Alpha's Dark Desires-Chapter 151: The Truth About My Prison

Elena POV:

I should have just eaten the damn food.

Ace sat across from me at the grand dining table, fingers tapping against the polished wood, his expression unreadable.

"You’re not going to eat?" he asked.

I leaned back, crossing my arms. "Nope."

His jaw ticked, but that lazy smirk still curved his lips. "And why is that, little wolf?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because I’m not some helpless damsel you can keep locked away and expect to fall in line."

Ace sighed, leaning forward. "You’re exhausting."

"Good."

His smirk widened. "You know, for someone who keeps trying to escape, you sure do like making things difficult for yourself."

I raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like I have a choice."

"You do."

I scoffed. "Right. Between being your prisoner and... being your prisoner?"

Ace tilted his head, watching me closely. "You could be more than that."

My stomach twisted. I hated how he said it—like it was a promise. Like I would ever, in a million years, let that happen.

So I smirked back. "Not interested."

Ace chuckled, shaking his head. "We’ll see."

And that’s when I decided—it was time for another escape attempt.

I knew this was my best shot.

I had been watching the guards for days, studying their patterns, their weaknesses. Ace might have kept me locked inside his fortress, but even he couldn’t control everything.

The guards were too comfortable around me. They thought because I was a "prisoner" with no way out, I wouldn’t try anything. They were wrong.

It had taken a week of patience, pretending to settle in, pretending to accept my fate here. I had endured Ace’s ridiculous attempts at playing Prince Charming, his flowers, his stupid romantic dinners, and the way he always looked at me like I was some puzzle he was waiting for me to solve.

I had let him think I was breaking.

And now, it was time to remind him exactly who I was.

The main problem with escaping was that I had no idea where the hell I was. Ace’s fortress—because that’s what it was—was somewhere deep in the woods, but how far? How many miles to the nearest town? How many obstacles between me and freedom?

I didn’t know.

But I’d figure it out later.

Right now, I had to get past the four guards stationed outside my hallway.

Luckily, I had a little surprise for them.

It had been painfully easy to snatch a couple of knives from the kitchen earlier. These guards underestimated me. They saw me as Ace’s little captive, and that was their biggest mistake.

I waited for the perfect moment—when two of them were distracted by a conversation, while the other two kept their backs turned.

I launched forward, the knives already in my hands, and threw them.

A startled cry filled the air as my knives found their targets—two of them dropped instantly, my aim hitting true. One had a blade sticking out of his thign the other in his shoulder.

That left two more.

The moment they realized what was happening, they lunged at me, but I was already moving. I ducked under one’s arm, grabbed a nearby decorative vase, and smashed it against his face.

He stumbled back, cursing, clutching his bleeding nose. The last guard tried to grab me, but I had already grabbed a handful of salt from my pocket—something I had stolen from the kitchen earlier.

I threw it right into his face.

He screamed, rubbing at his burning eyes, and I took the chance to sprint.

I didn’t look back.

I ran down the hallway, heart pounding, breath sharp.

Almost there. Almost free.

I had expected locked doors, maybe even more guards.

Instead, I burst through the exit and found myself outside for the first time since I had been taken.

The night air was cold, crisp. Trees stretched out into the darkness, a thick, endless forest ahead. No lights, no roads, just the unknown.

I didn’t care.

I took a deep breath, bracing myself.

Then I ran.

Barefoot, bleeding, I didn’t stop. Twigs snapped under my feet, branches tore at my skin, but I didn’t stop.

The forest was thick, the shadows deep, but my wolf instincts guided me.

I ran harder. My lungs burned, my legs screamed, but I didn’t stop. Freedom was ahead.

Then, I heard it.

A deep, calm chuckle.

I froze.

The sound came from ahead of me.

And then I saw him.

Ace.

Standing there, leaning against a tree as if he had been waiting for me the whole time.

ACE POV:

She was magnificent when she fought.

I had watched from the shadows as she took down my men with nothing but stolen knives and quick thinking.

I had watched her run, watched her get so close to the trees.

So close to freedom.

And I had stepped right in front of her, arms crossed, waiting.

The moment she saw me, she skidded to a stop, panting, her wild eyes burning with defiance.

I smirked. "You’re fast, little pet. I’ll give you that."

She clenched her fists, shaking. "How—how did you—"

"Find you?" I tilted my head, amused. "You really think I wouldn’t always know where you are?"

Her breathing was ragged, her chest rising and falling.

She wasn’t just tired. She was furious.

"Fuck you," she spat.

I grinned. "I’m flattered, really. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves."

She lunged at me.

No hesitation. No fear.

I caught her wrists before she could strike, twisting them behind her back, forcing her flush against me.

She struggled, her breath warm against my neck, but I held her there, still, trapped.

"Let me go," she snarled.

I sighed, my lips grazing her ear. "No."

She froze.

And then, I did something that shattered her world.

I let her go.

Just like that.

Her body stumbled forward from the force of her own resistance, and she quickly turned back to me, confused.

"What...?" she started.

I took a step back, hands raised in mock surrender. "Go."

Her eyes narrowed. "What?"

I gestured to the trees. "You’re free, Elena. Go on. Run."

She didn’t move.

She didn’t believe me.

I smirked. "Go ahead. Keep running. See how far you get."

She hesitated.

Then she ran.

She bolted deeper into the woods, disappearing into the shadows.

I leaned against the tree and waited.

One minute.

Two.

Three.

And then, she came back.

I heard her before I saw her—her panicked, uneven footsteps, her breath shaky.

She stumbled back into the clearing, eyes wide, face pale.

Her lips trembled as she whispered, "Where... where the hell am I?"

I grinned. "Ah. You finally figured it out."

She wasn’t in the normal world anymore.

She was in my domain.

A place that didn’t exist on maps. A place that was hidden from Kane, from Dean, from everyone.

She was trapped in a world that only I controlled.

And now?

Now, she knew it.

She stared at me, eyes filled with something new. Not just anger.

Fear.

I pushed off the tree, walking toward her.

She took a step back.

"Go ahead," I murmured. "Keep trying. Fight me all you want."

I reached for her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Her breathing hitched, but she didn’t pull away.

"But you’re not going anywhere, little pet," I whispered. "You’re mine now."

And for the first time...

She believed it.

ELENA’S POV:

It was useless.

No matter how many times I ran, no matter how many paths I took, I always ended up back where he was.

Ace.

The smug bastard stood there with his arms crossed, watching me with an amused expression, like he had expected this outcome from the very start. And maybe he had.

I clenched my fists, panting, my body trembling from exhaustion and rage.

"This isn’t real," I muttered under my breath, looking around the trees. "This is some kind of fucking illusion."

Ace gave a slow, mocking clap. "And here I thought it would take you longer to figure that out."

I shot him a glare, my chest heaving. "How the hell did you do this?"

"Magic," he said simply, as if that explained everything.

I scoffed. "Bullshit. Witches don’t help rogues."

"Not usually, no," Ace admitted, tilting his head. "But you’d be surprised what you can get with the right incentives."

I stared at him, realization sinking in. He had planned this from the start.

The guards. The so-called security. The fake chance at escape.

He had let me think I could run—had let me fight and bleed, had watched me tear through his men, knowing all along that even if I got past them, I still wouldn’t be able to leave.

He had set me up.

"You’re a fucking asshole," I hissed.

Ace smirked. "I’ve been called worse."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw something at him, to claw that smug look off his face. But I was too tired. Too defeated.

So instead, I just... collapsed.

Right there, on the damp forest floor.

I pulled my knees to my chest, staring blankly at the dirt. This wasn’t fair. I had fought. I had gotten so close. And still, I was trapped.

Ace didn’t move at first. He just watched me, his amusement fading into something more unreadable. Then, after a long moment, he sighed.

"Come on, little pet," he said, his voice softer now.

I didn’t look up. "Go to hell."

"You first."

I ignored him.

Then, suddenly, he was crouching in front of me, so close I could feel his presence. I flinched but didn’t move away.

"You really thought you could outrun me?" he murmured.

I didn’t answer.

Ace exhaled through his nose, then reached forward. Before I could react, his fingers brushed against my ankle, where a fresh scrape from my escape attempt was still bleeding.

I jerked my leg away, glaring. "Don’t touch me."

He raised an eyebrow, but instead of making a snide remark, he pulled something from his pocket—a small cloth.

I frowned as he reached for my arm this time, where another cut was already healing.

He stared at the wound, his expression hardening.

"Stupid guards," he muttered under his breath.

I blinked. Was he... mad?

Before I could process it, he grabbed my wrist—not forcefully, but firm enough that I couldn’t pull away.

I stiffened. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Cleaning your blood off."

"It’s fine."

"Don’t care."

I scowled. "You’re really going to sit here and play the caring captor now? Spare me."

Ace didn’t respond. He just kept wiping the cut, his expression unreadable.

And for some reason, that made me even angrier.

"Why do you even care?" I snapped. "I’m just a piece in your stupid revenge game, right? You want to use me to hurt Kane. So why the hell do you care if I get hurt?"

Ace froze.

For a second, just a second, something flickered in his eyes.

Then it was gone.

He let go of my wrist, standing up, his usual smirk back in place.

"You’re right," he said casually. "I don’t care."

I hated how much that hurt.

Ace turned, motioning for me to follow. "Come on, little wolf. You’re not sleeping in the dirt tonight."

I didn’t move.

I didn’t want to go back with him. I didn’t want to be his captive, his pawn, his entertainment.

But what choice did I have?

I looked around at the endless trees, at the never-ending illusion that kept me trapped in his world.

I had nowhere else to go.

So, swallowing my pride, I stood up... and followed him back.

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