by Bella Colt
I know they are talking about me, and I hate feeling out of the loop and helpless. They both turn around with their mouths agape in astonishment, apparently shocked at what I said or maybe it’s that I said anything at all. I haven’t spoken in a while.
“Well dear, now that you’re speaking again, why don’t you join us over here in brainstorming?” Linda asks sweetly.
“What are we brainstorming about?” I ask stupidly as I join them.
“To get you out of here, of course!” Luther looks at me with an exasperated expression as he raises his eyebrows up high.
“Oh!” Is all I manage to say, my brain not willing to function properly.
“I was asking Luther how he got you here and if he saw anything that could help us to know where we’re at?” Linda says, looking at Luther for an answer.
“No, I met someone outside of the nearest town, they blindfolded me and threw Amara in the trunk,” he responds while looking down.
“When I got here, I was shown to a study, and that’s where they took the blindfold off. The bastard must’ve already planned on imprisoning me because a few minutes after I took a drink of the whiskey, he offered me I was out. The next thing I knew I was waking up in here, I’m so sorry!” Luther apologizes.
His voice has a mixture of anguish and guilt clearly written across his face that makes me sad for him. I know he is sorry and honestly, I forgave him already. I guess I haven’t told him, so I guess now might be a good time to do it.
“Luther, this isn’t your fault. Well, a little. What I’m trying to say is that I forgive you. I know you truly believed that what you were doing was what was right,” I say hoping he understands that I mean every word.
He isn’t a horrible person, and even if he was, the person I’ve gotten to know while being here is a scared little boy that wants nothing more than the person that loved and raised him. His aunt. How can I fault him for that? He just nods at me while keeping his eyes cast to the ground.
“So, none of us knows where we are exactly,” I state, trying to get back on the topic of escape. They both look grim.
“I’ve been talking to the guards, and almost everything is set in place for the ceremony, it will happen the day after tomorrow,” Linda says her voice getting softer and quieter, so I can barely hear her.
Fear seeps into my body from my head down to my toes, chilling me to the bone. My body starts to shake uncontrollably as I realize that this is it. There’s no chance that I will see Declan ever again. I’m going to die here. My heart picks up in speed, beating hard against my chest. There’s no more hope for me. Declan isn’t going to be able to find me. He has no idea about these people or my connection to them. Hell, I didn’t even know about them until they kidnapped me. I wish I could just die now and get it over with. I would rather die on my own terms and take the satisfaction away from the sadistic King. The thought makes me smile. The only thing I would regret is how my death would make Declan feel. The thought of impending defeat exhausts me, and I turn around and go to lie down on the crumpled sheets as I feel depression and anxiety overtake me once again.
“Night,” I manage to say as I roll over to face the wall.
I let the tears silently fall, wishing that I knew what to do to get out of this. I wonder how I could do it if I should decide to proceed? Focusing my thoughts elsewhere, I think about Declan, picturing his sexy green eyes and messy brown hair. I sob harder as I sink into a deeper pit of misery, missing my love.
Chapter 11: Luther
She seemed to be genuine in her forgiveness. How in the hell could she forgive me? She has no idea how horrible I really was, what I became because of the solitude. I’m a murderer, and that cannot be overlooked. I don’t deserve her forgiveness. Hell, if I had the chance when she was a baby, I would have killed her and then been done with it. I guess fate had other plans. I am with her and Aunt Linda. I still can’t believe that bastard had her locked up all these years.
I see a lot of my Aunt Linda in Amara. She has the same compassion and capacity for forgiveness in her eyes. Though I have only been locked up with Amara for a short time, I’ve come to realize that she isn’t the monster King Dierk had led me to believe. In fact, she is exceptionally fragile. I’m ashamed at how stupid I was to believe him and follow his orders so blindly. She has been sleeping so much, she must be depressed. I have heard stories about what it’s like to have a mate. How separating them can throw them into a spiral of depression that can lead to death. I couldn’t imagine loving someone that unconditionally, but it’s supposed to be the wolf way.
“So, none of us knows where we are exactly,” Amara states breaking me out of my thoughts and trying to get back on topic. Aunt Linda and I both give her grim looks.
I want to reassure her, but I have nothing to add to the conversation, so I let Aunt Linda explain that the ceremony will take place in a couple days. I watch Amara as her expression changes, and her eyes dim before she starts shaking. She’s silent for a minute before she turns around and goes to lie down on the makeshift bed.
“Night,” she says before rolling over to face the wall.
I notice her chest rise with racking silent sobs. I can sense her fear, but it’s mixed heavily with something else, heartache. I’ve never detected a pain like this before. I look to Aunt Linda and notice she is sensing this too. We exchange looks, and I know we are in agreement. We will ensure that we do everything to save her, we will both die before she does.
Chapter 12: Declan
Out of nowhere, I feel an overwhelming sadness wash over me. I’m standing in the study, leaning over my father’s desk talking with Alpha Mason. I sit down in the chair behind me and slump over trying to soak in and understand exactly what Amara is feeling. I know it is her because I’ve been feeling hopeful towards our plans. She’s giving up, I think, as I feel extreme waves of fear and sadness smother me. I try to take a deep breath to fight the feeling of being drowned by sadness. I wish so desperately that she had been able to bite me back so that I could speak to her telepathically.
“Damn!” I say standing up and pacing the length of the room from the doors back to the desk.
Mason stands up and stares at my bizarre behavior.
“She’s lost hope. She’s so scared and ready to give up!” I say in explanation.
I watch as his eyes close briefly and glance towards the ground as he nods.
“What was that?” I yell in his face. I am chest to chest with him in an instant.
“Wh-what?” He manages to get out as I grab him by the collar with both hands.
“You aren’t looking at me, what are you not telling me?” I demand snarling, bearing my fangs, and leaning closer to the pulse point on his neck.
“I, uh there is to be an ‘opfer rituellen’ held the day after tomorrow,” he gasps.
“What in the hell is that, exactly? And don’t sugar coat it!” I demand as I place my fangs against his skin.
“Are you sure you want to know?”
I can’t believe he has the nerve to ask me that question. I growl and push my teeth closer, barely breaking his skin in answer.
“Okay, okay. It is a public sacrifice ritual,” he answers. Taking a few deep breaths.
“The King will torture her any way that he wants in front of a crowd until she is dead or until he’s bored. If he gets bored with her though, he will then pass her to his council to finish off. Each of them will take a turn, how they see fit before passing her around to the next. There are twelve council members in all,” he states in a matter of fact tone.
I throw him against the furthest bookshelf. The impacted shelves bust and books begin to cascade down around us both. I leave him crumpled on the ground, and I walk out the doors and stand in the hall. My entire body is vibrating with pent up rage. Why in the hell didn’t he tell me that in the first place? I’m sure he told my father.
“FATHER!” I yell as loud as I can, hearing myself echo throughout the house. Seconds later, he appea
rs from around the banister and immediately freezes.
“Why? Why wouldn’t you tell me, I know you knew,” I growl loudly.
“Because of this!” He sighs, gesturing towards me.
“Look at the way you’re acting right now! You’ve known for less than five minutes, and you have already forgotten that we have a plan. It’s a good one too. One that will work!” He says with complete confidence.
I start to take deep, exaggerated breaths to show him my efforts in calming down. As I do, I calm a bit and notice he is right. When I’m angry, I can’t think straight. The only thing I want to do is kill anybody that stands in my way to finding Amara.
“Son, I understand. I know what you’re going through.”
“No, you don’t!” I say immediately giving him a skeptical look.
“When your Mother and I first found each other, some things happened, and I had to go through something similar to what you are now,” my father says with a pained expression on his face.
His eyes are unfocused as if he is reliving his own nightmare. I want to spare his feelings, but I can’t. I need to know what happened, so I ask. Closing his eyes, he answers.
“Okay, the short version is that I was dating this girl when I met your Mother, nothing serious. I was just waiting to find my mate and wanted some company. I thought she understood this too, but some women can be...What’s the word? Manipulative if they want something bad enough. She wanted to be with the Alpha of a pack, so naturally, I was the perfect candidate. Apparently, she even rejected her true mate before me because he wasn’t close enough to be an Alpha, at least at that time. I ended it with her the day I met your Mother, and she was furious. I have never seen her that angry. She was throwing and breaking things in a tantrum. It was worse than the tantrums you used to have when you were a pup. I had never seen this side of her before. When she finally left, the only thing she said to me was, ‘You will regret this!’”
“The next day, when I went to pick your mom up at her apartment, I found the door busted open, and she wasn’t there. I could smell her fear so strong, though. I followed her scent right into a trap because I wasn’t thinking. Wolf tried to warn me repeatedly to go slow, but I wouldn’t listen to him. He was so pissed that it took him four months before he would talk to me again and he only did because your mom asked him too,” he says, stopping and looking at the ground.
I can see tears glistening down his cheek through his lowered eyelids.
“Then what happened?” I ask urging him to go on.
“That bitch Victoria had used another person to help her with her plan, which was to kill your Mother, right in front of me, when I arrived. Fortunately for us, she decided to use the mate she rejected. He had a heart and understood the pain of what it’s like to lose that connection. Her mate, Mason, killed her before she could kill your mom. He’s the only reason I have your Mother and you kids today. I owe him everything because she is my life.
“So, I do know your pain. It doesn’t lessen your hurt, but I need you to know that keeping calm and using your head is the only way we will get Amara back safely,” he finishes, looking less understanding and more agitated now.
I take the few steps forward to my father and for the first time that I can remember I wrap both of my arms around him in a tight hug.
“Why didn’t I know this?” I ask astonished.
“It’s in the past, as it will soon be in yours. Go to bed now, we have a lot to do before we act on our plan tomorrow night,” he says with a weak smile.
“Okay... but can you let Mason know I’m sorry. I just lost it at the thought of..,” I say, not being able to finish the sentence.
I have to take deep breaths and close my eyes, focusing on something else, like Amara’s beautiful dark blue eyes. Eyes in which you can see her every emotion, even though she tries to hide them. I sigh finally calm enough to open my eyes again.
I let go of my father and walk down to the basement. I avoid the second floor where my room is like its disease infested. I need Amara here by my side. As I lay down on my cot, I close my eyes as a feeling of numbness claims my entire body, and I drift off into a fitful sleep.
Chapter 13: Mason
I can hear someone in the distance, mumbling something. I jump a bit and open my eyes squinting and then close them again as I feel ice-cold water splash against my face.
“Sorry, I thought you should wake up!” I can tell it’s Adair by his voice and chuckling laughter.
“You find this funny?” I snarl mildly.
“I’m sorry about Declan; he’s too much like his father,” he says sighing while shaking his head.
He is referring to him having a similar reaction when I helped save Audrey from my mate. We hadn't spoken of it since that night a long time ago. It’s really hard on Adair to think about what it would be like if he had failed. That’s what eats at him the most. He almost lost her because he did not keep his head on straight. He walked into an obvious trap and almost paid the dearest price for it.
“I understand why he reacted that way. Why do you say he is too much like you, though?” I ask curiously.
“I told Declan about what happened back then, he said to tell you that he is sorry. I’m hoping that by telling him my history, he won’t repeat my mistakes. At least not the big ones anyway,” he says, smiling. The twinkle coming back to his eyes.
I smile in return, Adair is my best friend, he doesn’t know that, of course. Though I am jealous of the man standing before me, I admire and respect him. He has everything I want. A beautiful wife and family, and he is surrounded by love.
That is what I have been after my entire life, that was the reason I couldn’t have helped kill Audrey. One look at Adair, seeing his mate tied up in that chair with a knife held to her neck by Victoria had my heart breaking all over again. I couldn’t handle being the cause of it. If my mate hadn’t been so selfish, fate would have given her exactly what she wanted.
I became Alpha of a new pack two months later, two fucking months! The only thing I can do now is hope to find another lone wolf, someone whose mate has died or rejected her. Someone that I can discover a compatible attraction. I will never understand how people can deny the mate that fate hands them, but those wolves usually don’t fare well in the end.
“I’m tired, I am heading to bed,” I say to Adair while yawning.
“Until tomorrow..,” Adair says still smiling as he helps me off the ground.
I smile in agreement and walk off to be alone with my thoughts.
Chapter 14: Amara
It’s the day before the ceremony, and I haven’t moved from my spot on the blanket, facing the wall. I’m glad that they have left me alone. Linda and Luther have been talking nonstop on the opposite side of the room, though. As far as I can tell, they have no new ideas to attempt an escape. Linda has been speaking to the guards every time they enter the room, and they always leave her with a grimmer expression than before. I’m almost curious enough to break my forced stupor and ask what they keep telling her, but I decide it’s most likely about what’s to come and I don’t need or want any details.
I wonder where Declan is and what he is doing? Is he as tormented as I am, or is this completely one-sided? He said he could feel my emotions and especially the strong ones. Why hasn’t he found me yet? Is he even trying to find me... or was I naive to believe him? Should I have ignored my gut and everything, he said about us being true mates. The messed-up part about this is that a couple of weeks ago I didn’t even know he existed. I would like to say that I was content before him, but that would be a bigger pile of bull shit than the reasons why I am currently being held captive. I was merely just existing before.
Maybe now that he got what he wanted he doesn’t want anything else from me anymore. I feel like, without him, there is no point in my existence, and I hate that I’m feeling this way! How can I let a boy get into my head so deeply and so fast? My heart lurches in an erratic rhythm as I feel instant nausea and b
ile rise in my throat as I retch and empty the little contents I had in my stomach. Why is this so hard? I thought once werewolves were mated, there were no doubts. Well, I don’t have doubts about how I feel, I guess. But what if Declan does? I wouldn’t even know.
I am awoken from my internal torment when the door to the cell bangs open. Two guards walk into the room and march towards me. I hope I’m able to hide my fear and complete hopelessness as each guard grabs an arm and lifts me off the ground, limply placing me on my feet. To my astonishment, Linda steps in front of them.
“Wo nimmst du sie?” She asks.
“Folterkammer!” He answers.
Linda and Luther gasp loudly.
“Der konig?” She questions again.
“Ja.” One of the guards responds to her.
“My God!” Linda starts shaking her head from side to side before she looks directly into my eyes.
“Amara... honey I need you to be as strong as possible for me in there.”
My body reacts to her plea as I start shaking violently; I’ve haven’t seen this look on her face since the last time I was taken. It’s a look of horror, mixed with guilt and angst. I look at Luther, and he is looking at the ground, shame radiating his features.
I am going to the room again. I barely lasted a few minutes the last time, how long will I be able to endure it this time? I hope I pass out again quickly. Before I can fully grasp what is going to happen to me, the guards start walking out the door and towards the stairs leading to the lower levels.
My breathing becomes quick and shallow as I fight to keep my body standing. I can feel beads of sweat fall from my face and run down my filthy body. I feel my heart beating erratically through every pulse point. My neck and wrists throb from the blood loss caused by the guard’s vicelike grip, as I’m unceremoniously pulled down the stairs. The guards walk slowly next to me as if they are going on a nice stroll in the garden. I look towards the dim candles and piles of wax on the outer edge of the stone steps. I feel like I am beseeching the light to comfort me in my tormented march.
