Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
Pain.
Silver against skin, burning cold despite the cloth wrapped beneath to prevent direct contact.
The chains bind my wrists and ankles, heavy links rattling with every jolt of movement as I’m carried deeper into unknown territory.
The hood over my head blocks all light, leaving me in suffocating darkness punctuated by the sounds of my captors—footsteps, occasional murmured orders, Zella’s voice directing their movements with the same calm efficiency she’d shown during our training sessions.
Worst of all is the silence in my mind where Ryker’s presence should be. I reach for him repeatedly, straining against the metal’s suppression, catching only fragments of his rage and determination before the silver pulls me back into isolation.
Time becomes meaningless in this sensory-deprived state.
Minutes or hours could have passed since my capture—I have no way to tell.
My body registers the information my eyes cannot, an initial uphill climb from the ravine, then level ground for what feels like days, and finally a descent into cooler air that carries the damp mineral scent of underground spaces.
The group stops abruptly. I’m set down, not gently but not with deliberate roughness either. Professional, that’s the word for their treatment. Like handling dangerous cargo that must be delivered intact.
“Remove the hood,” Zella orders. “We’re secure here.”
The covering is ripped away and light assaults my eyes forcing me to blink rapidly as I adjust. We’re in what appears to be an ancient mining tunnel, support beams weathered with age framing a passage that disappears into darkness.
Torches provide limited illumination, their flames casting dancing shadows across rough-hewn walls.
Five wolves surround me, all wearing the distinctive markings of the Grand Alpha. Currently in human form, they watch me with wary attention, hands never far from weapons. Zella stands slightly apart, her familiar face now a mask of cool detachment rather than the warmth I’ve grown accustomed to.
A commotion from farther down the tunnel draws my attention. Two more guards appear, dragging a struggling figure between them. My breath catches as I recognize the silver-blonde hair, the scarred face now twisted in fury.
Lithia.
They throw her down beside me, her body hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Blood stains her temple and her breathing comes in pained gasps, but her eyes when they meet mine are clear and filled with cold rage.
“Lithia,” Zella greets. “You’ll make a valuable addition to our prizes.”
“Should’ve killed me when you had the chance, traitor,” Lithia spits, her voice raw but strong despite her injuries.
Zella smiles thinly. “The Grand Alpha has specific plans for you. As the Shadowmist’s enforcer, you hold valuable intelligence. And I’ve no doubt you’ll share it, once you’re properly persuaded.”
I watch in helpless rage as they secure Lithia with silver chains similar to my own. Unlike me, she fights despite the futility, earning a backhanded blow that splits her lip. Only when they’ve finished binding her does she still, her silver eyes finding mine in silent communication.
“Ryker lives. He’ll come for us.” A guard backhands her, silencing her once more.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask Zella.
She studies me coldly. “You were never meant to be claimed by the Shadowmist alpha. Your gift is too valuable to waste on a pack of outcasts.”
“Waste?” Anger flares through me, momentarily overwhelming the pain of the silver. “They respected my gift. Taught me to control it without breaking. They treated me as a person rather than a tool. I’m stronger because of them.”
Her laugh holds no humor. “Don’t mistake Ryker’s intentions for love, Kitara. He claimed you for an advantage in his feud with Thaddeus. He’s using you, just as surely as the rest of us will.”
“If that’s true,” Lithia interjects, her voice cold with contempt, “he wouldn’t have trained her. He would have used her exactly as Silvercrest did—draining her dry whenever convenient.”
Zella’s expression tightens at the interruption. “Tell me, Lithia, did you enjoy playing nursemaid to a wolf who can’t shift? Does it please Ryker to have his fiercest fighter reduced to babysitting?”
“I serve my Alpha,” Lithia replies with quiet dignity despite her chains. “And his mate. Kitara serves our pack. I am proud to call her Alpha Female.”
“How touching.” Zella turns away dismissively. “Separate them. Different transport routes, different final destinations. The Grand Alpha wants no chance of coordinated escape attempts.”
“No!” I struggle against my restraints as guards move toward Lithia. “We stay together!”
My protest earns no response beyond an impassive glance from Zella. The guards haul Lithia to her feet, ignoring her pained grimace as the silver chains grind against her wounds.
“Stay strong, Kitara,” Lithia calls as they drag her toward a branching tunnel. “Remember who you are, what we’ve taught you. And know that our Alpha will not rest until—”
A guard’s fist cuts her off midsentence. The crack of the blow rings through the chamber like a gunshot. My stomach twists as her body crumples, silver-blonde hair fanning like a halo as she’s hauled unconscious into the dark.
My wolf surges, howling for blood and retribution. Rage boils under my skin.
“You’ll regret separating us,” I tell Zella, forcing my voice to sound steadier than I feel. “Ryker will come for us, and I’ll be right there beside him when he exacts his revenge.”
“We’re ready,” she replies, her expression unreadable in the torchlight.
I’m silent for a moment as I glare at her, trying to control my fury.
I shake my head. “Why are you doing this?”
“For the greater good.”
I lean forward despite the chains’ weight. “How does any of this serve the greater good?”
She dismisses my question. “The Grand Alpha has a careful rehabilitation program planned. You’ll be treated with dignity, your gift properly managed by experienced handlers.”
“Handlers.” I put every ounce of contempt I possess into the word. “At least have the courage to say what you mean. I’ll be a prisoner, my visions forced from me whenever convenient, my body used to breed more seers your Grand Alpha can control.”
Zella’s jaw tightens. “It’s necessary. The packs need seers to survive in these times. Your gift is too rare to risk.”
“My gift. My choice.” I meet her gaze directly. “And I chose the Shadowmist.”
She turns away from me. “Get some rest. Our journey isn’t finished yet.”
We emerge from the tunnels hours later, and I’m loaded into a jeep, sandwiched between two enforcers. The silver chains remain, though they’ve been adjusted to allow minimal movement within the confined space.
I catch no further glimpse of Lithia, though I strain to spot any sign of where they might have taken her. Different routes, Zella had said. Different destinations. The strategic value of separating us is obvious—dividing Ryker’s attention, forcing him to choose which of us to pursue first.
The car begins moving, each jolt sending fresh pain through my silver-burned skin.
The windows are heavily tinted, but I glimpse forest giving way to rolling hills, the landscape unfamiliar after our circuitous journey.
We’re heading east, away from Shadowmist territory, though I can’t determine our precise destination.
My thoughts turn constantly to Lithia—fierce, loyal Lithia. Her capture is my fault, a direct result of her determination to protect her pack. What will Thaddeus do to her? What “specific plans” does he have for Ryker’s most trusted enforcer?
The questions haunt me as miles pass, as day fades to evening and then full night. The sedative they administered before the journey gradually wears off, allowing clearer thought but also heightening the constant burning of silver against my skin.
I use the growing clarity to reach repeatedly for our bond, pushing against the silver’s suppression with desperate determination.
Lithia taken too, I project, hoping against hope that Ryker might sense at least fragments of my message. Separated. East for me. Unknown for her.
No answering presence reaches me, but I continue trying throughout the journey, refusing to surrender to despair. Ryker will come. I know this with bone-deep certainty. The question is when.
As moonlight filters through the windows of the jeep, I close my eyes and make a silent vow—not just to survive, but to escape. Not just to endure, but to find Lithia. Not just to wait for rescue, but to prove myself worthy of being Alpha Female to the most feared wolf in five territories.
Silver may suppress the bond, may weaken my visions, may restrict my movement. But it cannot touch the determination that now flows through me like iron.
I am Kitara, Alpha Female of the Shadowmist Pack. And I am no one’s prisoner.