It was all a dream.

That was Luiza Lazarov's first thought upon waking. It had all been a dream, the most terrible dream. One filled with canine teeth and a muttering red woman. Nika had been there, and Elliot, and her other friends, too.

But as she blinked away the bleariness, Lu registered her surroundings. The room was small—barely large enough to account for the single-sized bed. Thanks to the heavily tinted windows, which were also fortified with bars, a weak stream of light tried and failed to illuminate the space.

Lu bolted upright, throwing an old, worn blanket off her body. Dizziness rushed through her, and she steadied herself with palms flattened on the mattress.

Her heart was a storm, so violent that she clutched her chest for fear of it bursting.

Because this place . . . It was not a dream.

She carefully rose, discovering that she was still dressed in the navy blue, pleated skirt she'd been wearing when it had happened. The confrontation with Dante Azzara, that red-haired woman dragging her into the woods. The last thing she remembered was Nika screaming her name. And the rest . . .

"Oh my Oldbloods."

But hailing to the Daemonstri ancestors did little to soothe her panic. What was going on? Where was she?

With wobbly knees and bare feet, she crossed the carpeted floor and gazed through the window. Or rather, gazed at it, since it was much too warped to have been any use to her. But at least she could tell night from day, and it was certainly daytime right now.

But how long had it been since that dreadful night? And what had become of her friends? Were they alright?

Think, she told herself. What would Nika do?

The answer came as quickly as her next heartbeat—assess your surroundings.

So Lu did, though there wasn't much to observe. Other than the small bed—which her captor had been compassionate enough to stock with not one, but two pillows—there was only wooden walls, the colorless carpet on the floor, and Lu's outrageously expensive Oxfords neatly positioned beside a door. A door, she realized, that was propped open.

After rushing to put her shoes back on—which, in reality, was not fast at all, thanks to whatever drugs she'd been given—she took a quivering breath and pulled on the crystal knob. The hinges creaked and Lu's first step into the next room was accompanied by a moan from the floorboards.

Outside the bedroom was a narrow hallway. To the left was a bathroom, complete with a toilet, sink, and one-person shower, all crammed into five-by-five-foot space.

Directly in front of her was a kitchen and dining area, if they could even be called so. After checking the drawers, she found them all to be empty, apart from spare linens and towels. And there was no stove or microwave either.

Smart of them—giving her access to fire or sharp utensils probably wouldn't have ended well. Though Lu had to admit that the thought of wielding a salad fork as a weapon made her stomach uneasy.

And speaking of her stomach—there was a refrigerator that wasn't even large enough for Nika to crawl into without losing a limb. Lu wiggled the handle, holding her breath as she peeked inside to find two blood bags displayed on the otherwise empty shelves.

It felt like an invitation for her to help herself. And although her hands trembled from fear and lack of nutrition, she was too afraid to dare.

Besides, she knew what Nika would say during this moment: What if it's poisoned? I don't want to play nurse or watch you die of stupidity.

Lu shut the refrigerator and cast her eyes toward the end opposite to the bedroom. It contained a table set inside a booth with cushioned seats.

All the windows were the same as the one in the sleeping nook—barred with iron and too warped to see through. The walls were made entirely of wooden panels as well. And there was only one exit. Not even an emergency escape on the ceiling. With a single glance, Lu knew the main door was locked from the outside.

Trapped—completely and totally trapped.

Walking back down the hallway with a little more confidence than before, she realized that the rooms jostled. Assessing the full size, from the bed to the dining table, she speculated that this was a trailer or portable home of some sort.

Great, she thought. A wolf's paradise.

Seconds ticked by, and she just stood in the center of the trailer. There was deathly silence, apart from the pounding of her pulse inside her ears. And just as she was about to break under the pressure of her own dread, the main entrance clattered open and slammed shut again. And a man with no concern for subtlety strode forward.

For a moment, Lu was confused as the middle-aged man—or wolf—with dark hair and bronze skin smirked at her.

He clasped his hands behind his back. "If you're trying to figure out what to call me, Alpha will do just fine."

Lu didn't reply. Couldn't even try. Her tongue felt as though it had withered inside her mouth.

"How are you feeling?" He cocked his head. "Don't worry, the grogginess will wear off shortly. The sleeping spell was only to get you settled in."

Sleeping spell . . . Lu had no idea what that meant, and she was pretty sure she didn't want to find out.

He glanced around the room then, a look of approval written in his features. "I hope you find your lodgings comfortable." She couldn't believe how nonchalant he was acting. "We prefer things a little more rustic than Serafi, but I'm sure you'll adapt."

"Where am I?" she managed, though the words were tremulous.

"Nowhere. Everywhere." His smirk grew almost vicious. "Did you really expect a specific answer?" She didn't deign to respond, and the alpha, it seemed, didn't deign to care. "All you need to know is that you're safe. I don't plan on hurting you. In fact, I need you."

Summoning the last drop of composure that remained, she spat out, "And what makes you think I'll help?"

As he took a step forward, she became all too aware of how close he was standing, and also of how truly small this trailer felt.

"Because I don't need your friend Nika," he said, both his gaze and his tone growing darker with each word. "And there are plenty of Volkari eager to sink their teeth into a pretty, little halfblood."

Lu gripped the countertop so hard that she wondered if her bones might snap. "You can't hurt her," she said, more for herself than for the alpha. "You won't even be able to get to her."

"I got to you," he said with no shortage of glib arrogance. He reached out and swept a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling faintly. She went momentarily blind with rage and disgust. "And how do you know I haven't taken her as well? She could be in a trailer of her own, waiting to be tortured for your cooperation."

She stiffened, realizing that he was right. And if he truly did have Nika tied up somewhere, with a bunch of barbaric Volkari taunting and hurting her . . .

"What do you want from me?"

She forced herself to say the words, despising how they tasted in her mouth. Despising how he'd given her no choice.

"The details will be explained only if you agree to work with me."

Lu felt like screaming. Or crying. Maybe both. She didn't know what the right reaction was, so she just stood there, continuing to shake like a lamb lost in the cold and rain.

"I'll let you think about my offer for a while. Just remember: if you fail to cooperate, Nika Dimitrovich will pay the consequences."

"You're despicable."

The alpha shrugged. "I don't care what you think of me."

He strode to the door and gripped the handle, but before he opened it, she darted forward in a sudden wave of courage. Just enough to take a step.

"Why are you doing this?"

With his back turned against her, the alpha growled, "Because I've been wronged, Luiza Lazarov. My people have suffered for the so-called superiority of the Serafi race."

"We haven't done anything to you!" Lu cried, voice straining as she struggled to control her fear.

"Don't you see? They lie to you, pureblood. They lie to everyone."

"I don't know what that means."

His eyes glowed golden as he looked over a shoulder and glared. "It means a blood war is coming, and the tainted are going to rise."