Chapter 2

His arms were like steel around my waist, and I couldn’t move an inch even if I wanted to. It was like I had been welded to him.

He moved faster, drifting through the forest deeper and deeper, his speed unlike anything I had ever seen. Trees blurred past us, branches whipping by as he carried me effortlessly, and yet he didn’t seem the least bit affected by the distance.

I had no idea how long we’d been running when, suddenly, he stopped and lowered me to the ground. I stumbled slightly, trying to steady myself as I looked up.

Then I gasped. A giant iron gate stood before us, towering high above our heads and stretching far enough in both directions that I couldn’t see where it ended.

Beyond it was a mansion.Not a house.

A fucking huge mansion.

I stared at it in disbelief. I had no idea there was anything this big hidden deep inside Hayon Forest.

How had no one in Ravenhill ever found this place?

I turned slowly toward Ryder, but he was already walking toward the gate as though this was the most normal thing in the world.

“Wait,” I called after him. “You’re telling me you’ve been living here this whole time?”

He didn’t stop.

I hurried after him, still staring at the massive building beyond the gate.

“People in Ravenhill think you’re some kind of forest-dwelling psychopath who eats wolves.”

He glanced at me over his shoulder. “I don’t eat wolves.”

I blinked. “That’s the part you decided to correct?”

He ignored me and pressed a bell beside the massive gate. A second later, a low mechanical sound echoed through the forest before the gates slowly swung open.

I stared. “Okay…”

Ryder walked through without waiting for me. I hurried after him, my eyes moving across the enormous property beyond the gates. The mansion was even bigger up close, with dark stone walls, towering windows, and several floors disappearing beneath the thick trees surrounding it.

“How does no one know this place exists?” I asked.

“Because no one is stupid enough to come looking.”

I glanced at him. “Except me?”

“Apparently.”

I rolled my eyes and followed him farther inside.

I followed him through the gate, still staring at the mansion in front of me when I suddenly noticed movement around the property.

People. Actual people.

A man carrying a stack of boxes walked past us, another was talking to someone near the side of the mansion, and two women were standing near the entrance, speaking quietly before their eyes landed on me.

I stopped walking. “Wait…”

Ryder continued forward.

“Wait!”

He finally stopped and looked back at me. “There are people here?”

His brow lifted as if I had just asked the most ridiculous question in the world. “Yes.”

I looked around again, my mouth slightly open.

“But I thought you lived here alone.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because you’re a terrifying lunatic who lives in the middle of a forbidden forest.”

He stared at me.

I shrugged. “It seemed reasonable. And that was what the town people said.”

A few people nearby suddenly lowered their heads when Ryder’s gaze swept across them. Others quickly moved out of his way, and the entire atmosphere seemed to change the moment he walked past.

Nobody spoke. Nobody dared look at him for too long. I slowly followed behind him, watching the strange behavior around me.

They were afraid of him. Not the kind of fear people in Ravenhill had when they told stories about him.

This was different. They knew him. And whatever they knew, it made them terrified to cross him.

I glanced at Ryder’s back. Maybe the stories weren’t completely made up after all.

We continued toward the mansion, and the closer we got, the more I noticed how everyone seemed to straighten whenever Ryder passed.

By the time we reached the entrance, a young man was already waiting outside. The moment he saw Ryder, he lowered his head and bowed.

“Welcome, Alpha.”Ryder didn’t say a word. He simply walked past him and entered the house as though the greeting hadn’t happened.

I followed behind, still trying to take everything in, until we stepped into what looked like a massive living room. Ryder didn’t bother looking around. He headed straight toward a table in the corner where several bottles of whiskey were lined up.

He picked one up, pulled out the cork, and took a long swallow straight from the bottle.

I stared at him. He lowered the bottle and finally looked at me. “Sit.”

I glanced behind me. Then back at him.“Me?”

His eyes remained as cold as ice.“Do you see anyone else here?”

“Now, let’s talk about your stay here,” he said, pouring himself another drink into a glass. “Since you’re tied to the forest now, and you’re in my home, you’re going to have to make yourself useful.”

I stared at him.

“I don’t like uselessness.”

“Tied?” I repeated, completely confused. “You never explained anything to me. You just told me I couldn’t leave.”

He took a slow sip of his drink, watching me over the rim of the glass. “You never asked why?”

I opened my mouth. Then closed it. I couldn’t say anything because he was right. I hadn’t asked.

I had been too busy arguing with him, trying to figure out why the stream had turned red, and wondering what kind of lunatic carried a grown woman through a forest without even asking permission.

“But still,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. “You could have given me some kind of explanation.”

His eyebrow lifted.“Would you have listened?”

I frowned. Probably not. But I wasn’t going to admit that. “So,” I said instead, “what exactly does being tied to the forest mean?”

Ryder set his glass down and leaned back in his chair. “That,” he said calmly, “is what we’re going to talk about.”

Ryder was silent for a moment, his fingers slowly turning the glass in his hand as though he was deciding how much he actually wanted to tell me.

“It has to do with the witches of Saylan.”

I stared at him.“The dead witches?”

His eyes lifted to mine.“They weren’t dead.”

My stomach dropped. “But everyone says they died centuries ago.”

“Everyone in Ravenhill believes a lot of things that aren’t true.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I remained quiet while he took another sip of his drink.

“The witches of Saylan are powerful,” he continued. “They aren’t ordinary witches. They were masters of dark magic and human rituals. They lived here, in Hayon, long before Ravenhill was even built.”

I glanced toward the windows, suddenly imagining the forest outside in a completely different way.

“What does that have to do with me?”

“The ritual you saw in the stream.”

My brows pulled together. “The red water?”

He nodded.

“That ritual is a boundary spell used to summon dark beasts. It traps anyone who happens to be in the forest at that same hour. If it had been a human, they would have been dead by now.”

I swallowed hard.

“This sounds like some crazy shit,” I said, trying not to let the fear creeping through me show.

“Crazy or not, you’re part of it now,” he said, taking another sip from his drink.

My stomach twisted. “What does that mean?”

“It means the forest has marked you.”

I swallowed. “And I can’t leave because…?”

“Because the spell won’t allow it.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “That sounds completely insane.”

“It is.”

“Then break the spell.”

Ryder’s expression hardened. “I can’t.”

I stared at him. “You’re the Alpha. You’re telling me you can’t break some stupid witch spell?”

“I’ve tried.”

That shut me up. He set his glass down, his gaze drifting toward the window. “Anyone who has tried to break the spell has either disappeared or died.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine. “And what happens to me?”

His eyes returned to mine. “That depends on how long the forest decides to keep you.”

I swallowed. “And how long is that?”

Ryder picked up his glass again.”No one knows.”

“In the meantime, you stay here,” he said, picking up his glass again. “And you make yourself useful by working for me.”

I remained still, staring at him as I tried to process everything I had heard. A few minutes ago, I had been standing in the middle of a forest, ready to end it all, and now I was sitting in the home of the infamous Lunatic Alpha, apparently trapped here by some ancient witch spell with no way of leaving.

This had to be a joke. There was no way my life had gone from completely miserable to completely insane this quickly.

“I have rules,” Ryder continued. “And I need you to follow them.”

I was barely listening. My mind was still stuck on everything he’d told me.

“Madelyn.” I didn’t respond.

“Madelyn.” His voice was sharper this time, snapping me back to reality.

I blinked and looked at him.“Huh?”

His eyes narrowed. “I said I have rules.”

“Oh.”I sat up a little straighter. “Right. The rules.”

He leaned back in his chair, studying me with an expression that made me feel like I was already failing whatever test he had decided to give me.

“Then listen carefully. First rule,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “You don’t leave the house without permission.”

I frowned.

“Second, you stay away from the eastern side of the forest. You don’t go near the stream again, no matter what you hear or see.”

I nodded slowly, trying to remember everything.

“Third, you don’t touch anything that doesn’t belong to you.”

He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. “And most importantly, you don’t interfere with my affairs.”

I stared at him for a moment before shaking my head.“What if I refuse?”

His brow lifted.

“I don't want this. All this sounds too crazy. How do I trust you're not up to something?”

A scoff escaped him. “For someone who doesn’t have a pack or family,choice is a luxury you can't and shouldn't afford.”

My fist clenched beneath the table.

“If you can’t follow my rules,” he said coldly, pointing toward the entrance, “there’s the door. Get the fuck out. I couldn’t care less if you died.”

I stared at him, anger burning through me.

This man was unbelievable. I had just been told I was trapped in a forest because of some ancient witch ritual, and now this arrogant bastard was acting like he was doing me a favor by letting me stay under his roof.

But the worst part was that I knew he was right.

I had nowhere else to go.

No pack. No family. No home. And, apparently, no choice. I slowly unclenched my fist and forced myself to breathe.

“Fine,” I muttered.

His eyes remained on me. “Fine what?”

I glared at him. “I’ll follow your stupid rules.”

“Good.” He picked up his glass again, clearly done with the conversation. “The room on your right upstairs is yours. Get some sleep.”

I blinked. That was it? After everything he’d just said, he was simply sending me to bed?

“Good night, Madelyn.”

I stared at him for a moment, still trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

“Good night,” I muttered.

He didn’t respond.

I turned toward the stairs, taking a few steps before glancing back at him. He was already drinking again, completely absorbed in his own thoughts as though I wasn’t even there.

I shook my head and headed upstairs. Maybe tomorrow I’d wake up and discover this had all been some bizarre nightmare. Then again, considering my luck, I seriously doubted it.