Lucas' POV
My heart lurched at his words. "What? How do you know?"
"Because my cousin Cole saw her," Rory explained. "She was unconscious, but she was still alive."
"Who was with her?!" I asked.
"She was escorted by a man from the Swanson family."
Darren. Darren was with her!
"Where is she now?!" I asked.
"Cole asked the man to go look for Finn," Rory continued. "Finn, who's now the Alpha of the Rogues in Mediland. He's the only one who can take Leah out of this kingdom."
Shock rippled through me. Finn? The same Finn I had misgivings about? My voice trembled as I spoke. "Finn? Are you sure?"
Rory nodded grimly.
Fear knotted in my stomach. I didn't trust Finn, not with Leah's life. If there was one thing I was sure about my half-brother, it's that he hated Lycans more than anything.
Panic surged through me, but so did determination. "You need to find out where she is, Rory. Please."
Rory nodded. "I'll do everything I can, Lucas. I'll find her."
As he left, I felt a tremendous pain in my chest. I no longer had a heart—courtesy of the Moon Goddess who had taken it from me. Yet the pain of missing Leah was there, as real and excruciating as any torture I had endured.
Leah. The one who made life worth living. The one whose absence now twisted my very soul.
The cell was suffocating, a tomb of despair. But somewhere beyond these walls, Leah was alive. I clung to that shred of hope as tightly as I could, even as the agony of missing her clawed at me relentlessly.
"Leah," I whispered into the silence, feeling the emptiness where my heart should be. "Where are you? Are you still alive?"
Leah's POV
Where am I?
What is this place?
Why does my head hurt so much?
I tried to lift my arms to cradle my throbbing head, but they wouldn’t budge. Chains snaked around my wrists. My head felt like it was splitting open.
And then, something far worse hit me—I couldn’t remember who I was. Waves of migraines attacked like electrical shocks, and I was drowning in my own pain. It was suffocating. I glanced around and realized I was trapped in a dark, windowless chamber. The only light seeped through a thin slit under the door.
What’s happening? Why am I here? What did I do to deserve this?
I tried to speak, but no sound escaped my mouth. Panic surged through me. Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the hallway. The door creaked open and a man stepped in, holding a bottle of IV fluid. When his eyes met mine, the bottle slipped from his grasp and shattered on the floor.
"Damn! She's awake!" he yelped, bolting out of the room.
Minutes later, the corridor lights blazed on, illuminating the chaos outside. Two men were arguing.
"Why is she awake? The doctor said she’d be in a coma or something!"
"I don’t know! I went in, and her eyes were open! I nearly pissed myself!"
"What do we do? Sedate her again?"
"Are you nuts? We need to inform Alpha!"
"But he's at the western front, attending a conference with other Alphas!"
"Call him!"
"I don’t have his number on speed dial!"
"Send a damn pigeon or light a flare, I don’t care! He needs to know this woman is awake!"
"Let’s call the doctor. He can sedate her again with no one being the wiser."
"Out of the question! I don’t trust that hack..."
The sound of their footsteps faded, leaving me alone with my fear. I didn’t like this. Any second, someone could come in and finish me off. Who is this ‘Alpha’? Why is he keeping me chained like this?
Gathering my strength, I tried to break free from the chains, but they held fast. My agony wouldn’t relent. It felt like something crucial was missing from my memory, and every attempt to recall it only intensified the pain and dread.
I couldn’t fall asleep. I had to stay awake, no matter how much the pain assaulted me from every joint. Pain is good, I told myself. Pain means I’m alive.
I don’t know how long I lingered in that abyss before the door creaked open again. This time, a tall, muscular man filled the doorway. He wore a tuxedo that strained against his brawny arms.
The moment he saw me, his expression darkened, and his muscles tensed beneath the fabric. Soldiers followed him, but with a wave of his gloved hand, they vanished.
He removed his glove, grabbed my chin, and lifted it forcefully.
"Who... who are you?" I croaked, my throat raw and burning.
He scowled at me and tightened his grip.
I saw flames of hatred and anger flickering in his eyes. I didn’t recognize this man, but it seemed as if he wanted to burn me alive.
"Are you fucking with me?" he demanded, his voice menacing and intense.
"I don’t - I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who are you? Why am I locked up like this?" My voice quivered with panic. It seemed that I hadn't been talking for quite some time. I could feel the cord in my throat being torn.
I didn’t know why, but the sight of him filled me with terror. His eyes were dark and enigmatic, an abyss that threatened to swallow me whole. I tried to look away, but his grip on my chin was unyielding, forcing me to meet his gaze.
"You look terrified," he said, almost amused. "Why are you so scared?"
"I don’t know... I don’t know who you are, but I could tell you want to kill me... I don’t know who I am.I don't know what I've done. But whatever I have done, I want to apologize... My head hurts and I don’t know how to make it stop…" I muttered, my voice breaking.
His eyes were glaring.
"Do you want me to free you from all this?" he asked, his tone dripping with temptation.
"Yes..." I whispered, desperate.
"Then beg me,” he commanded, a sinister smile curling his lips.
"Please... Sir... I beg you. Please, don’t leave me here. I can’t remember anything, and I hate being here," I pleaded, my tears falling freely.
His eyes sparkled with sadistic glee.
"This is getting interesting," he murmured to himself. He slipped his glove back on, turned away, and started to leave.
"Sir, please don’t leave me here! Sir..." I tried to call out, but my voice was too weak, too frail. The door slammed shut with a resounding bang, and my heart plummeted into despair.
What was happening? Who was that man? Why did he hate me so much? Is he going to kill me?