Chapter 5 A Wolf's Cage

The moment Kaine disappeared beyond the iron door, Elysia exhaled shakily, pressing a hand against her chest as if that could slow the wild rhythm of her heart.

She had survived.

For now.

But she wasn't naïve enough to think she was safe.

Elysia pushed herself off the cold stone floor, her muscles aching from the night's events. Her mind raced, replaying Kaine's words.

"You have two choices. Stay here under my protection... or die."

Protection. That word meant nothing in a place like this.

She walked toward the door, testing the handle. Locked. Of course it was. She pressed her ear against the iron, listening.

Faint voices. Footsteps.

They were still out there.

She stepped back, scanning the small space. The cavern was bare aside from a cot in the corner and a rusted bucket she didn't want to think too much about. No weapons. No windows.

She was trapped.

A deep, frustrated breath left her lips. She needed a plan. Sitting here, waiting for Kaine to decide her fate, wasn't an option.

She turned her wrist over, staring at the Lunar Scar. The symbol still pulsed faintly, its silver glow dimming but not disappearing.

Lunara.

The word Kaine had called her sent a ripple of unease through her. She didn't know much about werewolf legends, but she had heard that name before.

The Lunara wasn't supposed to be real.

It was a myth-some ancient being that existed between worlds, neither wolf nor human, yet something far more dangerous.

"You were never meant to exist."

Elysia swallowed.

If that was true, then she was already as good as dead.

She needed answers.

The iron door rattled.

Elysia spun just as it creaked open.

But it wasn't Kaine.

A new figure stepped inside-a man with dark, shoulder-length hair, his frame lean but powerful, his sharp green eyes scanning her like a predator sizing up prey.

He wasn't as massive as Kaine, but there was something equally dangerous about him.

A wolf.

He closed the door behind him, arms crossed as he leaned against it.

"So," he drawled. "You're the girl everyone's whispering about."

Elysia braced herself. "And you are?"

He smirked. "Darius. Kaine's second-in-command."

That sent a chill through her. If Kaine was the leader, then that meant Darius was second in power here. And the way he watched her, like she was something wrong, didn't sit well with her.

Darius took a slow step closer.

"You don't belong here, human."

Elysia forced herself to hold his gaze. "Neither do you."

Darius's smirk faded.

"You think Kaine can protect you?" he asked, voice dropping to something lower, something dangerous. "You're a liability. Every second you breathe, you put this pack at risk."

Elysia's fingers curled into her palm. "And what do you plan to do about that?"

Darius tilted his head.

"That depends," he murmured. "Are you willing to prove you're not a threat?"

A sharp knock on the door interrupted them.

Darius exhaled, rolling his eyes before pulling it open.

Kaine stood there, gaze flicking between the two of them. "I thought I told you to leave her alone."

Darius's smirk returned, but this time, it held something cruel. "Just introducing myself."

Kaine didn't look convinced. "Get out."

Darius let out a low chuckle but stepped past him, disappearing down the corridor.

Kaine turned his attention back to her. "He didn't touch you, did he?"

Elysia narrowed her eyes. "Would it matter?"

Kaine's jaw tightened. "It would."

Something about the way he said it sent an unexpected heat through her, but she pushed it aside.

"I need answers," she said firmly. "I need to know what's happening to me."

Kaine studied her for a long moment, then sighed. "Then you better keep up."

He turned sharply, disappearing into the hallway.

Elysia hesitated only a second before following.

She didn't know where he was leading her.

But she knew one thing.

If she wanted to survive, she had no choice but to trust the rogue alpha.

For now.