Chapter 1 Imprisoned

• Caitlyn's POV:
• I'm a prisoner.
• Three days ago, my Alpha father collapsed, poisoned by his second mate. His body betrayed him, leaving him paralyzed and helpless. While he lay there, she took his place, declaring herself the new Alpha of the Windwood Pack.
• I couldn't believe it. The Luna who had always been kind and gentle—she had done this. The same woman we had trusted, welcomed into our family for years, had become a monster in our midst.
• As my father's eyes began to dim, he gripped my hand. His voice was weak, his breath shallow. "Caitlyn," he rasped, "Take your brother ... find Zephyr. Leave Windwood."
• Zephyr Lockhart was my mate, but he was no ordinary pack member. He was a Rogue, unwanted by most shapeshifters, cast out from any clan.
• The first time I laid eyes on him, it was at the pack's edge, where the trees grew thick and dark. There was a pull between us, something fierce and uncontrollable. I knew right away—he was mine. The bond was undeniable, our connection unbreakable.
• I brought him to the pack, to my father.
• "A Rogue? My daughter's mate?" My father's rage boiled over. "I'll never allow it!"
• He locked me away, forbidding me from seeing Zephyr again.
• But my heart couldn't stand being apart from him. Not for a moment.
• So, three days ago, we made a plan. Zephyr and I would elope. I'd leave the Windwood Pack behind, follow him into the wilderness, and we would carve out a life together, far from here.
• But then, my father's mate poisoned him, and the pack was thrown into chaos. My escape crumbled. How could I run when everything was falling apart?
• Now, my brother and I were held captive by that vile woman—Lillian Ritchie, the Second Luna.
• I have to escape. I have to save my brother. I need to find Zephyr and bring him back to rescue my father.
• On the third night, the chance finally came.
• We said goodbye to our father, tears streaking down our faces, and we fled into the night.
• But ...
• Twenty minutes later, we were caught—barely three hundred yards from the spot where Zephyr waited for me.
• Lillian had me locked away, shut in a pitch-black room. No food. No water. No way to reach anyone.
• Five days passed in that darkness. Then, two hulking Gamma werewolves dragged me out and threw me onto the cold floor of the main hall.
• Lillian loomed over me, a cruel grin spreading across her face. My dear little daughter, she said, her voice cutting like ice. "Who would've thought you'd be worth something after all? There's an Alpha who's willing to pay a fortune for your blood. Five million a month, and I don't even care what he does with it. But with a deal like that, I'm not letting you go anytime soon."
• Sell my blood? Fear clawed at me. I couldn't believe it. The idea of being drained like that, over and over, was too much.
• I tried to move, but my body was weak, drained of any strength. I couldn't fight.
• "Don't even try," Lillian said, her voice hard. "You know what'll happen if you resist. I won't hesitate to hurt your brother. I'll kill him if I have to."
• No! I couldn't let her do this again. I couldn't let her hurt my family.
• Lying there, I could feel tears burning behind my eyes. My lips were cracked and dry, but I managed to whisper, "Lillian, you've already won. You're the Alpha of Windwood Pack now. My brother ... he's just a child. He can't threaten you. Let him go. I'll stay. I'll give you my blood, as much as you want. Just ... let him live."
• I would do anything even if it cost me everything, as long as he was safe.
• I could wait. I'd wait until she didn't need me anymore. Wait until I was nothing to her.
• And I knew Zephyr would wait too. He would wait for me.
• Lillian tilted her head, her lips twisting into a cruel smile. "Caitlyn, you really are naive, aren't you?" Her voice dripped with mockery. "Did you think giving me your blood would be the end of it?"
• My heart sank. "What do you mean?" I gasped, looking up at her.
• She grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking hard. Pain exploded across my scalp as blood trickled down my neck.
• You fool, she hissed. "Your blood isn't the most valuable thing about you. Your virgin blood? That's what they want. Ten million for that."
• "No!" I screamed, pushing her away. I crawled toward the door, panic driving me. "Zephyr is my mate! I'll only bond with him! I can't—I won't!"
• Lillian's face twisted in fury. She grabbed me by the hair again, and with a few clicks on her phone, she played something.
• Zephyr's voice filled the room, deep and familiar.
• "Cait, weren't we supposed to leave Windwood Pack together? Where are you?"
• "It's been two days now. I went looking for you, but they told me you ran off with another man. I don't believe it, though. Mates never betray each other. Come to me, Cait. I'll tell you the truth, everything you want to know about me."
• Then, a second recording began.
• "Caitlyn." Zephyr's voice trembled with hurt. "You're not coming, are you? It's been three days. This is the last time I'll wait for you. If you come, I'll take you away, give you a new life. But if you don't ... you're dead to me."
• Tears streamed down my face, each one heavier than the last.
• Zephyr. He had waited for me, keeping his word even when everything fell apart.
• I threw myself toward the phone, desperate to reach him. But just as my fingers brushed it, Lillian grabbed my hair and yanked me back, dragging me across the floor. The pain shot through my scalp, but her grip was unrelenting.
• Her cold voice curled around me like a snake. "You think you're clever, don't you? He's waiting for you, but I have men stationed everywhere around him. One call, and your beloved Zephyr? He'll be nothing but a stain on the dirt, crushed under wheels. Let him leave, or stay here and watch yourself get ruined by another man, then die with him."
• I shook, unable to control the tremors that wracked my body.
• Dad. My brother. Zephyr, my mate.
• I couldn't save them all.
• Lillian straightened, tossing the phone at me like it was a worthless thing. She tapped my cheek, then sauntered over to the couch, sinking into it with a cruel smile. "You know what to do," she said, her tone mocking.
• Then the phone buzzed again, vibrating fiercely in my hand as if on cue.
• Zephyr. He was calling. Again.
• Once. Twice.
• The sound echoed through the room, relentless, just like how he had been trying to find me these past few days.
• My hands shook as I held the phone, tears blurring my vision. What should I do?