Chapter 1
ELARA
A violent shiver wracked my body-the first thing I noticed as I regained consciousness. Trying to sit upright proved an agonizing struggle but with immense effort, I finally flattened my back against the cold, unforgiving wall. My arms wrapped tightly around my torso as my lids slid shut, and my teeth chattered in rapid spasms. I was running a fever.
"H-help... me..." I pushed into a kneeling position, muscles straining as I crawled those final feet to the cell gate. I grasped the rusted bars, yanking and rattling the unyielding locks with what little strength remained.
The guard stationed nearby didn't so much as spare me a glance. "Shut your mouth, you filthy mutt!" A growl of pure disdain sliced through the air.
"I-I'm burning up..." My throat felt scorched, voice little more than a rasp as I fought to project it. "Please... I need water..."
Perhaps a flicker of concern would grace his heart. Perhaps, against all odds, a shred of basic human decency still lingered in this forsaken place.
I should have known better.
"Stop that noise, you pathetic bitch!" In a blur of movement, he was suddenly before the cell, thrusting the barrel of his rifle through the bars and struck me-hard. White-hot agony exploded across my skull as I crumpled backwards, the metallic taste of blood flooding my mouth. Blackness crept along the edges of my vision, the guard's next words fading into the void. "Didn't you hear me?!"
I was going to die here, alone in this wretched pit. The realization hit with a strange sense of calm acceptance as the darkness finally claimed me.
"... Ple..."
***
"Remind me again, who gave you permission to strike her?" An authoritative voice, razor-sharp and laced with quiet menace, slashed through the haze enveloping me. At first, the words held no meaning, mere vibrations assaulting my senses as I struggled to regain coherence. But gradually, awareness returned... along with a new realization.
The surface beneath me was soft-a stark contrast to the hard, unforgiving stones I'd grown numb to these past three weeks.
My life hadn't always been this unending nightmare. Not so long ago, I was a powerful Alpha Queen with undisputed rule over the Northern, Eastern, Western, and Southern clans. For generations, my family's bloodline reigned supreme, our dominance unquestioned by even the most brazen challengers.
Until the Rebellion came along and tore it all apart.
"She wouldn't stop disturbing the peace, General." The timid reply was immediately recognizable as the guard from my cell, his voice laced with trepidation.
"Then pray to whatever deities you hold sacred that she wakes," the General's tone could have curdled fresh milk, "because if not, the Alpha will have your hide."
With immense effort, I cracked my eyelids open-only to slam them shut again with a strangled cry as searing agony tore through my skull. Clearly, I hadn't imagined that rifle butt to the head.
"I th-think she's awake...
Bracing myself, I attempted to open my eyes once more, blinking past the haze of pain to take in my new surroundings. No, not the dank, lightless cell I'd become accustomed to, but an actual room. A lavish bedchamber, by the looks of it-one befitting royalty.
Our gazes met and held, the guard's eyes widening almost comically as I studied him in turn. What game were these bastards playing, dragging me from that pit only to imprison me elsewhere? Though I supposed beggars could hardly be choosers...
The General's footfalls were a series of dull, thunderous thuds reverberating off the stone floors as he approached. Even lying down, I could make out his towering silhouette-a hulking, broad-shouldered figure carved from thick slabs of barbarian muscle. When my eyes finally found his, the intensity of that stare very nearly stole what little breath remained in my lungs. Penetrating and ruthless, yet mysterious and evil.
"Inform the Alpha that she's awake," he barked without preamble, dark eyes roving over me in an assessing sweep. "Then summon the witch. I want this bitch's mind laid bare-her intentions and thoughts on our incoming King. We can't afford to let her harbor any ill will."
"Yes, General."
The guard scurried away like a pup, clearly anxious to remove himself from the General's imposing presence. An audible huff of exhaled breath followed his exit as if the mere thought of me posing a threat was vaguely amusing to the man looming over me.
"Now that you're awake, Queen..." The mocking emphasis on that once-revered title was abundantly clear, his tone dripping with undisguised disdain. "It's high time you did the proper thing, don't you think so?"
The proper thing...
My gaze sharpened, holding his stare without flinching as flashes of memory-of smoke and anguished screams and the sickly-sweet stench of burning flesh-assaulted me.
They'd stopped at nothing to achieve their twisted version of 'proper.' First, the invasion that saw my ancestral home besieged and my pack slaughtered-the children and males butchered like cattle, the women raped and executed or sold to the highest bidder. All while I suffered the agonizing effects of wolfbane overdose, bound and captured as the ultimate war prize.
All for one purpose: to force me to renounce my birthright and hand over my crown to the mastermind behind this bloody coup. According to him, a woman was unfit to lead in a man's world.
Yet as I lay there, battered and defeated in spirit but not quite broken, I knew with every fiber of my being that I would never give in. Not while my heart still beats.
"Go... to hell..." I rasped, punctuating the venom-laced words with a globe of spittle arcing through the air to splatter across his cheek.
For a moment, there was nothing but deafening silence and the rapid staccato of my own panicked breaths. Then, in a blur of movement so fast my battered mind could scarcely process it, his hand connected with the side of my face-an explosive backhanded strike that whipped my head to the side with sickening force.
White-hot agony blossomed along my jaw, fresh blood flooding my mouth as I tasted the unmistakable metallic tang of ruptured flesh. The General rose to his full, towering height, removing a kerchief from some unseen pocket to dab at the fleck of spittle marring his cheek.
"I see you still haven't learned your lesson." His tone was laced with darkness, sending an involuntary shudder of dread rippling through me as I struggled not to cry out.
With my face still turned to the side, I could just make out his looming silhouette in my peripheral vision as he leaned over the bed. His massive hand clamped around my throat with bruising force, forcefully turning my head until our gazes met once more-his own burning with fury, mine defiant despite the agony searing through me with every rattling breath.
"You have no idea the trouble I was trying to spare you from." The words emerged as a guttural rasp, hot and moist against my skin as he pulled me closer until our faces were mere inches apart. The reek of stale sweat and tobacco smoke made my eyes water but I refused to blink.
"The Alpha is so desperate for your crown that by the time he's finished with you..." His grip tightened fractionally, cutting off what little air reached my lungs until dark spots danced at the edges of my vision. "You'll be begging him on your knees to relieve you of the burden. Stupid, arrogant bitch!"
"G-General..."
The new voice, higher-pitched and laced with trepidation, shattered the tension like a stone through glass. We both turned toward the open doorway, where the guard hovered with the distinct air of someone uncertain whether retreating was still an option.
"What?" The General's bark made the poor man flinch like a struck dog.
"Th-The Alpha has ordered her brought to him..." A pause as he seemed to weigh his next words carefully. "Tonight."
An ominous silence stretched between us, the General's chest rising and falling with each rattling inhale-exhale. Then, with a growl of pure frustration, he released me-pulling away so abruptly that I collapsed back against the mattress, gasping and sputtering as air flooded my abused lungs once more.
"So soon?" The words emerged as more of a growl than anything resembling human speech.
"Yes, sir."
A loud, aggrieved sigh ripped from the General's lips as he swept off the bed, already stalking toward the door with each heavy footfall shaking the floor beneath him. "Get the Omegas in here to prepare her. I want her looking and smelling her absolute best-not a single blemish or bruise visible. Understood?"
He paused in the open doorway, one hand braced against the frame as he twisted around to fix me with a look that made my blood run cold.
"And you..." Those piercing eyes bored into me with an intensity that stole what little breath remained in my lungs. "I suggest you do everything in your power to please our incoming King this evening. Unless you'd like to be reunited with what's left of your miserable, fallen comrades."
The unspoken threat hung in the air long after they'd taken their leave, the weight of it settling over me like a veil. I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding, wincing at the flush of agony that lanced through my torso. Gingerly, almost fearfully, I twisted from side to side-working out the knots and relieving the lingering ache from the General's assault.
Only then did I take stock of my new surroundings-a marked improvement over that eerie, lightless pit, but no less of a gilded cage for all its finery. Plush cream curtains framed an arched window, currently drawn to block out what laid beyond. Polished hardwood floors gave way to intricately-patterned rugs in rich shades of crimson and gold. An ornate vanity rested against one wall, flanked by a massive armoire carved from some dark, exotic wood.
And presiding over it all-the centerpiece-a massive four-poster bed draped in shimmering silks and downy comforters... the same one I currently occupied.
How long had I been unconscious? Hours? Days? Impossible to say without a point of reference. Gritting my teeth, I slid first one leg and then the other from beneath the coverlet, bare feet landing on the plush carpeting.
The window, I decided, already limping across the chamber with my arms wrapped protectively around my midsection. Throwing aside the heavy curtain revealed a sliver of waning moon peeking through the cloud cover informing of the day's end.
I sighed, leaning my aching brow against the cool glass as memories washed over me-of simpler times spent watching the sunset with my father from the riverbank of my Pack, his deep voice rumbling with the ancient stories of our people.
Those were my happiest moments, before the world went mad.
Tears pricked my lids, blurring the view beyond the window into a hazy kaleidoscope of indistinct shapes and shadows. But I blinked them away, refusing to let them fall. I was still here, still breathing... and as long as my heart continued beating in this chest, there would always be hope.
Movement below drew my gaze downward, to the heavy iron latch securing the window in place. Cautiously, I grasped the handle and pulled-putting my weight into it until it finally gave way with a groan of protest. The window slid open a wee bit, just enough for me to lean out and take in a breath of fresh, untainted air for the first time in what felt like an eternity.
An idea began to take shape, blossoming in the back of my mind like a fragile seedling taking root. A desperate, foolish idea... but an idea nonetheless. If I could make it to the ground from this height, disappear into the night...
The sound of approaching footsteps shattered my momentary reverie. I slammed the window shut with such force that the panes rattled in their frames, whirling around just as the door swung open to admit two figures.
One was a withered witch dressed in layers of coarse fabric, her face a road map of deep crevices and furrowed lines. The other, a young woman closer to my own age-though where my own features were marred by the fading evidence of past torments, her smooth skin and bright eyes radiated innocence.
"Get her scrubbed while I lay out the dress and cosmetics," the old woman barked, her tone leaving no room for argument as she waved her withered hand in gesture.
The younger woman offered me a timid smile, taking a hesitant step forward. "Hi, I'm-"
"No time for pleasantries!" Her companion's rebuke sliced through the air like a whip-crack, prompting the poor girl to flinch. "Get to work, you foolish child!"
With an apologetic grimace in my direction, she gestured for me to follow-leading the way across the chamber to another door I hadn't noticed tucked away in the corner. A bathing room, if the tile floors and sunken tub were any indication.
I settled into the steaming water with a hiss of mingled pain and relief, permitting the young woman to scrub away weeks' worth of grime from my battered skin. Her touch was gentle yet efficient.
As she worked, I allowed my lids to slide shut-focusing on the simple act of breathing to maintain what tattered shreds of composure remained. In and out, a steady rhythm to push back the rising surge of despair that threatened to drown me utterly.
I didn't know what fresh torments awaited me at the hands of this 'Alpha'. But one thing was certain-I would not go meekly to slaughter like some broken, beaten creature. Not while my wolf still raged, snarling and snapping at her chains with every rattling breath.
Whoever their Alpha was…
I had to be ready to meet him.
