CHAPTER 11

Kiara's POV

A bone shattering cold was the first thing I felt the moment I drifted back into consciousness. My eyes burned as I tried to peel them open, but I did so anyway. I'd already had a taste of the darkness, and it wasn't something I preferred to linger on.

Something cold pressed against my cheek, and I quickly figured it out to be stone. The air was thick with the scent of mold, and I didn't miss the throb at the back of my head that echoed like a war drum. It sent sparks of pain through my skull, and no matter which direction I turned, nothing seemed to help with the pain.

I tried to move, but the chains around my wrists restricted every effort I made, and simultaneously reminding me of where the hell I was too.

The dungeons.

For some reason, the realization came with some memories, memories I didn't ask for, and I couldn't help but shiver. I wasn't sure how long it had been since I passed out, but since I remembered how I'd gotten here, I would reckon it hadn't been too long ago.

I had no idea what had gotten into me, what had stirred me to hold on to the Alpha like that. Worse of all, I'd questioned him, asked him questions I shouldn't have, when I could have just kept quiet, and what did I get in return?

A smack to the head, and a trip to the dungeons.

It looked even worse as I sat up to take a good look at the place. Water dripped and leaked from the most random places, and the air was thick with the stench of blood, sweat and decay. Stone walls damp with moisture closed in on me, and a chill raced down my spine. My head still throbbed from the blow, but it was the cold hatred in the eyes around me that made my snin crawl.

I wasn't alone.

The dim torch light flickered from the far end of the hallway, barely illuminating the rusted bars of my cell. Beyond them, I heard voices. They came in low murmurs, laughter and growls, but only one thing was common.

They were all rogues.

“You finally awake, sweetheart?” My stomach churned at the voice that reached my ears. It came from across my cell, gravely feminine and dripping with venom.

A tall gaunt woman leaned against the wall, a jagged scar running from her brow to her chin. She had a smug smile on her lips, and while I knew it was nothing near friendly, I didn't miss the way her eyes glinted in the dark like an animal stalking its prey.

She nodded once, and as if on cue, others began to move in the shadows, stepping closer as of drawn to the scenr of fresh meat.

“Look at her.” Another rogue sneered. He was almost as tall as the first woman, but had a crooked nose and almost weird gait to himself. “She smells like she's been sleeping in the king's sheets all day long. I bet the Alpha must have tucked her in himself.”

They laughed out loud, and I would be lying to myself if I said the sound wasn't cruel.

They stepped closer, and I backed up, only to meet the drone wall behind me.

“Leave me alone.” I muttered. “I'm not here to cause trouble.”

“Trouble?” The scarred woman scoffed, every time of her voice bitter. She stepped into the light and I wished she hadn't. She was even more scary up front, and I shivered. “You already caused it by walking in here like you own the God damn place. You think you're better than us because you got a room? We got cages , so you're not one of us. You're his toy.”

The other rogues cheered, and she spat at me, the slimy liquid stopping just at the edge of my feet.

“I'm not..” none of them bothered to listen as they all rushed at me. A fist landed against my ribs, and another slammed into my jaw. I gasped, the wind knocked clean from my lungs as I dropped to the floor.

“Please.” I wheezed, the metallic scent of blood hitting my nose. “Please, I'm not….”

They didn't stop. No matter how hard my cries crashed against the filthy roof, they didn't stop.

Their boots and fists came into my side, and I didn't miss the snarling curses they rained down on me. I tasted blood, my vision blurred, but apparently, it wasn't enough for them. My body screamed with every bit, and somewhere deep down in my foggy mind, I wondered if this was how I'd die , beaten by wolves who hated me just because I existed.

“Enough.” The voice cut through the chaos, and as if on cue, the blows andany beatings stopped in an instant.

A figure moved into view while I struggled to catch my breath. He was lean and muscular, with gray streaked hair and eyes that looked like they saw everything and all at once too. He looked older, and his mere presence commanded silence.

“Please.” I coughed out blood, the tiny gesture sending pain through out my joints. “stop this.”

“She's not like the rest of us.” My savior's voice cut through the cell. “She says she's a rogue, but she's nothing like us. There's something else underneath, I feel it, and you all do too.”

“She doesn't belong here.” The scarred woman spat. “So why don't you let us take care of her?”

“No.” He shook his head. “But she's here now, which means she survives or she doesn't. We'll let the test decide that.”

Murmurs rippled through the small crowd that had formed, and one by one, I watched them slowly retreat, till it was just scar face left.

She held my gaze, and I didn't miss the resentment shining in her eyes. I wasn't a mind reader, but I could easily guess that if she had the chance, she wouldn't mind slamming my head into the nearest wall a million times over.

Just when I thought the mental torture wouldn't end, she stalked back into whatever direction she'd come from. My body throbbed in places I didn't even know could hurt, but somehow, I managed to sit up.

My saviour was still rooted in his spot, his eyes trained on me, and without thinking, I muttered.

“Thank you.” My voice was nothing short of a whisper, but anything higher than that and I could bet I would be coughing up all of my intestines alongside more blood. “I didn't ask for this. I didn't….”

“I didn't ask any questions.” He cut me off, his voice and icy contrast to the one he'd used before. “And I definitely do not need your thanks. You can save it for someone who actually cares.”

I blinked back a couple of times, not wanting to believe the switch up that had just happened.

His eyes raked over me from head to toe, and in pity no doubt. Just as he was sboot to retreat into his little corner, he muttered.

“The name's Cain.”

He disappeared before I could think, or blink.

My chest tightened, as I took in all that had just happened. I wasn't ready for any of this, the dungeon, the rogues, the test, everything.

If I didn’t survive the dungeon, I’d never survive the test, and if I didn’t survive the test…

I’d die a rogue, and I wasn't sure anything could come close to the worst ways of ending someone's life.

Shit.