As I looked around at all the frightened faces that were looking back at me, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I couldn’t believe how calculating my brother had been. This wasn’t something that was just recently put together. This was a long term plan that he’s been playing for a long time.
“Who…who are you?” I asked, still in shock.
“I’m Lila.” She said.
“How long have you been here?” I asked.
“I…I don’t really know. It’s been a while.” She said.
“I’m Sasha. Is it true that you’re his sister?” Another girl asked.
“Yeah. Well, sort of. We were raised together. I only just found out today that we’re not related. His parents kidnapped me.” I said.
“Why?” She asked.
“Don’t know. That’s something that I still have to figure out.” I said.
“You said that you were mated to an Alpha.” Lila said.
“Yeah. But he can’t save us. Not yet anyway.” I said.
“Why not?” She asked, slight panic in her voice.
“Because Spencer shot him with a silver bullet. He’s not dead and he will fight. But I don’t know how much damage was done.” I said.
“His name is Spencer?” Lila asked.
“Yeah. What did you think it was?” I asked.
“We never knew what his name was. We have to call him ‘master‘.” She said. But I scoffed.
“Well, don’t think I’m going to call him that.” I said.
“Why is he doing this?” Sasha asked.
“I don’t know. He only started beating me when I was living with them after our older brother died. They blamed me for it and I think him and ‘our‘ parents changed after that. They lost their minds and didn’t care what they did or who they hurt.” I explained.
1/4
< CHAPTER 44
“How badly did they beat you?” Sasha asked.
“Well, let’s just say that these chains aren’t new to me.” I said.
We heard footsteps coming towards us in the tunnels and instantly the girls started cowering back towards the wall and stopped talking.
+25 Points
I turned to look at the person who had just entered the tunnel, my pulse skipping a beat, only to see it was just a guard–one of the ones assigned to keep an eye on me, no doubt. Relief flickered briefly through me, but it was quickly replaced by irritation. I glared at him, narrowing my eyes as he stared back, almost as if daring me to flinch.
Then a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, slow and deliberate, and I felt a cold ripple of
unease.
“He told me I could have whatever fun with you that I wanted.” The man said, his voice low, laced with something unpleasantly casual.
I stiffened, my stomach twisting with disgust. “And here I was, hoping the rapist in him had… grown up.” I said, my tone sharp, brittle, trying to mask the fear I refused to show.
He chuckled, a sound that scraped against my nerves like metal on stone, and began taking deliberate, measured steps toward me. Each footfall echoed in the tunnel, the sound amplifying the sense of looming threat.
“He said you were more feisty than he remembered. You fought him when he tried to drag you out of the house.” The man continued, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.
“That’s right. So… what?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly despite my attempt to stay
calm.
“Whatever courage or spirit you’ve gained since your family was banished–it’s our job to beat that out of you.” He said, his tone almost clinical, as if he were discussing a task rather than
a person.
I straightened my shoulders, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “Good luck.” I said, letting a small, defiant smirk play on my lips, trying to show him that his words didn’t touch me.
He paused for a moment, letting the silence stretch like a warning, before smirking back. Then, without another word, he turned on his heels and walked out of the tunnels, the echo of his boots fading, leaving me alone in the shadows with my racing thoughts.
“Why are you trying to upset them?” Lila whispered.
“Listen to me, all of you. We’re going to get out of here. We are going to fight our way out of here. Otherwise we’re never going to see our families again.” I said.
2/4
CHAPTER 44
“We already know that we’re never going to see our families.” Sasha said.
“And what if I told you that you will? But you need to help me.” I said.
“You called him a rapist but you only just got here.” Lila said.
“I told you. I lived in the same house with that asshole. Remember.” I said.
“You know what he does.” She said.
+25 Points
“Yeah. And there’s no way I am letting him take what I have fought so hard to get back. But we need a plan.” I said.
“We’re all chained to the wall. With massive shackles around our wrists.” Sasha said.
I heard the other girls crying softly in the shadows, the sound carrying a sharp sting to my chest. They were definitely scared–but not of Spencer, not of the guards, not of the cages or the walls. No, their fear was pointed at me. At the idea that my defiance, my need to fight back, might drag them into danger they didn’t ask for. That my escape attempts might get
them hurt… or worse.
I let my gaze sweep across the room, taking in their pale faces, their hunched shoulders, the way their eyes flitted nervously toward me as if I were some storm they could neither stop nor outrun. Every single one of them wore the same expression: defeat. Resignation. Acceptance of the fact that they were trapped here, and that there was no escape, no
reprieve.
I eased myself down against the cold stone wall, the chill seeping through my clothes, and slid slowly to the floor. The chains cut into my skin as I lowered my arms above my head- they weren’t long, just enough to remind me of my limitations–but I leaned back and let the weight settle, listening.
The girls‘ sobs were muffled, strained against their own fear, and I knew exactly why. If Spencer–or anyone else–saw them cry, they would be punished. Beaten. Broken. My stomach twisted at the thought, and yet I knew that no words of comfort from me would make this place safe for them. All I could do was sit, silent, trying to let them know, without speaking, that they weren’t completely alone.
And even in the silence, the tension hummed in the air, a constant, unrelenting reminder that this place was theirs to survive, but mine to fight.
But I looked up at my hands and arms that were still stained with Asher’s blood. And the only thing I could think of right now was about him.
His family were only shot with wolfsbane. But he was shot with silver. Spencer knew that he
< CHAPTER 44
was going to be the biggest problem in getting me.
+25 Points >
He didn’t want Asher trying to find me so he knew that death was the best option. Only I knew that he wasn’t dead. Not yet.
I would feel it if he died. And right now, I had that to hold on to. I knew that as long as I held on to the fact that he was alive, I had hope of getting out of here alive.
And his family weren’t going to let Spencer get away with this either.
Gage and Arlo have been my best friends for years. And even though Arlo’s girlfriend was working for Spencer and I am the reason she was arrested, I knew that they wouldn’t turn their backs on me.
I did actually have people out there who cared for me. I just had to believe in myself right now. And not let go of that belief. I had to believe that I was stronger than what I actually believed I was.
4
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
SUMMARY (~1000 Words in English)
