Lena's Pov
"Where am I?" My voice was a hoarse whisper, echoing in the silence of the unfamiliar room. My head throbbed, a dull, relentless ache that pulsed behind my eyes.
I blinked, trying to clear my vision. I didn't remember coming here.
Was I….in paradise? I was so sure hell wouldn't be as beautiful as the room I was in.
A creak broke the silence, the sound of a door opening somewhere nearby. I panicked, jolting me fully awake.
I stumbled, clumsy in my disorientation, and threw myself behind a thick, dark curtain hanging by the side of the room. I pressed my back against the wall, trying to steady my breaths. Who was here? And where was I?
Heavy footsteps approached, crossing the floor with a confident, unhurried pace. I held my breath as a voice, deep and calm, spoke from somewhere nearby.
"You don't need to hide. I know you're awake."
My heart raced as I pressed closer to the wall. How did he know I was up? I hadn't made a sound. Before I could even think of an escape, a shadow appeared, then a face, a man, his expression softened in relief.
"There you are," he said, his voice warm and gentle, as if he'd found something precious he thought he'd lost. Before I could back away, he stepped forward, pulling me into an embrace, his arms wrapping around me protectively. "You're alive."
The embrace was unexpected, almost comforting in a way that felt foreign and strange. No one had held me like this since, since before. The tears sprang up before I could stop them, and I swallowed hard, pushing him back as I tried to gather my thoughts.
"Who… who are you?" My voice trembled. "And where am I?"
He released me gently, stepping back but not breaking eye contact. "I'm Gideon. You're in my home."
The name meant nothing to me, but I forced myself to keep calm, to think straight despite the panic clawing at me. "Why am I here?"
"I found you," he said simply. "Out there in the woods, lying under the trees and covered in blood. I didn't know if you'd survive, but I couldn't leave you there. So I brought you here." His gaze softened. "I'm glad I did."
I swallowed, the images of the forest and blood flashing through my mind. My fingers clenched. Everything about this man seemed gentle, kind, but I still had no idea if I could trust him. So, I wanted to keep my identity secret.
I opened my mouth to ask more when a noise, a loud, abrupt clatter, sounded from outside. His entire body went rigid, and he shot me a warning look.
"Stay here," he said in a low voice, turning and heading for the door.
I didn't move, watching as he slipped out of the room, his footsteps quick and silent. Once the door closed behind him, silence filled the space again, but it felt darker somehow, more ominous.
I shifted from foot to foot, wondering if I should follow him. Part of me wanted to, but the ache in my head and the feeling of weakness kept me rooted in place.
Finally, curiosity got the better of me. Moving slowly, I tiptoed to the door, just enough to crack it open and peek through.
A flash of movement, and a hand came down, hard and fast, slamming against my shoulder. I didn't have time to react. Pain exploded through my body as I hit the ground, and darkness swallowed me whole again.
When I opened my eyes, the air was filled with raised voices. One of them was Gideon's, unmistakable in its calm firmness, but there was another, a voice laced with irritation and barely restrained anger.
"…and you think this is the answer?" the unfamiliar voice spat. "Bringing in some stranger to… what? Ruin me even more? Or was it to toss me aside entirely?"
"You're overreacting," Gideon replied, his tone unshaken but edged with warning. "She needed help. That's all."
"Oh, so it's just that simple, is it? You don't care about me, about the fact that I've been here, forgotten, while you bring in someone else? Just like that?" The voice broke, raw with frustration. "Father, you've never even bothered to look after me. And now… now this?"
I barely dared to breathe, straining to hear them over the blood pounding in my ears. I tried to make sense of what I was hearing. Father? Did that mean this other voice belonged to Gideon's son? And why was he so upset over my presence?
I shouldn't be asking, even my own pack weren't happy with my presence.
Their argument continued, but I caught only fragments, the son's anger, Gideon's attempts to reason with him. I felt like I was eavesdropping on something private, something I wasn't supposed to know.
Their words hinted at pain and resentment I couldn't understand, as if I'd somehow stumbled into the middle of a story already in progress.
Before I could make sense of it, there was a knock at the door behind me. I spun around, blinking as a woman, tall and stern, her face unreadable, entered the room, her eyes taking me in with a single sweep.
"You're awake," she said briskly, as if it were merely a statement. "Good. The Alpha has requested your presence, so you'll need to get dressed."
My mind spun with questions, but one in particular pushed to the front of my thoughts. I looked at her, trying to steady my voice. "Where am I? And… what Alpha?"
She didn't bother to answer me and just stretched out a dress towards me.
"Please, move," she commanded, her voice clipped as she yanked me down a series of winding hallways. I stumbled slightly, the hem of my dress tangling around my legs.
The fabric was new and far too fine, nothing like the dresses I had back when I was used to. The dress felt stiff and constricting, as if every thread was woven with the weight of expectation, heavy on my shoulders.
So I just followed quietly.