Lyra paced in her room, deliberating on what to do. She needed to save her friend, but how? She had no answer to this question. The door suddenly flung open, and her mother walked in.
'' Lyra, is everything okay? You look worried.'' She shut the door and strode into the room fully.
Lyra turned to her with a saddened face, feeling a lump in her throat as she opened her mouth to speak. However, what she had in mind was too much to say, but she wouldn't dare lie to her mother. She braced herself and decided to tell her everything.
Meanwhile, in the dungeon where I was locked in, I was awoken by the soft jingling of iron keys, followed by the harsh scrap of metal grinding against stone.
My body tensed and I sat upright, gazing towards the door. Heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor, and she blinked her eyes, trying to see clearly. I was still chained to the cold wall, my limbs numb from being bound for too long. The lock clanked, and the iron-barred door creaked open.
Two guards stepped in with a blank expression. "Get up," one ordered, his voice rough and impatient.
I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. My throat was dry, my body too weak to resist as they unshackled my wrists and yanked me to my feet.
"W-Where… where are you taking me?" I croaked, trying to stand on shaky legs, but neither of them answered.
They grabbed my arms and dragged me out, while my heart beat rapidly against my chest. I began to wonder if a miracle had happened, maybe Seraphina has awoken that's why I'm being released.
Finally, they stopped in front of a large iron door with runes etched into the frame, faintly glowing red. One of the guards pulled a lever, and the door creaked open. My breath hitched as the stench of blood hit me first, followed by the sight of cruel instruments lining the walls.
I couldn't believe my eyes. On the wall hung a chain from the ceiling, tipped with silver hooks still stained with blood. There were Iron tables with worn straps placed under bloodied tools, claw scrapers, shifting knives, and wolfsbane-coated needles that gleamed faintly in the low light.
I also saw restraints on a tilted table in the centre, clearly made for one purpose only. I felt goose bumps, as realization dawned on her.
'' The torture room.''
"No..." I whimpered and dragged myself backward, but the guards forced me in, slamming the door shut behind them.
I struggled weakly as panic surged in my chest. "Don't do this! Please! What did I do?!"
'' You know the penalty for killing, Celeste.'' A deep voice sounded in my ears, and shivers ran down my spine instantly. I turned my head slowly in the direction, and blood drained out of my face.
'' Alpha Orion!''
His bloodshot eyes met mine and my heart skipped a beat as I shook my head terribly. I opened my mouth and tried to speak again, but it was difficult.
'' You'll be beheaded in the centre of the pack by dawn tomorrow. But for now, I want you to experience the pain I'm feeling.''
'' No!'' I yelled, but Orion turned to the guards signalled them to proceed. After sparing me a last glance, he walked away through the door, slamming it behind him.
One of the guards chuckled. "The Alpha said we should make her feel it. Every damn second of it." He said to the other.
The second guard tightened her shackles onto the wall, spreading her arms wide. Cold silver cuffs bit into my wrists which meant that I couldn't even access Ace's strength this time as the silver made my bond with her fragile and almost inaccessible sending unbearable heat through my veins. I screamed out in pain, but it was a melodious rhythm in their ears.
'' Stop! Please! I didn't do anything!" I begged, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her cheeks.
But then, a whip filled with wolfsbane tore across her back, burning every nerve as it ripped through my skin. I shrieked, and my eyes rolled in their sockets, while my legs collapsed under me, but the chains held me upright.
They did it again and again, before turning to the shifting rod, a cruel weapon that forced partial transformation. Bones cracked under its pulse, and my claws emerged only to retract mid-shift. Ace howled inside me, trapped and tormented, unable to defend me.
All that I wished for now was death, it's better than what I'm going through now. ''Please..." I sobbed. "Please, just kill me... please..."
I pleaded, but that's their aim. They wanted me alive, and the worst part was for her to suffer, to remember, to break completely.
One of them leaned in, and gripped my chin, staring directly into my swollen eyes. "This is what happens to weaklings who think they deserve a mate like Alpha Orion. You're nothing, but a cursed Omega." He sneered.
I couldn't respond. My eyes were half-lidded, blood dripping down my arms and legs. Ace whimpered in my head, too injured to fight, too broken to speak.
I no longer knew if the pain was in my body or my soul. All I knew was that I was burning, and it wasn't going to stop soon. I couldn't beg anymore, I couldn't even cry, I'd lost my voice.
The guards continued to torture me, even when they knew I was about to lose consciousness. Without warning, my head lowered, my eyes closed, and I passed out.
However, the guards didn't notice this as they continued to inflict pain on my wolf who's struggling to live.
'' Wait!'' One of them said as the other raised the rod towards me again. He grabbed my hair and lifted my head up, to their surprise it moved without restrictions.
He decided to see if what he's thinking was true, when he placed his ear on my chest to listen to my heartbeat, his heart sank in his chest as he realized that I was unconscious.
'' What's the matter?'' Asked the other, confused by his actions.
'' I can't feel her pulse or her heartbeat.'' He blurted out, and his eyes widened in shock.
The Alpha had given them a clear instruction, but now it's been defied. '' What are we going to do?'' Asked the other in fright.
'' I have no idea.'' He responded with a deep frown on his face. One thing was clear, they can never escape Alpha Orion, he will always find them at all cost.
'' Let's take her back to the dungeon, then we can go and meet a healer to come and check up on her.'' The other suggested, but it didn't sit well with his colleague who stared at him in bewilderment.
'' She's dead, not sick. What are you talking about?'' He asked.
There's silence in the room, and although they didn't have a clear solution to their problem, they decided to take her back to the dungeon.
'' If the Alpha asked, we'll tell him she fainted so we took her there.''
'' Then tomorrow, we'll pretend as if she's still alive and take her to the centre of the pack. No one will suspect it.'' Said the other.
It was a perfect plan as they knew that the Alpha will never visit such a place, filled with dirt and darkness. Without much ado, they carried Celeste into their arms and headed to the dungeon.