Jade's POV
The bedroom was nice. That was the worst part.
It was large and warm with soft lighting from lamps on either side of a massive bed. The walls were painted a gentle gray. There were windows that looked out over the forest, tall windows that caught moonlight and turned it into something almost beautiful. A thick rug covered the hardwood floor. There were books on shelves and a comfortable-looking chair in the corner.
It was the kind of room Jade would have loved in any other situation.
Right now it felt like a cage.
Riven had brought her upstairs without another word, just guided her by that possessive hand on her lower back, past doorways and down a hallway that seemed to stretch forever. The lodge was massive inside, much bigger than it looked from outside. Full of wolves and warmth and the constant hum of pack bonds that made her skin crawl.
He'd opened this door and stepped inside with her.
"This is yours," he'd said simply. "My room is next door."
Next door. He was going to be right there. Watching her. Waiting for her to do something he could punish her for.
"Don't try to run," he continued, his eyes meeting hers with absolute certainty. "You won't make it past the border. Shadowfang territory extends for miles. Every inch is marked. Every inch is guarded. There's nowhere to go."
Then he'd left.
The door had closed with a soft click that Jade heard as a death knell.
She'd moved immediately to the windows. Locked. Not even a real lock, the kind she could pick, but a deadbolt that required a key from outside. She'd checked them all. Every single window, sealed shut like she was something dangerous that needed containing.
Then she'd tried the door.
Also locked. From the outside. She was trapped in this nice room with its soft lighting and its comfortable furniture like it was a prison cell. Like they'd just dressed up her cage to make it prettier.
Panic started crawling up her throat.
She couldn't breathe right. Her chest felt too tight. Her skin felt too small for her body. Her wolf was clawing at her from the inside, confused and agitated in a way she hadn't felt in six years. The pack bonds pressing against her consciousness were like hands trying to pull her under water.
She paced.
Back and forth across the rug, from the windows to the door and back again. Her heart was racing. Her palms were sweating. She wanted to scream. She wanted to shift and tear through these walls and run until she found the ocean and disappeared into it.
She wanted her mother.
Her mother would know what to do. Her mother had spent years running from exactly this kind of situation. But her mother was dead and Jade was alone and she'd walked straight into the trap that had killed her mother just by existing.
A soft knock interrupted her spiral.
Jade spun around, ready to fight or run or do something, and found a woman standing in the doorway. She was pretty in a soft way, with kind eyes and dark hair pulled back. She was holding a stack of towels and wearing a smile that didn't look fake.
"Hi," the woman said gently. "I'm Maya. I'm the pack healer and also Kael's mate. He mentioned you might need some clothes."
Jade didn't answer. She was too busy trying to figure out if this was another trap.
"I know this is scary," Maya continued, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. "Being brought into a pack like this without warning is intense. But I thought you might want to clean up and change. Riven brought you straight from the diner so you're still in your uniform."
Jade looked down. She was still wearing her Ruby's Diner uniform. The same one she'd been wearing when her entire life imploded. The realization made something inside her crack open.
"Here," Maya said softly.
She set the towels on the bed and pulled out clothes that must have come from somewhere. Soft pants. A simple shirt. The kind of clothes someone would wear if they planned to actually belong somewhere.
"The bathroom is through there," Maya said, pointing to a door Jade hadn't noticed. "There are fresh towels and everything you need. Riven said you could have privacy while you settle in."
Riven said. Like he was running this place. Like he got to decide what happened to her.
"I'm a prisoner," Jade said quietly.
"You're protected," Maya said back. She sat down on the edge of the bed like she had nowhere else to be, like spending time with the girl who'd been kidnapped was just part of her day. "There's a difference, I promise."
"Not to me."
Maya's expression got sad for a moment. "I know it doesn't feel like it right now. But you need to understand what's happening. Riven doesn't just bring wolves into pack. Especially not hybrid wolves. That's a big deal."
The word hybrid hung in the air between them like a weapon.
"How did he know?" Jade whispered.
"He's been searching for you," Maya said gently. "For a long time. He heard rumors about a hybrid existing somewhere on the coast. He was trying to find you before other packs did. Before Bloodmoon did."
Bloodmoon. The pack that had killed her mother. The pack that had probably been looking for her this whole time.
"Once you're clean and changed, you should try to rest," Maya continued. She stood up and moved toward the door. "Tomorrow everything will make more sense. I promise."
Jade didn't believe that. Tomorrow wasn't going to make this okay.
But as Maya reached for the door handle, she paused. She turned back and looked at Jade with something serious in her expression.
"Just so you know," Maya said quietly, "Riven's never brought anyone to pack before. Not like this. Whatever you are to him, it's important. That makes some wolves nervous."
The door closed before Jade could ask what that meant.
She stood alone in the nice prison of her bedroom, listening to the sounds of the pack moving through the lodge below her. Fifty wolves. All powerful. All unified. All wondering what exactly their Alpha had brought home and why.
Jade moved to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror.
The girl looking back was someone she didn't recognize anymore. Dark eyes that looked hunted. Dark hair messy and tangled. Skin pale from six years of avoiding sunlight and living in fear. She looked like exactly what she was.
A hybrid. A rare thing. A weapon waiting to be used.
And she was locked in a bedroom in the middle of wolf territory with no way out and no one coming to save her.