Chapter 4 - Mia

This place is so different from Stardust Hollow. Back home, the shifters are spread throughout the city. We live among humans and mingle in the real world. Sure, we keep ourselves hidden and have our own secrets, but for the most part, we blend in and live like the rest of the population.

Here, it's the complete opposite. There are no humans. Just a small cluster of buildings and cabins built deep within the forest. It's beautiful, but also creepy.

From what I can tell, most of the buildings are shared spaces with a few smaller homes where some members of the pack sleep. They seem to have most of the basics of modern living, but they've managed to set it all up in a way that keeps their community hidden from the outside world.

The only time this Shawna woman has even spoken to me over the last hour has been to instruct me where to go or what to do. So far, I've forced myself to eat, showered, and changed into one of her sundresses, but she took that Evan guy's order to heart. She has literally not stopped watching me for one second. I'm not sure if she's even blinked.

Now, she's leading me through a field toward the largest building I've seen yet since coming here. It's a massive rustic structure made from huge logs. The windows are framed with thick wooden beams, and there's a porch with a swinging bench and rocking chairs. It's gorgeous.

As we get closer, I realize there's a huge garden out front. Rows of flowers and herbs and vegetables have been carefully cultivated and are blooming beautifully. There's even a greenhouse, or the start of one, anyway. They have really taken care to make this place their home.

For a brief moment, Shawna glances at me, and I think I see something close to sympathy in her eyes. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes," I say. "Very."

"Alpha Evan likes to tend the gardens himself. It's his pride and joy. He loves those plants like his own children."

The softness in her tone gives me pause. Could this be my way out? If I can just get her on my side, maybe she can help me get out of here.

"He must be a wonderful leader," I say, keeping my tone as light and casual as possible. "Not many alphas would take the time to get their hands dirty and work the land. They like to have others do their dirty work, but not Evan, huh? He does things the old-fashioned way. That's admirable."

I glance over at her, trying to gauge her reaction. She's still facing forward with her lips pursed and her brows drawn together.

"Shawna, please, listen," I say. "You know this isn't right. I shouldn't be here. None of this is fair."

"Life isn't fair, honey," she says. "If you haven't figured that out by now, you'll learn soon enough."

"But I—"

"Quiet," she snaps, and she halts her steps. "Let's get one thing straight. Whatever you're thinking, just forget it. I've got nothing against you personally, but this is my home. My pack. We've been through hell, and the only thing that has pulled us through is having a strong, capable alpha. I'll do anything to protect that. Understand?"

I stare at her, blinking slowly. So much for trying to get her to help me.

"Yeah," I mutter. "I get it."

"I'm not your friend, Mia, and if you ever try to escape, I'll be the first to hunt you down and bring you back." She stares at me hard, and I have no doubt she's telling the truth. "This way."

We approach the main entrance, and she opens the door and leads me inside. The room is enormous. The high ceiling is supported by huge logs, while the floors are dark wood. A grand staircase sweeps down into the entryway, and the entire room is bathed in warm sunlight. There are toys and books scattered across the floor, along with dirty dishes and clothing. Garbage is littered everywhere, and a thick layer of dust coats the furniture.

It looks like a tornado hit this place.

"Wow," I whisper, taking in the sight of the filthy space.

Shawna grimaces. "This is the orphanage. Unfortunately, we've got a number of abandoned or parentless kids in the pack."

She doesn't elaborate, but my heart aches for them just the same. I know how it feels to be left alone and have no one in the world to take care of you. It's a terrible feeling. I would never wish that on anyone, especially a child.

"That's awful," I murmur. "Are we here to look after them for the day?"

She snickers and walks over to a nearby closet, rummaging around inside. "Hardly. No, today, you're on cleaning duty. You can start with this place. Lord knows the poor things need it."

She emerges from the closet, holding a broom, a dustpan, and some other supplies. When I take the items from her, she snatches my wrist before I can step away. With her other hand, she reaches back into the closet and pulls out a long metal chain. I flinch, jerking away from her, but she holds me tighter as she secures a leather strap around my arm.

"It's not silver, so it's not going to burn like those cuffs," she tells me. "But I still can't risk you running off. If Evan wants you here, it's for a damn good reason. I'll not have you jeopardize his plan."

"I won't run," I argue.

"Don't bullshit me. You think I can't tell you've been looking for a way out of here since you got here?"

I don't bother denying it. There's no point. So, I just stand there and watch her loop the other end of the chain around the banister of the staircase. It's long enough that I'll have some freedom of movement, but I'm not getting far.

"Fine. Can I get started now?"

She nods. "Sure. You can start in this room. I'm going to go check on the little ones and see if they've had their lunch. When I come back, the floors had better be spotless." With that, she turns and disappears down a hallway.

I let out a breath, glancing around at the mess. Is this why they brought me here? To clean their messes like a slave? This is just so ridiculous.

The sound of children laughing nearby draws my attention, and I walk toward the noise. There's a window next to a door, and when I look out, I can see a fenced-in playground where several children are playing. They look so happy and carefree. Two of them look up and notice me. Their faces light up as I offer them a little wave.

They scamper over and open the sliding glass door, giggling as they barrel into the room. The little boy comes right to me and starts tugging on my bindings. "What are these for?"

"Are you a prisoner?" the girl asks, wide-eyed and curious.

"Uh..." I trail off, not sure how to answer that. But then a thought pops into my head, and I grin at the two little ones. "It's a game. I'm a princess who's being held captive. I have to get out and save the kingdom, but only very special people can help me. You'll help me, won't you?"

The two kids glance at each other, then turn their attention back to me and nod eagerly. "We can help!" the boy exclaims.

"Good," I tell them, glancing back over my shoulder to make sure Shawna isn't nearby. "Because I have a plan. First, we need to find something pointy and thin, okay? Something I can use to wiggle this lock loose. Will you help me look?"

"I know!" the little girl squeals. "I'll be right back!"

Before I can stop her, she scurries off and runs down the hallway. When she's gone, the boy stares at me and fidgets with the hem of his shirt. "Um, what's your name?"

"Mia," I tell him, giving him a kind smile. "What's yours?"

"Jed."

"It's nice to meet you, Jed. Have you lived here a long time in this cabin? It's very pretty."

He nods. "It's super noisome."

"Noisy," I correct him gently.

"I want my mommy," he whispers, and his lower lip trembles as he speaks.

This poor boy. I don't know how he ended up here, but he needs a family. He deserves a family.

"Hey," I murmur, leaning down so I can look him in the eyes. "I know this is all really scary and confusing. How would you like to escape with me? I can bring you somewhere quieter, and we can look for your mommy together. Would you like that?"

He perks up a little and nods. "Okay. Can Lina come?"

"Where are we going?" the little girl asks as she re-enters the room with a pair of knitting needles.

"We're going to sneak out and go on an adventure," I tell her, taking the needle from her tiny hands. "These are perfect, Lina. Great job."

Admittedly, I have no idea what I'm doing. I've never picked a lock in my life. I don't even know if this is going to work, but the tips of the needles are the perfect size to slip into the keyhole. I wiggle them around until the lock clicks and falls open.

"We did it!" Lina exclaims, clapping her hands excitedly.

I hold up an index finger and hold it to my lips. "Shhh. We have to be very, very quiet. We don't want the dragon to hear us, right? We're gonna sneak out and save the village."

The children giggle, and we tiptoe toward the door. I have the needles clenched tightly in my fist, just in case. We make it out onto the front porch and down the steps. I feel more confident with every step we take closer to the woods.

"Where do you think you're going?" a man's voice calls out from behind.

My blood turns to ice, and I spin around. Standing on the porch, hidden on the other side of the swing, is a tall, muscular man with broad shoulders and a dark glare. I don't know how I missed him, but it doesn't matter. He's moving before I can blink.

"Run, kids!" I yell, but they just start giggling like there isn't a hulking brute bearing down on us.

He tackles me to the ground before I can move and pins my hands above my head, straddling my body.

"Oh no, we're being attacked!" the girl screams, but there's no fear in her voice. Just delight. "The dragon's gonna burn us all to a crisp!"

"That's right, I'm the big bad dragon," the man rumbles, letting out a menacing roar. The children scream and run toward the house, and he hauls me to my feet. "And this little princess has a date with the king," he growls at me. "He's not going to be very pleased that you were trying to flee his kingdom."

"Get off of me," I snarl, but he just laughs and shoves me forward, pushing me in the direction of a smaller cabin in the distance.

"Walk," he growls, and he follows closely behind me. "Trying to kidnap our cubs? That's low, even for a mutt from Stardust Hollow. Does your kind know no limits?"

I don't even dignify the comment with a response. My mind is too preoccupied trying to figure a way out of this.

We reach the cabin, and he shoves me through the front door into a sparsely decorated living room. There's a couch and a couple of chairs, but little else. No art on the walls, nothing to indicate someone lives here. There's a pair of silver cuffs on a nearby side table, and he pulls a pair of gloves out of his back pocket and slips them onto my wrists. The cuffs snap shut, and I flinch as the silver bites into my flesh.

"Come," he snaps. He marches me down a narrow hallway, then into the last room on the left.

He points at a large, king-sized bed, and I move to sit down. He stands in the doorway, watching me closely as I perch on the edge of the mattress. The sound of the front door opening and closing floats through the house. Heavy footfalls make their way closer, and then Evan appears behind him.

He leans against the doorway, glaring at me with those gray eyes of his. "You're dismissed, Dirk. We'll be fine now."

"Yes, sir," the man replies. He disappears, leaving the two of us alone.

He steps into the room, and when the lighting from the lamp hits his face, I get my first good look at the alpha. When I'd met him earlier, my eyes were still so blurry from crying and he was covered in sweat, his clothes disheveled and dirty. He'd looked like a wild, dangerous animal. But now he looks like a refined gentleman, if one ignores the anger on his face.

He's a bit older than me, with jet-black hair and a tanned complexion. His muscles are clearly defined beneath the dark gray button-down shirt he's wearing. The top few buttons are undone, revealing a smattering of dark chest hair. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, and I can see the thick cords of muscle along his forearms. His gray eyes are sharp and intense, and when he stares at me, I can feel his gaze rake over every inch of my body.

"Already causing problems for me, are you, Mia?"

I lift my chin, determined not to show him any fear. "I'm not the kind of woman to be kept locked up. I don't care if you're the leader of this pack. You don't own me."

"But I do." He saunters toward the bed and jerks me up to stand.

"How can you be so cruel? Keeping a young woman against her will, using her as a slave... it's not right, Evan."

"I have no intention of making you my slave, Mia," he murmurs. "You're going to join our little family, and you're going to be here for a long, long time. So get used to it."

My mouth goes dry at the statement, and my eyes widen. "Excuse me?"

He taps his chin with his finger and starts walking in circles around me. He eyes me from top to bottom like he's assessing a piece of meat or a prized pig, not a person. "What a terrible waste, assigning you to cleaning duty. I don't know what Shawna was thinking. I have a much better idea."

He stops in front of me and grasps my chin between his thumb and forefinger. I want to jerk away, but his touch is surprisingly gentle, and I find myself unable to breathe, much less move. He stares at my face and leans in close, and my heart is pounding so hard it's about to burst.

"You're going to entertain me this evening, Mia. We're going to spend the night getting to know each other."