Deva paced her room like a caged animal, her agitation growing with each passing second. She tried the door again, but it was still locked. Deva hated the fact that Amdis had locked her away like some prized possession.
"Kick the door down," Kasia said, her voice echoing with frustration. "Just kick the damn door down."
"We tried that already, remember? It's not budging. Apparently, it's a Goddess-damn indestructible door," Deva said in frustration, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Perhaps this is for our own good. We don't know what kind of mental state Ethan is in. He could be dangerous."
"Never," Kasia snapped, her voice laced with anger. "Ethan would never harm us. Anyway, he should be afraid of what I'll do to him for what he did."
Deva smirked slightly, despite the tension. "Someone has become very cocky lately."
"Just shut up. I can't stand being locked away like this. I am not some glass doll," Kasia retorted, her tone dripping with frustration. "I hate this. I hate feeling so helpless."
"We have to trust Amdis for now," Deva replied softly, trying to soothe Kasia's frayed nerves. "He wouldn't lock us away without a reason. He's just trying to protect us."
Kasia growled in response, her voice simmering with anger. "No. We actually don't have to trust him," she countered, her words sharp. "He poisoned us, remember? That's not something you just let go."
"It was a mistake," Deva insisted. "He was just trying to help."
"A mistake? Oh, don't start that again!" Kasia scoffed. "A mistake is over-seasoning food or dropping a glass. This was deliberate. He knew what he was doing."
Deva sighed, running a hand over her face. "I get it, Kasia. I do. But right now, we don't have many options. We're stuck in this room, and until we figure out a way out, we're going to have to deal with it."
Kasia's voice softened slightly, though the anger still lingered. "I just don't like feeling powerless. It brings back a lot of bad memories."
Deva was about to respond when an icy shiver shot up her spine, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.
"Someone is in here with us," Kasia said, her voice now eerily calm. It was odd not having control of her own body, but it did provide new perspective. She could sense things so much easier this way.
Deva's eyes narrowed as she scanned the room. "There's no one here," she said. "Are you sure?"
"Behind you, look behind!" Kasia exclaimed, her voice rising in urgency.
Deva spun around just in time to see Amanda materialize from the wall, stepping into the room. Deva stared at her in confusion. How was this possible?
Deva immediately went into a defensive position. "You're either really brave or really stupid for coming here."
"Am I supposed to be scared of you, Kasia?" Amanda questioned as she sauntered closer, her eyes glinting with malice. "You shouldn't be threatening the future Alpha Queen."
Deva sneered, her lip curling in disdain. "I don't know what you did to Ethan to convince him to touch you, but you and I both know that he doesn't love. You are not his mate. You won't be the Alpha Queen."
"Who says? There's a lot you don't know," Amanda said, her voice dripping with condescension. "But we'll have all the time in the world to discuss."
"You need to go back to whatever hole you crawled out of," Deva warned, her muscles tensing as she prepared for a fight.
Amanda's grin widened, her confidence unshaken. "No more hiding. I'm here for you, Kasia."
"Then let's see if you do better than last time. Maybe I can put another scar on that face of yours," Deva said with a smirk.
Amanda's cocky façade finally dropped, her eyes narrowing in anger. She lunged at Deva, who countered with a swift kick to Amanda's stomach. Amanda stumbled backward, and Deva mocked her, "You really have to put more thought into your attack. It's so telegraphed that a blind man could see it."
Amanda lunged again, this time with more precision. Deva dodged her, but Amanda was relentless. She countered with a punch that connected with Deva's arm, sending a jolt of pain through her.
Deva stumbled back a little but quickly regained her balance. "Better. That's better. Make this worth my time," she taunted, her eyes gleaming with challenge.
"You're not Kasia," Amanda said. "She doesn't talk like this."
"No, duh. Did you just now realize?" Deva responded in a condescending manner.
"It doesn't matter to me. I'll break you too," Amanda snarled, her voice full of venom.
"I'm still waiting to see you try," Deva said, her voice a taunt as they circled each other, both preparing for the next move.
The room was filled with the sounds of their struggle as they fought. Amanda's fighting style had changed, though. Deva noticed it but couldn't quite place what was different. Amanda was relentless, dodging and countering every move Kasia made.
"She smells different. I don't know what that is. You need to get away from her now," Kasia warned, her voice loud in the back of Deva's mind. But before Deva could react, she felt a sharp prick in her arm. Her strength suddenly drained away, leaving her weak and vulnerable.
Amanda capitalized on Deva's sudden weakness, kicking her away with a triumphant laugh. Deva slid across the floor, her body aching from the impact. She struggled to regain her footing, her limbs feeling like they were made of jelly.
"How does it feel not to be able to defend yourself?" Amanda sneered, standing over Deva with a wicked grin.
Deva looked up at her, her vision swimming. "What did you do to me?" she gasped, slowly pushing herself up onto her elbows. Panic bubbled in her chest as she realized she could no longer hear Kasia's voice in her head.
"Isn't it obvious?" Amanda taunted, brandishing a small syringe filled with a dark liquid. "A non-lethal dose of wolfsbane, just enough to suppress your abilities."
Deva let out a cold laugh. "You had to resort to drugs to win. Goddess, you are such a disappointment. It must suck to know how awful you are."
Amanda's face twisted with rage. "You don't know when to shut up," she growled before pinning Deva to the ground. She wrapped her hands around Deva's neck and began choking her. Deva flailed against Amanda, but there was nothing she could do. Her body started to go limp, consciousness slipping away from her.
The last thing Deva saw was Amanda's twisted smile.