Chapter 3: The Awakening

Amara’s POV

My wrists were raw from the iron cuffs as I was pulled back into the chilly chamber. Cold rage flooded Viktor's piercing grey eyes as he stood in the doorway.

With a voice as keen as a sword, he said, "Let's try this again." "What is meant by the crescent mark?"

I shook but boldly said, "I told you." "I'm not sure."

A ruthless smirk twisted Viktor's lip. "Falsehoods."

I prepared myself for what was about to happen as he approached me with calm, methodical steps. Days of abuse had left my body hurting, but I resisted showing signs of weakness.

He walked around me like a predator and asked, "Amara, do you think you can defy me?" "Your pitiful existence is pointless. You will regret not telling me what I want to know.

I forced myself to look into his eyes and swallowed hard. "I do not know at all. I won't offer you answers I don't have, but feel free to do as you please.

His hand swung out and seized my chin firmly. He hissed, "You're brave for a slave." "But you won't be saved by bravery."

I refused to show him my fear as I looked into his icy eyes. Something flickered inside me, something fresh. Though it was tiny and hardly perceptible, it gave me courage.

Viktor shoved me out of his grasp, and I staggered back. He remarked, "Let's see how long your defiance lasts." "Guards, watch out she doesn't settle in."

I clutched my injured wrist as I collapsed against the wall and the door banged shut. My spirit blazed with resolve, but my body felt weak.

A few hours later, Viktor came back with a twisted expression of amusement and frustration.

He paced in front of me and said, "You're stubborn." "But when you realize how truly alone you are, I wonder if you'll still be so bold."

With my heart thumping in my chest, I balled my fists.

"Your partner turned you down," he added in a derisive tone. Darius didn't even defend you in battle. He didn't think twice about letting you leave. Amara, what does that say about you?

I thought I had buried the wounds, but his comments reopened them. I clenched my throat, but I kept my tears to myself.

I said, "You're wrong," in a shaky but powerful voice.

"Wrong?" Viktor gave a hard, irritating laugh. "Darius made it obvious that you were useless. He has never cared for you and never will.

With my fingernails sinking into my hands, I growled, "Stop."

Viktor's grin grew as he took a step closer. "Come on, Amara. You are meaningless. You will never be anything.

Something broke inside of me. I felt a rush of energy that was unadulterated and uncontrollable. A harsh, guttural growl from my throat as my eyesight became blurry.

Viktor's eyes widened in surprise as he froze.

For the first time, his voice was unsure as he asked, "Amara?"

I sprang at him, my wolf emerging as my strength increased. Before the guards charged in and threw me to the ground, my claws reached out and slashed at his arm.

"Have her restrained!" Viktor gripped his bleeding arm and yelled.

The power of my wolf surged through me as I thrashed against the guards. However, it was insufficient. I was out of breath as my wolf fled and the iron chains dug into my flesh.

Viktor towered above me, his rage hardly subdued. He replied in a lethal tone, "So, the little slave has a wolf." "Interesting. Very intriguing.

Darius, his eyes flaming with rage, rushed into the elders' chamber far away in the Lycan Pack.

"You sold Viktor her?" His voice echoed through the room as he growled.

The elders looked at each other uneasily. One of them said, "Alpha, it was for the pack's benefit." Viktor proposed

"What he offered doesn't matter to me!" With a yell, Darius struck the table with his fist. "You couldn't have made that choice without my consent."

"Amara was a liability," stated one elder. "She was a slave, not deserving of"

"Enough!" Darius growled and spread his claws. "You have no say in who is deserving or not."

The elders were intimidated by his rage, and the chamber became quiet.

Guilt gnawing at him, Darius paced the room. The visions, the connection, and the enduring pull of Amara were all too much for him to shake.

He whispered, more to himself than to anybody else, "She's in danger."

With caution, one of the elders said, "Alpha?"

Darius turned to face him, his face gloomy. "I'm pursuing her."

"But Alpha"

“Silence,” said Darius. "I made this choice. If she's been harmed by Viktor... The menace was evident even as his voice faded off.

His determination unwavering, he bounded out of the room. Whether she was accepted or not, Amara was his mate. He also refused to allow Viktor to ruin her.

I lay on the chilly cell floor back in Viktor's stronghold, my body hurting and my head spinning. A subtle reminder of the wolf inside of me, the power I had felt before was still there.

However, there was another issue.

I gripped my gut as an odd feeling crept over me. It was warmth instead of pain.

Unbidden, memories of Darius came flooding back to me. Something within me was sparked by his touch, his aroma, and his presence.

As understanding set in, my heart fell. No. It isn't possible.

With shaking hands, I sat up. The symptoms, which included nausea, heightened perceptions, and weird cravings that I had previously rejected, were minor but present.

I uttered the barely audible words, "I'm pregnant."

My eyes welled up with tears of wonder and anxiety. A kid. The kid of Darius.

I put a palm to my stomach as a fierce resolve began to grow within me. My infant would never fall into Viktor's grasp.

I had to get away. For the life that is developing inside of me, not simply for myself.

With a creak, the door opened, and Viktor entered, his eyes calculating and keen.

With a skeptical tone, he remarked, "You've been quiet." "What do you have to hide?"

"Nothing," I hurriedly said, trying to hide my panic.

His eyes narrowed as he took a step closer. "You don't have my faith."

I swallowed forcefully, trying to think of a strategy.

"You'll speak at some point," Viktor smirked. "And I'll have everything I need when you do."

I clenched my hands as he walked away, my resolve growing stronger.

I would battle for my child. I would go away.

I could hear low, growling noises outside my window, which weren't from Viktor's pack, as the guards locked the door behind him. There was someone out there. But were they adversaries or friends?