Chapter 5

The room was silent.

Dead silent.

Even with the quiet sniffling of girls muffled by blankets, even with the scratchy rustle of limbs shifting restlessly on the bunks, the silence felt too loud. It rang in my ears like a warning bell, sharp and unrelenting.

I lay on my side, my back to the others, staring at the wall, eyes wide open. I wasn’t sure anyone had actually slept. Not really. How could they? We were all just waiting for the same fate—waiting to be called into the monster’s bed and never return.

But most of them had given up. You could see it in their sunken eyes, the way their shoulders drooped with defeat. They weren’t planning anything. They were just… waiting.

Not me.

My heart pounded so hard it hurt, but I wasn’t waiting for death. I was waiting for the right moment.

And when it came—when the room finally settled into a fragile stillness, the kind that came with bone-deep despair—I moved.

Slow. Careful. Silent.

I peeled the blanket off and slid my legs to the floor. The cold stone made me flinch, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. Not now.

I crept across the room, past the girl in the corner still trembling in her sleep.

I didn’t look back.

My hand gripped the metal handle of the door. I exhaled through my nose and turned it slowly. The door creaked faintly, and I froze. Nothing moved. No one stirred.

I pushed it open just wide enough to slip out and shut it behind me.

And then I was in the hallway.

Alone.

The air was colder out here. Thicker. Like the palace itself was holding its breath, waiting to see what I’d do.

There was a guard standing beside the door, but he was snoring softly, head tilted back, arms crossed over his chest.

Thank the Goddess.

I took a step, then another, holding my breath with each one.

Don't make a sound. Don’t trip. Don’t die.

The hall stretched before me in eerie silence. Only the moonlight pouring in through the glass windows offered guidance, painting fractured colors across the cold stone floor.

I stayed in the shadows, pressing close to the wall, my feet moving soundlessly.

I didn’t know where I was going—only that the woods were somewhere beyond the palace walls, and I had to get there. That was the only plan I had.

Survive.

The hallway curved ahead, darker now. The moonlight didn’t reach here. The shadows were thicker, like they were alive, breathing.

And then I heard it.

A growl.

Low. Guttural. Ferocious. It rumbled through the hallway like a storm, vibrating through the walls, through my bones, straight into the core of me.

I froze.

Every instinct screamed at me to run. Hide. Go back. But something else—something I couldn’t explain—held me in place.

And then... I turned.

Like I wasn’t in control of my own legs.

I walked toward the sound.

Each step heavier than the last, like wading through molasses, like fate was trying to pull me back. But I kept moving.

The hallway twisted and turned until I found the door. Heavy. Iron. Cold.

The growls were louder now. Snarling. Like the creature behind the door was in agony.

Without thinking, I pressed the handle. It wasn’t locked.

It opened with a low creak.

And what I saw inside made my breath catch.

Chains.

Everywhere.

Attached to the walls, the floor, the ceiling—all connected to one beast.

But it wasn’t a regular wolf.

This... this was something else.

Twice the size of any wolf I’d ever seen. Muscles rippled beneath midnight-black fur. Long claws dug into the stone floor, scoring it with deep, angry marks. Its eyes glowed a blazing gold, wild and tortured.

And its teeth...

They were bared, dripping saliva, mouth parted in a furious snarl as it yanked on the chains, desperate to break free.

It was beautiful and horrifying.

It wasn’t an animal.

It was a monster.

And then... its eyes met mine.

The moment it saw me, it lost its mind. It roared, pulling at the chains with a violence that shook the room. I flinched back, fear surging through me.

It would kill me. It would tear me apart.

But I didn’t run.

I don’t know why.

My legs were stuck, my mind screaming, but my heart... my heart was breaking.

Because behind all that fury, all that rage, there was pain.

So much pain.

And before I knew it, I took a step forward.

“No,” I whispered to myself. “This is stupid. You’ll die.”

But my feet didn’t listen.

Another step.

The beast growled louder, yanked again. One of the chains snapped partially out of the wall.

I should have screamed.

Instead, I walked closer.

Closer.

Until I stood right in front of him.

He growled, eyes narrowing on me, chest heaving with every tortured breath.

I slowly raised my hand.

He jerked back slightly, muscles taut, ready to strike.

“I won’t hurt you,” I whispered, voice trembling.

I didn’t know who I was talking to

I didn’t even know why I cared.

But something told me he wasn’t just a monster.

He was trapped. Just like me.

And when my fingers brushed his fur, he stilled.

Instantly.

No more growls.

Just heavy breathing.

Then, slowly, he lowered himself to the ground, massive head brushing against my palm. He whimpered—the sound soft and heartbreaking.

And then...

He wrapped his giant arms around me.

Yes. Arms.

I gasped.

He held me tightly, burying his head into my shoulder, letting out another soft whimper.

I was frozen.

Completely stunned.

My heart thundered.

He didn’t hurt me.

He didn’t bite or claw or maul.

He held me.

And I... I couldn’t bring myself to pull away.

Eventually, my body relaxed, just a little. I couldn’t sleep, but I stayed. Because the moment I tried to move, he growled again, low and warning. So I remained there, in the arms of a beast who should have killed me but didn’t.

I didn’t know what it meant.

But something about it felt important.

I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep until I felt warmth against my back. A solid chest. Human arms.

I jerked awake.

The beast was gone.

In its place, a man. His arm was around me, possessive and strong.

I panicked.

I scrambled away from him, heart in my throat, hands trembling.

He didn’t stir.

Still asleep.

I didn’t dare look at his face.

I couldn’t.

I needed to leave.

Now.

I bolted.

Ran from that room like my life depended on it, not daring to look back.

Because I had a feeling I’d just destroyed the only chance I had at freedom.