'Please, John, I'm sorry!' Amelia pleads frantically, her voice trembling with desperation.
John's voice cuts through the tension, its sharpness underscored by anger. 'Don't waste your apologies on me! Save them for the Alpha!' He retorts, his tone harsh and unforgiving.
He descends the stairs with heavy, deliberate steps, his grip firm on Amelia's hair as he drags her into the cell adjacent to mine. The cell door slams shut with a resounding thud, sealing her fate.
'Amelia!' I cry out in distress, our eyes meeting as we assess each other's condition. Her eyes are swollen and red from crying, and there are unmistakable bruises on her delicate neck from the abuse she has endured.
'Astrid, I'm so sorry,' she cries, her gaze dropping to the ground. 'I tried searching for the key every day while they were at work, but I couldn't find it,' she confesses through her sobs.
John glares at Amelia in disgust before shifting his attention to me. 'I caught my little mate, Amelia, rummaging through my father's room and made her confess what she was looking for,' he boasts, a cruel smirk dancing on his lips.
Amelia's anger flares, and she addresses John directly, her voice laced with frustration. 'You were supposed to be at work today!'
John, however, remains cool and composed as he responds, 'I was indeed supposed to be at work today, but James and I noticed things out of place in our rooms each day. Our drawers were messier than usual, as if someone had been rummaging through our belongings. We could smell your scent in other rooms where you are not permitted, so we knew you were up to something. We came back home early to catch you in the act. Moreover, we had some issues with Ryker from the Shadow Crest pack that needed our attention. Alpha Zenith also wanted me back here to prepare the warriors in case Ryker attempts to trespass and find his dear beloved, Astrid.'
'Ryker is looking for me? How did he know to go to Zenith Creations?' I ask, a glimmer of hope infusing my voice.
John scoffs with disdain. 'Don't get too excited, sweet cheeks,' he retorts, a cruel smile tugging at the corners of his lips. 'He found the business card in your room at his packhouse—the card Alpha Zenith gave you. His beta, Seth, and a few others from his pack picked up your scent in the city, but they lost the trail until later that night. Seth broke into our underground car park, picking up your scent again. You see, we always have some of our pack warriors on patrol each night, given the numerous enemies we have who like to try and break into our building. Seth was eventually caught and has been kept in the basement since, except when we bring him up into the office for interrogations and to rough him up a little.' John chuckles darkly, relishing the sadistic details.
My shock intensifies as the pieces fall into place. 'Wait! You mean that man you beat when I was there was Seth?' I ask, horrified.
John confirms it with a chilling laugh. 'Sure was,' he says, displaying a sick satisfaction in recounting the brutality.
The anger inside me ignites. 'You're a heartless bastard, John! You know that?' I shout, my voice quaking with fury and my eyes shooting daggers at him.
John remains unrepentant, even amused. 'Yup, I already know, and I like it that way,' he sneers, his callousness on full display.
Desperate for more information, I press on with impatience. 'What did Alpha Zenith tell Ryker about me?'
'He convinced Ryker that you came begging for a job for a few days just to scrape together enough money to skip town,' John replies, a sly smile curling. 'So, we told him we gave you some work for a few days and paid you in cash. After that, you left, never to be seen by us again.'
I'm left contemplating Ryker's response to the fabricated story, my thoughts racing. 'Did he believe you?' I ask, hopeful.
John shrugs. 'That, we don't know. But our warriors are on patrol across our borders in case he decides to trespass and search for you and Seth. Anyway, I'm sure your soon-to-be mate, James, will be coming to see you shortly. And Alpha Zenith should be back soon, too. It will be interesting to see what Amelia's punishment for trying to help you escape will be,' he adds with a cruel smirk, clearly deriving perverse satisfaction from the turmoil engulfing me.
John exits the cells, and as he disappears from our sight, it's just Amelia and me left huddled on the cold stone floor. My hands instinctively reach out to comfort her as she visibly trembles, consumed by fear.
'Amelia, look at me,' I say softly yet firmly, urging her to raise her gaze. Her pretty brown eyes are brimming with terror, and I do my best to offer her a sliver of reassurance. 'I won't let anything happen to you, okay?' I promise with determination.
She sniffs, her tears falling unchecked as she wipes them from her face. 'Astrid, there's nothing you can do,' she says, her voice quivering with a deep sense of resignation.
'Ryker will save us. He's coming to rescue me. I know it, and you'll be coming back with us,' I say, trying to infuse hope into her fragile state.
'I hope you're right,' she sobs softly, a glimmer of optimism breaking through her despair.
Moments later, the oppressive silence is shattered by the arrival of Alpha Zenith, dragging Seth down the stairs. Seth's head is concealed beneath a mesh bag, and he’s unconscious with his wrists bound.
'Seth!' I exclaim.
'Yell all you want. Seth is knocked out cold!' Alpha Zenith chuckles as he hauls Seth to a cell opposite mine, tossing him inside with little regard.
Alpha Zenith's attention then shifts to Amelia, and he looks confused. 'Why the hell are you in here, Amelia?' He growls with annoyance.
Amelia bursts into tears, overwhelmed by her fear and anxiety, rendering her unable to answer.
'Ah, forget it... I've got more pressing matters to attend to right now,' he mutters dismissively before striding away, his heavy footsteps echoing in the damp cell.