I pressed my forehead to hers, our breaths mingling in the dark.
"Mira," I whispered, so softly even the walls couldn't hear. "I think I... like it here."
She recoiled like I'd struck her. "What?"
"Not…..not all of it!" I caught her hands before she could pull away. "But the way they touch me, the way they want me... Mira, I've never felt like this before."
Her lower lip trembled. "You're brainwashed"
"I'm alive," I breathed.
A beat of silence. Then, barely audible:
"And... I think I have feelings for one of them."
Mira's nails dug into my palms. "Who?"
I leaned in, letting my lips brush her ear as I whispered a name—
The door slammed open.
Kael filled the doorway, his golden eyes blazing. "There you are."
Mira shoved me behind her, baring her teeth like a cornered fox. "Stay the hell away from her—"
"Mira, no"
Too late.
Jax appeared behind Kael, his grin feral as he lunged.
The dungeons beneath Bloodmoon Keep smelled of damp stone and old blood. Torchlight flickered against the rough-hewn walls as Jax dragged Mira down the narrow corridor, her boots scraping against the uneven floor. She fought him every step of the way, her curses echoing off the stone.
"Let me go, you bastard! Elara! ELARA!"
I stumbled after them, Kael's grip like iron around my wrist. My heart pounded so violently I thought it might burst from my chest. The silver gown Lucian had dressed me in felt like a mockery now, the delicate fabric tearing as I struggled against Kael's hold.
"Please," I begged, my voice raw. "Don't hurt her."
Kael didn't respond. His golden eyes remained fixed ahead, his expression unreadable.
The cell they threw her into was small and windowless, the only light coming from a single torch outside the rusted iron bars. Mira crashed to her knees, her palms slapping against the wet stone floor. When she looked up, her green eyes burned with hatred.
"You monsters," she spat, her voice trembling with rage. "When the other packs hear about this—"
Jax laughed, the sound harsh in the confined space. "Oh, little rabbit, no one's coming for you." He turned the key in the lock with an ominous click. "Or for her." His gaze slid to me, dark with promise.
Riven appeared from the shadows, his pale hair gleaming in the torchlight. In his hands, he carried a heavy wooden chair. Without a word, he placed it directly in front of Mira's cell.
Kael finally released my wrist, only to push me toward the chair. "Sit."
My legs gave out before I could refuse. The wood was cold beneath my bare thighs.
Mira's eyes widened as understanding dawned. "No." She scrambled to her feet, gripping the bars until her knuckles turned white. "No, you can't"
Lucian stepped into the torchlight, his smirk cruel. "Oh, we can." He reached for the laces of my gown, his fingers brushing the nape of my neck. "And we will."
The first touch was a whisper I felt Lucian's lips against my shoulder as he peeled the silver fabric down my arms. I shuddered, my breath coming in short gasps. Mira's scream of outrage echoed off the walls.
"Stop! Don't you touch her!"
Kael moved behind me, his hands settling on my shoulders. "Watch closely, little omega," he murmured in my ear. "This is what happens when you disobey."
Jax unlocked the cell door just enough to wrap a hand around Mira's throat, forcing her face against the bars. "Keep your eyes open," he growled. "Or I'll make sure you never close them again."
Riven was the one to kneel before me, his icy gaze locking onto mine as his hands slid up my thighs. His touch was clinical, detached, as if cataloging every flinch, every hitched breath.
"Please," I whispered, unsure what I was begging for.
Mira sobbed, her tears glistening in the torchlight. "Elara, fight them!"
But when Riven's fingers finally dipped between my legs, my traitorous body arched into his touch. A strangled moan escaped my lips, my nails digging into the arms of the chair.
Lucian laughed, low and wicked. "Look at that, little rabbit. Your friend likes it."
Mira's horrified gasp cut through me sharper than any blade.
They took their time with me.