Chapter 2 The lycan's prison

Draka sat in his dungeon, his body growing accustomed to the wolf's bane injections. Though the alpha believed the potent herb was still effective in subduing him, Draka's lycan physiology had adapted, rendering it less potent. He smirked to himself, aware that his freedom was imminent.

Later that evening, Aria was summoned by the alpha. "Yes, Alpha Lucas ," she bowed, her eyes cast downward. "Grab those buckets of water; we're heading to the dungeon," he commanded. Aria's eyes widened, and she eagerly complied, carrying the heavy buckets as she followed the alpha and the burly guards to the dungeon.

As they descended into the dank, dimly lit corridors, the stench of decay and mold assaulted her senses, making her stomach turn. She felt a wave of nausea wash over her, but she steeled herself, determined to see this task through.

As she stepped into the dungeon, her gaze fell upon the cell where the lycan was imprisoned. And then she saw him. Aria's breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight of the man behind the bars. If this was indeed the lycan, he was breathtakingly beautiful. His features were chiseled, his eyes piercing, and his presence radiated power and intensity.

Aria couldn't help but wonder how something so dangerous could be so captivating. She felt drawn to him, her curiosity piqued by the secrets that seemed to surround him. As she gazed at the lycan, she felt a sense of wonder, and her heart beat just a little bit faster. Little did she know, her life was about to take a dramatic turn.

The lycan's piercing gaze locked onto Alpha Lucas, a smirk spreading across his face. "As expected, Lucas, I've been waiting for you. You should have been here since morning, like usual," he said, his voice laced with sarcasm. Alpha Lucas smiled in return, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Better late than never," he replied, his tone dripping with condescension.

Just then, the lycan's eyes tore away from Alpha Lucas and landed on Aria.

The moment his gaze touched her, it was like fire licking down her spine.

Burning.

Peeling her apart.

He didn't blink-didn't move. He just looked at her, and the sheer weight of that stare made her breath catch. His eyes-sharp, feral, and impossibly dark-dragged over her face, then lower, tracing every line of her disguised frame like he was memorizing her. Her skin prickled under the intensity, heat surging through her veins. She felt like prey caught in the sights of a predator, completely exposed.

Aria dropped her gaze, pulse thundering in her throat. Her hands clenched by her sides, trembling.

She couldn't look at him again.

Not when he looked at her like that.

Not like a prisoner.

Like a man who saw right through her.

"Proceed with the water," Alpha Lucas said, his voice slicing through the thick, heavy silence.

The guards moved to obey, swinging the cell door open with a groan. Chains clanked against stone, revealing the full size of the beast within. The lycan towered above them even while bound-his arms straining against the thick, rune-etched manacles, muscles rippling with every breath.

They moved toward him, beginning to strip away the ragged remains of his clothes.

Aria's heart jumped to her throat.

Heat surged to her face as she quickly turned away, her cheeks blazing. She wasn't supposed to look. Couldn't look. But her body betrayed her-her gaze flickered back, drawn like a moth to flame.

And he caught her.

The lycan's smirk was slow, knowing. Dangerous.

That look-it was sin made flesh.

He saw the way her eyes darted away again, the flush staining her skin, the stiff awkwardness in her limbs. No boy would've reacted like that. No male would've flushed, would've trembled, would've stolen glances at him like she had.

The girl was no boy.

Draka's mind snapped into sharp clarity.

A human girl had been hiding under their noses-cunning, small, and so very out of place. He almost laughed. Alpha Lucas hadn't seen it. Hadn't even suspected.

But he saw it now.

Every nervous glance, every flinch of her delicate shoulders-he saw her.

And he liked what he saw.

"Stop making my human boy uncomfortable," Lucas said lightly, amusement curling in his voice. "He's human and terrified. He's not like us."

Draka didn't look at the alpha. His eyes stayed locked on Aria like he was peeling away each layer of her illusion, savoring every crack in her disguise.

His lips curled.

"Truly?" he drawled, voice like smoke and gravel. "Are you sure he's scared... or is it something else entirely?"

The air shifted. He wasn't talking to Lucas anymore.

He was talking to her.

Aria's breath hitched, and despite herself, her eyes met his.

That connection-it was instant. Hot. Electric.

It hit her low in her belly and stayed there, a slow coil of something terrifying and tantalizing.

Lucas chuckled, oblivious to the storm he'd unleashed. "He's just small. It's a reasonable reaction."

The guards stepped forward and poured the water over Draka's bare chest. It sluiced down his skin in rivulets, trailing over every line of muscle, every scar, highlighting the sheer power of him. He didn't flinch from the cold. Didn't blink. His eyes stayed locked on Aria, drinking her in like she was the first taste of freedom in years.

She tried to look away.

She couldn't.

Her lips parted, breath coming quicker.

He was a prisoner. A beast.

And yet...

She'd never seen anything more devastating.

Or more dangerous.

The water dripped from his body. His smirk deepened.

He knew.

He knew what she was. And he wasn't saying a word.

The guards moved aside, and the scent of wolfsbane filled the room as a vial was passed to Alpha Lucas. He stepped inside the cell, the sly smile on his face widening.

But Aria's mind was no longer on the alpha. No longer on the chains or the potion.

Only on the lycan who was watching her like she already belonged to him.

"As long as you continue to be locked down here, I'll continue to be your king, a king who rules over peasants like you," he whispered, his voice menacing. Aria felt a shiver run down her spine as the alpha injected the wolf's bane into Draka's veins.

Draka's face contorted in pain, his eyes flashing with anger. His eyes turned pitch black, and Aria felt a surge of fear. She had never seen anything like this before, and the intensity of Draka's reaction was terrifying.

The alpha exited the cell, and Aria followed, her eyes fixed on Draka's anguished face. She felt a pang of sympathy for the lycan, despite the danger he posed. As she turned to leave, she caught Draka's gaze, and for a moment, she thought she saw hatred written all over his face,perhaps directed to her or the alpha.

Shakily, Aria followed the alpha out of the dungeon, her mind reeling with thoughts of the lycan and the complex emotions he evoked in her. She couldn't shake the feeling that her life was about to change in ways she couldn't yet comprehend.

Draka seethed in the darkness of his prison, his body weakening as the wolf's bane coursed through his veins. He knew it was only a matter of hours before the effects wore off, a fact that the foolish alpha seemed blissfully unaware of.

As he sat in silence, the green eyed girl crept into his thoughts once again. What was her reason for disguising herself as a boy? It wasn't a surprise, really. Everyone knew how poorly human females were treated in this society. But there was something about her that didn't quite add up.

Draka's mind lingered on the girl, wondering what her story was, what had brought her to this place. He sighed, the sound echoing off the cold stone walls. His head fell forward, and the chains around his hands and legs clacked together, a harsh reminder of his captivity.

As he sat there, a smirk spread across his face. Only a matter of time, he thought. Only a matter of time before he broke free from this place, before he took back control. The wolf's bane might be holding him back for now, but it wouldn't last forever.

Draka's eyes gleamed with determination, his mind racing with plans and possibilities. He would escape, and when he did, the alpha would regret underestimating him. The green eyed girl, too, would find out what it meant to cross a lycan like him. But for now, he would bide his time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.