Pain greets me the moment I wake.
It slithers through my body like molten lead, my muscles numb yet aching, screaming in protest at even the smallest movement. Just the thought of shifting sends a fresh wave of agony rippling through me, pinning me to my back. A high-pitched ringing buzzes in my ears, drowning out all else.
I crack my eyes open, only to be assaulted by an unforgiving brightness. The light stabs into my pupils with ruthless intensity, forcing me to squint against the onslaught. My senses take their time settling. The resinous scent of pine sap lingers in the air, mingling with something sharper-acrid.
Smoke.
My heart lurches. I jolt upright, ignoring the fiery protest of my limbs, and take in my surroundings.
I'm in a bedroom.
A massive king-size bed cradles me, its velvet sheets whispering against my skin. The frame glows subtly under the flickering light of a fire, golden accents catching in the dimness. The chimney itself is a stark contrast-deep obsidian brick that seems to vanish into the shadows of the wall. The rest of the room, though lavish, is understated. Ordinary furniture, but expensive. Refined.
Then I see him.
A man sits in the center of the room, his presence as commanding as the fire crackling behind him. My body freezes the moment our gaze meets.
Forest green eyes.
A deep, simmering rage flickers behind them like a flame starved of air, waiting for something-anything-to ignite it into an inferno. My throat tightens. He watches me with the predatory stillness of a hawk, his sharp gaze tracking my every breath.
I part my lips to speak, but the words die on my tongue.
His snarl shoots ice in my veins. "Do you know who I am?"
A shudder wracks my body. The realization slams into me like a punch to the gut. This... this is Jace Weston.
The Alpha's son.
My thoughts swirl into a chaotic mess, panic and confusion tangling into a suffocating knot. My pulse hammers against my ribs, desperate for escape.
"I-I-" My voice barely forms around the words.
"Do you know who I am!?"
His voice drops an octave, deep and thunderous, the sheer weight of it pressing against my chest until breathing becomes a struggle.
I manage to stammer out a reply. "Jace. You're Jace Weston-s-son of Alpha Xavier."
The room seems to tighten around us. He stills, his fingers idly toying with a thick ring on his thumb, but his eyes never leave me. He's watching. Calculating.
Then something stirs.
A strange presence presses against the edges of my mind, something foreign yet achingly familiar. It calls to me, sending a shiver down my spine. My wolf stirs, a low, eager howl reverberating through my core.
Pleasure.
For a fraction of a second, my gaze shifts in confusion. Jace growls, the sound sharp and possessive. My eyes snap back to his, my breath frozen in my throat.
A storm of questions crashes through my mind, each more terrifying than the last.
What happened? What does he want from me? What did he do while I was asleep?
I part my lips to speak, bracing myself for his reaction. "Wh-where am-"
"I ask the questions here, girl."
YOU ARE READING
The Faltered Bond
WerewolfBOOK #1 of the Faltered series | WIP Raised in the sheltered care of her mother, Ava Rose has always been blind to the ways of the outside world and the true nature of her kind. But everything changes during a pivotal ceremony, when an unexpected bo...
