Caged Human Luna — He Stole My Freedom To Hide His Curse Chapter 03

Caged Human Luna — He Stole My Freedom To Hide His Curse Chapter 03 The Enemy Of My Enemy
Elaine. My sneakers slapped against the damp earth as I tore away from the border clearing. The image of the two betas casually stepping over the line—completely unharmed, burned behind my eyelids. The curse was a lie. The borders weren’t death. Ethan was the only one trapped in this cage, and he had locked the entire pack inside just to hide his own shame. The rustling behind me grew louder, accompanied by the heavy, rhythmic thuds of a wolf on the hunt. They had heard me. “Who’s there?” a voice boomed from the direction of the supply shed. It was Marcus. My lungs burned within minutes, my feet slamming against roots and rocks in the dark. I couldn’t risk using a flashlight. I relied entirely on the faint moonlight filtering through the heavy canopy. Suddenly, a long, mournful howl ripped through the silence behind me. I stumbled, catching myself on a rough tree trunk. My heart leaped into my throat. That wasn’t a standard patrol howl. It was the alarm. They knew I was gone. “Search the perimeter!” a distant voice boomed through the trees, amplified by shifted vocal cords. “Luna is missing! Find her!” I forced my legs to move faster, pushing through sharp briars that tore at my hoodie and scratched my cheeks. Heavy thuds vibrated through the forest floor. Wolves. Shifting meant they would close the distance in minutes. They knew the woods better than anyone, but I had a head start. I cut toward the thicker part of the forest, where the underbrush hid my tracks. “Spread out!” one of them yelled. “Alpha wants her back alive.” Ahead of me stood a small, stone building with a single light burning over the door—the border patrol station. An iron gate blocked the road. As I got closer, a voice paused me in my tracks. “Stop right there.” A towering figure stepped out of the mist from the side of the stone station. He wore a dark tactical uniform, a silver badge gleaming on his chest. He was massive, with sharp features and eyes that seemed to glow a faint, icy blue in the dark. “This is a restricted border zone,” he roared. He sniffed the air around me, looking down at my face. “Humans aren’t allowed to cross into the neutral territory without a field decree from their Alpha. Where is your paperwork?” Behind me, the sound of crashing branches grew louder. The enforcers were close. “I don’t have paperwork,” I panted, taking a step toward him. “Please. You have to let me through. They’re coming for me.” The officer didn’t blink. “No decree, no crossing.” He inhaled the air around me, “Turn around, little human.” “My name is Elaine,” I pleaded, my voice cracking. “I’m Ethan’s wife. The Luna of the Crystal Waters pack. If they catch me, he’ll lock me in the dungeons forever.” At the mention of Ethan’s name, his jaw clenched so tightly a muscle ticked in his cheek. The icy blue in his eyes flared with a sudden, vicious hatred. “Ethan?” he muttered, stepping closer, scanning my face with intense scrutiny. “The thief finally got himself a human bride.” “You know him?” I asked, looking back over my shoulder. Flashlights were flickering through the trees now. “Know him?” He parroted letting out a harsh, humorless laugh. He crossed his arms. “I know him. We’ve got history. He crossed me years back—took something important. Left me with a scar and a grudge. I’m Fenris. What’s your story? And why would Luna be running away?” Before I could answer, a loud crash echoed from the woodland. A massive black wolf burst through the bushes, its yellow eyes locking onto me. It snarled, its teeth bared, but it stopped at the edge of the gravel clearing, hesitant to step onto neutral ground in front of a council officer. Fenris grabbed my arm, his grip firm but surprisingly careful, and yanked me inside the stone station, slamming the heavy iron door shut behind us. The lock clicked into place just as a heavy body slammed against the outside of the door. Inside, the station was small and bare, lit by a single overhead bulb. A thunderous boom shook the heavy iron door. “Fenris!” a voice roared from outside. It was Beta Marcus. “Open the damn door! You are harboring a runaway from the Crystal Waters pack. Hand over Luna, or we take her by force!” Fenris kept his eyes locked on me, measuring my reaction. I clenched my fists. My heart was hammering against my ribs, but I refused to let him see me tremble. Slowly, he turned and walked to a small barred window beside the door. He shoved it open. “Marcus,” Fenris barked, his voice carrying a lethal authority that made the scratching outside instantly stop. “You are standing on neutral territory. I am a Council Officer. If a single claw crosses that gravel line, it is an act of war against the High Council. Do you want to explain to the elders why you brought down their wrath on Ethan’s head?” A tense silence stretched outside. I could hear the heavy, frustrated breathing of the wolves. “She belongs to the Alpha,” Marcus hissed back, though his tone lacked its previous confidence. “She is pack property.” “She is a political asylum seeker under Council protection until a formal hearing is called,” Fenris shot back coldly. “Take your mutts and get off my border. Now.” A low snarl echoed, followed by the sound of heavy paws retreating into the brush. Fenris slammed the window shut and turned back to me. “They’re gone,” I breathed. “Listen to me carefully, Elaine,” Fenris said, turning to face me. He leaned against a metal desk, crossing his arms. “I don’t care about human runaway stories. But I do care about ruining Ethan. If I grant you asylum and a legal separation from the pack, it means war with him. Why should I help you?” “Because I know things,” I said, stepping closer to him, trying to keep my voice steady despite the frantic scratching on the door outside. “I know how the pack operates. I know their financial weaknesses, the routes the betas take, and the secrets Ethan keeps to maintain his power.” Fenris tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. “Inside secrets. That’s a start. If you give me enough leverage to strip him of his title, I can grant you protection under council law. You’ll be safe from him.” “That’s the deal,” I said. “Deal,” Fenris agreed, reaching out a hand to shake mine. I looked at his large hand. Protection was good. But as long as I was a human, I was still the weak link that Ethan could easily snap if his enforcers managed to break through that door or ambush me later. I didn’t take his hand. Instead, I looked straight into his eyes, my voice dropping all the fear, leaving nothing but pure determination. “Before we sign anything, I need you to do something else for me first.” Fenris raised an eyebrow. “What?” “Turn me,” I demanded. “Bite me and turn me into a wolf.”