Page 26 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

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In the books I loved, the girl was always rescued by a handsome prince with whom she lived happily ever after. I had been rescued, but I’d left one monster just to be captured by another, and there didn’t seem to be a happily ever after at the end of my story.

Night shoved me inside the room, and I turned toward him, watching as he dispassionately slammed the door closed.

I was such an idiot to feel anything stir in my heart as he and I had looked over the Wargs pack lands at the quaint, beautiful cabins that were scattered around the clearing.

How could I have allowed myself to feel anything other than rage for the Alpha?

The moment the lock turned, I scrambled to my feet and ran to the window.

If I was quick—if I was careful, maybe I had a chance to escape.

But alas, no matter how hard I pulled at the window, it was jammed shut.

I grunted with effort and yelped when I broke my pointer nail.

I pushed through the pain and beat my fists against the window.

My hands bounced off the glass. The window wobbled in its frame as though it were laughing at me.

I realized with a chill that I must have been more exhausted than I thought—all I’d done to the glass was smudge it a bit.

I yanked open the drawers of the dresser, shoving my hands into each drawer.

All I found were a few unlit white candles and a matchbox. The rest of the drawers were empty.

I ran back to the door. I pounded my fists against it over and over again.

I screamed Night’s name, I screamed for help, I screamed anything I could think of to get someone’s attention.

But no one came. Of course they didn’t. I had never known a wolf who was capable of defying their Alpha.

I was no longer hanging from the wall tied up in ropes, but I was still imprisoned in another man’s room.

I took a few deep breaths and examined my finger.

It throbbed, but it wasn’t bleeding. After all that activity, I felt too hot in so many clothes.

I removed first my boots and then the outer layers of my clothes until I was standing in a pair of loose pants and a large t-shirt. I sat on the bed and looked around.

The bedroom was simple and clean. I figured that this wasn’t actually Night’s room but was in fact a spare bedroom because of the lack of personalization.

The walls were made of old, brown wood, and there were no posters.

The bed was covered in clean, beige linen and a faded blue quilt folded at the footboard.

The only furniture was the oak wood dresser and bed.

It looked nicer than the rest of the cabin, of which I’d only caught a glimpse.

The rest of the place could use some TLC, including a good waxing.

Across from the door was the entrance to a half bath.

There was a toilet and a sink and another, much smaller window.

It was about the same size as my old bedroom, but I doubted I would ever feel comfortable here.

Will this room be where I die? Will I ever see home again?

My eyes stung with tears. Outside the window I’d tried to break, the sky had turned a rich, dark blue.

I was exhausted, but how could I get even a wink of sleep in an unfamiliar room surrounded by strangers who might want to hurt me?

I knew that I had planned to escape the Kings’ pack on my own, but after all that had happened to me—first Troy holding me captive, and now Night—I missed the creature comforts I’d gotten used to back at home.

I longed for anything familiar—the plants, the dried flowers, the snacks Mom would make me.

Oh, Mom! My body ached when I thought about her.

Would she ever know what happened to me?

What lies had Troy told her to cover for his crimes?

I could almost hear his awful voice recounting a long tale about him bursting into his room to find me naked and being taken advantage of by the Wargs Alpha.

He probably talked about his loss to portray Night as the coward, throwing sand in his eye, that kind of thing.

Whatever he had said, I knew he’d make sure that he sounded like the hero, not one of the villains, and the pack wouldn’t be able to contradict him because he was the Kings’ Alpha now. What did it matter anyway? There wasn’t much I could do to change my current situation.

I shook my head and sat up. I needed to be smart about this.

What do I know about the Wargs. Anything that can help me here?

Everything I knew about them came from Mom and the schoolhouse.

According to the stories I’d heard, the Wargs used to have a mighty Alpha.

But once he died, his son was tasked to take on the mantle of leadership.

Unfortunately for the Wargs, the son was incredibly cruel—especially to outsiders and to the women of the pack.

The son was abusive, selfish, and so much like Troy, it made me shiver.

The son ruled the Wargs for a few years, but the pack suffered for it.

And then he abandoned them, leaving the pack in the control of a wolf, who, while physically strong, had no mind for leadership.

Many wolves left the pack, while those who remained attempted to make things work.

Things changed for the Wargs when Night Shepherd challenged the incompetent Alpha, who was twenty years his senior.

That was twelve years ago, which meant Night had to be fifteen or sixteen at the time, which is incredibly young.

The stories went on to say that the Wargs had always wanted to take the Kings’ pack lands specifically because of the Kootenai River.

The river allowed the Kings’ pack to have access to fresh water, to send things to and from surrounding villages and packs, and it sustained an abundance of wildlife.

It provided tons of resources for the pack that controlled it but, most importantly, the river was a symbol.

When I was in school, one of the focal points in pack history was the exchange of the river back and forth between the most powerful packs over the last thousand years.

In school, I had learned that the Kings had control of the river for hundreds of years, but Mom had told me that some believed the Wargs pack used to have control over it not too long ago, and the Kings stole it from them.

Both packs had their versions of the story.

But the most terrifying thing I could recall from those stories was that the Wargs had very few women in their pack.

To make up for that, the males would kidnap, rape, and force mating with wolves from other packs.

Some stories told that the Wargs were known for coming in the dead of night and removing females from their beds, dragging them away against their will, and forcing them to bear children to grow the pack.

That was how the Wargs had gained back their power after living so pitifully when their Alpha abandoned them decades ago.

When I thought back to our arrival at the Wargs’ compound, however, I didn’t recall a bloodthirsty pack full of rapists and thieves.

In fact, I’d watched families reuniting with each other.

Children and mates ran from their cabins to meet with those who had been part of Night’s team.

Tears fell, and laughter bubbled on the wind as everyone embraced.

I had been touched by the display of love, and before Night had grabbed my wrist and dragged me through the compound, I had been about to tell him so.

Why I would share that with him, I had no idea, but his treatment of me afterward had soured any desire I had to try and connect with him again.

If the women were all stolen from other packs, there was no indication of it here.

They were all smiling and seemed genuinely happy to be here.

Then again, maybe they were putting on a front to appease the returning Alpha.

An idea struck me. Could I use that to my advantage?

Perhaps I could slip one of the women a note to see if they’d help me escape.

If they were here against their will, they would understand my predicament even if I had been paraded through the village like a prisoner.

Surely they’d be kind and want to help me avoid the same fate.

And, even if they really were content to be members of this pack, maybe they’d be willing to help me out of the kindness of their hearts.

If they couldn’t outright smuggle me out, perhaps they’d give me a clue or a tip that would be helpful.

Either way, I needed to find a way out of the cabin, away from the pack and its awful, uncaring Alpha.

Movement outside caught my attention. I sat up quickly and moved to the window.

Two wolves stood just a few yards from the house.

They were laughing and chatting with one another the way friends would.

I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I could faintly hear the sound of their voices through the window.

I couldn’t tell if they were there to watch over me or if they were just local pack members out for a stroll.

Seizing the opportunity to find some help, I rushed to the bathroom and turned on the sink.

I lathered up my hands with soap and rushed back.

Returning to the window, I wrote H-E-L-P in blocky, easily read letters.

I did this over and over again, hoping the soapy residue would leave enough of an imprint that it would stand out against the clear glass.

I didn’t know what would become of this attempt, but I had to try, didn’t I?

Maybe someone would see the message and help me out.

After tracing the same letters over and over again until my arm started to go numb, I stepped away from the window with a sigh.

Another idea struck me as I turned toward the pile of clothes on the floor.

I could jam them under the door. It wouldn’t stop a wolf from entering, but it might slow them down long enough for me to at least ready myself.

I gathered the clothes together and shoved them under the door, making sure to pack them in.

By the time I was done, my already exhausted muscles throbbed, and my heart was pounding hard. I felt wired and unsettled.

I wasn’t a wolf, but that didn’t mean that a male wolf wouldn’t sneak in and force himself on me the same way Troy had planned to.

Not knowing what they planned to do to me here sent a fresh wave of fear down my spine, and I returned to the door, pounding against it and screaming out horrible threats that I knew I couldn’t back up.

I returned to the window too, but the wolves below had already wandered away.

Tears filled my eyes and poured down my cheeks as the gravity of my situation hit me again.

I was stuck here for the night. As much as I hated Troy and the way that most of my pack treated me, I was desperate to be home, to sleep in my own bed, and to know that Mom was watching over me.

It seemed so ridiculous that I had ever tried to leave everything I knew when the unfamiliar was this terrifying.

Who’s to say that humans would treat me any better than this?

I wrapped my arms tight around myself and sank down to the floor.

Life on the Kings’ compound was awful, nigh unbearable.

But I thought it was far, far better to deal with the enemy you knew than the strangers who kept you locked in a bedroom after kidnapping you from the only home you’d ever known.