Page 27 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

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Iwoke up the next morning to a knock on the door.

I groaned and rolled on my side away from the noise.

For a few precious moments, I believed I was safe and sound in my own bed, but the smell of the detergent used on the sheets caused me to quickly open my eyes.

The first thing I laid eyes on was the message I’d left in the glass. H-E-L-P.

I slowly sat up. Now that I was moving around, I could feel how sore my muscles were. I didn’t even remember getting into bed last night, but the clothes I’d packed under the door were still there, so I must have crawled into bed on my own.

The knock sounded again, and my head snapped toward it.

It occurred to me then how strange it was for the visitor to knock before entering the room of a prisoner.

If they were courteous enough to do that, would they leave if I didn’t say anything?

My hands tightened around the comforter as I waited.

Eventually, the lock turned, and the visitor pushed on the door.

My gaze dropped to the clothes I’d jammed beneath the door.

Would it make a difference? To my surprise, the clothes did halt the visitor.

With a slight grunt, they pushed harder on the door and slowly slid it open.

As the visitor came into view, I relaxed slightly.

It wasn’t a man—it was the woman who Night had embraced the day before.

The woman looked down at the clothes with a raised brow. “That’s pretty resourceful, girlie. If you packed them in more tightly, I think even my son would have a bit of trouble getting it open.”

I pulled my legs into my chest and said nothing. My guard was up. If Night trusted this woman, it was unlikely that she would be any help to me.

I watched the woman step inside and close the door behind her.

The roll of clothes was no longer packed beneath the door, so it slid shut more easily.

She was beautiful and looked to be in her early fifties.

Her thick, snow-white hair was collected into one long braid down her back.

She was slender and graceful, and she had eyes that were just as green and vibrant as Night’s.

At the scent of something savory, my gaze lowered to the woman’s hands. She’d brought a glass of water and a bowl of rice, and what looked like some kind of thick sauce or curry. The smell was divine, especially after four days straight of eating small rabbits and berries. My mouth began to water.

“I’m Violet Shepherd,” the woman said. From the way she smiled, she didn’t seem offended by my silence. “I guess you could say that I’m responsible for the man who brought you here.”

Oh. She’s his mother. My eyes narrowed wearily. Violet had a calming presence, one that reminded me a bit of Mom, but I wouldn’t let her sway me. It was becoming increasingly likely that this woman might turn out to be my enemy, just like Night.

“Your name is Bryn, right?” Violet asked, stepping a few inches closer to the bed. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

I scooted away from her. “Is it poisoned? I don’t see you eating any of it.”

“Poison?” Violet chuckled. “No, sweetie. There isn’t a person in the village who wants to see you dead.”

I hesitated. I needed to be smarter, but the smell of the hot dish was getting to me.

And within seconds, my growling stomach gave away how badly I wanted that food.

When Violet offered it to me, I pulled it close and spooned the dish into my mouth.

My initial suspicions were correct; it was a rabbit curry with white rice.

The dish was full of flavor and spice that spread across my tongue like a warm hug.

It was exactly the kind of food I wanted after such a long trek through the wilderness.

As I ate, Violet walked around the room, tutting about the sparse furnishings. She was mumbling under her breath, and all I caught was, “…such a shame…keeping a girl against her will.”

I glanced from Violet to the door. If Violet was in here, the door must have been unlocked. I wondered if the woman had come alone, and if so, was I willing to attempt to tackle the older woman to try and escape?

“I understand why you might think my son is a monster,” Violet’s voice took my attention away from the door. “But he isn’t. He’s just…had a tough life, and there’s a great deal of responsibility on his shoulders.”

Annoyance was a sharp spike at the back of my head. “I mean no offense, ma’am, but I don’t think I want to hear about the man who kidnapped me.”

Violet didn’t seem offended, but she did give me a curious stare. “Didn’t he save you from a man who was about to take your innocence and your future away from you?”

I winced inwardly. “He did, but then he refused to let me go back home.”

Violet still held the water. When she caught me looking at it, she approached the bed and sat at the foot of it, reaching over to hand me the glass. I set down the empty bowl and drank. Water had never tasted cooler or more refreshing than it did then.

When I finished, Violet was still watching me, but her eyes had softened. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about what happened?”

I sighed. “It happened on my twentieth birthday,” I said.

“Troy drugged me and tied me up in his room so he could—” I cut myself off, not wanting to relive the horrible things he’d said to me.

“Anyway, Night showed up and untied the ropes around my wrists and ankles, and then he rushed out of there with me. He’s forced me to stay by his side ever since. ”

Violet reached out to touch my knee. “I can’t imagine how scared you must have been through all that, Bryn. I’m so sorry.”

It was the first time since it had happened that anyone had empathized with me.

Moisture filled my eyes, and suddenly I didn’t feel like keeping my life secret from Violet.

I went on to explain the way I’d been treated, not just by Troy, but by all of the wolves in the Kings’ pack.

I detailed some of my worst memories and even shed a few tears.

Through it all, Violet listened to me, at times shaking her head or cursing under her breath at what I had to say.

It felt good, so good, for Violet to validate all of the pent-up negative feelings I’d harbored for the home I’d been taken from.

As I stopped talking, even Violet was wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. “Honey, if it was all so awful back at home, why are you so desperate to get back?”

“My mom,” the reply came without hesitation. “She’ll be wondering where I am and if I’m safe. And I can’t even imagine what kind of lies Troy must be spinning to explain my absence.”

“I understand all of that, but you said you were planning on leaving that night anyway. I’m getting the feeling that there’s more to it.”

I bit my lip. There was more, but it brought more shame and more sadness.

I thought about what I’d just shared with Violet, every wrong thing that had ever been done to me or said to me.

There was nothing else about the Kings’ pack that warranted my returning.

I had, after all, been planning to leave on my own anyway.

I just hadn’t planned on being kidnapped.

Still, I felt compelled to give some sort of answer to Violet.

“I wasn’t ready to leave,” I admitted. “I thought I was ready to find my own pack—er, place to belong, but I never wanted to leave like this.” I had been scolded for using wolf terms in relation to myself when I was a child.

I wasn’t a wolf, so I didn’t get to try and pretend to be.

“Now that I’m so far from home, I just want to go back. ”

Violet nodded. “Ah, now that makes perfect sense. Night being who he is, I’ve gotten desensitized to wondering what sorts of dangerous things he must get into when he leaves the compound, but if I had a daughter…” She shook her head. “I know your mother must be terrified for you.”

I nodded. Tears again stung at the backs of my eyes, but I held them back.

Violet patted my knee. “But I think you’re not giving yourself enough credit.

You were ready that night. You were prepared to go off on your own and to find your place to belong, your pack.

” She smiled, and I felt a small burst of warmth in my chest. Violet wasn’t making me feel bad for my slip-up.

“I know that things didn’t happen the way you planned, but you can think of this as an alternate path to your goal. ”

“Alternate path?”

“Yes, girlie. This is a new adventure for you. And as a reader yourself, you should know that new adventures offer new opportunities.”

Something about that response irked me. “I’m not interested in opportunities that end in kidnapping.”

The older woman laughed. “I like your energy, girlie. I see he has his work cut out for him.”

I paused, tilting my head. “What do you mean by that?”

Violet waved the question away with another chuckle.

“Never mind. Let me get out of your hair for now.” She stood up and grabbed the empty glass of water and bowl.

She approached the door and raised her hand.

She proceeded to knock against the wood in a brief pattern that alternated between her knuckles and the heel of her hand.

I tried to memorize the pattern before the door opened. Violet gave me another smile, and a wink, and then left. If she visits me often, I might be able to use her to escape after all, I thought, hope bubbling through me.

But that hope deflated when Night walked inside. I gasped at his presence—I hadn’t thought I’d see him again so suddenly. So Violet wasn’t alone. That will be something I need to keep in mind next time she visits.

He had his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face as he looked down at me. “You can take a shower if you want.”

I blinked at him. Then, as his words began to sink in, my eyes widened. “I can?” I didn’t think prisoners were allowed such luxuries.

“Don’t make me say it again,” he said, looking away. “Let’s go.”