Defying The Alpha

Chapter 2- Bound By Chains

Update 24/09/2024: I made some changes to the chapter and I hope you enjoy this updated version! 

I slowly open my eyes, disoriented, as the vehicle bounces over a bump. The cold metal floor presses against my bare skin. My head is pounding, a reminder of the tranquilizers still lingering in my system. A metallic taste fills my mouth—probably from biting my tongue when I shifted back to human form.

Silver chains scorch my wrists behind my back, snaking down to my ankles, locking me in an unbearably tight position. Wherever the metal touches, my skin sizzles. The heat lingers, and as soon as one burn fades, another ignites, branding me with fresh, searing pain. Every slight movement feels like molten metal carving into my flesh. Clearly, they're meant to stop me from shifting. Trying to break free would drive slivers of silver deeper into my skin, poisoning my bloodstream and leading to a slow, torturous death.

Tara and Josh sit across from me, their bodies swaying with the motion of the van. Josh looks away clearly uncomfortable with the situation written all over his face but his loyalty to the pack keeping him in line. I remember him from high school, a shy kid two years younger than me. It's clear the Alpha is scraping the barrel, recruiting teenagers like him to fight their battles.

Tara's eyes meet mine, cold and detached. "Awake, are we?" her voice drips with sarcasm. She leans in, the chains binding my wrists leaving me no space to pull back. "Thought you might sleep through the entire ride back."

I swallow hard, feeling the raw scratchiness in my throat. "And here I thought you'd have to drag me back kicking and screaming," I mutter bitterly. "But chains and a van work just fine."

"Just shut up," Josh mumbles. "You're only making it worse for yourself."

"Worse?" I scoff. Like anything could be worse than being taken back to that nightmare. I turn my glare on Tara, the one person who was supposed to have my back, but when it mattered, she stabbed me too. "What do you even want from me, huh?"

Tara's lips form a thin, cruel line. "This isn't about us. It's about what the Alpha wants. You've made quite the mess, Amelia."

"I? All I did was push back!"

"Hey, knock it off!" Kevin barks from the driver's seat. "Save it for the Alpha. We're almost there."

Ugh! They're hauling me back to that wretched place, the one I swore I'd never set foot in again. Everything bad in my life has roots in that cursed house. I'm so angry, I could spit razor wire. But they won't see me break. Whatever sick plan the Alpha has, I won't go down without a fight.

Tara gives me the stink-eye. "This is all for your own good," she says, but I know she's just trying to keep herself from feeling guilty about betraying me again.

I roll my eyes and mutter under my breath, "Sure, and I'm a unicorn." My sarcasm gets lost in the clanking of my chains.

The van comes to a halt, and the sudden silence is almost as startling as the bumpy ride was.

Kevin flings open the back door, and a burst of sunlight hits me like a slap in the face. I squint, my eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden brightness. Then I see it: the path leading up to the Alpha's mansion, lined with perfect little gardens that look like they were designed by professional landscapers—they probably were. Before I can process the entire scene, Tara has a death grip on my left arm and pulls me to my feet with a roughness that contradicts her "we're just trying to help" act.

Ouch! As I step out of the van, the chains dig into my ankles with every painful step. Each movement is a harsh reminder that I'm a prisoner, being dragged towards the towering black steel doors that look like they could stop a tank.