The second we entered the town, every eye turned toward me.

People stopped talking.

A few openly stared.

Kaelen Ward kept walking beside me like none of it mattered, calm and steady while he led me down the main road lined with dark wooden houses and glowing windows.

The place looked nothing like I expected.

Not wild.

Not primitive.

Just... hidden.

We climbed the porch steps of one of the larger houses near the center of town.

A strange chill slid down my spine immediately.

I straightened anyway.

Confident.

Or at least pretending to be.

Kaelen led me through a narrow hallway before stopping in front of a closed door.

Then he sighed.

Actually sighed.

That did not help my nerves.

He knocked once.

Then stepped aside with a small mocking bow toward the door.

Right.

Ladies first.

Fantastic.

I lifted my chin and walked inside.

The room caught my attention immediately.

A massive marble fireplace stretched across the far wall, carved wolves standing on each side like silent guardians.

The inside of the house was nothing like the outside.

Warm lighting.

Dark wood.

Expensive furniture.

Three oversized couches circled a thick black rug while papers covered a large desk near the windows.

And behind that desk—

God.

A man looked up.

"Looks like you found her."

His voice hit first.

Deep.

Controlled.

Dangerous.

The man stood slowly, still holding a sheet of paper between his fingers.

Then his eyes landed on me.

Not Alina.

Me.

The smile disappeared instantly.

A low growl rolled through the room.

"Kaelen," he said coldly. "Explain."

So this was Alpha Vaelor Thorne.

Well.

Now I understood the problem.

The man looked like sin wrapped in violence.

Broad shoulders.

Long light-brown hair pulled loosely behind his neck.

Sharp green eyes.

A face carved too perfectly to belong to someone sane.

For one horrifying second, my brain completely betrayed me.

Oh my God.

Alina was running away from him?

Honestly, chain me up instead.

I'd volunteer.

My gaze dropped lower before I could stop it.

Huge mistake.

Very huge mistake.

Jesus Christ.

That man could ruin lives.

Heat rushed straight into my face.

I cleared my throat quickly.

Which only made him look at me harder.

Great.

Perfect.

Kaelen looked way too entertained.

"As you can see," he said lightly, "we didn't find what you wanted."

Vaelor's eyes narrowed immediately.

"I can see that."

"I followed Alina's scent." Kaelen motioned toward me. "Found this instead."

"Excuse me?" I snapped before I could stop myself. "I'm not a this."

Vaelor's gaze shifted toward me instantly.

And something changed.

His eyes darkened slightly.

Not metaphorically.

Actually darkened.

Every instinct in my body screamed at me to shut up.

Immediately.

"What exactly," he said slowly, "is she thinking?"

For one strange second, something sharp flickered down my spine when our eyes locked.

Then rage rolled off him hard enough to suffocate the room.

His fist slammed into the desk.

Wood exploded apart instantly.

I jumped so hard I nearly embarrassed myself.

Okay.

Never mind.

Maybe not volunteering anymore.

Vaelor looked back at Kaelen.

"We already discussed this."

Every word sounded sharper now.

Controlled anger.

Which somehow felt worse.

I stared at the broken desk.

"You just... broke that."

Neither man looked at me.

Vaelor dragged a hand through his hair before turning toward the door abruptly.

"I need to run."

The words came rough.

Like he was barely holding himself together.

Then his gaze flicked toward me again.

A strange tension crossed his face.

"Take care of her."

Kaelen nodded once.

Vaelor left without another word.

The door slammed hard enough to shake the walls.

Silence.

Then—

"Well," Kaelen said lightly, "that could've gone worse."

I stared at him.

"Worse?"

"You're alive."

Fair point.

Kaelen motioned toward the hallway.

"Come on. You'll stay here tonight."

"Wow." I folded my arms. "You wolves really know how to treat a guest."

A grin tugged at his mouth.

"You called our Alpha arrogant thirty seconds after meeting him."

"I stand by it."

That actually made him laugh.

I followed him upstairs anyway.

Not like I had much choice.

The room he showed me was surprisingly comfortable.

Large bed.

Private bathroom.

Dark green blankets.

A window overlooking the forest.

Kaelen stopped at the doorway.

"Try to relax."

"I'll do my best while trapped in wolf territory."

His expression softened slightly.

"Vaelor won't hurt you."

The broken desk flashed through my mind immediately.

"Comforting."

Kaelen laughed under his breath.

"Our Alpha has issues with frustration."

"But usually the furniture suffers more than people."

That did not help nearly as much as he thought it did.

A few minutes later he left me alone.

The second the door shut, I rushed into the bathroom.

Honestly, I'd almost peed in the forest earlier.

Then I remembered an entire pack of wolves could probably hear my heartbeat from five miles away and immediately decided to suffer instead.

After finally showering, I collapsed backward onto the bed with a groan.

The mattress felt incredible.

I stared at the ceiling quietly.

Kaelen was calm.

Easy to talk to.

Vaelor?

Complete disaster.

Arrogant.

Antisocial.

Terrifying.

Also offensively attractive, which honestly felt rude at this point.

I walked toward the bedroom door and tested the handle.

Locked.

I rattled it harder.

Still locked.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

I yanked it again.

Nothing.

"I came here willingly!" I shouted toward the hallway. "I'm not escaping into murder-wolf forest at night!"

Silence answered me.

Rude.

I glanced toward the clock beside the bed.

Seven thirty.

No dinner.

No freedom.

Fantastic hospitality.

My stomach growled aggressively.

"If I knew prison came without food, I would've eaten more at lunch."

Eventually exhaustion won.

The run through the forest.

The adrenaline.

Vaelor.

Everything hit at once.

I fell asleep almost instantly.

And dreamed immediately.

I was running through the forest again.

Wolves chased me through the dark.

Huge.

Fast.

Snarling.

Their paws slammed against the earth hard enough to shake the ground beneath me.

I kept running.

Branches tore at my skin.

Breathing hurt.

The wolves got closer.

Closer.

Closer—

The ground trembled violently beneath me.

I gasped awake.

Heart pounding.

The shaking hadn't stopped.