Chapter 1
The hidden knife was cold against Mira's thigh as the guard drag her into there throne room.
His fingers dug into Mira's shoulders, forcing her knee to the ground. She had been forcefully worn a white silky wedding dress.
Rumors said Alpha Varek killed his brides after taking them and Mira was about to become his third bride.
"We, the Nightshade Pack, offer one of our own as a peace offering," the guard said, trembling. "Please, spare us in exchange."
They chose her. The weakest. The one already blamed for surviving when her parents did not.
At the other end of the massive, dimly lit hall sat Alpha Varek on his throne, calm and unreadable. Ancient werewolf artifacts lined the walls.
"This time we brought someone who doesn't fight back," the guard continued, desperate now. "She's trained to endure. To serve. She won't speak unless asked to."
"She doesn't eat much either," another added, stepping forward with a nervous laugh. "Won't cost you anything to keep her. Here, let us show you how compliant she is." The guard roughly grabbed her by the hair, pulling her to her feet.
The guard punches her, snapping her head as blood fills her mouth. She kept her gaze steady and her eyes dry, refusing to give them the satisfaction of tears.
"She looks like a keeper," Varek said, rising. The room fell silent. He didn't even glance at Mira as he approached her pack members.
"But she has been touched," he murmured almost to himself. He stopped inches from the man who had hit her. "And I have a problem with anyone touching my things before I do."
"We... can get you another one,"
"Please..." they both drop to their knees with teary eyes.
"Guards. Take them."
The men from her pack panic. One tries to run. He does not make it far.
"Thirty lashes each," Varek adds. His voice stays calm. "Double for him."
Their pleas fill the hall as they are dragged away.
"And you." He tilted his head towards her.
"How about we find out if you're as easy to handle as they said,"
Every inch of her skin screamed to run as he got closer to her, but she only managed to crawl until her back hit the stone wall.
Guided by instinct, she reached beneath her dress and grasped the small hidden knife. The metal was cold and steady in her trembling hand.
She stepped forward and slashed his arm. He didn't flinch but smiled wildly, his brown eyes turning red.
"You're stronger than I expected," His voice turned into a low, gravelly snarl.
"Don't come near me," Mira whimpered, raisingbthe knife again.
He grabbed her wrist in a crushing grip. He twisted until the knife fell to the floor, then grabbed her throat, squeezing until she could hardly breathe.
"Let go of me,"
She scratched his arms, drawing thin red lines, but his grip remained unyielding.
"So fragile," he murmured slyly.
Heat rushed to her vein as her amber eyes turned into piercing silver. Varek's face showed uncertainty for the first time.
A shockwave burst out of her and pushed him backward, slamming him against the wall
As quickly as the energy appeared, it vanished, taking her consciousness with it as the world went black.
"Where on earth did she learn that from," Alpha Varek said, still in shock about her power outburst.
Varek let out a slow, controlled breath.
"Guards!" he barked.
The doors flew open, and they rushed in. Their eyes were wide, faces pale. Even from outside, they had seen what she did, and now standing in the hall, they couldn't hide their fear.
"Pick her up," he ordered.
The guards rushed forward, careful, as if she might explode again.
One of them hesitated. "My Alpha… which prison should we prepare?"
"Give her one of the upper chambers," he said. "Make sure it's clean and guarded."
They stared, confused.
"A… guest room?" one asked carefully.
"Yes, I plan on keeping her,"
He resumed walking.
"If she wakes, I want to know," he added before walking out of the room.
The guards bowed quickly.
"Yes, Alpha."
Soft light spilled onto her face, forcing her eyes to open. The light came from a tall window draped in sheer ivory curtains.
"Where am I?" She blinked, looking at the room in confusion
She pushed herself upright, placing a hand on her aching head.
She began to regain her memory slowly.
The execution.
The choking grip.
His red eyes.
"I didn't die."
The realization settled heavily in her stomach.
Alpha Varek kept her alive, and that frightened her more than death.
She quickly got up from the bed and opened the door slowly.
A guard stood several feet away, his back turned down the corridor.
She began pacing around the room, thinking of a perfect escape plan.
She couldn't walk out of the room without being dragged back in.
She searched the room for any secret passage, knocking every side of the wall to see if it echoed, she found nothing.
Another idea formed in her head.
She staggered toward the bed and knocked over a chair for noise. She dragged her nails across her throat to redden the skin and then began to scream.
The door burst open, as the guard rushed inside. "What happened?"
She collapsed against the bed frame, clutching her chest.
"I can't breathe," she gasped. "Something's wrong. I'm burning."
He hesitated, which made her scream louder.
Fear flickered in his eyes. He remembered the power she released earlier.
He stepped closer.
The moment he knelt, she moved.
Her hand closed around the heavy metal candleholder she had positioned near the bed and swung it to his head.
He dropped to the floor instantly.
Her fingers trembled as she gripped the cold metal of the candleholder. She had never struck a man before,
She held her breath and reached out, her finger hovering for a second before she pressed it under his nose. A faint puff of warm air brushed her skin.
He was alive.
Relief hit her chest, quick and sharp. She stepped over him and slipped into the corridor.
Running as fast as her legs could carry her.