Evelyn

The throbbing pain in the back of my head and my ankle made me queasy. I refused to open my eyes, even though I was regaining consciousness, so I lay on the cold ground, dragging my fingertips across the cold surface, only to realize it was stone. My foggy mind panicked, and my fingers stopped when I realized it wasn't dirt beneath me. I wasn't in the woods any longer.

I shot straight up, then regretted it a whole second later when a sharp pain shot through the back of my head. I doubled over and spewed the contents of my stomach when a voice said, "She doesn't look so tough to me. Are you sure she's a huntress?"

My body heaved, my head pounding against my skull as a man's hard voice boomed around me. And it wasn't Pops.

I glanced up, trying to adjust to the light as I forced my body back into the shadows. My eyes danced around, darting from the floor to the bars of what appeared to be a cell, the harsh light dangling above, and finally to two hulking silhouettes standing behind the cage. I blinked a couple of times, trying to find the source of the voice. Slowly, they came into view. Two men looked down at me in disgust.

I eyed them carefully. They looked like ordinary men. No, scratch that; they looked like two hunks with beautiful bronzed skin and muscles for miles. Yep, they definitely were not human.

"She's a huntress, alright." The blond one smirked. "I watched her take down that werewolf in minutes. Broken ankle and all."

"I don't understand why you brought her here, Michael," the second one said, a man with bronzed skin and burly arms that crossed over an insanely broad chest. "What do you plan on doing with her?"

Michael turned cold, menacing eyes back toward me. "We wait for the Alpha. He'll decide her fate."

Well, that confirmed my suspicions. Neither of these beasts was the Alpha. I scoffed a laugh; how ironic.

Michael's unnerving smile set me on edge. "Connor will want to know she's up before Rook arrives."

My nerves fired, but I didn't let on. Was Conner the Alpha? Was Rook? I shuddered to think what either might be like.

"Hey, Connor!" Blondie's voice boomed, pounding against her head like a hammer. "She's up!"

I waited as footsteps sounded down the hall, my stomach unsettled.

"What do we have here?" a voice growled softly from the shadows, and another prominent figure emerged.

Both of the men stepped aside to allow him to approach the bars. He was larger than the other two, but only slightly so, with dirty blond hair and a scar that etched a path down the side of his face.

The look he threw my way made a shudder run straight down my spine. His sultry stare ran the length of my face, below my jaw, and past my exposed collarbones, lingering a little too long on my chest.

I did what I could not to squirm or pull the zipper of my coat up higher to hide my cleavage. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of letting him know he unnerved me. I eased further into the shadows until my back collided with the cold stone wall.

"A huntress," Michael spoke up.

"How intriguing," Connor said with a small wicked smile. "Open the gate."

My heart fell to the pit of my stomach as the key clicked, and the door whined open. He walked into the cell, his gait casual and unconcerned.

If he knew who I truly was, he would be concerned. I was a Del Val and could have him on the floor in seconds if I wanted, even if my ankle was still healing. Patience. My father's words echoed in my head, even though my body screamed for me to attack.

I watched his every move as he slowly closed the distance.

He came to a halt and reached down, gripping my shirt collar before yanking me to my feet. I gritted my teeth, bearing my weight on my good ankle as he set his stare on mine, his nose inches away.

"So strong," he purred. "And your scent–" He inhaled deeply, tucking his face in the crook of my neck. "--It's intoxicating. Pity we have to kill you."

"You underestimate me if you think it will be that easy."

I gripped the wrist of the hand holding my collar in an instant, twisted it, and squeezed until it snapped under my grip. He howled his eyes like flames. I shoved him back before he could react–so hard his back and head collided with the bars, and his body sank to the ground.

"Maybe you'll think twice next time," I said, examining my blood-encrusted nails as if I were bored. "A pretty-faced distraction could mean your death."

He was on his feet in seconds, his face boiling with rage. I had done a thorough job of pissing him off. I awaited his backlash and hoped, within all hope, that I had enough strength left in me to still be alive at the end of this. Luckily for me, Michael stopped him.

"Conner," he barked, reaching through the cell door, "we wait on the Alpha."

He hurried in, halting Conner with a hand on his shoulder.

So, Conner wasn't the Alpha. He must have been higher up the hierarchy based on his behavior and the air of superiority, but he was still not at the top.

He angrily shoved Michael's hand from his shoulder but collected himself a bit with a slight tug of his shirt. "Just wait, little huntress. We'll meet again very soon, and you won't have the upper hand next time."

He stormed out of the cell and closed the door with a loud bang.

I flinched under the noise. "I wouldn't bank on that if I were you," I hissed, watching him shake with fury as all three left me in the cold darkness.

Conner disappeared up the narrow stairway, taking the other two with him. I exhaled in relief, but it was short-lived when another voice slithered through the shadows and up my spine. The growl that echoed from above was frightfully unsettling. "Where is she?"