Chapter 2 Abduction

I glare at him, still in shock.

"You must be mistaken." I said, not wanting to believe.

"There's no mistaking you Moriah, or where you came from."

I open my mouth to demand answers but a sharp blow from behind steals my words, and all I could see was darkness.

In the black haze, A dream surfaces.The same dream I've had ever since I was younger.The smell of smoke and blood, the crackle of someone screams my name.

"Moriah?"

I open my eyes, wincing as light hits me. I'm lying on a comfortable bed I don't recognize.

"Good you're awake."

"Where I'm I?" I ask Caden, who was hiding in the shadows.

I groan upright but the movement made me feel dizzy.

"Do yourself a favour and stop moving." Caden comes into focus just as he sinks down on the bed beside me. He reaches for me.

"Don't touch me."

He stops himself. "It's okay, you're safe."

"Says the guy that kidnapped me."

"Believe it or not, I'm trying to help you. You were in trouble out there."

Trouble?

"What was so dangerous about my normal life? The occasional zit? taxes?"

"You don't have a normal life." Caden voice lowers an octave and he leans over the mattress, reaching for me again. I pull back.

"Would you hold still?" He lifts his hand.

It's only then that I see the bag of ice he's holding.

"That asshole Erik kicked you hard in the ribs. You're bruised pretty badly." Caden said with a look of concern.

What? I bring my hand to my torso where Erik kicked me. Sure enough, it stings.

Alarmed, I move to get up again but Caden stops me.

"Woah, easy there. Let me take a look."

"I don't need your help." I said, pushing his hands away.

"Maybe you don't. But this is my fault."

I can hear the frustration in his voice. Frustration with himself for causing me pain." I need to make sure you're okay. Please."

After a long moment, I nod. Caden eases me back unto the bed and sits next to me.

Why can I feel heat radiate off of him whenever he's close?

He raises my shirt up just enough to expose my bruised ribs. Then, he brings the ice close.

"Stay still."

My breath catches at the frigid contact, but Caden holds the ice steady. Slowly, the pain begins to ease.

"Can I keep going?" he whispers, low and serious, his eyes meeting mine beneath dark lashes.

"umm, I think you should stop." I nervously take the ice pack out of his hand.

I press the ice to my ribs, watching Caden's reflection in a nearby window, his eyes not leaving me.

"So, uh, where am I exactly?" I say peering at his reflection.

"At my estate in the mountains, far from town. Far from danger. It's called Willow's peak."

"That's funny." I said, turning to look at him. "The most dangerous thing I've come across is sitting right here." He grins

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I know. And I know tonight was a... surprise. But if I hadn't taken you, he would have."

"Who?"

"Your father."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I shift uneasily on the mattress.

"That can't be right. I've never known my father. He wouldn't just randomly turn up now."

Caden rises off the bed. For the first time, I get a sense of how tall he is. "Tell me, what do you know about your family?"

"My parents were... members of a cult. I landed in foster care because of it."

I wince at the memories- being passed from home to home, abused, constantly afraid and lonely. "My father never wanted me."

"Oh, your father wanted you, still does. But not for some cult sacrifice. The whole cult thing was bullshit. Your father is a shifter, Morgan. And not just any shifter- he's the Alpha of my rival pack.

The word 'shifter' rattles strangely in the back of my mind, both foreign and familiar.

"He's what?"

"A shifter. A person born with a wolf inside of them. A person who can transform. A person just like you."

I can't believe what Caden is telling me. I get up off the bed and back towards the door, shaking my head.

"I don't understand."

"Try, I know deep down you remember who you are. What you are." Caden takes a step towards me, his gaze razor-sharp. "You're a shifter. On your 21st birthday, your powers awaken. You can be claimed as an Alpha's mate."

Claimed as a mate? None of this is making sense.

Caden steps closer, his presence bearing down on me like an anchor. I glance at the door.

"Claimed mates make their Alphas strong. And the last thing your father wants is for me to get stronger."

I shake my head, judging how many steps it would take for me to escape.

"No. I won't be 'claimed' by anyone." Shoving past Caden, I make a break for the door, but he catches my wrist.

Suddenly, a coursing shock rockets from Caden's touch. Everything fades away except from him.

He feels it too, gasping for breath as his fingers close over my wrist.

"What is this?"

"You...and I..."

Time stands still as we stare at each other, our bodies pulsing as though we share a single heartbeat.

Releasing my wrist, Caden flexes his fingers and looks at me with genuine shock.

"It's rare. So rare I thought it was a myth,but...

We must be true mates, Moriah."

"What do you mean?"

"You're not just a mate I've claimed for myself. You're bonded to my soul. Born to be mine, above anyone else."

"We're soulmates?. That doesn't mean I'm going to stay here."

"Yes it does. Once you understand what it means."

Suddenly, Caden grasp my hips my back against the wall. The heat of his body, of his touch, is like gravity against mine: impossible to deny, pulling me closer.

"Don't tell me you don't feel this. The tether between us."

"Caden..."

His words, his hands on me, all melt like honey beneath my skin. I can barely stand it.

"What is this? What's happening?"

"We're one. We're soulmates. And together our power could be limitless. Can't you feel it?"

Caden takes my hand and moves it beneath his shirt. The smooth movement of his touch turns electric, and I feel my skin hum with charged power. Then I see it again. The glow in his eyes, unnaturally bright.

"Feel me, Moriah."

Caden guides my hand up underneath his shirt, my fingers brushing against hard ridges of muscle.

My eyes drift down to his broad chest.

"I– I can't."

With a jolt, I pull away from him, my body still hot from his touch.

Then, his body stiffens. His eye suddenly widen, glowing brighter, turning a brilliant shade of molten gold.

"What?" He staggers, his body tensing and curling in on itself. His skin ripples like boiling water, darkening and shifting as he begins to grow in size.

"What the–?"

"Arrrrggghh" he doubles over as his clothes rip. In place of his handsome face is a long snout and razor-sharp teeth.

Finally, where Caden once stood, a powerful black wolf now towers over me.

His onyx fur ripples in the moonlight like liquid night. His eye glint a bright gold, just as fierce as when he was human.

Oh my God. It's true. He's really a...

The wolf is still, unmoving, and I'm not sure if I should go close or stay away.

My eyes never leaving the enormous wolf, I move until there's enough space between us

"Caden?"

Another ripple, another breath, and Caden, fully human, takes the wolf's place, naked and bracing himself on all fours.

His eyes are wide, his breathing laboured as he stares at me in what can only be shock.

"That's never... I've never transformed against my will before. What did you do to me?

"What did I do? You just–"

Suddenly I hear the same chorus of eerie, distant howls from the window.

"What was that?"

Swearing under his breath, Caden struggles to his feet, displaying all of himself.

"Raphael."

Someone bangs on the door. Caden quickly throws on some spare jeans and unlocks the door.

"Caden what the hell was that? Did you and her just..." it was Beau, he sounded a bit surprised.

"Yeah. we bonded. And he must have felt it. Warn the others."

The man gives a short nod and leaves

"What's going on?"

"Your father. He isn't just any shifter, Moriah.

Caden walks to the window, his knuckles white.

"Raphael is the most dangerous, powerful Alpha anyone has ever seen. He lives to torture and kill. And now his daughter is the true mate of his sworn enemy. His rival Alpha. Me."

"What does that mean?"

His turns back to me, eyes burning and icy all at once.

"It means he's coming to kill you."