Nyra
The hours had started to bleed together. Time down here was slippery, stretching and folding in on itself. But eventually, Aria returned again- this time with a small basket and a bundle of cloth.
I squinted at her. "What's this? Don't tell me Lucien suddenly grew a conscience?"
"He said you're not to die," she murmured.
I let out a short laugh. "Oh, Lucy. Always so thoughtful."
She winced at the nickname. "You shouldn't call him that."
"Why? Because it's undignified for the big, bad Alpha? Oh please. His dignity's survived a lot worse than me."
She set the basket down and began pulling out the usual supplies of herbs and salves. Her braid had come loose around her face; her eyes darted nervously, but she still came straight to me.
"So what's on today's menu, little mouse?" I asked. "More stale bread? Rat stew? A key to my chains?"
"I came to tend you." she said. "Your wounds need constant checking else they'll fester."
She knelt beside me, peeling back the bandages with gentle tugs. I hissed through my teeth, but she didn't flinch. "Hold still. This salve should help."
I watched her work silently for a while. Watched her hands move and the way she remained focused like nothing else mattered. "Why do you bother?" I asked finally. "You could let me rot and save yourself the trouble. The pack wouldn't blame you... in fact, they'd probably throw you a party."
She paused, cloth hovering over a particularly ugly gash. Her eyes met mine. "Not everyone here's a monster, Nyra. Some of us remember what it's like to lose everything."
"Oh? Story time?!" I clapped in delight with a wide grin. "Wait, let me guess... you stubbed your toe once and it scarred you for life?"
Her hand pressed harder on a particularly nasty gash on my back and I hissed, as my muscles jerked back in reflex.
"Ok I probably deserved that." I said wincing.
Aria worked in silence for a moment, then spoke again, softer. "Rogue vampires raided our village when I was eight. They came at night, silent as death. My parents fought, but they could only do so much against blades dipped in hybrid blood. It burned them from within. My sister, who was only twelve at the time, tried to drag me out, but they got to her first." she paused and took a deep breath. "The pack found me hiding under a wagon the next day and took me in. Even though I was a stray, they never treated me like one. Lucien made sure of it."
I raised a brow. "Really? The big bad Alpha has some compassion underneath all that steel? And here I thought he was only good at growling and grunting."
Her lips twitched slightly upwards. "He's not as bad as you think."
I scoffed. "Tell that to the angry red welts on my back."
She paused the application of the salve and looked at me. "You insulted him... publicly."
She had a point and I had no reply so I shrugged and stayed silent.
"I miss my sister every single day. I see her in you sometimes, you know? You both have the same fire in you eyes. The way you don't back down, even when everything's against you."
She was smiling now but it was a sad smile. "That's why I'm here. That's why I'll keep coming until your wounds heal."
For once, I didn't have a smart remark ready so I said nothing. Her hands moved carefully, gentler than anyone had touched me in years.
"You're not the only orphan in this dungeon," I muttered finally.
Her gaze flicked up. I didn't know why I said it, but the words were spilling before I could stop them.
"I never even knew who my parents were," I whispered. "I was raised by a witch called Nevara. She always avoided talking about it as much as she could but what I know is this: During the great hybrid purge, my mother ran with me in her arms and carried me to the witch's hut, and made her swear to protect me with her life. And she did. She cloaked me in shadow to mask my scent and raised me beside her daughter, Kaelen. When she died, the cloaking spell lifted and... here I am."
"Kaelen," she repeated softly, "Is she the raven that parched on your window the other night? The one you said was your sister?"
I nodded. We both stayed silent like that for a while as she worked.
"No one deserves to go through what you've gone through," she said finally.
"I could say the same for you."
We sat in silence as she worked. By the time she was finished, exhaustion was pulling me under again. My back was swaddled in clean linen and my skin was humming from the herbs.
I sank onto the floor with a sigh.
"You'll heal better now," she said, standing with her basket.
"Careful, Aria. Keep talking like that, and they'll chain you up right next to me."
"And wouldn't you be glad for the company." She said with a wink and slipped out.
The door clanged shut behind her and darkness folded in again. I closed my eyes, letting the mask slip at last. My chest hitched and the tears I'd refused to shed in the hall or in front of Aria burned their way free now, safe in the dark.
"It hurts," I whispered to the darkness. Just two words, but they bled like a wound.
The shadows stirred, curling around me like a shroud.
I pressed my face into my arms and let my shoulders shake as much as the pain allowed them to.
But only for a moment.
Then I wiped my face, a new wave of resolve washing over.
"Enjoy your throne while you can, Lucy," I snarled. "Because one day, I'll be the one holding the whip."
Gregory tilted his skull in silent agreement.
And the shadows listened.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I'd began to notice the guards' shifts. There was always a five minute break between shifts before the new guard arrived. I waited until the footsteps faded completely as my shadows coiled at my feet, whispering promises. Then I pressed my hands to the floor and readied myself.
Now.
The chains rattled as the shadows surged, slamming against the bars. Stone shrieked, mortar cracked. The iron groaned underneath my wrists and started to give.
My heart beat so loud I was sure it would rip right through my chest. I could almost taste the night air.
Finally, I slipped one wrist free. Blood slicked the shackle.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Another scream of iron bars bending. The space opened wide enough for me to slip through if I forced it...
Almost there. Just a little more.
I have it.
Then...
Then door clanged open, torches flared and the sound of bootsteps filled the silence.
And there he was.
Lucien, filling the space like he owned every shadow in it. His gray eyes locked on me, and I hated the way my body reacted to his presence.
I crossed my arms. "You know, one of these days, you'll walk in here and I'll show you just why your guards keep warning you how dangerous I am."
Lucien didn't answer. He just stood in front of the bars, studying me with that infuriating calm of his.
Then his voice cut through the silence, "You've had contact with the rogues."
It wasn't a question.
"Oh, straight to business, eh? No foreplay? And here I thought you were a gentleman."
He remained silent and looked at me unblinking.
I sighed. "If I had, do you think I'd still be stuck here, rotting in this charming basement of yours?" I lifted my chained wrists and rattled them. "Unless this is your version of a five-star suite. Points for ambiance."
He ignored the jab. His jaw flexed, his eyes burning colder. "I've heard reports that they're hunting something rare. I'm guessing they mean you."
"Finally." I tilted my head, smirking. "I was starting to think my reputation didn't precede me. Glad to know I'm worth the trouble."
"You do realize they're hunting you for your blood? They will kill you the moment they get their hands on you."
I gasped and placed a hand on my chest dramatically. "Really? And here I thought they were hunting me for my charming personality."
He stepped inside fully now, and let the door clang shut behind him. "You will tell me if you've made contact with vampires."
"Sure. Because I'm dying to share my social calendar with you."
Silence stretched taut between us. The dungeon felt smaller, the air thicker. The bond pulled like an invisible chain across my chest, humming with every breath he took. I wanted to laugh it off, to cut him with words sharp enough to draw blood, but the heat in his stare held me still.
He stepped closer to the bars, and saud with a low, dangerous voice. "Do not test me."
"Oh, please. You like it when I test you." I tilted my head, lips tugging into a mocking grin. "Why else are you so obsessed with locking me up instead of just killing me?"
He stalked closer, and though my shadows stirred protectively, I forced myself to stand tall.
"You think you're untouchable," he said, voice sharp.
"Not really," I replied. "I just think you're overrated."
The tension between us snapped taut, so thick I could barely breathe. His hand curled into a fist at his side as he took a step closer to me. I braced for the strike, half daring him.
Instead he took another step closer, bringing his face within a hair's breath of mine, and asked voice low, "Why don't you fear me?"
I tilted my chin and whispered. "Because, Lucy... there's nothing to fear."
The fire in his eyes roared. For a second, I thought he would finally hit me.
And then his lips crashed onto mine.
The world imploded.
His mouth was heat and hunger, a storm swallowing me whole. His hand slid down from my jaw to my waist, not tender but desperate, gripping me like he wanted to brand me with his touch. I gasped against him, and he devoured the sound, lips demanding, tongue coaxing mine in a battle I couldn't stop myself from answering.
I should have shoved him away. I should have clawed his face. But gods help me, I didn't. My shadows pulsed wildly, torn between rage and want, as my body betrayed me.
My wolf was dancing in circles.
His other hand tangled in my hair, tilting my head back so he could kiss me deeper, harder, until I was dizzy. Until the cell spun around us. Until I hated how much I wanted more.
Then he pressed into me, not roughly, but enough that my back slammed against the wall. Red hot pain lanced through my wounds. I gasped loud, the sound tearing the kiss apart.
And reality crashed down.
Lucien's chest heaved as he stepped back, eyes wide for just a second- like he hadn't meant for any of it to happen. His jaw clenched tight.
He said nothing for a long moment. Then his voice came out low. "I'll send a healer tomorrow. To tend your wounds."
And with that, he turned, slamming the cell door behind him, and left me reeling.
I slid to the floor, chest heaving, lips tingling. My mind screamed at me to curse him, to spit the taste of him out of my mouth. But my body… my body hummed with betrayal.
My wolf, for the first time since I got to this blasted place, seemed settled and at peace. I, on the other hand, was not.
"What the hell was that," I whispered into the empty cell.
My shadows curled tighter, restless, as if they knew something I didn't.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sometime in the night, sleep finally claimed me.
I dreamt of cheese and pancakes. But also of one particularly broody Alpha feeding them to me. I dreamt of two wolves running around free in the woods. I dreamt of gray eyes boring into me. I dreamt of lips pre–
A howl tore through the keep, echoing down the stone halls. My eyes flew open.
It wasn't the casual chorus of wolves under the moon. I froze, listening hard and another howl came again, closer than the last. Then another.
My shadows stirred anxiously, reacting before my mind could even fully process. Something was wrong.
A sudden flutter of wings made me whip my head toward the bars.
The raven perched on my cell window again.
"Adrian's rogues have been sniffing around since you were dragged here. They want your blood, Nyra. Do you understand? They want to forge weapons and start another war. If the wolves don't kill you, the vampires will. And their death will not be merciful."
Ice sliced through me. Images flashed unbidden: vampires smearing hybrid blood on blades, wolves screaming as poison ate through them. The memory wasn't even mine, but it was burned into history, into me.
Kaelen's voice rose, desperate. " The longer you stay here, the more dangerous it becomes. We need to leave. Now."
Another howl split the night– closer this time, almost inside the walls.
I gripped the bars so hard my chains cut into my skin.
The wolves wanted me dead. The rogues wanted me worse. And between them both, Lucien had just claimed me with a kiss that rattled the last certainty I had left.
For the first time since the axe had hovered above my neck, I realized how little time I had left to make a choice.