9. River

I exhale heavily as I sit between two massive alphas in the backseat of the SUV. My hands have been zip-tied together at the wrists, and my ankles are hooked to a concrete block. Its like my pack is used to taking extreme measures to keep people from running away...

Im a prisoner.

Again.

And it’s all my fault. I knew I shouldve kept moving. If Id kept hitchhiking like Id planned yesterday, then maybe I couldve been in an entirely different state by now.

You know youve put us in a very difficult position, River. The low, even tone of my fathers voice is almost ominous in its calm. He’s sitting in the front passengers seat and doesnt bother looking back at me as we bounce down the narrow and twisting backroads.

I sigh. Nothing I say will make this better, so I need to just keep my mouth shut.

Do you have anything to say for yourself? My father’s voice maintains that absolute calm. Its the voice of someone who is used to being obeyed without question. He’s the ultimate authority within our pack, a position he earned by being merciless, ruthless, and completely unwavering in his devotion to our ways.

I bite the inside of my lip to keep from saying anything that might make my situation worse. It may have been brief, but the taste of freedom I experienced has made me even more resentful of him and the path hes chosen for me.

Very well. He sighs, shaking his head ruefully as if it’s physically painful for him. Yeah, right. I suppose well have to discuss this further once were home.

Home.

The word makes me want to vomit.

Ive never felt at home in that place. Not since I was a pup. Its a prison, a gilded cage where Im kept safe and secure from the outside world...and never allowed to decide anything for myself. Ever.

Looking out the window, my chest tightens as we pass through the familiar landscape. The woods and fields surrounding the compound are so different from the city. Everything is so much bigger and wilder out here. At one time, these woods had been a source of endless fear for me. I never wouldve dreamed of venturing beyond the boundary lines.

But things changed.

The fear of the unknown was suddenly much more appealing than the certain future that awaited me if I stayed.

I dont know what you were thinking. My father still won’t look at me, expressing his disgust and disappointment in more than words. Were lucky the humans didnt catch wind of your little stunt. Do you have any idea what wouldve happened if theyd discovered us? We wouldve been exposed, River. Exterminated.

My nostrils flare as I hear the story thats been repeated to me over and over since I was young. The story thats been used to control us. No one ever bothered to explain how the humans would know what I am or why theyd try to exterminate us when weve never been a threat to them. But that’s the story I was raised on.

And your fiancé...” He shakes his head as if that’s the most important aspect of my escape and retrieval. “Thank the moon his pack decided to give us time to find you. I dont know what we wouldve done if theyd called off the wedding.

I clench my jaw and glare out the window. I dont want to think about the wedding. I dont want to think about my fiancé.

Im sure hes worried sick about you, my father says. You shouldve seen him when he found out you were missing. Hes a good man, River. Hell take good care of you.

I dont respond, not trusting myself to speak. If I open my mouth, Ill say something Ill regret.

But when I picture the wolf Im sworn to marry—the man whose eyes glitter with a cruelty that puts my fathers to shame—I can clearly imagine his reaction when he learned I was missing. I just hope that whoever he chose to unleash his anger on wasnt beaten too badly.

I close my eyes and try to block out the images filling my mind. I cant think about that right now. I have to focus on the present and figure out a way to escape again.

I dont know how I’ll do it, but I cant let myself be trapped in this marriage. I cant spend the rest of my life with that monster.

There has to be a way out.

The car slows as we approach the gate to the compound. The driver rolls down the window and speaks to the guard on duty. Were waved through without question as soon as the guard confirms my fathers presence in the vehicle.

The compound is a sprawling complex of buildings and grounds that has been in my family for generations. Its the ancestral home of our pack, and its been the source of much of our power and influence.

I hate it.

When we finally pull up in front of the main house, my father climbs out. Then my two guards follow him out, untying my feet from the concrete block before dragging me out into the midafternoon sunshine.

Take him to his room. My father waves a dismissive hand in my direction. Ill deal with him later.

Yes, sir. One of the guards grips my arm tightly, and I hold in a gasp.

Dont worry, sir, the other guard says. Well make sure he doesnt cause any more trouble.

Im led into the house and up the stairs to my room. Its the same as it was when I left, save for the fact that my window has been boarded over both inside and out. They probably think thats how I got out last time. Its a fair guess...even if its not quite right. Im not gonna be able to reuse my old escape route anyway.

Get comfortable. The guard pushes me into the room and stands in the doorway. Youre not going anywhere for a while.

I stumble and fall to my knees as the door is slammed shut behind me. As the lock clicks into place, my heart sinks. For the first time in ages, despair settles over me and my eyes blur with tears.

Im trapped.

A prisoner in my own home.

And the freedom Id tasted is now just a bitter memory.