chapter 6

~~~~~~~~Layla~~~~

The guards dragged me down the hallway before throwing me into the dungeon like a sack of potatoes.

How wonderful.

Not only had I been treated like rubbish since arriving at this pack, but now even the guards had forgotten how to show respect to their Luna.

I landed on the cold floor with a painful thud.

"Watch where you're throwing me!" I snapped, glaring at the guards.

One of them simply shut the heavy door in my face.

Unbelievable.

I pushed myself up and looked around.

The dungeon was even smaller than the pathetic room Ryker had assigned me. The air was foul, the floor smelled disgusting, and dust covered almost every corner. It was so dark that I could barely make out anything beyond the little space around me.

Was this where they kept people?

Or had Ryker personally ordered them to prepare it for his unwanted mate?

I moved towards a corner and sat down, pulling my knees close to my chest.

Two days.

He had ordered me to stay in this filthy place for two whole days without food or water. And all because of that ridiculous woman, Zoey!

How could Ryker believe her without even asking me what happened? I hadn't even touched her!

I clenched my fists.

That man was seriously testing my patience.

I was beginning to wonder if I would survive staying here for two days without losing my mind.

"Leah?"

There was no response.

I frowned.

"Leah, are you there?"

Still nothing.

That was strange. My wolf had been unusually quiet since we arrived.

"Don't tell me you've suddenly decided to abandon me too," I muttered.

A few seconds passed before she finally answered.

"Sorry."

I blinked.

Sorry?

Did I hear that correctly?

Leah had just apologised to me. My stubborn, lovesick wolf had actually apologised!

I almost looked around to check whether someone else had spoken.

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked suspiciously.

"I'm fine. I just... I'm sorry about what happened earlier."

I leaned against the wall.

"Well, at least one person in this pack knows how to apologise."

"Don't feel too bad, Layla. I also think that woman is up to something."

My ears practically perked up.

"Really?"

"Yes. I don't trust her. There's something strange about her, and I don't like the way she behaves around our mate."

I scoffed.

"Our mate? Please, don't remind me of that walking disaster."

"Anyway, our goal should be to make Zoey pay for what she did."

I slowly lifted my head.

"Wait. What about Ryker?"

"What about him?"

I stared ahead in disbelief.

"Are you seriously asking me what about him? That man is the reason I'm in this miserable situation! He gave me a tiny room, left me wearing yesterday's clothes, refused to let me bathe, and now he's thrown me into a dungeon. My head is practically splitting!"

I threw my hands into the air.

"How much more humiliation am I supposed to endure? My patience is running out!"

"Calm down," Leah replied.

"Calm down? You want me to calm down?"

"Yes. And don't hurt Ryker."

I rolled my eyes.

"Of course. Heaven forbid anyone should hurt your precious Alpha."

"We can play a little game instead. I'm getting bored."

I immediately sat up.

A game?

Now she was speaking my language.

"Wait. You mean we can punish Ryker?"

There was a brief silence.

"No. I meant Zoey."

My excitement disappeared.

I stared at the wall.

"Of course you did."

Honestly, I didn't know why I kept getting my hopes up with this wolf. She could turn almost any conversation into an opportunity to admire that arrogant man.

I pushed myself to my feet and dusted off my clothes.

"Fine. Let's deal with Zoey first. But Ryker is definitely not getting away with this."

I glanced around the dungeon, trying to figure out how to get out.

Should I escape or stay here?

Part of me wanted to leave immediately. Another part wanted to remain long enough to make Zoey regret ever crossing me.

But there was also Ryker.

That man needed to wake up and realise that I wasn't some helpless woman he could order around whenever he pleased.

And honestly, what was his problem with me?

If he wasn't attracted to me, why had he marked me in the first place? Wasn't he supposed to be happy about finding his mate?

Or was he still trying to hide his little secret?

I narrowed my eyes.

Maybe he really was gay.

The thought almost made me laugh.

I began inspecting the walls, searching for anything that could help me escape. After a few moments, I noticed a small window near the upper part of the wall.

I walked towards it and stood on my toes.

It was narrow, but perhaps I could squeeze my head through.

Unfortunately, I wasn't sure the rest of my body would cooperate.

Still, it was worth trying.

I reached into my pocket and felt something cold.

My eyes widened.

The knife!

I had kept it there in case Ryker tried anything funny with me. At least it was finally going to be useful.

I pulled it out and examined the wall around the window.

Maybe I could dig through the edges and make the opening bigger.

With renewed determination, I began scraping at the wall with the knife.

A few minutes passed.

Nothing.

I tried again, pressing the blade harder against the surface.

Still nothing.

I stopped and stared at the tiny mark I had managed to make.

"Are you kidding me?"

Was this wall made of stone or the bones of some ancient creature?

I let out an annoyed breath and lowered the knife.

A low groan suddenly came from inside my head.

I froze.

"Leah? What's wrong?"

For a moment, I wondered if she had sensed Ryker nearby.

"Is he coming?" I asked, glancing towards the door.

"No."

I relaxed slightly.

"Then what is it?"

"I'm hungry."

I blinked.

Hungry?

I looked around the filthy dungeon, then back towards the door.

"Leah, we're locked in a dungeon. Did you forget?"

"I know."

"And we're supposed to be punished for two days."

"I know that too."

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Then why are you complaining about food?"

"Because I'm hungry, Layla! I want to run through the woods and hunt. I want raw meat!"

She practically growled the last words.

I stared at the wall.

Was this really happening?

I was trapped in a disgusting dungeon, my mate was a complete nightmare, and my wolf was thinking about having a lovely little picnic in the forest.

"Are you serious right now?" I asked.

"Yes! This is my first time, Layla. I want to experience running freely and hunting. I want to know what it feels like to eat raw meat!"

I closed my eyes.

Of all the things to worry about...

"Leah, we're prisoners. How exactly do you expect us to go running in the woods?"

"Then find a way out."

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, I heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the door.

My body stiffened.

Someone was coming.

I quickly slipped the knife back into my pocket and stepped away from the wall, trying to look as though I hadn't been planning an escape.

The footsteps grew closer.

I held my breath and stared at the dungeon door.

Whoever was coming, I hoped they weren't bringing more trouble.

Because honestly, I had already had enough of this pack to last me a lifetime.