~Flipping The Script~

EIRA

My head throbbed painfully as I regained consciousness. Every bone in my body screamed as I shifted my body where I laid down, blinking against a strobe of light.

Cold metal was pressed against my cheek, as I inhaled and opened my eyes and then I realized I was in a cage.

Like, an actual cage. The kind you throw feral animals into.

I scrambled back, bumping into the iron bars behind me, trying not to panic. My hands shook as I gripped the bars. My heart wasn’t just pounding anymore—it was slamming.

I could feel the metal rattling beneath my fingers with every tremor in my chest. I heard male voices outside.

“She’s the one from Blackclaw, right?” one asked, his voice sounded thick, like he'd swallowed gravel.

“Yeah. Dumb girl wandered right into rogue territory. Alpha’s gonna be thrilled.”

My stomach dropped, rogues. Not the badass lone-wolf kind you hear about in whispers and bedtime horror stories. These were the real deal. Packless, heartless, rule-less. And I was in their house now.

No backup, no GPS, no Ivy, just me.

They hadn’t seen I was awake yet. I shifted onto my knees slowly and silently. My ankle protested, twisted maybe. But I bit down on the groan.

One of the men laughed, the sound echoing off damp stone. “I think she’s got a death wish or just stupid?”

“She’s awake,” the other one said as his m eyes locked on mine through the bars like a vulture spotting roadkill. “Arise and shine, princess.”

I shot him a glare, jaw clenched. “Go to hell.”

“Oooh,” the first one smirked, stepping closer. He was tall, grimy, with teeth too yellow to be real. “She talks. You think you’re tough, little runaway?”

“She smells like power,” the second one muttered, crouching down. “You feel that? There’s something off about her.”

“Maybe she’s broken. Look at her—daddy’s little mate marked and tossed out like garbage.”

That hit like a sucker punch. My hand instinctively flew to my neck. The spot where the strange man had bit me on my birthday throbbed. Not just sore. Burning. It felt like fire had been lit under my skin.

And then—Everything shifted. A man appeared from the shadows. He was massive. Built like a tank in boots. Dark hair, storm-colored eyes. His energy sucked the oxygen out of the place. My wolf stirred, ears up, alert. Not afraid. She was curious and fully awake.

The rogues stepped back instinctively, suddenly deferential. “Alpha.”

Alpha?

Their Alpha?

His eyes locked on me. And for one terrifying second... I felt him in my bones.

The mark on my neck flared. I winced, biting back a cry.

“Interesting,” he said, voice deep and smooth like oil over glass. “She’s awake.”

“What do we do with her?” one of the rogues asked.

The Alpha tilted his head slightly, gaze never leaving mine. “We wait.”

Wait... for what?

I gripped the bars tighter, trying to keep my voice steady.

“What the hell do you want from me?”

He smiled.

I sat huddled in the back of the cage like some kind of zoo exhibit, glaring at the Alpha rogue like I could set him on fire with just my eyes. He stared right back, completely unfazed, his hands were clasped behind his back like he was doing a damn museum tour.

“Name’s Elrich,” he finally said, tapping his chest, his voice sounding steady and low. “And before you ask—yeah. I’m the one who bit you on your birthday.”

My stomach turned upon hearing those words. “You what?”

“The bite mark,” he said, gesturing toward my neck. “That was me.”

My fingers shot up to the sore spot, and the heat pulsed beneath my skin surged like it heard him too. “You lunatic—what the hell gives you the right—”

“I marked you,” he cut in smoothly. “So no one else could cloak you. Not the wolves at Blackridge. Not that fake mate who left you standing there and then cheated on you with your sister.”

Oh. Oh hell no. This can't be happening.

“You did what?” I sprang up to my feet—well, halfway. The cage wasn’t tall enough for dramatic effect, but I made do.

“You mean to tell me, you stalked me on my freaking birthday, and decided—without asking—to leave your fang-print like I’m some stray?”

He lifted a brow. “I saved you.”

“By biting me?”

“Yes.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “You're completely insane.”

“Maybe,” he said with a shrug. “But I didn’t do it to hurt you.”

“Oh, gee, thanks. That makes everything so much better,” I snapped. “Are you gonna tell me I should be grateful now?” I asked him.

He stepped closer to the bars, and gods, his presence felt intoxicating. My wolf felt a strong pull towards him. Like gravity just doubled in this damn room.

“You’re powerful, Eira. You just don’t know it yet. But I do. I’ve known since the day I saw you shift. There’s something ancient in your blood. Something even the Elders fear. You were never meant to be some Alpha’s pretty ornament.”

I swallowed hard.

Because... I hadn’t told anyone that. Not even Ivy. That when I first shifted, it didn’t feel like just my wolf awakening—it felt like a floodgate breaking open. Like something old and buried roared through me, hungry and wild.

Elrich leaned forward slightly. “You can pretend all you want. But you know it too.”

Silence enveloped the room for a while and then he broke the silence.

“You’re fierce and strong Eira,” he said softly, like it was a compliment. “And I want that on my side. I want you at my side.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

He smiled. “Be my Luna.”

I stared at him.

Deadpan speechless, but only for two seconds. I was thinking about something and I needed to know that he didn't just want to use me for his personal gain.

“Okay,” I said, my voice syrupy sweet.

His brows lifted slightly, surprised. “Okay?”

“On one condition.”

And I smiled—wide and cocky—like I had just flipped the script on him.