Sage's POV
I wake up choking.
My hands fly to my throat no fingers crushing my windpipe. Just bruises and pain and the memory of Marcus's red eyes burning into mine.
Easy, a gentle voice says. You're safe now.
I jolt upright. Nova sits beside my bed, her wrinkled hands glowing with soft green light as she hovers them over my throat. The pain fades.
Where is he? I rasp. Marcus
Gone. For now. Nova's face is grim. Your three Alphas fought like demons to get you back. Kael nearly died. But Marcus escaped with most of his army.
Guilt crashes over me. Kael's hurt because of me?
He's healing. Alpha's recover fast. Nova pulls her hands back. But Marcus won't stop, child. He believes you belong to him. Believes he can force a bond and use your power to take revenge on everyone who wronged him.
Can he? Force a bond?
Nova's silence is answer enough.
Terror floods through me. If Marcus can force me to bond with him, I'll be his weapon. His tool. Everything the three Alphas warned me about, but worse because Marcus is insane.
I have to leave, I say, throwing off the covers. If I'm not here, he can't
You can't run from your scent. Nova catches my arm. Every shifter for hundreds of miles can smell your Omega power now. Running just makes you an easier target.
Then what do I do? Stay here like bait in a trap?
You learn to fight. To use your power. To become strong enough that no one can take you against your will. Nova stands. Rest tonight. Tomorrow, your real training begins.
She leaves, and I'm alone with my thoughts.
I can't stay here. Can't trust the three Alphas who've been lying to me. Can't trust Nova. Can't trust anyone.
I wait until the fortress goes quiet. Until the moon is high and the guards have changed shifts.
Then I run.
My new wolf senses guide me through dark hallways. I move silent as shadow, quick as wind. The skills come naturally, like my body always knew how to do this.
I make it outside. The forest stretches before me dark and wild and perfect for hiding.
I run.
My human body is faster than it should be leaping over fallen logs, dodging trees, moving like I've lived in these woods forever. My heart pounds with fear and exhilaration.
Freedom. I'm actually going to make it
A massive black wolf blocks my path.
I skid to a stop, breath catching. The wolf is huge easily the size of a horse, with midnight black fur and ice blue eyes that glow in the moonlight.
Kael.
Two more wolves melt from the shadows. One dark gray with midnight eyes Damon. One reddish brown with golden eyes Ryder.
They surround me. Trap me. Again.
Let me go! I shout, hating how my voice shakes.
Kael shifts. Bones crack, fur recedes, and suddenly a very naked man stands before me. I spin around, face burning.
Put on some clothes!
Why? His voice is cold. We're mates. You'll see me naked eventually.
We are NOT mates, I snap. I don't even know you!
Your wolf knows me. He steps closer I can feel his presence behind me, warm and overwhelming. She recognized me the moment we met. The bond doesn't lie, Sage.
The bond is a trap!
Ryder shifts next, his voice gentler. Where were you going to go? Back to Seattle? Your apartment was destroyed in the attack. Your job is gone. Your human life ended the moment you shifted.
The truth of his words hits like a punch. I have nothing to go back to. No home. No life. No future except the one these men are forcing on me.
I just want to be free, I whisper.
You can't be free, Kael says harshly. Not with Marcus hunting you. Not with your Omega scent drawing every rogue Alpha within a hundred miles. Freedom means death for you now.
Then maybe death is better than being your prisoner!
The words explode out before I can stop them.
Silence.
When Kael speaks again, his voice is different raw. Hurt. Is that really what you think? That we're keeping you prisoner?
I turn to face him, forcing myself to look at his eyes instead of his very naked body. What else would you call it? You kidnapped me. Told me I have to choose one of you or millions die. Won't let me leave. That's not protection that's a cage.
Damon shifts, wrapping a blanket around his waist. You're right.
Kael and Ryder both stare at him.
She's right, Damon repeats. We did kidnap her. We are forcing her to choose. We're no better than Marcus we just have prettier excuses.
That's not true, Ryder argues. We're trying to protect her
By taking away her choices? Damon's dark eyes find mine. Sage, I'm sorry. I've spent my whole life being controlled by others, and here I am doing the same to you. That makes me a hypocrite and an asshole.
I don't know what to say. This is the last thing I expected.
But here's the truth, Damon continues. If you run, you will die. Marcus will find you. Or rogues will. Or hunters. Your Omega scent is like a beacon saying 'valuable prey here.' You need protection whether you want it or not.
So I'm still trapped, I say bitterly.
No. Ryder steps forward. We give you a choice. Real choice this time. Stay here and let us teach you to fight. To use your power. To protect yourself. And when the thirty days are up, if you still want to leave, we let you go.
Even if it means war? I challenge.
Even then, Kael says quietly. Your freedom matters more than our politics.
I study each of them. Looking for the lie. The manipulation.
But all I see is sincerity. And something that looks like pain.
Fine, I say. I'll stay. I'll train. But I'm not promising to bond with any of you.
Fair enough, Damon agrees.
Guards appear human form wolves who've clearly been following us. They escort me back to the fortress while the three Alphas shift and follow.
My room feels different now. Less like a prison. More like... I don't know. Temporary shelter, maybe.
I collapse on the bed, exhausted.
Through the door, I hear Kael giving orders to increase security. Hear Ryder arguing that they should give me more space. Hear Damon's dark laugh at something.
I close my eyes and try to sleep.
But sleep won't come.
Because beneath my window, I can hear something else. A sound so faint I almost miss it.
Scratching.
I move to the window silently. Look down.
A wolf sits in the shadows below silver fur, familiar scarred face even in animal form.
The messenger from Marcus.
It looks up at me with glowing eyes and shifts just enough to speak.
Your father says to tell you: the bond can be forced, but it works better when you come willingly. He'll give you three days to decide. Come to him willingly and he'll spare your three Alphas. Refuse, and he'll kill them slowly while you watch. Then take you anyway.
It shifts back to wolf form and vanishes into the forest.
I stand frozen at the window.
Three days.
Marcus is giving me three days to surrender myself, or everyone I'm starting to care about dies.
And the worst part?
I'm actually considering it.