Page 11 of Alpha Chained

I focus on her.

Wolf…

She’s a shifter, like me. I can feel it in my bones, a connection that transcends the steel bars between us. A flicker of some strange, unidentifiable emotion passes over her features, and suddenly, I’m transported back to a time when I was free – free to run through the woods, to howl at the moon, to simply exist without the weight of this curse that has become my life.

The guards fade into the background as I drink in her presence, committing every detail to memory. The gentle curve of her jaw, the way her chest rises and falls with each sharp breath, the fierceness burning behind those eyes. She’s a spark of hope in this ugly place, a reminder that I’m not alone, that there’s still beauty in this cruel world worth fighting for.

Bullshit!

I yank my eyes away, angry with myself for allowing this moment of weakness. There is no beauty in this godforsaken hell. Nothing that isn’t just a fleeting hint at a life that’s lost to me.

Shoving the image of those eyes out of my mind, I turn and head for my bunk, sinking down onto it and keeping my back to her. I don’t need the distraction right now. Now, I need these moments to reflect. To honor the life I just took. However violent that male may have been, he didn’t deserve to die. Not at my hand, at any rate.

I settle onto the thin mattress, staring ahead at the concrete wall. Then, closing my eyes, I try to find that place of stillness inside me – the quiet meadow where the weight of my sins can’t reach me.

But it’s no use.

Every time I let my mind drift, those honeyed eyes flash before me, burning through the darkness. I growl low in my throat, willing the image away.

What’s wrong with me?

I won’t allow myself to be weakened, especially not by some pretty face.

Still, her presence lingers, a persistent itch beneath my skin. That electric current from earlier hasn’t faded. If anything, it’s grown stronger, humming through my veins, a strange energy.

I huff out a frustrated breath, punching the flat pillow into submission. It’s not going to make it more comfortable. The damn thing wasn’t designed for comfort, although I guess I should be grateful – nobody else down here has one. Certainly not her… I fight the urge to look back at her, feeling her eyes between my shoulder blades like a physical touch.

Get a grip, Riot.

She’s nothing special – just another lost soul trapped in this hellhole like the rest of us.

But even as the thought forms, something deep inside me rebels against it. She’s not like the others. I don’t know how I know, but I’m certain of it.

A harsh clang startles me from my thoughts. My eyes snap open as shouts echo through the cell block. Instinctively, I tense, body coiled and ready for whatever fresh horror this place has in store.

The door to her cell shrieks open, and I hear guards barge inside.

“Get your filthy hands off me, you assholes!” the woman shouts. There’s the scuffing of feet and the sound of a struggle.

I turn my head, and my breath catches at the sight of her, all wild tendrils of fiery hair and blazing eyes. She’s magnificent – a force of nature caged behind these soulless walls.

“You can’t do this!” she shouts. She tosses her head, and our eyes meet for a second. Strangely, there’s no cry for help there; she’s quite prepared to fight her own battles. Yet, something stirs within me, urging me to act, to protect her.

I’m on my feet before I realize what I’m doing.

“Don’t you fucking hurt her!” I roar, surging toward the bars of my cell. The metal rattles and groans under the force of my assault, but it holds firm.

My lips peel back from my teeth in a snarl, and a rumbling growl builds in my chest. The guards flinch and shrink back, their grips on the woman momentarily slackening. She seizes the opportunity, wrenching free of their grasp and stumbling back a step. A flash of hope flickers in her eyes, and I know what she’s thinking. That she can get away from them. I feel my heart sink.

Even if she could get away, where would she run to?

She whirls to face the guards, her eyes blazing with defiance. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” she spits, squaring her shoulders.

The guards recover quickly, rushing forward to grab her again. She fights back, lashing out with sharp nails and bared teeth. But they quickly overpower her, dragging her from the cell.

I curse under my breath, my fingers curling around the burning bars until my knuckles turn white.

“No!” I bark, my voice echoing through the cell block. I throw myself against the bars, muscles bunching as I reach a clawed fist through them. “Leave her alone, you motherfuckers!”