Page 11 of Kidnapped By the Alpha

A handful of men raised their hands, and I nodded toward them in acknowledgment of their enlistment in the task. With that out of the way, I walked around to the front of my cabin. Killian followed, as I knew he would.

“Jasper,” my second said in a low voice when we were out of earshot of the rest of the pack. “What is your plan here? What are you going to do with the girl?”

“It’s time to get a message to our enemies in Sparkle Hollow,” I replied. “Let them know that my treatment of April Rose depends entirely on whether they will cooperate with my demands. They had better watch out. We’re coming for them.”

Chapter 6 - April

No longer capable of holding myself upright, I curled into a fetal position on the bed Jasper had allocated to me and faced the doorway. I had done everything I could to keep moving despite the trauma I had experienced, but my body had exhausted itself.

I knew that I was in emotional shock from everything that had transpired. Just hours ago, I had been helping my friend make wedding plans. Now, it was me who had become a mate.

Jasper was far from what I had pictured as my ideal partner. Not only was he cold and arrogant, but he seemed to hate women more than anyone I had ever met. The Moonstone Pack had, historically, been a very crude and patriarchal society, so it made sense that Jasper would hold those attributes as well.

In fact, Alpha Aiden Moonstone had been much the same when Madi had joined their pack. I didn’t believe that I would have the same calming effect on Jasper that Madi had on her mate, though.

My first task was to calm myself. Even though I was lying down, I could feel my heart beating in my chest. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, willing myself to get it together. I imagined that I was back at home, safe in my bed. I breathed in as I thought of the sound of the rain that pounded on my bedroom window during spring thunderstorms. I breathed out and thought of the warmth of my favorite pajamas.

I knew I was in Jasper’s cabin, but remembering my safe place helped me channel the peace I felt there. When my heart rate was finally under control, I felt myself begin to doze off.

Before I was fully asleep, I heard the door creak open. I cracked one eyelid open and saw Jasper move quietly into theroom. Through my eyelashes, I watched him as he took note of my sleeping body before pulling the door shut and leaving me in peace.

Without him saying so, I knew he wouldn’t touch me tonight. With that as my last thought, I fell asleep.

***

I was awoken by the sound of the door shutting and a metal padlock clicking on the other side. My eyes opened groggily, taking in the dimly lit room. Jasper had opened my bedroom door before he left, most likely to make sure I hadn’t managed to escape in the night. The early morning sun had barely begun to rise, and my mate was gone.

With no more energy to analyze my situation, I closed my eyes once again, allowing myself the much-needed respite from the trauma I had endured in the past twenty-four hours.

The following days proceeded in much the same way. In the evenings, Jasper would return, remove his boots, and close the door to my room. He would wake early in the morning and lock the door from the outside.

I didn’t complain about the lock. After what had nearly happened the first day I was in the Dark Moon Pack, I knew it was as much for my protection as it was to prevent me from escaping.

During the day, I had little indication of what happened in the outside world. Jasper didn’t speak to me, even when he was in the cabin, and no one else came to the door.

Each day, I spent an equal amount of time sleeping and pacing back and forth in the small space. The first day, I’d spenta few hours spying out the window, but I’d stopped when I saw some of the wolves trying to peer in to catch a glimpse of me.

I had managed to find an old pillowcase to turn into a makeshift window covering. That was the last time I approached the window. The last thing I needed was another death of a Dark Moon wolf on my conscience.

On the morning of my fourth day of captivity, I decided to ask Jasper to take me outside for some air. It wasn’t that I believed Jasper had any kind of interest in my well-being, but I couldn’t stay cooped up forever. At some point, I needed to either find a way to escape or find a way to make this my home. Neither of those goals would be furthered by my isolation from the pack.

I rose early and moved to sit on one of the chairs in the makeshift kitchen, waiting for my mate to wake up.

“I want to go outside,” I said as soon as he opened his eyes. I feared that if I didn’t speak up immediately, I would lose my nerve, and when he responded by glaring at me, that decision was solidified. There was no way I would have asked after seeing the pure hatred in his eyes.

“No,” he replied, moving to put his boots on.

I stood and moved toward the door, intent on pressing the issue. He may have terrified me, but this needed to happen. And soon.

“Jasper, please,” I said, using my most submissive tone of voice. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I can’t stay in this cabin forever.”

“Yes, you can,” Jasper said.

Panic filled me, but I was determined not to let it show.

“I am the luna of the Dark Moon Pack,” I reminded him. “How can I do my job if I haven’t even met my people?”

Jasper didn’t respond right away. He looked me over, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his mind. If I could just give him a strong enough reason to let me outside, I had a feeling he would relent.

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