My lungs felt like they were filled with broken glass. Every time I dragged my body forward, the broken rocks tore at my skin.
In front of me stood the two massive stone pillars that marked the end of my world.
This was the Blackthorn Border.
Back at Red Hollow, they told us terrifying stories about this place just to keep us from running away. They said the leader here, Prince Alaeric, was a monster. They called him the "Shadow Prince" a Lycan with blood so dark and powerful that he could crush a normal wolf just by looking at them.
"If you cross that line," my stepmother used to sneer, "Alaeric will rip your throat out before you can even beg for mercy. He doesn't take prisoners. He only takes lives."
I looked at the pillars, then heard the rogues snap a branch just a few yards behind me. I could smell their rot. I didn't have a choice.
"I'd rather be killed by a Prince than eaten by a rogue," I whispered.
With the last bit of my strength, I lunged forward. My hands hit the dirt on the other side of the line.
The air changed instantly. It didn't just get cold, it felt heavy, like I had stepped into a room filled with lead. The ground beneath me seemed to hum with a dark, ancient power. This was the land of a Lycan, and it didn't want me here.
I collapsed, my face pressing into the grass. I couldn't move another inch. My vision started to blur.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy boots hit the ground around me. I heard the sharp sound of swords being pulled from their sheaths.
"Intruder!" a voice barked. It was loud and mean. "She's wearing the Red Hollow crest. Kill her now!"
I felt a cold blade touch the back of my neck. I closed my eyes, waiting for the end. At least the pain would finally stop.
"Wait!" another voice snapped. This one was deeper, like the rumble of a coming storm.
I forced my eyes open. A man was standing over me. He was massive, his broad shoulders blocking out the moonlight. He had a scar through his left eyebrow and eyes that were as cold as the stone pillars behind him.
"She's just an Omega, Beta Kael," one of the guards hissed, pointing his sword at my throat. "Look at her. She's nothing but a trash from Red Hollow. Let's finish this and throw her body back over the line."
Kael knelt down. He didn't look like he felt sorry for me. He looked at me like I was a bug he was deciding whether or not to squash. He reached out and grabbed my wrist roughly to check if I was still alive.
I waited for the spark. I waited for the golden light to save me again, but nothing happened.
The power was gone, buried deep inside me where I couldn't reach it. I just felt like a weak, dying girl. Kael felt my pulse, his grip tight and unforgiving.
"She's alive," Kael muttered, dropping my arm like it was a piece of garbage. "But she's barely hanging on."
"Sir, the Prince's orders are clear," the guard reminded him. "Anyone intruder who crosses the line must be executed on the spot."
Kael looked up toward the black castle on the hill. It sat there like a dark beast waiting to feed.
"The Prince is in a foul mood tonight," Kael said, his voice cold. "He might want to have some fun with a Red Hollow spy before he kills her, or maybe he'll want to send her head back to Prince Kayden as a message."
He stood up and looked at his men. "Don't kill her. Not yet."
"What should we do with her then, sir?"
"Chain her up," Kael commanded. "Throw her in the dungeon. We'll let the Prince decide how he wants to end her life in the morning."
A guard reached down and grabbed my hair, pulling my head back before hoisting me up. I was so exhausted I couldn't even scream. They dragged me across the grass, my feet trailing in the dirt, toward the dark fortress.
I wasn't being saved. I was being taken to a cage.
As we crossed the courtyard, the heavy, suffocating power of the Lycan Prince grew stronger. It felt like a weight was crushing my lungs.
I was entering the lion's den, and I was in chains.
Let them come, I thought as we descended into the cold, damp dark of the dungeon. They can't break what's already shattered.
The iron gate slammed shut with a loud, final clang.
Everything went black.