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The Alpha's Reluctant Wife
The Alpha's Reluctant Wife
Author: Artelia

Chapter 1: Prologue

Author: Artelia
last update Last Updated: 2025-02-27 11:31:06

Run.

Run as fast as you can.

Don't look back. Don't falter. Just keep running. Just keep -

"Ahhh!!"

My internal mantra got interrupted when my feet tripped over an exposed root. It sent me tumbling down a small hill, scrapes and cuts marring my fair skin. I couldn't stop myself from yelping, and no sooner than the sound left my lips, I heard the telltale barks of wolves in the distance.

I scratched my neck for the millionth time that night, desperate to dislodge the metal choker around it. My nails came out crusted with both dried and fresh blood. The silver choker served as a twisted reminder of my position and inability to shift into my wolf. It would've been much easier if I could run faster than my two human feet.

No time to dwell on it, though. My time was running out.

With a huff, I planted my hands on the ground and pushed myself up. I willed my legs to keep working, resuming my escape deeper into the forest. The bright moon lit up my path through the winding trees. I could vaguely see the border of the compound not too far from me.

My heart swelled, my breath catching up in my throat. So close... I was so close. I forced my body to run even faster, but just as I was about to clear the forest, a gunshot rang through the night.

Immediately, I crouched and hid under an alcove of bushes and roots. The forest stilled, not even an inkling of sound from the fauna or crickets from the bugs. The loud thudding of my heart was almost deafening compared to the silence surrounding me.

A series of howls broke the quiet. I hurriedly grabbed handfuls of mud and smeared it on my skin to mask my scent. Then, I covered my mouth and tried to breathe as slowly and silently as possible.

The barks of wolves came closer until I heard the sound of cracking bones and voices.

"She's just around here," a masculine voice said. Based on the sound, he was likely directly opposite where I was hiding.

I tucked my knees up against my chest and curled around myself, trying to make my body much smaller.

"Her scent disappeared," another replied. Leaves scrunched as the man walked around the area.

"She can't just vanish into thin air. We need to find her, or it'll be our heads on the chopping block," a third voice spoke up.

"Do you think I don't know that?" The first man hissed. "The Alpha has been in a mood since she sneaked out five hours ago. I don't want to be in that man's line of sight anytime soon. He's fucking volatile."

"Language! He's still our Pack Alpha. If he hears you insult him like that..."

The threat hangs in the air, silencing the three men momentarily.

"Let's not waste time considering 'what ifs.' The sooner we find that bitch, the sooner we can get our reward. Besides, if the Pack Alpha finds her first, we're dead."

"Regardless, if we don't find her, we're still goners."

They grunted their agreement before shifting into their wolf forms again. I listened closely, waiting until I knew they were gone. Cautiously, I emerged from my hiding spot and looked around the empty area.

Guilt made my stomach churn, but I pushed the emotion in the very back of my mind. I couldn't deal with it right now. All I could think of was to escape from this hell.

I continued running again. Hope bloomed in my chest when I got closer to the border without being hindered for the second time. Luck must've finally favored me because there were no guards in sight. As long as I climbed the concrete wall, I was free.

That should've been my first sign that something was wrong. The Alpha of the Galway Pack was never complacent. He would never leave a border section without guards, especially if his wife was on the run. But I was so caught up with the false sense of freedom that I ignored all the warning signs and continued recklessly forward.

The tip of my finger brushed the wall. The first genuine smile after several years graced my face. My breath hitched from exhilaration, vision tunneling at my sole path to salvation.

'So close... I was so close,' I thought to myself again.

Close, but never there.

Something heavy collided against my body. I sprawled on the ground and breathe wooshed out my lungs. I tried to claw my way out of the thing that was pinning me down. I screamed, clocking my elbow behind me.

A low growl froze my movements. I've memorized that sound. The familiar scent of fire and ash enveloped me, making breathing harder. Terror gripped my heart and tears welled up in my eyes.

Bones cracked as the wolf on my back shifted into his human form. Warm breath fanned against my ears. I felt supple lips trailing soft kisses on its edge, going lower until it reached the crook of my neck. The mud had long crusted and cleared from my body. Then suddenly, teeth sank into my skin.

I screamed and thrashed against the Alpha's hold.

"Shhh, is this really the way you should be greeting me? I missed you," Adrian whispered, licking the wound fervently.

Sobs wracked my body as I thought of ways to do damage control. Should I continue fighting, or should I surrender? Fighting meant more wounds, but surrendering wasn't strictly better.

My emotions decided for me when white-hot anger blinded my rationality. In a last-ditch effort, I twisted my body and punched Adrian. He's caught off guard, enough for my hit to land. Blood dribbled from his split lip, and I watched him lick the crimson liquid with darkened eyes.

"Have I been too soft and lenient with you?" He asked in a dangerously low voice.

I realized too late that I'd done the wrong thing but didn't regret it. Not even a little bit.

"You'll never have me. You can do whatever you want with my body, but my wolf and soul will never be yours!" I shouted in his face, vitriol dripping in my voice. Years of torment and suffering made me finally snap.

Adrian looked undeterred at the wake of my wrath. "We'll see, but make no mistake. I can break and rebuild you over and over... and over again." He grabbed my arm and leaned closer again, his nose bumping my face. "I'll make it so I'll be the only one to accept you. Too damaged for anyone else but her Alpha. You're mine, Chiara. And I will remind you of your place as many times as you need until it finally clicks in that pretty head of yours."

The Alpha of the Galway Pack stood before me. His tall figure towered above my trembling body. I tried to glare at him, scream, and fight back, but my body wouldn't cooperate. His words played in a loop in my head, and all I could remember were his punishments.

I couldn't go through that again. I couldn't. But Adrian gave me no choice. He dragged me by my hair, my body finally waking up from its fear-induced stupor. I raged and screamed against his grip. He pulled me back to the compound effortlessly.

Back to my life as his wife... as his property.

Back to my life of hell.

Amidst the suffering, I gripped the only thing that kept me afloat all these years. It was the only remaining semblance of myself. If I could never be free, then I would at least bring him down to the depths of eternal damnation with me.

The thirst for vengeance kept my flames burning.

And I would burn Adrian Galway with it.

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    "Let's all welcome, Galway's Pack Alpha, Adrian!"The host's voice boomed throughout the ballroom, and the guests turned their heads to us as we entered. My hand was in the crook of Adrian's elbow. He expertly maneuvered us through the crowd, greeting each of them as he walked toward the center. It didn't escape my attention that none of them even glanced at me. I was used to being ignored by everyone, although the reasons why they did so varied. Some hated me for my position. Despite being practically a property to Adrian, I had some perks. Nothing could grant me power, but I could at least live a comfortable life —well, as comfortable as I could— while being subjected to Adrian's sadistic side.However, everyone also knew that I was off-limits. The Pack Alpha was a notoriously ruthless leader. When it came to his... interests, he was over-protective with them. Or perhaps it's better to say that he was possessive and obsessed. His violent tendencies were enough to deter anyone from

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  • The Alpha's Reluctant Wife   Chapter 6: Chiara

    Absolute darkness.All I could see was black: endless and suffocating. The blindfold dug painfully against my eyes. My head was pounding in pain from the pill Adrian forced me to swallow. I felt disoriented, the ringing in my ears going on and on, defeaning despite the silence surrounding me. Other than that, the only thing I could hear was my heavy breathing.I didn't know how long I was hanging. Adrian dragged me straight to his playroom after meeting with the Rogue. Then he proceeded to tie my arms and hang me from the ceiling, feet dangling on the floor with just the tips of my toes barely touching the ground. My shoulders... my legs... my feet... everything was already aching.As time stretched on, I could feel the tendrils of panic slowly seeping in. Goosebumps rose on my skin, and I had to continuously bite my lip, using the pain to ground myself. This torture was nothing new. Adrian had done so much worse to me, yet I found myself succumbing to his games again for the first ti

  • The Alpha's Reluctant Wife   Chapter 5: Chiara

    Adrian was mad.I could feel it in how he gripped my waist, fingers digging into my skin. That would bruise, for sure. It was another thing I had to hide and ignore.But what I was most concerned about was the man kneeling before us. I watched him from the corner of my eyes, drinking in his scruffy appearance and bloodied face. Matted dark hair stuck to his tanned forehead, and his dark gray eyes were shadowed. There was a flash of hurt and sorrow, but they were gone so quickly that I thought I might've just imagined them. A faint scent of pinewood permeated the room, making my wolf stir for a bit before returning to slumber again. It wasn't surprising, given how much she's been hidden.The man looked at Adrian and me with mild interest. They called him The Rogue Wolf. His story had haunted packs for more than a decade: a wolf-shifter who had gone mad and slaughtered his members.Rumors said that it must've been a disease that caused his rampage, while some theorized that he was simpl

  • The Alpha's Reluctant Wife   Chapter 4: Lance

    Smack!My shoulder throbbed as the bloody bastard brought down his baton against it. I snarled and tried to shrug the mutt off, but my cuffed hands didn't help. Instead, I fell on my knees, my teeth knocking painfully from the impact.Hands gripped the scruff of my shirt, dragging me forward."If you can't even walk, we might as well just break those legs. They're fucking useless anyway," one of the patrols drawled as he looked down on me.I glared at him and bared my teeth. "Bold of you to assume you can just lay your hand on me, mutt."Derisive laughter came from the wolves surrounding me. "Are you blind, too? Or maybe just plain stupid. We've caught you, Rogue.""You're all bark but no bite!" Another hollered, followed by a round of chuckles."No, that's wrong," someone wheezed in while laughing. "He's no wolf. Not like while being tied up like a pig in slaughter. Oink, oink!"I gritted my teeth and stayed silent while they laughed their assess off. If I could just break away from

  • The Alpha's Reluctant Wife   Chapter 3: Chiara

    "Let's all welcome, Galway's Pack Alpha, Adrian!"The host's voice boomed throughout the ballroom, and the guests turned their heads to us as we entered. My hand was in the crook of Adrian's elbow. He expertly maneuvered us through the crowd, greeting each of them as he walked toward the center. It didn't escape my attention that none of them even glanced at me. I was used to being ignored by everyone, although the reasons why they did so varied. Some hated me for my position. Despite being practically a property to Adrian, I had some perks. Nothing could grant me power, but I could at least live a comfortable life —well, as comfortable as I could— while being subjected to Adrian's sadistic side.However, everyone also knew that I was off-limits. The Pack Alpha was a notoriously ruthless leader. When it came to his... interests, he was over-protective with them. Or perhaps it's better to say that he was possessive and obsessed. His violent tendencies were enough to deter anyone from

  • The Alpha's Reluctant Wife   Chapter 2: Chiara

    Three Years AfterWincing, I dabbed the make-up brush harder against my skin. The foundation gradually concealed the finger-shaped marks around my neck. After I put on the choker again, it would look like nothing had ever happened.Just the way I liked it.Every day, it got harder to cling to my quest for revenge. It started with the hope of taking out the Pack Alpha and gaining my freedom. Reality soon dashed it, and my next goal became much less until it devolved into the simplest things.Silent protests, never-spoken insults, and vague jabs against my tormentor. I took my wins, no matter how small, to keep myself sane and continue fanning my dwindling fire.My wolf whined in my head as I finally finished my make-up and put on the choker again. The silver metal was cold against my skin, and I gulped as its familiar weight settled on my neck. It was encrusted with diamonds to complement my ball gown. Nevertheless, its meaning hadn't changed.It's been years since I shifted into my wo

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