2. The Girl in Chains

LYRA

“Seize her!” the crowd started chanting in unison pointing towards me and a group of guards started approaching me.

“I- I- I- I’m not a threat, I sw-w-w-wear! I’m just as c-c-confused! You have to believe me! P-p-please!” I stuttered trying to explain and wriggle myself away from the guards surrounding me. But it fell on deaf ears and I was aggressively apprehended by those guards and taken away.

As they carried me out of the hall, everyone kept hurling insults at me. Tears flooded my eyes because I didn’t know what I had done to deserve all this and why no one was listening to me. Life has always been unfair to me, I was starting to really believe I might be cursed after all.

“Ah!” I screamed at the harshness of ice cold water meeting my face.

I took a few seconds to recover and look around. I was in a dungeon. Girls without wolves didn’t survive palace dungeons. Everyone knew that.

Bound by chains produced from what I presume could be centuries ago and before me were two men, one with a bucket in hand and the other squatted directly in front of me.

The man in front of me was brown skinned, had jet black wavy hair that was put into a bun and midnight dark glowing eyes. His skin tone had a paleness to it and he was dressed in a navy blue round neck and black jeans.

The other holding the bucket had sandy blonde curly hair with some stray bangs on his forehead. He was light skinned and his eyes were brown with a glow to it and freckled skin to top it off. He was dressed in a grey round necked short sleeve shirt and army cargo pants. If not for the circumstances, I would’ve assumed he was a free spirited carefree person at first glance. He had that ambience to him.

“How does a traitor even bother to sleep so soundly?” Mr freckles asked in a tone of mockery.

“I think it’s the joy and satisfaction of what she’s done that gave her the peace of mind for that” Mr man bun taunted.

“I’m sure you know how this goes. We could do it the easy way-“ man bun gestured to his right.

“Meaning you confess and tell us how to stop this disaster then we can speed up your execution process and move on with our lives” freckles cut him off.

“Or the hard way-“ man bun gestured to his left.

“Turn to your right and tell me what you see” freckles cut him off again.

I turned to see a rack of torture devices, they weren’t just on my right. They adorned the dungeon, this as a torture chamber. Suddenly my blood ran cold.

“Why do you keep cutting me off?” man bun glares at freckles.

“I enjoy it. Don’t expect an apology” freckles let out a chuckle.

“Bastard” man bun retorted.

“Dickhead” freckles rolled his eyes.

“Is that what I pay you for?” a menacing voice echoed from behind.

I’ve heard that voice before.

The water had finally dried off from my eyes a bit so I could see clearer than before. After a few blinks, I realized who it was, the Alpha: Shadow Rael.

The third man had very pale skin, jet black long wavy hair with streaks of silver, matching silver-coloured eyes, and he wore a silky black button down shirt with rolled up sleeves and office trousers that looked as though they were custom-made for his body.

As Rael stared and examined this woman before him, wolf did not snarl or demand her blood. It recoiled, unsettled. As if standing before something it should already recognize.

“So that’s the traitor” he looked down at me.

“Tell me” he began pacing around the dungeon “Or rather humor me, why exactly did you attempt this if you’re pathetic enough to be caught few seconds after” he asked waving his hand in a mocking manner.

“I didn’t do it” I whispered.

“Hmm?” he paused as turned.

“I’m innocent” I said as tears pooled in my eyes.

“And we’re supposed to believe you and roll out a red carpet back to your home, yes?” freckles interjected.

“Just how foolish does she think we are?” man bun asked while trying to stifle a laugh.

“Let me ask you this," freckles began before Shadow held up his hand to silence him earning a satisfied smirk from man bun.

“What do we know about her?” the alpha asked his subordinates.

“She’s a homeless lowlife with no family, or at least that’s her cover story” man bun spoke “and of course no one wants to hire her sorry ass. And although I’m aware of the reason, I still can’t help but wonder what else could’ve made upstanding man of high society like Mr Carvelli hire her” he stopped.

“Anything for cheap staff I guess. I always found him rather odd than usual” freckles speculated.

“There’s always ‘something off’ about people you don’t like Liam” man bun retorted.

So that was his name, Liam.

“And now the traitor and potential threat knows my name, are you happy William?” freckles cocked his head with a sheepish grin.

“I want to assume those past few sentences I just heard were a figment of my imagination, for your sakes that is. Why did Carvelli hire her?” Shadow interrupted them with a targeting glare.

“He claimed she was obnoxiously persistent and decently educated for a homeless person” William spoke.

“And he said it was more or less free labor with the payment plan they agreed on. So yes, cheap staff” Liam added.

“He’s exploiting her desperation,” Shadow stated blankly.

"Simply put, Sir” Liam nodded.

Shadow walked forward until he was towering over me and then in a swift motion, he grabbed my face moving it with his arctic-temperature hands to face him upwards. “The sooner you come clean, the quicker I can get to leading the affairs of my pack and maybe, just maybe, I’d make your execution a tad bit painless” he threatened.

I started with a chuckle until it advanced into hysterical laughter.

She’s finally lost her marbles” Liam taunted.

“Do you think we’re here to play your silly games?” William said while jabbing a punch at my cheek causing a trail of fresh blood and accompanying redness to follow.

“Right from the moment they dragged me out of the restaurant up until now, all I’ve been saying is the truth!” I yelled. "But, of course, you don’t believe me, why would you?" I managed to bark out amidst the wincing expression from that disfiguring action to my face.

He was about to grab my head for what might have been another punch and I had closed my eyes in anticipation, conserving there was nothing I could do.

Then suddenly there was no impact. I opened my eyes to see that the alpha had dragged me back. Did Shadow just save me? And more importantly, why? Although I was really thankful.

“You won’t get any tangible information if you batter her to stupor. We’re done for now. Leave” Rael commanded the other two and then immediately turned and walked out.

He turned to follow suit as I muttered a faint “thank you” from my already hurting face. Maybe I imagined it, but his head turned a bit right after I said that.

His menacing aura still enveloped the dungeon even though he was already far gone. If they were right—if I truly was a threat—then I wouldn’t survive the night in this place. And that worries me.