Olivia's Point of View
A soft rustling stirred me from sleep.
For a moment, I couldn't move. My limbs felt like they were floating in warmth—too much warmth. Then the scent hit me. Woodsmoke. Cedar. Leather.
This wasn't my bedroom.
My eyes flew open.
The ceiling above me was made of dark timber beams, and across the room, flames crackled quietly inside a stone fireplace. The air was thick with heat and something else—something more primal. Masculine.
Then it all came back in a rush.
The forest. The wolf. The chase.
Jaden.
The memory of him shifting—the monstrous form, the silver eyes, the way his voice echoed in my soul—sent a jolt of panic through my chest. I sat bolt upright, the thick blanket sliding off my shoulders.
I wasn't dreaming. I was in the pack house.
His pack house.
I scrambled out of bed, my legs unsteady. The room was large and beautiful, too beautiful for someone being held against their will. A thick fur rug lay beneath my bare feet, and the windows were draped in heavy curtains that blocked the outside world.
A prisoner in a golden cage.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, the door creaked open.
I froze.
Jaden stepped in, tall and calm like a shadow come to life. He wore a plain black t-shirt and grey sweatpants, but he didn't need anything fancy to look dangerous. His presence alone made the room feel ten degrees colder.
"You're awake," he said, voice low and unreadable. "Good."
I glared at him, backing up a step. "Where am I?"
He walked forward slowly, deliberately, until he stood a few feet from me. "You're in my home. You fainted in the woods. I brought you here."
"You had no right," I snapped, my voice sharper than I felt. "You kidnapped me!"
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing just slightly. "You were unconscious. Bleeding. Alone in werewolf territory. What should I have done? Left you for the rogues?"
"I'm not your responsibility," I said through gritted teeth. "You should've left me alone!"
His jaw clenched. A muscle ticked near his temple, and for a moment, I thought he might actually agree with me. But then he turned toward the window, pulling back the curtain to reveal the vast stretch of forest beyond.
"You crossed into our world, Olivia. And now… you're a part of it."
"Stop saying that!" I hissed. "I'm not part of anything. I'm not like you!"
He faced me again, and this time, his eyes were glowing faintly gold.
"You think I chose this?" he asked, voice tight with emotion. "You think I wanted this bond?"
My heart skipped.
Bond.
That word again.
I remembered the strange pull I'd felt back in the forest, the way my body responded to his even when my mind screamed to run. I didn't want to admit it, but part of me knew—something had changed.
"What... what does that mean?" I whispered.
He let out a breath, rubbing the back of his neck like he was tired of explaining something impossible.
"It means you're linked to me now. Spiritually. Physically. Our lives are connected. Whether you like it or not."
I shook my head, backing toward the bed. "No. I won't accept that. There has to be a way to break it."
"There isn't," he said flatly. "And even if there was, you wouldn't survive it."
The words hit me like ice water.
I stared at him, stunned. "So what now? I'm just your prisoner forever?"
"You're not a prisoner," he said, though his tone lacked conviction. "But you are under my protection."
I scoffed. "Is that what you call it now? Locking someone up in a strange room and refusing to let them leave?"
His lips curved into a bitter smile. "If I truly wanted to lock you up, Olivia, you'd know it."
I flinched at his words but refused to look away. I wasn't going to let him intimidate me. Not again.
"I'm not something you own," I said, voice shaking. "You don't get to control me."
"No," he said softly. "But I do have to keep you alive. Even if you hate me for it."
We stared at each other in silence. For a second, I saw something flash across his face—regret, maybe even sorrow. But it disappeared just as quickly.
A knock came at the door.
Jaden's entire body stiffened.
"What is it?" he barked.
A muffled voice answered from the other side. "Alpha, Darius is here."
My breath caught.
Darius. The vampire. I remembered that name from the forest. The one who'd wanted me for something… darker.
Jaden's expression hardened. "Tell him I'll be there in a minute."
He turned back to me, the tension in his body returning tenfold.
"You stay in this room," he said. "Don't open the door. Don't talk to anyone. I'll deal with Darius."
"Why should I listen to you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
He moved closer, towering over me, and for the first time, I saw something genuinely dangerous in his eyes.
"Because if you don't," he said, voice like steel, "I won't be the one you need to fear."
He turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
As soon as he was gone, I rushed forward and pressed my ear to the wood. Silence. I couldn't hear anything beyond the thick walls.
I tried the door.
Locked.
Panic surged again. I paced the room, glancing at the high windows and the iron latch on them. No escape. Not without making a scene—and something told me that would end badly.
I walked back to the room they'd given me, trying to keep my breathing steady. The long hallway felt like it was closing in on me with every step. Whispers from other pack members echoed behind closed doors. I wasn't just the outsider here—I was a mystery, a threat, and to some… an unwanted complication.
Inside the room, I paused, staring at the unfamiliar space. The bed was neatly made, the curtains gently swayed with the evening breeze, and a faint scent of lavender hung in the air—too soft, too calm, too fake. Nothing about this place felt real to me.
I slowly reached for the small mirror on the dresser. My reflection stared back—haunted, confused, changed. There was something in my eyes now, something I hadn't seen before. Not just fear. But fire. A spark of resistance.
"I didn't ask for any of this," I whispered to the glass.
Outside, a distant howl cut through the night. Not one of anger. One of sorrow.
Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. I was trapped in a world I didn't understand, bound to a man I didn't trust, and drowning in secrets I hadn't asked to discover.
Sleep came eventually, but peace never did.