Born From Ash (Book I of The Flame Trilogy)

When I wake up again, there is a throbbing pain in my head and the familiar feeling of having had the shit beaten out of me. I’m still wearing the same clothes that I had on before. They’re mere rags now, and they’re starting to get stiff with the dried blood that covers them, not to mention the smell that almost has me gagging. My thigh burns sharply as I move, I look around hoping to find something to clean it with.

There is a draft in the room, well it’s more of a prison. The floors are solid concrete and freezing cold; the coldness seeping through my clothes. There’s a barred window above my head and a solid steel door directly in front of me. Not to mention the shackles around my wrists keeping me against the wall. I might be able to break through them, but that will only cause more problems in the long run.

They don’t need to know that I’m different. As long as I can keep up the appearance of a Lone Wolf, things should be manageable.

There is a small tray not too far from me with a piece of mouldy bread and a cup of water. I have to stretch my foot towards it in order to reach it. It takes a couple tries before I can successfully drag it toward me. I fight the urge to scream as my wounds burn fiercely, but I manage through gritted teeth.

I use most of the water to clean the gash on my thigh. Now that it’s been cleaned it should heal on its own, and thanks to my enhanced ability it should be healed in a few hours. Most of the scrapes and cuts that I had previously acquired are already gone.

It’s mostly silent, and time passes. It feels like I’ve been in these cells for hours, maybe days. I lost track of my counting; since they aren’t feeding me, my stomach has practically started eating itself with the lack of nutrition. I even blacked out a few times.

It’s fairly dark, but with my vision I still have an alright view of my surroundings. Plenty of times, I close my eyes to just listen; sometimes listening is far more useful. I can hear the echo of footsteps in the stone corridors outside my cell. Anticipation builds within me- it’s mealtime and I am more than grateful.

The sound of heavy booted feet comes closer, I can feel the overwhelming authority of whoever it is. This isn’t a guard, this is someone entirely different. I can sense it from the unmistakable stench of dominance and masculinity. If I was anyone else- anything else- I may have bent my knee in submission.

He stops outside of my cell, and I bravely (or better yet stupidly) look him straight in the eye. He is a wolf clearly in his prime with his hulking muscles and chiselled face. His hair is midnight falling down to his ears in straight, clean cuts.

He stares at me with stormy eyes, obviously trying to figure me out, and I reciprocate accordingly. When he realises that I’m sizing him up, he growls. I simply continue to stare into his blue eyes, I do well at hiding my amusement at his dislike to my obvious disrespect.

This guy really does not like me. I’m going to end up getting myself killed with my attitude. He growls louder, this time giving me a small glimpse of his sharp teeth.

I can tell from the size of his canines that he wasn’t the Alpha, maybe a Beta. Admittedly he exerts a sheer amount of dominance, it almost fooled me for a second. I can’t be sure, I’ve never met pack wolves before; where I come from isn’t exactly a pack so I don’t know whether I could use it to compare to elsewhere.

“The Alpha has requested your presence.” He speaks, his baritone deep. “You try anything, and I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

I hold my hands up in mock surrender which makes him narrow his eyes at me. Frankly I’m not surprised, I’ve been unresponsive the entire time that I’ve been here. He opens the cell door and I suck in a breath as he comes forward and blindfolds me. I feel him grab my arm in an unrelenting hold as he drags me, quite literally, out of the cell and to his Alpha.

He takes me upstairs, turns a few corners until we finally reach outside. I feel the air on my face, the biting cold attacking my face as we walk briskly. He keeps going. Even blindfolded I can distinguish that we pass through two different buildings. The entire way, I remain silent. This meeting is crucial. If I want help, I have to play my cards right; this meeting will play an important role in my future.

We stop, I guess as we reach a door. I hear the Beta knock before a voice replies in the deepest baritone I have ever heard. He shoves me through the door and takes off my blindfold. I feel the urge to glare over my shoulder at him because of the unnecessary force, I remain very much aware of his presence as he remains in the room.

The Alpha sits behind his desk, looking over my form. He looks massive, judging from the way he dwarfs the chair he is sat in. His aura alone has my knees trembling from the unrestrained amount of dominance that he lets off. His hair is a light brown, dark eyes set above chiselled cheekbones, and a dark bushy beard covers his jaw.

There is some sort of connection between us, I can feel it almost instantly. It’s like something inside of me knows him, like that something is tugging me towards him. I have no idea what it is, and frankly I don’t want to know.

I don’t shy away from his gaze, instead I hold my stance as I’ve been taught to do. In my peripheral vision I make out a bitch dressed in a short black dress, leaving the room with her eyes in me in suspicion. She lingers slightly, the small glimpse of her aura tells me she is nobody special so I wonder what makes her brazen enough to strut around her Alpha like she has any kind of influence.

Once the door shuts behind her, I expect him to begin his interrogation, but he continues to stare at me.

“Give me one good reason that I shouldn’t kill you for entering my pack.” He finally speaks, the Northern accent almost makes my gut clench. Almost. I learnt to shut out any unnecessary feeling years ago, one man with a nice voice and a face rivalling Adonis would not undo that.

I remain silent, I don’t have an answer for him; I did come onto his land with the intention to steal.

“Aren’t you going to defend yourself?” He prods, his dark eyes watching me curiously. He stands, coming over to circle me, his frame towering over my 5′3 one. I guess he stands around 6′5 but I don’t let it intimidate me. “Who are you?”

Again, I keep my mouth shut because I don’t have an answer. That’s something that I am trying to find the answer to myself.

“If you don’t comply then I’ll be forced to execute you, but I’d rather not. See I don’t want to do that. ” He lowers his voice, staring directly into my eyes. “Do you know why?”

I’m unsure whether he wants me to reply or whether his question is rhetorical, so I remain silent. He looks genuinely curious as he watches me, but I can see that his gaze is guarded.

I feel tingles breaking the surface of my skin as his fingers gently lift my chin so that I’m looking directly into his eyes. I can tell he feels them too because I watch his eyes widen imperceptibly. When I give nothing away, he goes back to masking his emotions. His eyes don’t leave mine, almost as though he’s searching for something. He knows that I am different, he just doesn’t know how.

He won’t find anything.

“Let’s just say, I think we’re mutually invested.” He lets go sort of husky chuckle, as if enjoying his own personal joke. For a split second something flashes across his features, the cold detached Alpha completely taking over once again. “So, I’ll give you one last chance to answer me.”

I can tell it’s a threat, but his voice is still soft. Even when he appears to be gentle, he is still highly intimidating. There’s a sinister interest in his eyes as he watches me like a predator, taking in every single movement with cautious eyes. Perhaps he already knows something, why else would he give me another chance. Alphas are not known for their patience nor kindness.

His thick forearms bulge as he crosses his arms and I have to fight the urge to lick my lips. The power and dominance he radiates was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. It’s dangerous and somehow enticing.

My most primal urges cause me to wonder how easily he could have me writhing beneath him. It’s a mere chemical reaction at the thought of a selfish release from the pleasures of skin on skin contact.

From the twitch of his lips, he has scented my arousal. It doesn’t embarrass me, it is a reaction that I can’t control, and it is a part of our animal nature.

His hand reaches to touch my face once more, the tingles also making a reappearance as the soft pad of his thumb brushes over my lips. He comes closer until I feel his breath on my lips.

“What’s your name?” He asks me, voice gentle as though I’m a fragile creature that could break from anything louder.

Little does he know.

Technically, I don’t know the answer to his question. They had taken away that part of me a long time ago. But I know that if I don’t say something, he would kill me and everything would’ve been for nothing.

“175-825-960.”

My voice is hoarse from its lack of use in several months. It doesn’t even scare me how robotic I sound, I’ve gotten used to disassociating.

He pulls back in shock at my answer. Maybe in surprise that I could speak, or shock that my name isn’t actually a name.

“She speaks.” The Beta mutters behind me in a sarcastic tone. Since back-chat had been beaten out of me, I find it easy to hold back a reply of my own.

The Alpha also ignores the dumbass and continues to look at me with a new look in his eyes.

“What Pack are you from?”

“I came from Shadow Fang territory,”

It has never been hidden from us that Shadow Fang is feared by other packs. The leader, Aleksandr Titov, always said our pack is advanced and therefore superior to all others. Since I have never seen the inner workings of another pack, I couldn’t test his claims.

“That is enough reason to kill you.” He looks at me with hardened eyes as I prove his suspicion.

“But you won’t.” I know I am overstepping my boundaries. If I was back in that God forsaken pack I probably would’ve been whipped for insolence; I’m no stranger to punishment.

“And why is that?” He raises a brow in question. His eyes shine with something, maybe it’s hope?

My brave outburst has definitely caught his attention, I’m finally giving him what he wants. He has my life in his hands, and he wants me to beg for it, and I’m humouring him.

If my pride was stronger, I would have remained silent just to spite his ego.

But this is bigger than us.

“To ensure the survival of your kind.”