3. Tayla

Chapter three

Tayla

When I regained consciousness, my vision was blurry. I blinked several times to clear my head as the memories of what happened before I lost consciousness flooded in. I felt an excruciating headache, and I groaned. I tried reaching up to my forehead but felt something holding my hands back.

I blinked again and realized my hands and feet were bound with cloth and rope. I could tell I was in a carriage from the rocking motion and the sound of horses. Through the grills in the cart, I could see sunlight fluttering in.

I yanked my wrists and felt the ropes perfectly tied, leaving red marks on my skin. Looking down at my hands, I saw that I was dressed in a white gown. My eyes widened at the realization that someone had seen my nakedness. Who had changed my clothes?

I groaned, throwing my head back on the wall of the cart.

“Anyone there? Hello? Help me!” I shouted, hoping in vain that someone would rescue me.

“Hello?” I called out again.

“Stop screaming!” I heard a voice bellow as the carriage halted.

Hearing the sound of the carriage door being unlocked, I raised my head to see two guardsmen standing at the entrance. One got inside and slowly removed the rope from my feet and hands. I rubbed my hands against the red marks they had left on my skin.

He dragged me out, and I flinched, squeezing my eyes shut, when the harsh light assaulted and flooded into my vision.

“Where am I?” I questioned, turning to the guardsmen. “Where are you taking me?”

The men continued dragging me until we came to another carriage not too far from ours. This one was heavily decorated—more expensive and ornate. They pushed me down on my knees, and I turned to them with a questioning look.

“Where are we? I don't recognize this—”

I whipped my head around at the sound of heavy footfalls. A young man with long, oily hair and sun-kissed skin descended, his presence triggering an avalanche of memories.

My heart raced as I recognized him—the Alpha who'd invaded my small cottage, intent on kidnapping me. Flashes of our encounter in the woods danced before my eyes: my desperate flight, the collision with an unseen figure, and now... this.

As I knelt before him, fear coiled tighter in my chest with each passing moment. Had he discovered my tampering with his tea? Was this my punishment?

His eyes bore into me, unblinking and intense. The silence stretched between us, a living thing that stole the words from my throat.

An aura of menace and raw power radiated from him, assaulting my senses. His clothes were filthy—whether from neglect or our forest chase, I couldn't tell. The scent of earth and sweat clung to him, a primal reminder of his strength. And I felt a stur in my core.

"Tell me, little one," he growled, his voice low and dangerous, "why do you think I've brought you here?"

I bit at my lower lip, pulse thundering in my ears. "I... I never meant harm," I stammered, hating how weak I sounded. "The tea—it was only for my protection."

He barked out a laugh, revealing crooked teeth. "The tea.“ His eyes glittered with a mix of anger and... something else. "That's what happened then. "

A shiver ran down my spine, equal parts fear and an emotion I dared not name. Would he show no mercy? His jaw clenched as he fought to maintain his composure, and I found myself momentarily mesmerized by the play of muscles beneath his skin.

"How do you plan to make amends?" he asked, voice steely. "For the tea, and for your little... escape attempt?"

Surrounded by his men, with no allies in sight, panic clawed at my throat. How could I repay a debt I hadn't even acknowledged?

"You'll return with me to the castle," he declared, the words falling like a sentence.

My mouth gaped in shock. Why would a man of his means, his power, bother with someone like me? What could he possibly want?

As I pressed my lips into a thin line, my mind raced with horrific possibilities of what awaited me in his domain. Guilt stabbed at me as I thought of my father. What would he think when he discovered I was gone?

The Alpha took a step closer, and I caught a whiff of pine and leather beneath the grime. His proximity sent my pulse skittering, and I silently cursed my traitorous body.

"Come now," he murmured, his tone softening ever so slightly. "Surely you didn't think you could outrun your destiny forever?"

I met his gaze, defiance warring with a strange, unwelcome attraction. "And what destiny might that be?" I challenged, finding my voice at last.

A slow, predatory smile spread across his face. "Oh, little wolf," he purred, "that's what we're going to find out."

As my head bowed toward the ground, a whirlwind of emotions and uncertainties swirled within me, leaving me feeling utterly lost and vulnerable.

I slowly raised my head to see his gaze upon me still.

“Stand up and get inside the carriage,” he ordered.

I continued to kneel down, “Please,” I pleaded hoping the man would have some sympathy and let me go. But then he turned to the guards and whispered something to them.

Before I knew what was happening, the guards came to my side and grabbed my arms to haul me back in.

“Let go of me!” I yelled as the guards continued half-dragging me back to the carriage cart. They pushed me in before slamming the door. It might have been gentler had I chosen to walk back in myself, but I wouldn’t give him that pleasure.

I swallowed hard, trying not to shed any tears because of this imposing man. When I opened my eyes, I welcomed the darkness surrounding me in the cart. I had to think about what to do next.

Life had been miserable. Just when I thought I could start living again after paying off my father’s debts, I landed myself in even bigger trouble.

I remained seated, thinking about my next steps. I would have to escape from here. I had run away from the castle without getting caught by any guards before…so I could do this, too. I planned while the hours went by.

When I heard the sound of the cart halting and footsteps approaching once more, I opened my eyes and pushed myself forward.

The cart door opened, and a guard pushed a bowl of something like porridge toward me.

“I need water,” I said to the guard, and he nodded, handing me a cup of water as well.

“Could you please bring it closer? I’ve hurt my elbow,” I lied, trying to get him inside the cart. He nodded, leaning in.

Once his body was inside, I smashed the bowl of food over his face and then pulled him roughly into the cart. Without hesitating, I hopped over him and dashed straight down the deserted road.

As I continued running, I felt my knees going weak. They were buckling under me. Fuck! I was hungry and thirsty, and my stomach had nothing in it to fuel this energy.

Taking another step forward, I collapsed onto my knees. I gripped the ground, doubling over as a fit of coughing seized me. The dust overwhelmed me. Soon, I began to vomit, and as I fell forward, my eyes grew heavy, and I slipped into unconsciousness.

Waking up, I found myself nestled on a plush green blanket in a cozy tent. I could hear the distant voices of guards as they laughed and chatted amongst themselves, their laughter mingling with the sound of birds chirping.

I slowly blinked several times, taking in my surroundings. My eyes landed on Alpha Asher, who sat inches away from me. His heavy gaze was fixed on mine. I gulped softly, my mind screaming for me to get away from him, but my body felt stuck. His appearance only brought more shivers to my spine.

“You are awake,” he spoke up, his voice deep and rough. “I see you tried to escape after my warnings. Silly girl.”

I struggled to crawl out of the tent, but his rough hands quickly reached for me, and he grabbed my wrist.

“Let go of me,” I demanded, attempting to push his hand off, but his grip was strong. He wasn’t hurting me…but I couldn’t get away either.

He chuckled, his eyes glinting with rage. “You are not going anywhere. You are mine for now. You are in my debt.”

I needed to find a way to escape before he claimed me as his for good with a mark—if he dared. The thought of baring his mark made my blood boil with anger. Can’t he see that I wanted nothing to do with him?

His grip held my arms firmly. “You thought you could escape when you added sleep tincture to my tea, huh? Now that I’ve found you, you won’t leave my sight. Not till I say so.”

I tried to pull away, but he brushed his lips across my ears.

“You are insane!” I spat. “I do not belong to you.”

“That’s very unwise of you to call the Alpha names,” he spoke up.

“Just let me go,” I said in a pleading. I had friends and family in Silvermoon that I didn’t want to abandon. I didn’t want to be in his debt or start a life with Asher.

“You are mine for now, and you will learn to follow my rules.” Before I could speak, he pulled me to my feet and looked at me with his dark brown eyes.

“You still owe me that dance. And soon, you’ll be obedient towards me as well,” he sneered.

When the tent’s door flap opened, he released his grip, and I quickly crawled to the other side of the tent into a pile of pillows. A guard came inside with a bowl of food in his hand. He handed it to Asher.

“Since you weren’t able to eat anything last time, you should eat now,” Asher said, shoving the bowl toward me.

I glanced at the food before turning away. I had lost my appetite to eat, and all I wanted to do was run away from him. As far as my feet would take me.

“What now? You’ll starve yourself to get back at me?” He tilted his head.

I took a deep breath before casting my head down, not wanting to look at him. But his footsteps approached me. I raised my head to see Asher standing in front of me with furrowed brows.

“You’ll eat when I want you to,” he said furiously before sitting down and grabbing the bowl.

From the corner of my eyes, I watched him scoop some of the meaty-smelling soup onto the spoon before raising it toward me.

“Eat,” he growled.

I didn’t move an inch and continued staring defiantly at the ground. My eyes welled up with tears with the way I was being treated.

Suddenly, he got up with a stern gaze. “Fine. You can stay hungry for all I care, but just know that there is no escaping from here.”

I watched as he turned around and walked out of the tent. A long sigh escaped from my mouth. I ate and fell asleep, not wanting to think more about Asher.

“Come here….” he said, his voice was stone cold.

Still waking up from sleep, I noticed the sun peeping through the tent, which meant it was morning. My body trickled with sweat as I gazed through the small opening in the tent. When the memories of yesterday flooded in, my cheeks burned with rage.

I remained seated for a moment before getting up and crawling out of the tent. My heart was pounding so fast that if he had been close enough, he could probably have heard the sound.

“Follow me,” he said and began walking away. I looked left and right before turning my gaze back to him and following. Could I escape? We walked inside the thick forest and continued walking until we came to a small river.

“Take your clothes off,” he said, leaning his back against a tree.

I felt my heart skip a beat and took a step backward. Did he just tell me to take my clothes off? What was wrong with this man?

Did he have an intention of sleeping with me? Oh God, I was still a virgin, and this monster was going to take it from me!

The mere thought made me feel sick. I regretted agreeing so recently to dance that night in the castle.

“You look dirty. Aren’t you going to take a bath?” he asked, leaning in with reluctance evident in his posture.

In my mind, I retorted, “You’re the one who needs a good bath,” while shooting him a dagger-like stare.

“Not in front of you,” I replied aloud, is what came out of my mouth instead. I wouldn’t show him my inner thoughts. Not yet.

I was strong when I slipped the sleep tincture into his tea. I was mentally prepared to confront him, but now it would be a mistake to speak out.

“Could I have summoned other guards to watch you bathe? Yes.” he inquired. “But I wouldn’t do that. Now, undress.”

His stare bore into me, making me feel like a mere object.

As I hesitated to comply, he frowned and advanced toward me. Before I could move away, I felt his hands on my arms once more.

“Aren’t you going to undress? We don’t have time to waste,” he demanded, his grip tightening.

Why was he doing this to me? I was not a servant to be ordered around?

He released my arms. After regaining myself back, my hands slowly moved to the side of the white gown, and I removed it from my body and let it fall down.

My pale white skin came into view, and Asher’s deep eyes landed on my body. I had never been naked in front of a man before, and now I felt very ashamed of myself. It pained me that this man was the first to see my nakedness.

I raised my head to look at him with hatred and disgust in my eyes. Just because he bidded me for three thousand gold coins shouldn’t mean he could treat me like this. My hands clenched into tight fists as he slowly approached me.

I wanted to be strong for myself, but this man was really making me lose my sanity. If he pushed me too much, I would spit on his face.

“Now go and take your bath. I will be here waiting for you,” he said.

I slowly turned around and walked toward the river before immersing myself and allowing the water to cover my body. As I rinsed my body, my gaze slowly returned to him. He was not staring at me but instead at the trees on the other side.

Just then, a thought dawned on me. What if I ran away right now? With his back to me, it wouldn’t be too long before he noticed I had gone missing. But what if he caught me? Not if I stepped out of the river slowly and quietly.

Turning my head back to him, I saw that he was still staring at the trees. I grabbed that opportunity and slowly emerged from the river. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I started running.

Hearing the sound of my footsteps, he snapped his head in my direction and quickly followed.

I could hear loud growls erupting from behind me, and when I turned around, I saw that he had shifted into a big black wolf.

His eyes had doubled in size and were now glowing bright yellow. His fur was thick and shining like the night sky.

With no direction in mind, I continued to run, following my instincts. Leaves rustled under my feet as I pushed myself to get away from him.

Fear slammed into my chest as I thought of what might happen if he caught me. What would he do to me? Chain me? Lock me up?

I could hear the heavy footsteps of his wolf behind me, drawing closer as he pursued. No matter how fast I ran, I could feel dread drifting into me.

And then, all of a sudden, something stirred within me. It first felt like a fire burning from inside…it was as if every part of my body was stretching and changing.

When I finally reached the other side, I frowned when I saw the sight of the tent but continued running. Then, I felt an excruciating pain in my chest. I stumbled, falling to the ground.

It felt as if every bone in my body was shifting itself. Through the daze of my pain, I watched in disbelief as my skin began to coat with thick white fur.

My eyes widened, realizing what was happening. I was transforming into my wolf for the very first time. Was this real right now? I shook my head in fear. Why did it have to happen now?

My hands twisted and elongated, turning into mighty claws that dug into the soil. And then, I felt a burning pain around my neck, pulling me backward. The pain was just too much, and my wolf started slowly going back in. I raised my hand, and my fingers grazed against something metallic.

My fingers burned at the touch of the metal. It was then I realized he had used a wolfsbane collar to suppress my transformation.

Why was he doing this to me? Why was he treating me like a toy? A plaything? He has stopped my first transformation…

“Ahh!” I screamed in pain, seeing my skin turn a bright shade of red. It felt as if fire was burning throughout my whole body, and no matter how hard I tried to stop it, it kept increasing.

The burning pain intensified, and I raised my hand, trying to take the collar off, but it only brought more agony. I felt my body fall onto the ground as I groaned, fading into darkness.