Falling For The Demon Wolf-Chapter 17: Stuck

Morning came in muted shades of gray, the sky overcast, heavy with the promise of rain. I awoke to the scent of damp earth and something else—*him*.

Zain.

It clung to the fabric of my dress, to my skin, as if his presence had seeped into the very air around me. The memory of last night lingered just as strongly—the way his wolf had watched me, how his breath had warmed the cool night air between us.

A test.

A warning.

And yet... I hadn’t run.

I sat up, stretching the stiffness from my limbs. The unfamiliar bed had done little to ease the weight pressing on my chest. I wasn’t used to such luxury. Soft sheets, a thick blanket—things I hadn’t known in years.

It was a cage disguised as comfort.

A knock at the door cut through my thoughts.

Before I could answer, Liora stepped inside, her expression unreadable as she carried in a silver tray.

"Eat," she said simply, placing it on the small wooden table near the window.

The scent of warm bread and fresh fruit filled the room, and my stomach twisted. I hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days, but the idea of food now made me uneasy.

Liora studied me. "You should be grateful, human. Not everyone gets the privilege of breakfast in the Alpha’s keep."

I ignored her, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "What does he want?"

She tilted her head. "Who says he wants anything?"

I gave her a flat look. "Men like him don’t do things without a reason."

Her lips curved in something that wasn’t quite a smile. "You catch on quickly."

I stood, brushing past her toward the table. The bread was still warm, its golden crust soft beneath my fingertips. I picked at it absently, my mind elsewhere.

Zain hadn’t spoken to me after last night.

Hadn’t even acknowledged me.

Yet I knew he was watching.

Liora sighed. "Eat, get dressed, and try not to look so pathetic. You’ll be summoned soon."

I frowned. "Summoned for what?"

But she was already at the door, throwing me one last glance over her shoulder.

"To see the Alpha, of course."

Then she was gone.

The room felt colder in her absence.

I sat down, my fingers tightening around the edge of the tray.

Zain.

The door creaked open again before I could take a single bite.

I stiffened, expecting Liora to return with another sharp remark, but it wasn’t her.

A different she-wolf stood in the doorway.

Isla.

She was taller than Liora, with striking features—high cheekbones, dark almond-shaped eyes, and a presence that felt like a quiet storm brewing beneath the surface. Unlike the others, she didn’t look at me with open disdain.

She regarded me in silence for a moment before stepping inside, closing the door softly behind her.

"You’re up," she observed, her tone neutral.

"Clearly," I muttered, pushing the tray aside.

Her gaze flicked to the untouched food, then back to me. "You should eat."

"So I keep hearing."

She studied me for another beat, then exhaled as if deciding something. "Liora can be cruel, but she’s right about one thing—you’re not in a position to refuse what’s given to you."

I bristled. "I didn’t refuse it."

"Then why haven’t you eaten?"

Because I wasn’t sure I trusted food brought to me by wolves. Because my stomach was twisted into knots from the looming presence of the man who held me captive. Because—

I didn’t have an answer that didn’t make me sound weak.

Instead of waiting for my response, Isla stepped forward and plucked a piece of bread from the tray. She tore it in half and held one piece out to me.

"I’ll eat with you," she said simply.

I blinked at her. "What?"

"To prove it’s not poisoned, if that’s what you’re thinking."

My fingers hesitated before reaching for the bread. Isla took a bite of hers without hesitation, chewing with ease.

I swallowed hard, then finally bit into mine.

The warmth spread across my tongue, rich and soft, and before I knew it, I had finished the rest in silence.

Isla watched but didn’t comment.

When the tray was nearly empty, she leaned back slightly, arms crossing over her chest. "Zain has called for you."

I wiped my fingers on the napkin beside me. "Liora already said that."

Her lips pressed together. "Then I’m sure she also told you to be careful."

I frowned. "Why do you care?"

A flicker of something passed through her eyes—something unreadable.

"I don’t," she said. But there was hesitation in her voice. "I just know what happens when humans don’t know their place here."

I wasn’t sure whether that was a warning or something else entirely.

Either way, I had no choice but to go.

Zain was waiting.

Isla didn’t offer to escort me, nor did she linger after making her statement. She simply turned and strode out of the room, leaving the door ajar behind her.

A silent command.

Go.

I inhaled deeply, steadying myself. My body still ached from the days of travel, from the bruises that lingered beneath the fabric of the dress they’d forced me into. But weakness wasn’t an option. Not now.

I pushed up from the bed, straightened my posture, and stepped out into the dimly lit hallway.

The air here was thick with something I couldn’t name. Not just power—though it clung to the very walls—but something ancient, something watching.

The guards were waiting outside my door, their expressions blank as they fell into step on either side of me.

We walked in silence, the sound of our footsteps echoing against the stone.

As we moved deeper into the stronghold, the scent of damp earth and burning wood filled my senses. The corridors twisted and turned, leading me down paths I’d never remember on my own. It was a labyrinth, designed to keep intruders disoriented.

Or prisoners.

Eventually, we reached a set of large double doors. Heavy wood, carved with symbols I didn’t recognize.

One of the guards stepped forward, knocking once before pushing them open.

I stepped inside.

And there he was.

Zain.

Standing by the grand fireplace, his broad back to me, his hands clasped behind him. The flames flickered, casting golden light over his dark clothing, making the edges of his silhouette seem sharper, more dangerous.

He didn’t turn immediately.

Instead, he exhaled slowly, as if he had sensed me long before I entered.

Then, in one fluid motion, he faced me.

His midnight-blue eyes locked onto mine, unreadable. Cold. Assessing.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

The tension in the air was suffocating.

Then he finally broke the silence.

"You’re still here."

I stiffened. "I didn’t exactly have a choice."

His lips curled slightly, but there was no humor in it. "No, you didn’t."

Something about the way he said it sent a chill through me.

I didn’t move, didn’t break his gaze.

Instead, he took a slow step forward, his presence alone making the room feel smaller.

I refused to move.

Refused to shrink beneath the weight of his gaze, though my body screamed at me to do so.

His eyes flickered, a brief flash of something unreadable before they darkened once more.

"I expected more resistance from you," he mused, voice low, rough like gravel.

I clenched my jaw. "And what exactly would be the point? You’ve made it clear I’m a prisoner."

He tilted his head slightly, as if considering my words. Then, without warning, he was in front of me, closing the distance so fast I barely had time to take a breath.

His scent—earth, rain, something darker—wrapped around me, and I hated that my pulse betrayed me.

Zain leaned in just slightly, not touching, but near enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him.

"You’re not a prisoner, Violet," he murmured. "Not yet."

His voice was edged with something dangerous, something that made my stomach twist in ways I didn’t want to acknowledge.

I forced myself to meet his gaze, to ignore the way my body reacted to him.

"Then what am I?" I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.

A muscle in his jaw ticked, but he didn’t answer.

Instead, he reached out, a single clawed finger lifting a lock of my white hair, rolling it between his fingers as if testing its softness.

Then he let it go.

"Get used to being watched," he said, stepping back, his expression unreadable once more. "Because whether you like it or not, you are in my territory now."

His words lingered in the space between us, a warning, a promise.

Then, just as quickly as he’d closed the distance, he turned and strode away, leaving me standing there with my heart pounding, my fists clenched.

Because for the first time since I arrived, I realized something terrifying.

I wasn’t just in enemy territory.

I was in his world now.

How the hell, was I meant to kill this god of a man standing in front of me?!