The Human Girl Who Tamed Alpha King Chapter 83

ARIA

God, my head hurts. Where am I? Everything's spinning.

I force my eyes open, instantly regretting it when nausea hits me hard. Dark stone walls surround me. The air smells damp and musty, like something ancient and forgotten. A prison? No—worse. Some kind of torture chamber.

Sage? I call into the empty space of my mind. Nothing. No response from my wolf spirit. The silence terrifies me more than the room.

My hand instinctively moves to my belly. Please be okay, please be okay. Relief floods through me when I feel a small kick. My son is still alive, still fighting. At least Warren's goons didn't hurt him.

Warren. It must be him. The Sacred Moonlight Gathering was the perfect opportunity—Jace distracted by his fight with Marcus, Gabriel busy coordinating security, everyone's attention on the arena. But how did they get me out without anyone noticing? Someone must have helped them.

I try to move and feel the weight on my wrists. Silver chains. They should burn, should hurt like hell if I were a born werewolf. But they just feel... itchy. Strange.

Footsteps approach from outside, followed by the creak of an ancient door. Two sets of footsteps move toward me, accompanied by hushed voices.

"I want to beat that baby out of her," a female voice hisses. "It should have been mine!"

"Maybe the boss will let you," a male voice replies. "What am I saying? Of course he will."

"I hope he just kills her."

"He won't. You know he wants her for himself."

The woman makes a sound—something between a laugh and a growl. My skin crawls. I recognize that voice.

Another door opens, heavier footsteps approaching.

"Is she awake?" asks a deep, familiar voice that sends ice through my veins.

"We don't know, master. We haven't checked yet," the male voice answers.

"Then let's take a look."

Three figures enter my cell. Even in the dim light, I recognize them immediately. Richard Warren. Scarlett. Ryan. The unholy trinity of assholes.

Warren grabs my hair, yanking my head back. Pain shoots through my scalp.

"My dear Aria, I know you're awake."

I keep my eyes closed, refusing to give him the satisfaction.

He laughs, fingers tracing the mating mark on my neck. His touch makes me want to vomit. "These two reached out to me, dear Aria. Tell me you haven't been a good girl."

I open my eyes then, unable to hide my shock at seeing Scarlett and Ryan.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Warren smirks. "A human girl given wolf spirit, carrying an Alpha's child. The Moon Goddess certainly favors you."

He runs his finger along my cheek, making my stomach turn. "So, dear Aria, you're going to be a good girl. Reject your Alpha, and I'll let you have this baby. Then I'll give it to its father. After you've rejected him, you'll accept me as your chosen mate."

"Never," I spit. "I will never reject him."

Warren's face hardens. "If you don't, I'll kill the child."

Rage explodes inside me. "You're all insane. I'll enjoy watching Jace and Phantom tear you to pieces."

Warren laughs, cruel and confident. "He'll never find you. Even when the wolfsbane wears off, these silver chains will suppress your wolf powers and connection. For a former human like you, silver's effect is even stronger."

I don't correct him about the silver. Let him believe I'm vulnerable.

"For your child's life, I think you should do as I say." His voice drops to a threatening whisper.

"Never."

He steps back. "I understand this is difficult. So I'll give you two days to think and come back to your senses."

The three of them leave, the heavy door slamming shut behind them.

Alone in the darkness, I test my senses. The wolfsbane is starting to wear off. I can smell the dampness of the stones, hear water dripping somewhere nearby. I carefully examine the silver chains on my wrists. They don't burn at all. The Moon Goddess's gift worked—I really am immune to silver.

Sage? I call again into my mind. This time, I feel something—a faint stirring in the depths of my consciousness. Sage is still there, just suppressed.

Sage, please fight. I need you. We need to get out of here.

The presence in my mind grows stronger, responding to my call.

Fight, Sage. I need you more than ever.

I test the chains, careful not to make noise. They're solid, but knowing they can't hurt me gives me an advantage. Warren doesn't know about my silver immunity. His overconfidence might be his downfall.

I need to connect with Jace. He must be going crazy by now. Gabriel too. And poor Aurora—what did they tell her? That her mom just disappeared? The thought of my little girl scared and confused tears at my heart.

Focus, Aria. Need to get out of here first. Two days isn't much time.

I close my eyes, concentrating on the feeling of Sage inside me. She's getting stronger as the wolfsbane fades. Soon we might be able to reach Jace through our bond. If I can just tell him where I am...

Warren underestimates me because I was born human. He thinks that makes me weaker. But humans survived for thousands of years without claws or fangs or super strength. We're resourceful. We adapt. And now I have the advantages of both worlds.

My son kicks again, harder this time. Fighting spirit. Good boy.

I rest my hand on my belly. "Don't worry," I whisper. "Mom's going to get us out of here. Dad's coming for us. They have no idea what they've done."

A plan starts forming in my mind. Play weak. Let them think the silver is working. Gain their trust. Wait for my moment.

Sage stirs again, stronger this time. We'll make it through this. Together.

Warren doesn't realize what happens when you corner a mother protecting her child. Human or wolf—it doesn't matter. And he certainly doesn't know what happens when you piss off the Moon Goddess.

Two days. That's all the time they've given me.

Two days to prepare for war.