t care. We weren’t fated mates, but I told myself love could grow.For the first year, it did seem like a dream. Then the dream soured. Randy revealed a darker side—jealous, controlling, violent. Every attempt I made to leave only worsened the situation.He wielded his power like a weapon, threatening to eliminate my parents if I tried to escape. It wasn’t an empty threat; Randy controlled the entire western territory and had the me

AdashaWhen Randy was finally done, I lay there, too broken to move. My body ached, my soul reduced to tatters.In his usual twisted way, Randy shifted from monster to caregiver, lifting me as though I were fragile, precious even. He cradled me against his chest, the contradiction in his touch as jarring as the bruises forming beneath my skin. Silent and shattered, I let him carry me to the bathroom. set me down gently, his hands careful now, as if to erase the brutality that had preceded this moment.The hot bath filled the room with steam, but I couldn’t feel its warmth. The water lapped at my skin, but all I felt was cold—an icy numbness that settled in my chest, spreading until it reached every corner of me. Cold and disgusted. Not just with him, but with myself.“You need to stop provoking me like this, Adasha,” he murmured, his tone soft, almost tender, as though he were comforting a wounded child. His hands moved the sponge over my battered skin with a gentleness that made

AdashaThere was no time to second-guess, no space for hesitation. I had been planning this moment for years—three long, agonizing years of plotting, preparing, and waiting for the right time to escape. Each failed attempt had come at a terrible cost.To Randy, my efforts to leave weren’t just acts of defiance; they were personal insults, each failure punished with a fury that left me shattered in every possible way. His rage broke my body and crushed my spirit, leaving scars that ran far deeper than the surface. Every attempt chipped away at who I once was, leaving only fragments of myself behind.But not this time.This time, I wasn’t planning to fail.Some might suggest I seek help from Randy’s family, but they were no saviors. They were as cruel as he was, circling me like vultures, eager for my downfall. Their judgment and disdain were relentless, treating me as though I should be grateful for a life that was never truly mine to begin with. Now I understood why: I wasn’t jus

AdashaI ran with everything I had, my legs burning as Willow, my wolf, propelled me forward with relentless determination.The pain Randy had inflicted was a distant ache now, dulled by adrenaline and the single-minded drive to escape. I couldn’t afford to feel it. I couldn’t afford to stop.Every pounding beat of my paws against the forest floor was a desperate push toward freedom. His cruel words echoed in my mind, spurring me on. The sting of my bruises and the ragged sound of my breath didn’t matter anymore. All I wanted was to get away. To be free.This was my moment, my chance to reclaim my life, and I couldn’t waste it.With each stride, I prayed fervently. Please, don’t let Randy catch me this time.My heart, already fractured from years of torment, couldn’t endure another failure. My body and Willow wouldn’t survive another round of his wrath. This was it—the final push, the last desperate grasp at survival—and I clung to it with everything I had.I had no destination in

AdashaThe moment we arrived at the settlement, they locked me in a cell. I didn’t expect much mercy, but I had hoped for at least a little.My bag was taken, and dread pooled in my stomach as I imagined them sifting through its contents. A bag of cash and two changes of clothes—it screamed suspicious. Who runs from rogues with nothing but money and the barest essentials? It painted a picture I couldn’t explain, one that made me look like a criminal, not a desperate wolf fleeing for her life.Depression settled over me like a heavy fog.I had traded one cage for another.Had I escaped Randy’s suffocating torment only to fall into something worse? At least Randy’s fury killed me slowly; these people might just finish the job outright. Alphas didn’t take kindly to trespassers, especially those who lied.I sat there in the cell, unable to relax, unable to think. If I got a chance to speak, I’d plead for my bag, beg for their mercy, and request to leave their territory as quickly as po