Chapter 5 – The Chains of Bloodmoon
The cell stank of iron and earth. Louve sat with her back against the cold stone wall, her arms shackled with silver cuffs that bit into her wrists every time she moved. The faint hum of energy that ran through the silver kept her wolf silent, a dull ache in her bones where strength should have been. She could feel every heartbeat in her chest, each one reminding her of the truth she didn’t want to admit—she was trapped, and this time, she might not escape.
Her throat was dry, her lips cracked. The night before had been nothing but darkness and echoes of her own thoughts. Every memory came back sharper than a blade: the chase through the forest, the snapping jaws of wolves behind her, the moment strong arms had dragged her from the ground and slammed her into reality.
She had been careless. Stupid, even. For a rogue, that was unforgivable.
The door creaked, and she stiffened, instinctively pulling against the chains despite the burn. Heavy boots thudded against the stone floor, the sound slow, deliberate. The scent hit her first—pine smoke, steel, and something darker, like the lingering echo of a storm. It wrapped around her senses like a vice. Her stomach turned.
Him.
Alpha Dolph.
The man who now held her life in his hands.
He filled the doorway like a shadow born from the night, his sheer size making the room feel smaller. His black hair fell in rough strands across his forehead, framing eyes as sharp and pale as winter frost. There was no warmth in them, no mercy—just the glint of a predator sizing up his prey. His presence rolled through the room like thunder, thick and suffocating, and her wolf whimpered inside her despite the silver.
Dolph didn’t speak at first. He just stood there, watching her. Studying her. She hated that stare—it made her feel stripped bare, exposed in a way she couldn’t defend against.
Finally, his voice cut through the silence like a blade. Deep, controlled, but edged with something she couldn’t quite name.
“You crossed my borders.”
Louve swallowed hard. Her throat felt raw, and when she spoke, her voice cracked. “I didn’t know—”
“Don’t lie to me.” He stepped forward, and the weight of his aura hit her like a wall. Her breath hitched despite herself. He was too close now, and the dim light from the torch behind him caught the sharp line of his jaw, the faint scar running along his temple. Everything about him screamed danger—raw, untamed, merciless.
“I—” Louve stopped, biting back words that would only make things worse. She wasn’t stupid. Rogues didn’t talk their way out of Alpha dungeons. They didn’t leave Alpha dungeons.
Dolph crouched down in front of her, his face level with hers. For a moment, their eyes locked, and something inside her chest lurched violently.
The bond.
No. No, it couldn’t be.
Heat shot through her veins, unexpected and unwelcome. Her pulse roared in her ears, and her wolf surged against the silver’s restraint, howling silently in recognition. She sucked in a shaky breath, willing it away, denying it with everything she had. Not now. Not him.
Dolph’s nostrils flared. He smelled it too.
For a fleeting second, something flickered in his eyes. Shock. Anger. Then, just as quickly, it hardened into cold steel.
“No,” he said flatly, almost to himself, as if rejecting the very air between them. He stood abruptly, towering over her again. His hands clenched at his sides. “This isn’t happening.”
Louve pressed back against the wall, her heart hammering. She wanted to speak, to say something, anything—but what could she say? That she felt it too? That every instinct screamed mate even as reason told her this was a nightmare?
He turned his back on her, shoulders rigid. “You’ll stay here until I decide what to do with you.”
Her voice broke free before she could stop it. “You can’t ignore this.”
The words hung in the air, trembling like a fragile thread. Dolph stopped, but didn’t turn around. For a long moment, the only sound was the crackle of the torch on the wall. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet—but deadly.
“Watch me.”
Then he was gone, the door slamming shut with a finality that stole her breath.
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The hours bled together after that. Louve sat in silence, her mind a storm of thoughts. She could still feel the echo of that spark, that invisible thread pulling at her, burning her from the inside out. She hated it. She hated him. And yet, deep down, a dangerous truth whispered from the shadows:
You don’t hate him.
She growled softly under her breath, gripping the chains until the silver bit deep. She needed a plan. She couldn’t stay here, waiting for him to decide her fate. She had survived too much to end up a prisoner—or worse, a pawn.
Her ears caught the faint sound of footsteps long before the door opened again. She braced herself, expecting Dolph—but instead, it was someone else. A woman.
Tall, elegant, with dark auburn hair braided down her back and eyes the color of sharp amber. Her beauty was striking, but her aura carried authority that spoke louder than any words. She wore the Bloodmoon insignia on her shoulder—Beta rank.
“Rogue,” the woman said coolly, stepping into the cell. Her voice was like silk laced with poison. “You’ve caused quite the stir.”
Louve kept her expression neutral, though her gut told her this woman was dangerous. “Didn’t mean to.”
The Beta smirked faintly. “Didn’t mean to,” she echoed, as if amused by the absurdity. “You trespass on Alpha Dolph’s land, you bring trouble to our borders, and now… now you stink of something else entirely.” Her eyes narrowed, sharp as blades. “A bond.”
Louve’s stomach dropped. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, I do.” The woman crouched, mirroring Dolph earlier, but where his presence was a storm, hers was venom—a slow, creeping threat. “You’re his mate.”
The words sliced through the air, leaving Louve breathless.
“I don’t know who you think—”
The Beta cut her off with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m Seraphine. Dolph’s second. And let me make one thing very clear, rogue: I don’t care what the moon says. You will never be Luna. You don’t belong here. And if you stay, you’ll burn this pack to the ground.”
Louve held her gaze, refusing to flinch. “Maybe the pack needs burning.”
For the briefest second, Seraphine’s smile faltered, her amber eyes flashing with something darker. Then she stood gracefully, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “Careful, little wolf. Fire has a way of consuming everything—including the one who starts it.”
With that, she turned and left, the door slamming shut once more. Louve exhaled slowly, her chest tight.
She tilted her head back against the wall, staring at the faint glow of moonlight spilling through the tiny window high above. Somewhere out there, freedom still existed. She just had to survive long enough to find it.
What happens when survival means facing the bond you can’t escape?