Everything was dark when Autumn Clover opened her eyes. Her head throbbed like a thousand needles stabbing behind her skull. She tried to move her hands but they felt heavy, bound by something rough that felt like rope.
"Where... where am I?" she whispered into the eerie silence.
Slowly, her vision began to adjust to the darkness. She was in a large room with tall windows covered by thick curtains. Only a little moonlight seeped in, enough to see that she was lying on a large bed with sturdy wooden poles at each corner.
Autumn's heart was beating fast. This was not her room. This was not her home.
The sound of heavy footsteps approached. Autumn stiffened, taking a sharp breath as the large wooden door at the end of the room slowly opened, revealing the silhouette of a tall, familiar man.
"Welcome back, love."
That voice. The deep baritone voice that had once been a favorite melody in her ears, now sounded like a terrible threat.
"Jacob?" Autumn whispered in disbelief. "What are you doing? Let me go!"
Jacob Weston, the feared alpha of the pack, stepped into the room. The dim light illuminated his handsome yet cold face. His jaw was set, his amber eyes staring like a predator watching its prey.
"Let you go?" Jacob chuckled. "No, Autumn, dear. You've done that to me, haven't you? Letting go of me, breaking off our engagement without any reasonable explanation."
He walked slowly toward the bed, each step making Autumn tremble more.
"What do you want?" Autumn asked, her voice shaking even as she tried to sound brave.
Jacob sat on the edge of the bed, his long fingers gently touching Autumn's cheek in contrast to his cold gaze.
"I want what is rightfully mine," he answered in a voice that was calm but frightening. "You, Autumn. You are mine."
"I don't belong to anyone, Jacob! We're over. I have the right to choose my own life!"
Jacob grabbed Autumn's chin, forcing her to look into his dangerously gleaming eyes. "You know the rules in our pack. Once bonded, forever bonded. And you," he brought his lips to Autumn's ear, "have been bonded to me since that night."
Autumn felt a chill run down her spine. That night. The night she had given everything to Jacob, believing their love would last.
"That's in the past," Autumn tried to reason. "I had my reasons for leaving, Jacob. You've changed, you're not the man I used to love."
Jacob straightened, his expression hard. "And you think that gives you the right to leave me? Embarrass me in front of the whole pack? Leave the wedding invitations scattered, the wedding dress sewn, and the venue already booked?" His voice was calm but filled with pent-up anger.
Autumn swallowed hard. Her emerald green eyes stared at Jacob with a mixture of fear and anger.
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you, Jacob. But you gave me no choice! You changed after your father died. You became cold, cruel, and obsessed with power. You even kicked the Bennetts out of the pack just because they dared to disagree with you!”
Jacob stood up, walked to the window and pulled the curtains aside. The moonlight flooded the room, illuminating his handsome yet cold face.
“I did what I had to do to protect our pack,” he said without looking up. “But you never tried to understand. You only saw what you wanted to see.”
He turned, his gaze intense. "Do you know how long I've been looking for you, Autumn? Six months. Six months I've been using my entire network to track you down. And all that time, I've been going crazy thinking about you."
Autumn took a deep breath, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. "If you really loved me, you'd let me go, Jacob. This... this is kidnapping! This is a crime!"
Jacob laughed lowly, the sound sending shivers down Autumn's spine. "Kidnapping? No, honey. I'm just taking back what's rightfully mine."
He came closer again, sitting down beside Autumn and stroking her long, honey-brown hair. "Do you remember our vows that night? 'Forever yours, like the moon owns the night.' You said them right before we were united, Autumn."
Autumn's eyes began to well up with tears. Of course she did. How could she forget the most beautiful night of her life? The night she'd given her entire being to Jacob, believing that he was her destiny.
"That was before you changed," she whispered. "Before you became a monster."
Jacob's jaw clenched. His hand that was stroking Autumn's hair suddenly grabbed and pulled hard, making Autumn scream in pain.
"Monster? Is that how you see me now?" Jacob hissed. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am a monster. But you, honey, you created this monster."
He released his grip, stood up and walked to the large cabinet in the corner of the room. Opening it, he pulled out a black velvet box.
"Do you know what this is?" he asked as he opened the box.
Autumn felt her heart stop for a moment as Jacob opened the black velvet box. Inside was a platinum necklace with a crescent-shaped pendant adorned with blue diamonds, their engagement gift.
"You still have it," Autumn said softly.
Jacob smiled coldly. "Of course. It's a symbol of our bond. The bond you never really broke, Autumn."
He walked back to Autumn, sat down beside her, and gently lifted the necklace. "Remember when I put it around your neck? You cried with joy. You said it was the most beautiful moment of your life."
Autumn closed her eyes, the memory still too vivid, too painful. "Jacob, please. What do you really want from me?"
"I want you to be mine again. Completely." Jacob caressed Autumn's neck with his cold fingers. "I want you to be the Autumn I used to know, the one who loved me unconditionally."
"That's impossible," Autumn whispered. "Too much has changed."
Jacob leaned forward, his lips almost touching Autumn's. "Then I'll make you love me again. By any means necessary."
Autumn turned her face away, refusing the kiss. "You can't force love, Jacob."
Jacob's eyes darkened, anger clear. He gripped Autumn's face with one hand, forcing her to look at him. "I can have anything I want, Autumn. I always get what I want."
"Then what? Are you going to keep me here forever? Make me pretend to love you?" Autumn asked in a trembling voice. "That's not love, Jacob. That's obsession."
Jacob released his grip, standing up and pacing in front of the bed. His face showed great emotional turmoil.
"You still don't understand," he said finally. "We are mates, Autumn. Fated together by the Moon Goddess herself. You can't fight fate."