Still stubborn

With trembling fingers, I reached for the cabin door and knocked softly. My breath clouded in the icy air, and for a moment, there was no response. I thought of leaving, running back into the darkness to find another way, but the creak of the door interrupted my thoughts.

A woman stood in the doorway, her piercing green eyes locking onto mine. She was older, her silver hair braided over one shoulder, and though her face was lined with age, there was a sharpness to her gaze that warned me she wasn’t to be underestimated.

She sniffed the air and narrowed her eyes. “A rogue,” she said, her voice calm but laced with suspicion. “You’re injured.”

I didn’t deny it. “Please,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I need shelter, just for tonight.”

Her gaze swept over me, taking in the blood, the bruises, and the desperation in my eyes. She let out a slow breath before stepping aside. “Come in, then. But don’t think I won’t throw you out if you bring trouble.”

I stepped inside, the warmth of the cabin enveloping me instantly. The smell of herbs and wood smoke filled the air, and I nearly collapsed from the relief. The woman guided me to a small cot by the fire and tossed a thick woolen blanket over my shoulders.

“Don’t speak,” she said as she bustled around the cabin, gathering supplies. “Save your strength.”

I obeyed, too exhausted to argue. She returned with a bowl of steaming water and a cloth, cleaning my wounds with a practiced hand. Her touch was firm but gentle, and as the warmth seeped into my skin, I felt some of the tension ease from my body.

“You’ve been running,” she said after a while, her tone neutral.

“Yes,” I admitted. “From a pack.”

Her eyes flicked to mine, sharp and calculating. “An Alpha?”

I nodded.

She didn’t press further, but her expression grew thoughtful. “You’re safe here for now, but I don't know later. It will depend on the Alpha you ran from",

I wanted to protest, to insist that I didn’t need her help if she was worried that I will cause her trouble, but my body betrayed me. Exhaustion dragged me down, and before I could respond, sleep claimed me.

The instant I woke up, I immediately knew it that something was wrong. I was no longer in the old woman's cabin but in a warm room.

It was no one's room but Alpha Kade's.

He captured me again and now I was back in territory.

I felt like dying as I realisation hit me.

Panic surged through me as I took in the surroundings. The familiar scent of the packhouse lingered in the air, suffocating me. The bed beneath me was too soft, too warm, and every corner of the room screamed of him—Alpha Kade. I wasn't this time in the whore house.

How had I ended up here? I clutched the blanket around me, my mind racing as I tried to piece together what had happened. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in the old woman's cabin, safe for the first time in days. Had she betrayed me? Or had Kade found me himself and she handed me to him without even waking me up?

The door creaked open, and I froze as his towering figure stepped inside. I could feel his dominance in the room. His aura was cold and I could feel his harsh gaze at me. I didn't move or flinch, my eyes snapped open but I stayed on my spot. The sound of boots stomping on the ground got closer and I immediately closed my eyes.

"I know you wake", He soon enough deadpanned , his voice deep and dark. It reverberated in the room the thing which made my heart to beat more in my chest.

"Awake and hungry. Are you happy now?", I opened my eyes and met his eyes. They were cold and calculating, and the bond we shared buzzed faintly, a cruel reminder of what should have been a connection but felt more like a chain.

“You thought you could run from me?” His voice was low, almost a whisper, but it carried the weight of his authority, of his anger. He shut the door behind him, and I flinched at the sound.

I forced myself to sit up, ignoring the sharp pain in my ribs. “I didn’t think,” I spat, glaring at him. “I knew I could. And I will again.”

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t react to my defiance. Instead, he stepped closer, his presence suffocating. “You’re mine, Reen Martinez. Whether you like it or not.”

I froze for a moment when I heard him say my full names.

Who the hell told him my names?!

Of course me shifting into my wolf gave him a chance to know every detail about me.

“I’m no one’s,” I snapped, the fire in my voice masking the trembling of my body. “You didn’t want me as your mate, remember? You stood there and let Torren rip me apart. You don’t get to claim me now.”

Something flickered in his eyes—regret? Pain? I didn’t care. Whatever it was, it wasn’t enough to erase what he had done.

“I didn’t stop Torren because you needed to prove yourself,” he said, his voice quieter now, almost pleading. “I couldn’t interfere. The pack would have seen it as weakness.”

I laughed bitterly, the sound harsh and cold. “So you let me nearly die to protect your precious image as an Alpha? Do you hear yourself, Kade? Do you even realize how pathetic that sounds?”

His hand twitched at his side, but he didn’t move closer. “You don’t understand—”

“You’re right,” I cut him off, my voice rising. “I don’t understand, and I don’t want to. You may be my mate by some cruel twist of fate, but I’ll never accept you. Not after what you’ve done.”

Silence stretched between us, heavy and oppressive. My wolf stirred uneasily, torn between the bond we shared and the betrayal that still stung like an open wound.

“I brought you back to heal,” Kade said finally, his tone soft but firm. “You were dying, Reen. Whether you hate me or not, I couldn’t let that happen.”

“You didn’t save me for me,” I said coldly. “You saved me because you can’t stand the thought of losing what’s yours. But I’m not yours, Kade. I never will be son of a bitch .” I cursed but I immediately regretted it.

His demeanor changed immediately and before I knew it, I was off from the bed and a hand was on my throat, pushing me against the wall. His fingers were digging deep into my neck. I slipped back, near a wall while something-a feeling rose in the pit of my stomach.

"Stop acting like a bitch and I've warned you a thousand times to behave yourself, and yet, somehow, you don't seem to understand." His breath hissed at my ears and I closed my eyes tightly.

As his hand tightened, my lips parted and I almost pleaded for some air. I opened my eyes and looked at him from the corner of my eyes while the sides of my lips slowly began curling.

A smile.

"I choose death over becoming your breeder?" I choked out, the words barely leaving me.

At my words ,he glared at me for hard and long, holding his anger within himself.

He didn't reply instead he pressed his body harder against mine. Hands squeezed over my flesh and the atmosphere in the room stiffened. My left cheek brushed against the dry wall while his lips brushed against my right cheek.

"You a sick in head, do you know that?", I hissed out when I felt it. His cock. It was hardening. He liked my stubbornness .

"You will feel how sick I am when I bury myself inside you." He groaned.

"Over my dead body", I hissed out through the cracks of my teeth.

"As long as you the chosen one , soon you will be on your knees like an obedient bitch begging for my dick", He smirked before letting me go.

"Fuck you. I will not spread my legs wide for you. Over my dead body", I snapped as I slipped down onto the floor. I was honestly so hungry. I no longer had energy in me.

"You my breeder. that's what you were born for", He spat out and I was getting sick of him calling me that.

"By the way what should I get you for supper. I don't want to starve you anymore. You already know your role", He smirked mischievously at me.

"Someone's meat", I whispered in a harsh tone.

He didn’t respond, and for a moment, I thought he might come back for my throat. But instead, he turned and walked to the door. His hand hovered over the handle as he spoke, his voice barely audible.

“I'm gonna kill one rogue and bring you the meat ”

With that, he opened the door and stepped out, leaving me alone in the room. The sound of the lock clicking into place sent a shiver down my spine.

Did he seriously mean that?!