The firelight from the gathering still burned in my mind as Jacob's hand tightened around mine, pulling me away from the courtyard. The pack's whispers echoed behind us—shock, envy, disbelief.
No one had expected him to declare me under his protection. Not even me. I though all this time that he didn't care. He's just there to watch. He will only steps in if my child is in danger.
His grip was unrelenting as he dragged me through the halls of the packhouse, his silence louder than any words. I wanted to ask where he was taking me, to beg him to let me go, but fear knotted my throat.
Finally, he stopped before a heavy oak door at the top of the stairs. The air shifted. I knew where we were.
The Alpha's room.
My heart lurched. "No," I whispered, shaking my head. "Please… not here."
Jacob didn't look at me as he pushed the door open. The scent of cedar and smoke filled the air, sharp and dominating, just like him.
"You will stay here from now on," he said flatly, pulling me inside.
My chest tightened. "What? No… I-I can't. I belong in the servant quarters, not—"
His hand shot out, gripping my jaw and forcing me to meet his eyes. They blazed with something I couldn't name—anger, possession, hunger all twisted together.
"You belong where I put you," he growled. "And I put you here."
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "Why? Why are you doing this? You don't even like me. You said—" My voice cracked. "You said I was a mistake."
His grip loosened, but he didn't let go. For a heartbeat, something flickered in his expression—conflict, maybe, or something far darker.
"You are," he said finally, voice low. "But you carry what is mine. That makes you untouchable."
"It's always about our child." I faintly said.
"And what it should be? Even that child is not expected, it is still my heir."
"What will happen if this is a girl? will it be label as like me?"
"Who would dare to bully an Alpha child?"
"We don't know about that."
"You are becoming bolder. You forget that you're an omega."
His words cut, sharp and merciless, yet there was a strange twist in my chest—a sense of safety tangled in cruelty. Because as long as I was under his roof, no one in the pack would dare harm me or the child. And in his eyes, I am just an omega with his child.
But at what cost?
He released me, stepping back, his posture rigid. "You will eat here. Sleep here. Breathe here. My guards will watch you when I cannot. You don't leave unless I say so. Don't you even try to escape or do stupid things. "
The finality in his voice made my stomach turn. He wasn't giving me a choice—he was caging me. I feel suffocated all of a sudden.
I wanted to scream. To fight. To tell him I wasn't his prisoner. But my hand instinctively moved to my stomach, and the thought of Selene's venomous eyes, of the pack's hatred, silenced me. Maybe… maybe this was the only way to protect the life inside me. I just need to stay quiet as possible to protect my child.
Still, the thought of sharing space with him, of living in the Alpha's room, made my skin prickle.
Jacob watched me closely, as if waiting for rebellion. But when none came, he turned away, shrugging off his jacket. His muscles flexed beneath his shirt as he moved with the effortless grace of a predator.
"You'll sleep on the bed," he said, almost absently, as if it were the most natural thing.
I froze. "And where will you—"
"My bed," he interrupted sharply, his tone brooking no argument. "Don't mistake my claim for kindness. This is not about you. It's about the heir."
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. He wasn't touching me—yet the weight of his presence pressed against me, suffocating.
The silence stretched between us, thick and charged. I could feel his gaze on me even when he turned away, could sense the tension in the air like a wire pulled too tight.
Finally, I sank onto the edge of the massive bed, my body trembling. The mattress felt foreign beneath me, too soft, too wrong. This wasn't mine. None of this was mine, but his scent fills my nose. It gives me a momentary calm. This is what they called pregnant hormones? I find myself a bit calming after sniffing the pillow. It smells like him.
But when I curled my hands over my stomach, feeling the faintest flutter inside, I reminded myself of the truth.
I wasn't here for me.
I was here for the child.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Jacob watching me again, his expression unreadable. His gaze lingered on the curve of my stomach, then rose to my face. For a moment, I swore I saw something like… softness. A dangerous illusion.
But then it vanished, replaced by the cold, commanding Alpha once more.
"Sleep," he ordered. "You'll need your strength."
I lay back, the weight of his words pressing heavier than the blankets. My heart pounded, my mind racing.
"Do you think all will be better if I stay like this?" I put all my strength into this words...
"Nothing could harm you and my pup here. This is my private space. You just need to stay here for a moment.
I was in the Alpha's room. In his bed. Under his constant watch.
The cage had closed.
And no matter how much I wanted to believe I could endure it, I couldn't shake the chilling thought—
What happens when the cage isn't meant to protect me… but to break me?