Avery's POV
The first rule of the pack was simple.
Don't run.
They didn't need to tell me. I felt it the moment they locked me inside the stone corridor and walked away. The walls pressed in. Not physically. Something else. A pressure that hummed under my skin, the same way the bond did when the Alpha was too close.
Running would hurt.
I tested it anyway.
I took three steps down the corridor, bare feet slapping against cold stone, heart hammering. Pain lanced up my arm from the mark, sharp and immediate, like a warning shot straight into my nerves. I gasped and stumbled, catching myself on the wall.
So that was how it worked.
I leaned there, breathing hard, anger burning hotter than fear. They didn't need chains. They didn't need locks. The bond was enough.
A door opened farther down the hall.
Two women entered. Wolves. I could tell without them saying a word. The way they moved. The way their eyes tracked me like I was something feral that had wandered too close to the den.
One was older, broad-shouldered, her dark hair braided tight down her back. Authority clung to her like armor. The other was younger. Pretty. Sharp-eyed. The kind of pretty that had teeth in it.
"The human's awake," the younger one said. Her gaze flicked to my wrist, lingering on the mark. Her lip curled.
"I'm not human," I snapped before I could stop myself.
That earned a laugh. Not kind.
"Whatever helps you sleep," she said.
The older woman stepped closer. "I'm Mara. Pack second. You'll address me as such."
I straightened, even though my legs still shook. "I'll address you however I want."
Mara studied me for a long moment. Then she smiled. Slow. Dangerous. "You're bold. That'll get corrected."
The younger woman circled me, boots clicking softly. "She doesn't smell like one of us."
"No," Mara agreed. "But she smells like him."
The bond reacted instantly. Heat flared low in my stomach, unwanted and humiliating. I clenched my fists.
"Don't say that," I said.
The younger woman's smile sharpened. "Why? Does it hurt?"
"Yes," I said flatly. "And I don't care if that amuses you."
Her hand shot out, fingers closing around my wrist.
Pain exploded.
I cried out, body jerking as the mark flared blinding white. The bond screamed like a live wire, heat and agony crashing through me all at once. My knees buckled.
"Enough."
The Alpha's voice cut through the corridor like a blade.
The pressure shifted instantly. The pain eased just enough for me to breathe again.
They both froze.
He stood at the far end of the hall, arms crossed, expression carved from stone. His presence filled the space, heavy and unavoidable.
"Release her," he ordered.
The younger woman hesitated.
His eyes flicked to her.
She let go as if burned.
I sagged against the wall, shaking, fury choking me. "Is this part of your rules?" I demanded. "Letting them hurt me?"
He ignored the question. His gaze stayed on the younger woman. "You will not touch her again."
Her jaw tightened. "Alpha—"
"You will not touch her," he repeated. Quieter. Worse.
She dipped her head, teeth clenched. "Yes, Alpha."
He turned to Mara. "Explain the rules."
Mara nodded once and faced me again. "You stay within the inner grounds. You do not leave without escort. You do not speak during pack assemblies unless spoken to. You do not challenge rank."
"I won't agree to that," I said.
Mara's eyes hardened. "Agreement isn't required."
The Alpha stepped closer. Too close.
The bond surged in response, heat crawling under my skin, my pulse jumping. I hated that my body noticed him before my mind did.
"You will follow the rules," he said calmly, "because the alternative is worse."
"What alternative?" I shot back.
His gaze dropped briefly to my wrist. "Pain."
My stomach twisted. "You'd hurt me to make a point?"
"I'd stop you from hurting yourself," he corrected.
I laughed, short and bitter. "That's what men always say."
Something flickered across his face. Gone before I could name it.
"You are not weak," he said. "But you are unprotected."
"I was fine before you dragged me here."
"No," he said. "You were alone."
Mara cleared her throat. "There's more."
She gestured, and the younger woman tossed something at my feet. Clothes. Rough fabric. Pack colors. A mark stitched at the collar.
"I'm not wearing that," I said immediately.
"You will," the Alpha said.
"I won't."
Silence fell.
The air thickened. The bond tightened, a low ache spreading through my chest. He watched me carefully, like he was measuring how far he could push before I broke.
"Refusal has consequences," he said.
"So does forcing me," I shot back. "You think owning me will make this easier?"
His jaw clenched. "This isn't ownership."
"Then stop treating me like property."
For a moment, I thought he might snap. Instead, he stepped back.
"Give her time," he said to Mara. "Not comfort. Time."
Mara nodded, though her expression said she disagreed.
The Alpha turned to leave.
Before he reached the door, I spoke. "What happens if I break a rule?"
He paused.
His voice carried back to me, low and even. "You'll learn why the rules exist."
The door closed behind him.
The corridor felt colder without him. Quieter. The younger woman stared at me with open hostility now.
"You think you're special," she said. "Marked. Protected."
"I think you're cruel," I replied.
Her smile was sharp. "Careful."
Mara stepped away. "I'll return later. Try not to die before then."
They left me alone again.
I bent to pick up the clothes, hands shaking. I hated that I needed them. Hated that I was already calculating survival.
I pulled the shirt over my head.
The moment the fabric brushed the mark, heat flared again. Not pain this time. Something else. Awareness.
A low growl sounded behind me.
I spun.
The younger woman stood in the doorway, eyes glowing, lips pulled back to reveal teeth that weren't human anymore.
"You don't belong here," she said.
YouThen she lunged.