01 Another Dreadful Night  

Adasha

Living in a gilded cage—this is my reality. For some of us, life becomes an inescapable trap, bound by invisible chains that are too tight, too complex to break. No matter how hard we try to free ourselves, we remain ensnared.

At eighteen, I was chosen to be Luna of Woodshire. What should have been an honour quickly turned into a waking nightmare. Back then, Randy—my husband and Alpha—had seemed perfect. 

He was charming, attentive, and loving during our courtship. Everyone envied me, even to the point of jealousy. I lost friends over it, but I didn’t care. We weren’t fated mates, but I told myself love could grow.

For the first year, it did seem like a dream. Then the dream soured. Randy revealed a darker side—jealous, controlling, violent. Every attempt I made to leave only worsened the situation.

He wielded his power like a weapon, threatening to eliminate my parents if I tried to escape. It wasn’t an empty threat; Randy controlled the entire western territory and had the means to make good on it. 

To ensure my compliance, he cut me off completely from my family, banning all contact. I was isolated, just as he’d planned—no friends, no family, only him.

He stripped me of my Luna responsibilities, delegating them to the Beta’s wife, leaving me with no resources and no purpose outside the walls of our home. 

After my first attempt to run, he locked me away in our apartment within the pack house for eight long months. 

I was only freed when his Beta intervened, forcing him to grant me a sliver of liberty. But it wasn’t real freedom. It was a leash, designed to keep me tethered.

Randy’s suspicions were unrelenting. He accused me of infidelity, deceit, and betrayal over the smallest interactions. 

Smiling at a man, exchanging pleasantries at an event—it all ended with punishment at home. I was suffocating under the weight of his paranoia and cruelty. 

The pack’s pity was meaningless. No one dared challenge the most powerful Alpha.

Six years into this harrowing marriage, I was hosting a gala. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but for me, it was just another minefield to navigate. 

Every glance, every word had to be carefully measured to avoid provoking Randy’s wrath. His possessive gaze followed me everywhere, a constant reminder of the danger I lived in.

The gala was exhausting, but it presented an opportunity I couldn’t ignore. Since Randy had banished my parents, I had lived in constant agony, wondering about their well-being. 

I knew they were with Alpha Jason’s pack now, but all attempts to contact them had failed. 

Randy used their safety as leverage, a leash he tightened whenever I showed signs of defiance. If he wasn’t happy, I’d lose all hope of ever seeing them again.

Randy’s threats were not idle. His dominance over the west was absolute, and eliminating his enemies—or perceived enemies—was second nature to him. 

Other Alphas admired his iron rule, a chilling reality I struggled to accept.

Desperation to escape consumed me, but I couldn’t act without knowing my parents were safe. My only hope lay with Alpha Jason. 

Though we’d met briefly as teenagers during camp, we were little more than acquaintances. Still, I clung to the hope that our shared family bond might compel him to help.

Lost in thought, I debated how to approach Jason without arousing Randy’s suspicions. Before I could decide, Jason appeared and extended a hand, asking me to dance. 

My instincts screamed to decline, but I knew this might be my only chance to speak to him. I glanced at Randy, gauging his reaction. 

He gave a brief, disinterested nod before looking away—a rare display of indifference.

With a mix of apprehension and determination, I accepted Jason’s hand.

The gala unfolded in the sprawling gardens, every corner bathed in soft, golden light. With so many eyes around us, I felt a rare sense of safety as Jason and I danced. 

His presence was steady, his demeanor calm, and when he suggested a stroll to admire the garden’s lush expanse, I agreed without hesitation. It was an opportunity I couldn’t afford to miss.

Under the guise of polite conversation, I seized the moment to plead for his help. My words spilled out, desperate yet cautious, and Jason listened intently, his expression grave. 

He promised to assist, assuring me that I would soon reconnect with my parents. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, a glimmer of hope broke through the suffocating darkness that had become my life.

What I failed to notice, however, was the storm brewing within Randy. His eyes had followed my every move, his anger carefully concealed beneath a mask of calm. 

It wasn’t until we returned to the Pack House that his true emotions began to surface. The click of the bedroom door locking behind us sent a shiver of dread down my spine. 

The silence was deafening, and I knew immediately—I had overstepped. The consequences would be severe.