Thalia’s POV
I woke up to the smell of burning wood.
It didn’t feel suffocating; instead, the smoke was strangely comforting.
My eyes fluttered open, but for the first few seconds all I could see was black.
I tried to lift my head but immediately felt a dull ache behind my skull.
Where the hell was I?
How did I get here?
I turned my head, searching the small space for any pack symbol or mark to identify where I was.
There was nothing.
The room was completely barren, looking like a corner of some long-abandoned pack territory.
I tried to recall the previous night, but I kept seeing flashes and static.
The last thing I remembered was being cornered by Adonis’ guards…
Adonis’ guards…?
The realization jolted me, and I threw myself off the sleeping mat.
The sudden movement loosened the bandage wrapped around my head.
Wait, bandages?
If the last thing I remembered was being at the mercy of his men, that means I was either… Panic flared in my chest.
No, no, it couldn’t be.
There was no way I had ended up as their sex toy.
Oh, Goddess!
Thalia really?
That’s where your mind went to?
The only other option was that Adonis himself was holding me hostage.
I scanned the tiny hut and spotted a broken spear lying close to the mat.
I grabbed it, my fingers tightening around the wood when I heard footsteps approaching.
I took a defensive position and waited patiently for whoever was about to walk into the hut.
I could see the shadow of the person lurking around the entrance.
“Fuck…” I whispered to myself.
It was definitely one of Adonis’ guards.
The man stepped inside, but with his back facing me.
I immediately noticed how extremely tall he was.
His aura was so calming and familiar that it made me lower the spear.
“Who are you and where am I?” I demanded, my chest heaving as I stared at his back.
He didn’t answer. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
”Whatever Adonis ordered you to do,” I spat, trying to sound braver than I felt, “it won’t be worth it.”
The man finally turned around.
A sharp gasp caught in my throat; my fingers went slack, and the broken spear clattered to the ground.
It was the wolf from last night.
The monster who had saved me two years ago.
In an instant, the memories from last night started flooding in.
“YOU!” I gasped.
How is that possible?
How did I end up here?
With him?
“How…Why…?” I stuttered badly, unable to form the words to express my confusion.
He walked further into the room, and his towering form immediately made me feel small and defenseless.
I moved back unconsciously, and his expression darkened; he eyed me as if I had just insulted him.
Without a word, he set down the bowl of steaming water he’d brought inside, then stretched his hand out toward me.
I was drawn to him immediately, like a sailor to a siren’s call.
I had to will myself to keep from reaching out and gripping his muscular-looking hands.
What the hell is wrong with me?
How could I be drawn to a stranger the same way I was drawn to Adonis and Caspian?
When he noticed my hesitation, he sighed.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” He finally spoke, and the sound of his voice sent tingles down my spine.
“If I wanted to take advantage of you, I would have done so already.” His gaze slowly went down my body.
I followed his eyes on my body to find that I was only in my undergarments.
My cleavage was exposed, and my legs were on full display.
I hugged my body with my hands, a miserable attempt to try and cover up my shame.
”Don’t flatter yourself,” he added coldly.
“You’re not as appealing as you think you are,” his raspy voice echoed through the cramped space.
“The females were the ones who changed, bathed, and dressed you.”
He said those words with so much disinterest, but his eyes betrayed him because they still lingered on me longer than they were supposed to.
Even though his presence offered a strange kind of comfort, I kept feeling this burning sensation that felt like something was clawing inside of me.
I swallowed against the pain.
“Thank you for your help, but I need to leave now.”
I had to get moving.
If Adonis ever found me here, we’d all be dead.
I refused to let him catch me unprepared.
Adonis was brutal on a good day, but if you were on his blacklist, he was a monster.
He turned to face me, raising an eyebrow.
“How long do you think you’ve been asleep?”
”I was being chased last night…”
He shook his head, cutting me off.
“You’ve been asleep for five days.”
“You’re lying.
That’s impossible.”
”And what would I gain by lying to you?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but he cut me off.
“The only reason I saved you was that your screaming was disrupting my hunting session.
I had to cut it off before you scared all my prey away.” He clicked his tongue in irritation.
“So don’t think you’re anything special because you’re still alive.”
”But…”
”And besides, I only patched you up in case there was a bounty for your return.
Turns out, there isn’t.”
The coldness of his voice left me speechless.
He reached out toward me again.
“Now hold still.
Your head wound needs fresh salve.”
I shook my head, backing further away.
For some reason, I felt something in me would explode if our skin ever touched.
His nostrils flared.
“FINE THEN!” he roared.
“Do whatever the hell you want and see if I care.” He stormed out of the hut, kicking the bowl of hot water in the process.
Gosh.
He sure had a temper, but I didn’t care.
I just wanted to leave.
I took two wide steps toward the door to try and find my way to the Northern region when something held me back.
I looked behind me to find that my leg had been chained to the ground.
You have got to be kidding me.
”IS THIS YOUR IDEA OF HELPING SOMEONE?!” I screamed at the empty doorway, but of course, there was no response.
Three days later, I was still there without any outside contact.
Whenever I woke up in the morning, there was always fresh food, water, and clothes prepared for me, but I never got to see anyone.
To make matters worse, I still didn’t even know his name.
Whenever I caught the muffled sound of movement outside, I screamed until my throat went raw, but no one ever answered.
It felt exactly like being locked in Adonis’s dungeon all over again.
On the fourth morning, someone finally moved close enough to hear me.
“Please, help me!” I begged, my voice a desperate whisper.
I could see their shadow hesitate before moving closer to the door.
“We want to help you, but the Alpha strictly forbade it,” a woman’s voice whispered hurriedly.
“Hang in there.
We’ll find a way to make him release you.”
”Who is your Alpha?” I pressed, but the person was already gone before the question could be answered.