Aurelia awoke in a haze, the cold stone of the dungeon floor pressing against her back. Her body ached in places she couldn't remember being hit. For a moment, she didn't know where she was. The only thing she could feel was the weight of something strange and constricting around her neck. She reached up to touch it, her fingers trembling as they brushed against cold metal. The collar.
Her breath hitched. She tried to move, but the chains on her wrists rattled, holding her in place.
The ambush.
It flooded back to her in waves—her pack, her family. The Moonborn. Gone. Her father's men had fought like wolves, but it hadn't been enough. Kaelen's forces had overwhelmed them. And now… she was here, caged, shackled. Defeated.
But no, she wasn't defeated. Not yet. She was still alive. And that meant there was still a chance.
She tried to shift, to call upon her wolf, but the collar pulsed with a quiet hum. A dull, oppressive force radiated from it, silencing the presence of her wolf. Her breath hitched again, this time in frustration. This wasn't just a collar. It was a prison.
Footsteps echoed in the cold stone corridor outside her cell, slow and deliberate. They grew louder as the figure approached. Her pulse quickened. She knew who it was before he even stepped into view.
Kaelen.
He appeared in the doorway, his figure towering, his dark eyes unreadable. He didn't look at her with hatred or cruelty—no, his expression was something colder, more calculating. He was studying her. Watching her. Like a predator assessing its prey.
"You're awake," he said, his voice smooth and detached.
Aurelia's chest tightened. She wanted to lash out, to scream, to rip him apart with her bare hands. But the collar… it wouldn't let me. The thought gnawed at her. She could barely feel the pull of her wolf beneath the oppressive weight of it.
"I expected more of a reaction," Kaelen continued, stepping closer. "I was sure the princess would put up a fight."
"I'm no princess," Aurelia spat, her voice rough but defiant. "And I'll put up a fight when I can."
"When you can," he repeated, his eyes glinting with something dark and almost amused. "Well, we'll see about that."
He moved closer still, stopping just beyond arm's reach. She could feel his presence now, like a storm pressing in around her. No. I'm not afraid of him. Not anymore.
"Do you know what this is?" Kaelen asked, his voice low. He lifted his hand toward the collar around her neck, his fingers brushing the cold metal.
Aurelia flinched, but she didn't look away. "A tool of control," she said, her voice tight. "A chain. You think this will break me?"
Kaelen's lips curled into a half-smile. "It won't break you. But it will tame you. A wolf needs to be tamed, doesn't it?"
Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not a wolf anymore, am I?" she hissed.
He raised an eyebrow at her sharp retort, but there was no amusement in his eyes now. "You're still a wolf, Aurelia. The collar doesn't change what you are. It only makes sure you don't forget that."
She tugged against the chains again, more forcefully this time, but they only rattled. Her strength was there, buried under layers of rage and frustration. "You think you've won?" she spat.
Kaelen's expression flickered. For a moment, she could almost see something else behind the steely façade—a flicker of hesitation, maybe even regret. But it was gone in an instant.
"No," he said softly, stepping closer. His voice dropped lower. "I think I've earned the right to make you remember who you are."
Aurelia's breath hitched, her pulse racing. What is he talking about?
But before she could respond, Kaelen reached out, his fingers brushing against her collar again. The touch was gentle, almost intimate. It felt like a violation. How dare he?
"I wonder," Kaelen murmured, more to himself than to her. "If your father could see you now, what would he think? Would he still think you were the heir to the Moonborn?"
Aurelia's heart clenched at the mention of her father. The loss was still raw. "Don't speak of him," she growled, her voice low and dangerous. "You're nothing but a thief. A murderer."
Kaelen's eyes darkened. He leaned in closer, his breath warm against her ear. "I'm not a murderer," he said softly. "I'm an Alpha. And your father didn't leave me a choice."
Aurelia stiffened. Her eyes burned with fury, her body shaking with rage. "You were a child when my father's men slaughtered your pack," she said. "You're nothing more than a vengeful child hiding behind an army of killers."
Kaelen's face hardened, but his voice remained calm. "You don't understand. Your father made me this. Your people did this to me."
She shook her head, biting back the surge of grief. "I don't care about your sob story, Kaelen. I care about my people. My pack."
"Your pack's gone," he snapped. "And now you belong to me."
Aurelia's hands curled into fists. Not again. Not like this.
She surged forward, the chains rattling as she launched herself toward him, desperate to strike, to break something, anything. But as soon as her body moved, the collar pulsed with a searing jolt of power.
Aurelia's body froze mid-air. Every muscle locked. Her mind screamed at her to move, to fight, but she was paralyzed.
Kaelen watched, his eyes cold. "I wouldn't try that again if I were you."
She could do nothing but glare at him, trapped in her own body.
For a moment, there was only silence. Then Kaelen leaned closer, his voice low and dangerous. "You'll be useful alive, Aurelia. But you need to learn that I don't do mercy."
Her heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to break free from the collar's hold. The force of it was like nothing she had ever felt before. She wanted to scream, to howl, but the words never came.
Kaelen's lips curled into a smirk. "I'll give you a little time to think about your position here. I'm not done with you yet."
The door slammed shut behind him, leaving her alone in the cold, empty cell.
Aurelia's heart pounded in her chest, but her mind was already racing. I won't stay here. I'll break free. I'll make him regret this.
She would survive.
And when the time came, she would tear Kaelen's world apart.