Alpha Kane & His Rogue Luna *TEASER ONLY!*

1

Willow

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I never understood that until I ended up here.

All I ever wanted was to learn to be a healer and help people... I should have known better. I should have known that people don't offer you your heart's desire without a price. There's always a price...

But I'm a fool, and now I'll die down here, surrounded by death and misery. How did it all go so wrong?

A soft tweet pulls me from my miserable spiral, up to the crack in the jagged stone foundation. Aside from the dim lamp on the small table, it's the only other light source for my cell.

They call it my room, but a cell is more accurate. All four walls are made of solid stone except for the crack. Even the floor is made from the same rough-hewn stone, leaving it uneven and dirty.

I fit right in with my dirt caked pants and soiled top... it's been so long that I don't even remember what colour they were before the blood and dirt took over.

The bird chirps again and peeks its bright blue head through the crack. Even in this hell hole there's a sliver of light, if only you know where to look.

Inside the desk drawer, I pull out a small napkin I carefully folded earlier. No sooner than I reveal the crumbs and seeds does my feathered friend fly down, landing on my hand.

His pretty blue feathers shine even in the low light, managing to lift my spirits. He jumps from my hand to my finger and preens, having scarfed down my meager offering.

As if to say thanks, he starts to sing his tune, the cheery melody reminding me of sunny afternoons spent in the meadow with mom. My chest tightens at the precious memory. I'd give anything to go back to it, to see her once more.

The door creaks under strain as a heavy fist bangs on it three times. My feathered friend flies frantically around the room before slipping through the crack to freedom, leaving me to the horrors that will soon follow the knock.

I back away from the door until I bump against the cold, damp wall. The door springs open with a bang, making me jump.

Devil storms in, his dark gaze sweeping the room till it lands on me. Like all the men here, he's gruff and dirty, but his scars are old.

"Quickly now, they won't be happy if the young one dies, hasn't earned his price back yet." His gravelly voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Two more men drag the latest victims in. A young guy, barely in his twenties, is unconscious and leaves a trail of blood on the stone beneath him. The other leans heavily on a crutch; the entire left side of his face is covered in blood.

I'm frozen, staring at the never ending carnage in front of me. I don't need my wolf Snow's help to know it's too late for the one. His light has long gone out.

"Well fuck," the one guard growls, kicking the boy. "He up and fucking died, anyway."

The man kicks him harder, breaking bones. The sound makes me cringe and flinch away. I turn to the wall, covering my face to hide my quivering lip.

"Get rid of him," the Devil orders. He shifts his attention from the corpse to the other prisoner. "Guess you'll be taking his place, hmm?"

"Lucky me," the man dryly replies. In the blink of an eye, the Devil doubles him over with a sucker punch to his gut, leaving him gasping against the wall.

"Get him in fighting shape," he orders. I can't bring myself to look at him as he shuffles back to the door. The slamming makes me jump nearly out of my skin.