Page 1 of Ruthless Reign

Chapter One

Nyx

Something is dripping onto my face, but it's the overwhelming stench of blood and dirt that stirs me out of unconsciousness.

Immediately, my head throbs, chasing away that last lingering fog as pain shoots like sharp knives through my skull. My eyes are tightly shut as I find some minor comfort within the dark while I try to gather my senses. I want to reach for my head, to rub it and push away whatever is falling onto my cheek, but my limbs don't work.

I try harder, wiggling my fingers first. They move, much to my relief, but it's short-lived when my arms are still paralyzed as I try to lift them.

What the fuck happened? Where am I?

Suddenly, it comes rushing back to me in icy waves. My body tenses, screamingdanger, and the flashbacks do nothing to calm it.

Tyler's funeral. Running. Kissing Maverick. Blurry shadows in the trees.

Hunters…

They found me.

And they were going to kill Maverick.

If that alone didn't bring me back to my cold reality, the sound of Maverick's voice did.

It still echoes in my mind, yelling my name. I remember the sheer panic I had felt hearing it at that moment. Ever since packs had started vanishing, we were no stranger to deadly encounters and rogue wolf visits. I've lost count of the number of times we have been attacked or had enemies sneak into our pack with sinister intentions.

But there was something about his voice and the way he was calling out to me. I knew right then that we were in serious danger—outnumbered and overpowered for the first time.

In the short time I have known Maverick, it's clear that he is a ruthless and cold alpha. That man has less emotion in his entire body than one of the dusty, old, torn books in Mrs. Lyon's library. But his voice… it was laced with pure panic and fear.

He was scared.

Keeping my eyes clenched shut, I try to ignore the pain in my head and body as I listen for sounds. It's eerily quiet. I can only hear my own breathing—little sharp breaths—which I quickly try to silence as to avoid drawing attention.

When I hear nothing further, I count to three, before slowly opening my eyes. Immediately, the light sends a fresh wave of pain through my body as my head throbs even more. My vision is blurry, shapes disorientated, and I have to blink a few times to get them into focus.

Looking around, I realize that I'm in a basement of some kind, on the concrete floor surrounded by white rocks that look oddly familiar. Glancing down, I spot thick metal chains snaking around my body, digging into my frame harshly. My arms are pinned to my sides and ankles bound together, which quickly explains why I can't move.

As the room comes into complete focus, I manage to sit up, alleviating the pressure in my sides as I crawl off the chains. There are wooden stairs diagonally from me, leading up to a closed door with peeling black paint while the rest of the room is a mixture of white and gray.

More droplets fall onto my cheek, and I glance up, spotting a leaking, rusty pipe above me. I quickly shuffle out of the way, avoiding more falling water.

Aside from the rocks, the only other thing in this room appears to be a single chair a few feet away. It's pointed toward me, and I shiver with disgust at the thought of someone sitting there, watching my unconscious body on the floor.

"Shit," I whisper under my breath, terror filling me as I start to grasp the severity of the situation. This is really it—I'm going to be subjected to a life worse than death. By the time they are through with me, I'll wish I was dead.

For months, we knew that packs were kidnapping female wolves, like some sick trafficking survival scheme. Raping and impregnating them in the hope of excessive breeding to increase pack size and strength in case they were in the firing line, about to vanish from existence. We knew I was a target, even before my birthday. Hunters had made that clear, and the danger only escalated when Lex and his pack arrived. But even though I was scared for my safety, never once did I believe that it would actually happen.

My pack is strong, a force to be reckoned with. We did everything right—training, boundary monitoring. Our land was protected to the highest extent, coupled with the extra security and support of other packs.

But it obviously still wasn't enough…

Tears well in my eyes but I refuse to let them fall. I have to stay calm and focused if I have any chance of surviving this. My mind flashes to Lex, imagining what he must be going throughright now. I was only going for a quick run, and I never returned home.

There's a jarring ache in my chest that has nothing to do with my physical pain. I can still feel my mate bond, but instead of the usual calming, euphoric feeling, it's a pain like I've never felt before. It feels like the invisible tether between us is stretched, threatening to break and snap at any second if we don't alleviate the pressure and close the distance.

It's clear I'm on another pack's land, but I have no idea just how far away from home I am. The pain feels like I'm on the other side of the world, but there's no way that's possible. I can't have been out cold for that long.

Maybe it's because there's two ropes…

---