Chapter 2 THE GOLDEN CAGE

My neck was on fire.

I woke up with a violent gasp, my hand flying to the side of my throat. My fingers brushed against raised, tender skin. Two distinct, puncture wounds. The mark.

I sat up so fast the room spun.

I wasn't in the forest anymore. I was in a bed-a bed so massive and soft it felt like sinking into a cloud. The sheets were black silk, and the room around me was a masterpiece of dark luxury. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over a sprawling, misty pine forest, and a crystal chandelier hung from the vaulted ceiling.

It was a cage. A beautiful, gilded cage.

I looked down at myself. I was no longer naked. I was wearing a man's shirt-a crisp, white button-down that smelled entirely of him. Sandalwood, rain, and pure, dominant male.

Alpha Kael.

A shiver rocked through me, a terrifying mix of fear and something darkly magnetic. I remembered the cold look in his eyes when he ordered his men to kill me. I remembered the way he looked at me right before he sank his teeth into my flesh.

Mine.

His voice echoed in my head, sending a strange, heated pulse straight to my core. I shook my head, trying to clear it. I didn't want this. I didn't ask for a mate bond, and I certainly didn't want it with a monster.

I threw my legs over the side of the bed. My bare feet hit the cold hardwood floor, and I immediately rushed to the heavy oak door. I grabbed the handle, pulling with all my strength.

It didn't budge. Locked from the outside.

"Of course," I muttered, a wave of bitter anger washing over the fear. I was a prisoner.

Before I could look for a window to climb out of, the sound of heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed from the hallway. My heart slammed against my ribs. I backed away from the door, my eyes darting around the room for a weapon. I grabbed a heavy crystal decanter from a side table, clutching it to my chest like a club.

The lock clicked.

The door swung open, and Kael walked in.

He was wearing a dark gray suit today, the jacket open, revealing a black dress shirt that stretched taut over his chest. He looked immaculate. Powerful. Deadly.

He stopped just inside the room, the door clicking shut behind him. His pale gray eyes swept over me, lingering on my bare legs, the oversized shirt, and finally, the decanter in my trembling hands.

A slow, wicked smirk curved the corner of his mouth.

"Are you planning to hit me with that, little rogue?" he asked, his voice a low, velvety rumble that made my stomach flip.

"Stay back," I warned, hating the way my voice shook. "I swear to God, I'll smash it over your head."

Kael didn't stop. He walked toward me with the slow, predatory grace of a wolf circling a wounded deer. He didn't look threatened; he looked entertained.

"I said stay back!" I yelled, lifting the decanter higher.

He was on me in a flash.

I didn't even see him move. One second he was by the door, the next, his hand was wrapped around my wrist, squeezing just enough to make the decanter slip from my fingers. It hit the thick rug with a dull thud, rolling away harmlessly.

Kael backed me up until my spine hit the wall. He caged me in, placing his hands on either side of my head, leaning down until his face was inches from mine.

"You are in my territory, in my house, wearing my clothes," he murmured, his eyes dropping to my lips. "And you think you are in a position to make threats, Ava?"

I froze. "How do you know my name?"

"Your pack registration. Or what's left of it in the rogue databases," he said dismissively. His thumb brushed against the sensitive skin of my wrist. "You belong to a dead pack. You have no family. No allies. You've been surviving on the run for three years."

I swallowed hard, hating that he knew so much about me. "If you know all that, then you know I have nothing to lose. Let me go."

"I can't do that," he said softly.

"Why? Because your ego won't let you release a trespasser?"

"Because you are my mate," Kael said, the words vibrating through his chest and into mine. "The Moon Goddess has a sick sense of humor, pairing me with a half-starved, reckless rogue. But the bond is forged. I marked you. You are mine."

"I am not yours," I spat, ignoring the way the bond violently protested my words, pulling at my chest. "You can't just claim a person because of a stupid moon curse!"

Kael's eyes flashed black. The air in the room suddenly became heavy, crushing. The power of an Alpha.

"Careful," he warned, his voice dropping an octave. "You are in my pack now. You will show respect. The bond is the only reason you are still breathing. If you weren't my mate, I would have snapped your neck the moment I caught your scent."

I glared up at him, tears of frustration burning in my eyes. I refused to cry in front of him. "So what happens now? You lock me in a tower like a fairytale princess? Or do I just become your bedwarmer until you get bored?"

Kael's grip on the wall tightened, his knuckles turning white. A dark, possessive growl rumbled in his chest. "Do not insult me. I didn't bring you here for your body. I brought you here because my wolf will tear this entire territory apart if you are not near me. It's a biological defect. A weakness."

He pulled back slightly, looking at me with cold calculation. "You will stay in this room. You will eat, you will rest, and you will not cause trouble. If you try to run, the border guards have orders to shoot to kill."

"Wait!" I called out as he turned his back on me and headed for the door. "What about food? Clothes?"

Kael paused, his hand on the doorknob. He didn't turn around. "I am going to a meeting. When I return, we will discuss the rules of your stay. And Ava?"

"What?"

"Next time you try to attack me, make sure you don't hesitate. Because I won't."

He stepped out into the hallway, and the door slammed shut. The heavy click of the lock echoed like a gunshot in the silent room.

I slid down the wall, landing on the floor, and finally let the tears fall. I was trapped with the most dangerous Alpha in the world. And worse? My heart was racing, and it wasn't just from fear.

The bond was pulling me toward him. And I was terrified that if I stayed here much longer, I might actually start to like it.