* The Prisoner at the Packhouse*i
The pack house was a fortress
Of walls.
Of rules.
Of him.
Elena hated every inch of it.
Since that night in the forest, Alpha Lorenzo hadn't let her out of his sight. Guards followed her like shadows not to keep danger away, but to make sure she never escaped again.
She wasn't a guest.
She was a prisoner.
And everyone knew it.
When she walked down the long halls, their whispers chased her like ghosts.
> "Why her?"
"The mute girl? The Alpha deserves better."
She wished they were right. She wished the bond was a mistake some cruel joke from the Moon Goddess.
But every time Lorenzo entered the room, her wolf stirred restlessly inside her, whining, trembling, aching to submit.
And he was always there.
Always watching.
Always near.
Alpha Lorenzo's presence was a storm she could never escape. It pressed against her skin, invisible but unbreakable commanding, consuming, and impossibly strong.
He didn't touch her. Not anymore. Not since the night she tried to run.
But his eyes those molten gold eyes followed her everywhere.
Possessive. Watchful. Dangerous.
Dinner was torture.
The long oak table stretched endlessly between them, filled with betas and warriors. Laughter and chatter echoed through the room until he spoke. Then, silence fell like a command.
Lorenzo sat at the head of the table like a king made of shadow and steel. Every gesture was precise. Every word, law.
And still his attention never truly left her.
When his gaze flicked toward Elena, it felt like the whole hall stopped breathing.
She kept her eyes down. Tried to focus on the food.
But the weight of his stare burned through her.
Her pulse raced. Her fingers trembled around the fork.
> "Eat," he said softly.
The single word carried more power than a shout.
Her jaw tightened. She didn't move.
She pushed the food around her plate, stubbornly silent.
Her silence was the only rebellion she had left.
Across the table, Lorenzo's expression didn't change but his jaw clenched, a flicker of danger darkening his golden eyes.
For a heartbeat, no one moved. No one dared breathe.
Then he leaned back, voice dropping to something low and deadly.
> "You can resist, little wolf," he murmured. "But your silence won't save you. I can feel you fighting it... fighting me."
Her chest tightened.
Her heart hammered against her ribs like it was trying to escape.
She wanted to look away,but she couldn't.
His gaze pinned her in place, stripping away every wall she'd tried to build.
Her wolf whimpered inside her, desperate to bow, to yield. But Elena fought harder.
She would not belong to him.
Not now.
Not ever.
And then his next words fell into the quiet like a brand searing her soul.
> "You will learn, Elena. Whether you run or stay… you are mine."
Her pulse stuttered.
The words sank deep, leaving her breathless.
She told herself she hated him and the power he displays, his arrogance, his certainty.
But somewhere deep down, beneath all the fear and fury… something inside her whispered back.
Some part of you doesn't hate being his.
That night, the packhouse walls felt closer. Thicker. Suffocating.
The moonlight poured through her window, painting silver streaks across her room, but it brought no peace. Every creak of the wooden floor felt like the sound of chains she couldn't see.
Then
A knock.
Before she could even react, his voice came through.
> "Enter."
Her breath caught.
He didn't wait for permission. Alphas never did.
The door opened and Lorenzo stepped inside.
He moved with quiet authority, like a storm pretending to be calm. His scent cedar and smoke filled the air before his voice even did.
Elena rose quickly, heart pounding. The air felt heavier, denser, as if even the room bowed to his presence.
He studied her in silence for a long, unbearable moment. Then
> "You tried to run from me."
His voice was quiet. Controlled. But there was something beneath it something sharp, dangerous, and possessive.
Elena lowered her gaze, fingers twisting in her skirt. She wanted to scream, to tell him she wasn't afraid that she just wanted freedom.
But the words wouldn't come.
They never did.
Lorenzo began to circle her, slow and deliberate, like a predator stalking prey.
> "Most would beg to be chosen," he murmured, his voice brushing against her ear. "Yet you…"
His breath touched her skin.
"You think you can run from your Alpha?"
Her breath hitched.
Every instinct screamed run. But her body ,her traitorous body stayed still.
She didn't want to play his games of dominance and submission. She didn't want to be another trophy in his endless wars.
She just wanted peace.
But peace didn't exist in his world.
He came to stand before her again, his eyes catching the moonlight bright, golden, burning with something that looked too much like hunger.
Then his hand lifted, slow and sure, his fingers brushing beneath her chin.
The touch was barely there, but it shattered her all the same.
> "You belong to me," Lorenzo said. His voice was low, steady, absolute.
"Mute or not. Weak or not. Fate bound you to me. And I do not let go of what's mine."
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
She wanted to scream that she wasn't his, that he couldn't own her.
But her voice was gone locked behind the same silence that had followed her all her life.
And in that silence, she realized something even more terrifying.
He wasn't just claiming her.
He believed it.
And in his world…
Belief was law.