Chapter Three:
Alice's POV-
The first thing I feel is heat. Not the warm kind, but the sharp, burning kind that seeps into my bones. It's like my whole body has been dipped in fire. My skin is raw, my veins feel heavy, and every breath makes my ribs ache.
I try to move, but a low whimper escapes instead. My throat is dry, as though I've swallowed ashes. I blink once, twice, and the world comes into focus.
It's not the forest.
The ceiling above me is carved stone, smooth and dark. Heavy curtains block out most of the light, but a faint glow creeps through the cracks. I'm lying on something soft—too soft. A bed. Definitely not mine. My hideout was nothing but old blankets and cold walls. This place smells of cedarwood, leather, and… something else.
That same scent. The one that had pulled Flora into a frenzy before everything went black.
Mate.
Flora stirs instantly, her excitement slamming into me like a tidal wave. 'He brought us here. We're safe. He saved us, Alice!' she screams in my head.
I grit my teeth. "Safe" is not a word I'd use. Not yet.
I force myself to sit up, groaning as pain tears through my stomach. My hand goes instinctively to the wound but finds thick layers of bandages instead. My shirt is gone, replaced with soft cloth wraps covering most of my torso. Someone cleaned me. Touched me.
I close my eyes, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside. Fear. Anger. Relief. Confusion.
"What the hell happened?" I whisper under my breath.
Flora answers before I can chase the thought. 'We were dying, Alice. Those bounty wolves had us cornered. And then—' her voice softens, almost reverent, 'he came. Our mate. He killed the last two. He's the reason we're still breathing right now.'
The memory slams into me: teeth at my throat, blood soaking the ground, claws digging into my flesh. And then that scent—chocolate and honey—and the sound of bones breaking. A voice cursing.
I shiver.
But another question burns brighter. "Why didn't the wolfsbane hurt them too? They had it all over their claws. They should've been in agony just like me."
Flora hesitates, then sighs. 'Because they're hunters, Alice. Trained killers. They coat their claws with diluted wolfsbane and bind it with ashroot. It numbs them to the burn but makes the poison twice as deadly for their prey. They've built resistance over time—slow doses, painful training. That's how bounty wolves survive it. It makes their strikes fatal for us, but manageable for them.'
I swallow hard. The explanation makes my stomach churn. Cruel. Calculated. These wolves had been preparing to kill people like me for years.
'And they nearly did,' Flora whispers. 'If not for him…'
I slam the bond closed and block her out before she can say more. I don't want to think about him. If he was able to bring me here, it means he's either high-level authority or an Alpha.
I really hope it's the former. But even if it is, I'm in one of the neighbouring packs—still dangerous, still hunted.
I push myself upright and glance around. The room is large, black stone walls lined with tall shelves, books, and glass vials. A fire crackles faintly in the hearth. This isn't just any place—it's the chamber of someone important.
And I have a terrible suspicion of who it might be, especially with the Blackmoor crest etched faintly into the wall opposite me. But I refuse to believe it.
I swing my legs off the bed, hissing as pain streaks through my abdomen. My body feels weak, like a single blow could shatter me. Still, I force myself to stand. My head spins, but I clutch the bedpost until the dizziness passes.
I need to leave.
I stagger toward the heavy door, but the second I touch it, a pulse surges in my chest—like an electric current tying me to this place. Or rather, to him. The bond tugs, sharp and unrelenting.
"No," I whisper, backing away. "This can't be happening."
I feel Flora break the walls to communicate and I don't fight her. I don't have the mental capacity.
'It is happening,' Flora says firmly, her voice a melodious beam in my mind. 'He's ours. You felt it. I felt it. The goddess doesn't make mistakes.'
"The goddess has done nothing but ruin my life! She's the bloody, fucking literal meaning of mistakes." My voice cracks, echoing in the room. I grip my stomach, panting. Tears sting my eyes before I can stop them. "She cursed me with this blood. She took my family. She made me prey to monsters. And now—now she throws me at the feet of another Alpha?"
Flora is silent for a long moment, but her presence stays steady. 'Maybe she's giving us a chance to stop running?' she whispers, curling up in my mind.
I laugh bitterly. "Or maybe she's just tying me to another prison. She sure does love to toy with me."
My body shakes as I slump back against the bed. Every nerve screams in pain. I clutch the bandages, hating how fragile I feel. If he hadn't interfered, I'd be dead. And maybe that would've been better.
'Don't you dare say that,' Flora snaps. 'We survived twelve years of hell. We'll survive this too. But Alice… we can't deny the bond forever. The mate link is real. It's already inside us. Whether you like it or not, part of us belongs to him.'
I cover my ears like that will help block her words. It doesn't. The bond hums faintly in my chest, pulling, pulling, pulling—like invisible chains.
I don't know how long I sit there, trembling, torn between rage and exhaustion. Minutes, hours—time feels strange in this place. My stomach growls; I haven't eaten since before the attack.
Finally, footsteps echo outside the door. Heavy. Controlled. I freeze, every muscle tensing. My heart pounds as the bond flares alive again, hot and insistent.
The handle turns.
The door opens.
And there he is.
Broad shoulders fill the doorway. His presence crashes into the room like a storm, dark eyes glinting under the dim light. His scent hits me again—sweet, intoxicating, dangerous—and heat coils low in my belly before I can stop it. I quickly jam my thighs together and hope my arousal isn't noticeable. Bloody bond.
My breath hitches. Flora howls in delight. All I can do is clutch the edge of the bed to keep from collapsing. Or worse, running to him.
One thought runs through my mind:
Holy fucking shit. My mate is the Alpha of Blackmoor Pack—Caleb Benjamin Blackmoor. Once again I curse the Goddess in my heart.
His gaze locks onto me instantly, sharp and unreadable. For a moment, neither of us speaks. The silence is thick, suffocating.
Then his voice rumbles low, deep, final.
"We have things to discuss."