Chapter 05

The Price of Survival

The door slams shut behind them, and I hear their footsteps fade down the hall.

My wolf howls in my mind, wild and desperate, mates, mates, mates—like she’s ready to tear through steel just to get to them. I grit my teeth and push her back, cutting off our connection. I need to think, actually think, without her primal urges screaming over every other emotion.

For a moment, there’s silence.

Then Nova turns to me slowly, eyebrows nearly climbing off her forehead. “What the fuck just happened?” she says, voice pitched high like she’s glitching. “Did you just say…? Did they just…? Whaaaat?”

If it weren’t for how serious our situation was, I’d have laughed at the look on her face—eyes wide, mouth slightly open, like she’d just watched a unicorn in spandex twerk before us.

“They’re my mates,” I croak, voice thin and dry.

And just like that, my thoughts explode.

Oh my goddess, what are we going to do? We can’t stay here. My mates are so hot. It’s dangerous. So. Fucking. Hot. Like break-a-bed-frame kind of hot. Okay, stop. Focus. What if they find out about our abilities? What if they want to use us? Also—do they taste like honey or sin or something else entirely? Oh no. Why am I like this?

My wolf, the unhelpful menace that she is, sends me the mental equivalent of a smug smirk.

I blink, forcing myself to focus on Nova. She’s staring at me like I’ve grown wings or a tail or both. “I thought I was going to have to bargain my skills to stay alive,” she mutters, “but I guess this works too.”

I shrug weakly. “A little more dramatic than we planned, but hey, silver lining.”

She tilts her head. “You mean the fact that you’re mentally undressing our captors while we’re tied to chairs in their office?”

I sigh. “Don’t kink-shame me in my time of crisis.”

“What’s gonna happen now, Raine?” Nova asks softly, her voice stripped of its usual snark. It’s the kind of question you already know the answer to but wish someone else would say out loud, just to make it real.

I take a slow breath, weighing every chaotic thought in my head. “Well… they can’t kill me now. And hopefully, that extends to you too. So… once we get an opening, we run.”

“But…” she starts, then trails off, chewing on her bottom lip. She’s not usually the one hesitating.

“We can’t stay here, Nova,” I whisper.

She nods once, reluctantly, but then she says it—what I was trying so hard not to think about. “But they’re your mates. It’s… fated.”

I look away, eyes stinging. “I know,” I breathe, and the ache behind my ribs grows tighter. “But you know why we can’t stay.”

My voice shakes, and I hate that it does. “Even if they’re good… even if they don’t turn into monsters like the others did… I’ll only put them in danger. I’m not normal, Nova. We’re not normal. And sooner or later, someone’s going to come for us again.”

Tears prick my eyes, and I blink them away fiercely. “I can’t lose you. Not for anything. Not even for a fated mate bond.”

Nova is quiet for a long moment before she murmurs, “I hate that you’re right.”

We sit there in silence, our wrists bound, hearts tied to something we didn’t ask for—but maybe, just maybe, we’d be strong enough to choose our own fate anyway.

The wolf from before returns not long after, the same one who had offered advice in the office. His expression is unreadable, calm but alert, as if prepared for anything. Without a word, he steps forward and begins untying the ropes around our wrists.

“I’m Eric,” he says once the ropes fall away. “I serve as the Alphas’ steward and—on occasion—their butler. I’ve been instructed to show you to your rooms.”

I immediately stand, positioning myself slightly in front of Nova. “We won’t be separated,” I say firmly, my tone leaving no room for debate.

Eric hesitates, his silver eyes flickering between the two of us. For a second, I think he might argue—but then he gives a slight nod. “Very well. Follow me.”

Nova grabs my hand as we trail behind him.

Eric leads us up a sweeping staircase, down a long corridor, and stops in front of a heavy wooden door. He opens it and gestures for us to enter.

“This will be your room for now,” he says. “You’ll be called down soon, but until then, you’re free to rest. No guards will be stationed outside unless you try something. Just… don’t try anything stupid. It’ll be a waste of everyone’s time.”

He gives us a small nod, then turns and leaves, the door clicking softly shut behind him.

I let out a breath I didn’t realise I was holding and finally look around the room.

It’s… stunning.

The space is large, warm, and luxurious—cream walls with gold trim, a fireplace on one end, and a huge soft-looking bed covered in thick navy quilts. There’s even a window seat with pale blue cushions that overlooks a forest bathed in sunlight. A walk-in closet and en suite bathroom make it clear that this is not a prison cell.

Nova whistles low under her breath. “Damn. Even captivity is bougie.”

I manage a tired smile. “Not exactly what I expected after getting knocked out and tied to a chair.”

She flops onto one of the beds. “Still beats that dump we were in before.”

I don’t respond, just walk over to the window and stare out. The trees sway peacefully in the breeze, but my mind’s anything but calm.

Soon, they’ll call us.

And I’ll have to face my mates again.

Ready or not.