+25 Points)
The mine was freezing, damp, and heavy with the sound of chains clinking as the other girls cried. Every second dragged like hours. I felt like I was slipping, like hope was draining out of me. Not without Asher, I thought. I couldn’t do this without him.
–
“What do you mean — not without me?” His voice was small, like it could snap if it leaned too hard on the air. I looked up. Asher was kneeling, and everything else blurred away until there was only the slope of his shoulders and the tired light in his eyes.
“Asher.” My voice came out thin, like a thread.
He reached toward me but stopped just short, as if touching would make the moment shatter. “I’ve never known you to give up so easily.” He said. It didn’t sound like blame. It sounded like a confession.
“What’s the point of getting out of here if you’re not going to be there with me?” The question slipped out before I could swallow it. It carried what I was too exhausted to say.
He swallowed, small and raw. “I’m always going to be there. I will love you forever, and I’ll be waiting when you come back to me.” His words were blunt, like something carved into bone.
“I can’t do this without you.” The truth felt heavier than the chains.
“You’re stronger than you think.” He whispered. “You know that. You can’t give up. You can’t let Spencer win.” He mentioned the house like it was an old bruise that never healed. “You fought in that place for years you were stubborn in a way only you can be. You denied
them the satisfaction. It’s the same now. Not just for you
–
for the women here.”
“I don’t even know how to fight.” The words were flat and immediate. No pride left in them.
“You haven’t trained yet.” He agreed. “But you’re a werewolf. Every wolf knows how to fight to live.” His fingers finally found my wrist warm, shaking. “I know you’ll get out of this. You just have to believe. Even a little.”
–
“I’ve never believed I was good enough.” The confession sank like a stone.
“I know.” His voice broke, and it was almost kind. “That’s why you pushed me away. But I didn’t leave. I stayed because you were worth more than you could see. Get out of here for yourself. Get out for them.” He glanced at the other women – shadowed shapes lit by a sliver of light. “They need you. And even if it doesn’t feel like it now, I’ll be with you. Always. I
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< CHAPTER 48
promise.”
+25 Points
His promise hung in the cold like a lantern. I closed my eyes and let the sound of him hold me up for a little longer.
I opened my eyes and I was sitting on the floor in the dark damp coal mine. It took my eyes a moment to adjust and I looked around at the other women that were still in there, hanging from their chains.
I tried to adjust myself because my legs had gone numb so I started moving around and just as I did that I felt something hard under the dirt.
I moved the dirt away from it and it was just an old screw. Something that was obviously left behind from when this was an active coal mine. But I looked at it for a second and the sharp
end on it.
I dug it into the wall, just to see if it would make a difference and I was surprised when it went into the side of the wall pretty easily.
So I stood up and the chains that were attached to the wall were right behind me.
I started jabbing at the wall around the chains, trying to see if I could get in far enough to pull
the chains out of the wall.
It wasn’t going to be easy and I knew that it was going to take a while so I made sure the other women didn’t know what I was doing.
I didn’t need them getting scared and telling one of the guards or Spencer. So I kept working on it, in secret, while they were asleep.
I guess they had been here for so long in that position that they learnt how to sleep while leaning against the wall since they couldn’t sit down. Just another torture tactic from that sadist.
I knew that this wasn’t going to be easy. Trying to release my chains using a screw, but it was taking a lot longer and being a lot more difficult than I first thought.
I could feel my fingers starting to blister and I was trying to be as quiet as possible, but I knew that the girls would soon see what I was doing. Especially when I started making a big enough progress in digging my chains out.
“Trinity.” Lila said.
“Yeah.” I said, looking over at her and temporarily stopping what I was doing.
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< CHAPTER 48
“You’re up. I didn’t think you were going to get up again.” She said.
“Me either.” I said.
“What changed?” She asked.
+25 Points >
“I refuse to let that son of a b***h get the best of me. If he thinks he’s going to break me then he’s got another thing coming.” I said.
“You just lost your mate. Most people would give up.” She said.
“Are you kidding? Asher would kick my butt if I gave up.” I said. And she smiled at me.
She knew exactly what I meant. He would be so pissed if I gave up and just gave in to Spencer. Especially after the lengths he went to to get me away from my family. And then to
banish them.
Well, banish them after they escaped.
I started to hear faint footsteps coming into the mine so I dropped the screw and I put my
foot over it.
Spencer eventually came into view with one of his guards who was holding food.
He stopped right in front of me and looked impressed that I was on my feet. Not wallowing in my own self pity anymore.
The guard went to feed the girls like they were caged animals, and he had to actually feed them, because they couldn’t do it themselves. But Spencer stood there staring at me.
So I matched it and stared him back in the eye. Refusing to bow down to him. Refusing to show any kind of fear at all.
“Well, maybe living with that Alpha family has done you some good.” Spencer chuckled while looking at me.
“You killed the heir to the pack. Do you really think they’re going to let you get away with that? Forget me. Take me out of the equation. They’re going to kill you for killing Asher. You’re dead. You just don’t know it yet.” I said. But he started laughing before he lunged at me and punched me in the stomach and when I couched forward he grabbed my hair so I was looking at him and he punched me repeatedly in the face.
“Oh, I forgot.” I said.
“What?” He growled in my face.
“You need to tie a girl up before you can beat her.” I chuckled, blood oozing out of multiple
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:
< CHAPTER 48
different cuts on my face.
+25 Points
But he growled at my defiance and he punched me again before he kneed me in the face and I felt the back of my head hit the wall before I slid down to the ground.
Spencer growled as he stormed out of the mine and his guards were quick to follow him.
“Trinity. Are you alright?” Lila asked.
“Peachy.” I said, spitting out some blood that had pooled in my mouth.
“Why would you antagonise him like that?” She asked.
“Because he’s more unpredictable when he’s angry.” I said.
“So?” She asked.
“We need him to be unpredictable. He won’t stick to a script and he lets his anger take over. He doesn’t think rationally. And that’s the best time to strike.” I said, almost out of breath as I stood up again.
I leaned down to grab the screw off the ground and this time I turned around to look at the wall. I didn’t care if the girls saw me or not. I kept working on the wall, trying to free myself
from the wall.
Lila was looking at me strangely, noticing that I’d already been working on it for a while. Obviously while they were asleep and she smiled at me.
It was strange to see her smile. But it looked like she was actually getting hope back herself. Hope that something might finally be going right for us. That I might be the one that can get
us out of here.
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LUCK DRAW >
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)
