Watch The Dark

When Tana woke up, she was on cold, hard concrete and her head was throbbing. There was a sweet, pleasant smell in the air that seemed to try and coax her towards it, but she just couldn't seem to figure out what it was. When she reached out, she found that her bag was no longer at her side or anywhere near her.

With a start, she leaped up and growled, slamming her hands into the bars of whatever cage she was in, willing them to just disappear for her. Her head throbbed at the sound that ricocheted from the bars, causing her to stumble back and rub her temples with a low groan.

The scent got stronger, making her heart flutter and her wolf purr, but Tana didn't quite care what her wolf wanted at that moment. She had failed her. She hadn't detected the wolves around her and now she was trapped. Again.

"Come on!" Tana snarled. To say she was pissed off was an understatement. If she got out of that cell alive she would find those two brutes and tear them apart limb from limb. She didn't escape one prison just to wind up in another six months later.

"The bars are enforced with silver. Not enough to cause physical pain, but enough to-" the man who was walking down the stairs abruptly cut himself off. He also happened to be the source of the sweet scent that seemed to weaken Tana and please her wolf all at the same time. He had the air of an alpha surrounding him, and probably was one judging by the way the guards near her cell bowed their heads as he passed. There you are...her wolf seemed to whisper to her, calmly, excitedly.

"Great Aurora," the male whispered, his eyes wide as if something Tana did traumatized him deeply. He moved to step closer, but Tana took a few steps back, trying to keep the scent as far away from her as possible. She was struggling to keep control of her body as it was, and she didn't need that scent fueling her wolf's ambition. He was attractive enough, but she didn't have time for that kind of thing.

She needed to get out of there and she

needed to do it quickly before her wolf jumped him. Tana had no idea what was wrong with her. She had never felt so out of control with her wolf before, but for some reason her wolf wanted out.

"Who are you?" Tana asked, her voice far breathier than she had intended. The male blinked, shell-shocked, but quickly shook his head and cleared his throat. If he was an alpha, he didn't exactly present himself like one. His hair was a similar dark brown shade to Tana's, but it was curly and absolutely unruly. He wore jeans and a white tee shirt, which her previous alpha wouldn't have been caught dead in. Sure, this male had the air of authority, but he surely didn't groom to look like he did.

"Alpha Declan of the Dark Wolves. Who are you?" He countered, his voice gruff as if he were slipping back into a different personality. Tana frowned. She was right, but that didn't bring her any pleasure. She wasn't about to ask him why he smelled so sweet, though she was fairly tempted to as he moved closer to the bars and the smell overwhelmed her senses.

"None of your business. Let me out of here," Tana said, wrapping her arms around herself. She kept moving back until her back hit the wall of the cell. She didn't move even though her wolf was pacing and whining for her to go forward, to inhale more of that heavenly scent that surrounded him.

"Mate," a low grumble sounded from Declan but was quickly silenced when he snapped his head back up to glare at her through slitted eyes. It looked as though he was angry and shocked and happy all at once, but Tana wasn't having any of it.

"What did you just say?" Tana growled, narrowing her eyes at him. Panic began to flutter in her chest like a bird trying to escape a cage. Her breath came in shallow pants as she eyed him suspiciously.

"Nothing."

"You just said mate. What do you mean mate?" She snarled, clenching her fists. She shoved her wolf back with all the power she could muster, trying to stop the incessant whining for just one moment.

"It was my wolf. I couldn't help it. You just...you smell so, so good," Delcan breathed, as if in a trance.

"I am not your mate," Tana breathed, which made this alpha tilt his head like a curious pup. "I know you can smell it too. We're mates," he said, putting his hand over the lock, which made Tana tense and resist the urge to run there. She knew that if she moved closer she would be a goner, so she stayed where she was and tried to fight the panic that bubbled into her throat.

"Let me out," Tana said quietly, watching as he removed his hand from the lock and took a step back. By the way his body trembled she could tell he was having just as much difficulty controlling his wolf as she did hers.

"You're in no place to be making demands. Mate or not, I want to know what the hell you were doing in my territory. You reek of humans and yet you're a wolf. Explain, now," he demanded, staring her down as though that would make her more willing to spill her dirty secrets to him.

"I was passing through and that's all you need to know. I have places I need to be so if you would just unlock the door I'll be out of your hair," she spat, her gaze flickering around the area, trying to figure out her best escape route. The only issue was the alpha. If she could get Declan to leave, she could easily take out the guards and make a run for it. However, as she found out earlier, she was in no shape to run let alone fight two full grown wolves on her own.

"If you cooperate, I'll give you a much more comfortable place to stay. Otherwise, I'll leave you to rot in here," Declan warned, his eyes fixed on hers. Tana rolled her eyes with a snort.

"I suppose I'll be in here a while," she

retorted, picking at her nails boredly. She hadn't realized how filthy she actually was until she looked at the dirt under her nails and the debris that covered her clothes. Suddenly feeling self conscious in front of Declan, she moved her arms slightly down to cover her dirtied clothes.

"You're making this very difficult for yourself. Tell me what I want to know," Declan repeated, clearly quickly losing patience judging by the way he clenched and unclenched his jaw.

"I've been running for a while. I got clothes from human towns. There you go," Tana snapped, raising an eyebrow at him to see if he would press for more answers. Surprisingly, he just nodded and turned to the guards.

"Take her to my quarters," he said to them before turning back to Tana. "You'll stay there so that I can keep an eye on you. And be warned that if you even think about running, my wolves will not hesitate to bring you back by any means necessary. These two will remain outside of the room at all times, so if you need anything, ask them. I'll be back later to bring you food but for now I think you just need a shower and better clothes. I'll have an omega bring you some," he explained, wrinkling his nose when he eyed her current attire.

"Like hell I'll stay in your room. I don't care if you're my mate, I'll just reject you. You're being incredibly stupid if you think you can keep me here," she snarled, which turned out to be the wrong move as he whirled around and let out a menacing growl directed at her, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Reject me all you want. It would work if you were mated to an ordinary wolf, but since I'm an alpha, only I have the power to reject you. Keep that in mind the next time you want to mouth off to me," he growled, whirling right back around to storm off up the stairs he had just descended from. Tana rolled her eyes. All alphas, it seemed, had the same tempers. And it was oh so easy to push their buttons.

"So, boys. Are we getting this show on the road or not?" She prompted. The two guards glanced quickly at each other before looking back at her with wary glances.

This was going to be a long night.

***

To say Declan had a room was an understatement. He had a room, but connected to it was an office, a bathroom, and a walk in closet. He didn't seem to have very many clothes so Tana didn't know why he had such a big closet. Off to the side of the room there was a couch facing the wall where a flatscreen was mounted, a bookshelf right next to it. It seemed like such overkill for a room that only had one person in it. Well, two now, she supposed.

Despite the sheer breath-taking picture that the room was, Tana could only agree that she was in desperate need of a shower. So instead of perusing the things the room had to offer, she headed into the bathroom, untied her hair, stripped off her clothes, and stepped into the shower. It took her about five minutes to figure out how to turn the thing on and get it to spray warm water instead of freezing cold, but the relief the warm water cascading down her skin was well worth it. She hadn't really realized how much she missed actual showers until she began scrubbing at her knotted hair, using whatever shampoo and conditioner that was available in the shower.

Once she was done and had managed to somewhat dry and then braid her hair, she walked out feeling much lighter. Perhaps the layer of dirt on her skin had added a pound to her physique after all. Regardless, when she stepped out of the bathroom she found a pair of loose shorts, undergarments, and a tee shirt on the king-sized bed that was situated in the middle of the room.

She quickly dressed and then decided to look around for anything that could be used as a weapon. Call it ridiculous, but if those wolves found out about her true origins, they wouldn't hesitate to slaughter her on the spot. Unfortunately, she only found a metal comb and a pen to defend herself with. She tucked them into her pocket anyway.

She walked over to the bed and sat down, letting out a sigh at how comfortable it felt. After spending months sleeping on the ground and in trees, a proper mattress felt like luxury. So, without really thinking it through, she dropped her head onto the pillow, curled up against the sheets, and shut her eyes.

In that moment she decided she could care less if someone killed her in her sleep. At least she would be comfortable.