I AM THE SHE-ALPHA

CHAPTER 006

RAVEN:

I groggily struggled to open my eyes, feeling the cold chill sink deep into my bones.

No matter how much I struggled to get my eye open, to move an inch of my eyelid, nothing. They never responded, as they felt like lead.

'Was I dead?' I wondered, still feeling the cold-water seeping into my bone and the rocks digging into my flesh. The memory and the pain all came rushing forward.

'Was I in the afterlife? Was this how it feels? Like... nothing?'

I knew I was dead since no one, not even the strongest of wolves, could survive such an impact. But... the persistent pain radiating off my body, the throbbing of my heart, and the feeling of adrenaline rushing through my veins told me otherwise. The pain and the coldness were all too real.

But where was I? And why was it so cold?

A shrill beeping drilled into my ears. Finally, my eyelids twitched as light pricked through the fog in my head, and I groaned, shutting them back up.

The cold, antiseptic smell hit me, sharp and stinging, and reality came rushing back.

My eyes shot open with a force I never knew was possible.

The room was stark, with walls painted sterile white, the floor glistening as though it had been scrubbed clean of blood too many times. A heart monitor beside me blinked in steady rhythm, the sound grating against my raw nerves.

What?

Panic surged through me. I tried to sit up, but pain lanced down my arms, forcing a painful gasp out of me. My wrists jerked against cold iron cuffs that clinked against the bed frame. Shackles. They'd chained me down like an animal.

My heart raced, and the heart monitor concurred in a frenzy with the increased heart rate.

The pack. They found me again.

The thought hit like a whip crack, and instinct screamed at me to escape. I struggled against the cuffs, ignoring the pain as they dug into my skin. My breath came in short, ragged bursts.

The door creaked open.

I froze.

A tall, dark man in a doctor's coat stepped inside, carrying a clipboard, but his eyes softened as they found mine. "Easy, easy," he mumbled, his voice calm but firm. "Stop struggling; you're only going to make everything worse. You're safe here."

"Safe?" My voice cracked, raw with disuse. I coughed, and the doctor handed me a cup of water by the desk. I drank greedily in one go, breathing heavily.

"You call this safe? I'm chained-"

He raised his hands to stop me. "Restraints are for your protection. You have been in a coma for two weeks now. Your body is still unstable."

Comma? Two weeks?

So I didn't die?

The memory of falling down the cliff, staring one last time at Kaelith's face as I plummeted into the rocky bottom, resurfaced, and I closed my eyes tight, refraining from crying.

"You suffered numerous broken ribs, a broken femur and tibia, internal bleeding- "

"I don't trust you," I hissed, yanking again at the cuffs, though my strength faltered quickly. My body was still sore, and the faint sting of wounds beneath the bandages told me I wasn't fully healed.

The doctor sighed, but before he could reply, another presence filled the doorway.

The air in the room shifted, colder, heavier.

I knew that face.

"You." I breathed, remembering the night of my escape.

The man stepped forward, his expression carved in stone. Tall, broad-shouldered, his black hair combed neatly to the side, showcasing his strong angular jaw and handsome face. Those eyes-black as night-sharp, unreadable, locked on mine as he pulled a chair closer to the bed.

"You're awake." His tone carried no warmth, no relief. Just suspicion.

The doctor took this as his time to leave, closing the door behind him and leaving me with the strange rogue. The silence filled the room, choking.

I swallowed hard, shrinking against the metal headboard as much as the cuffs allowed. "You... you saved me."

He tilted his head to the side, his expression still unreadable. "Saved you or caught you – which one do you think?"

My breath hitched. I couldn't answer his question. He had been the one to break the lock to my cage, letting me escape. But I couldn't say it out loud.

"Who are you?" He demanded, leaning forward as his eyes thinned in suspicion. His scent, woodsmoke and forest, filled my lungs and made my nostrils flare. "And why are you following us?"

I backed. "Following-? "What are you talking about?" My voice trembled despite my best effort to keep it steady. "I would never follow a rogue. Never."

The corner of his lips twitched, breaking his cold persona. "So, you're saying after I let you escape your cage. Is it a coincidence you were near my territory? That you just managed to be washed up at the riverbank of my pack?"

"I..." My throat dried. I had no answer. Betrayal had dragged me into the river, and here I was, chained to a bed with this man glaring down at me like judge, jury, and executioner.

He moved suddenly, so quickly the chair legs scraped harshly against the floor. His face was inches from mine, breath hot against my cheek. "You're a spy for the FangBorn pack. Admit it."

My eyes widened as words burst out in desperation. "I'm not!" I exclaimed. "I don't even know who you are!" I said this, trying to back farther away from this weird guy.

His gaze searched mine, as if digging into my soul for the truth, yet my heartbeat thudded so loudly I could barely hear my own thoughts.

"What's your name?" he asked finally, voice low and dangerous.

I clenched my jaw, but refusing would only make me look guilty. "...Raven."

The syllables felt heavy in the silence that followed. I couldn't say my surname, for it wasn't truly mine again. I wasn't a silvera anymore. My twin sister had made it clear when she betrayed and almost killed me. My parents made it clear when they disowned me. I was just Raven. Plain and stupid.

He suddenly straightened, the intensity in his eyes cooling into a mask of indifference. "Raven." He repeated my name as though testing its weight, then gave a curt nod. Without another word, he stood up, turned and strode to the door.

I let out a shaky breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

The door closed, but I still felt his presence close. He spoke through the closed door; his voice carried through the hallway, sharp against the sterile walls. My wolf hearing caught every word.

"Is she ready for interrogation?"

My stomach dropped.

The doctor's reply was softer, but I caught enough. "Her vitals are stable, though she hasn't shifted yet. The wolf isn't responding. It's... unusual. Strange even."

I squeezed my eyes shut. My chest ached with the truth. I haven't shifted even though my eighteenth birthday has long passed. Every wolf is meant to shift at the age of eighteen, but not me. Not even the perfect Kaelith. But as Mother said, 'We only need to be patient. Your wolf is in you. She will come at the right time.'

But what if the right time never came? Even when Kaelith tried to kill me. Even when I fell to my death. Not even now, when I needed her most. My wolf was silent. Dead, maybe. And without her, I was nothing but a human with advanced hearing and smell.

The sound of approaching footsteps dragged me back to reality. I stiffened as the doctor entered again, his hands carrying a syringe which glistened with silver liquid under the harsh lights of the hospital room.

My instincts screamed.

"No-don't-" I fought against the cuffs, yanking until the metal cut into my wrists and blood began pouring onto the floor. "What are you doing? Stay away from me!"

The doctor's face remained calm, almost sympathetic, as he approached, unbothered by my struggles. "It won't hurt. It will just help us... get to the truth."

"I told you the truth!" My voice broke into a plea. "Please, I'm not your enemy! I was- "

I couldn't finish my words as the needle pierced my arm, the cold fire burning in my veins as the substance spread. The edges of my vision blurred. The ceiling swayed.

Through the haze, I turned my head toward the door.

And there he was.

The man who had saved me-or doomed me-stood by the doorway, his expression unreadable, his dark eyes locked on me with something I couldn't name.

I tried to hold his gaze, to ask him why, but my voice was gone. Darkness swallowed me whole.