chapter 4

Calla's POV

“You can't afford to take me to that mini hell!” I tried to free myself from the guards' tight grip. “You can't watch me burn inside that hot, cramped room. Let me talk to Draven! Let me talk to the Alpha!”

“I'm sorry, but we really cannot afford to watch the mate bond on your wrist burn to ashes,” the guard said as we took the last turn toward the suppression room. “This is how liars get punished. You should have done your best to remain innocent from the start.”

“I'm fucking innocent. Can you just hold on a second?” I shoved the guard beside me, causing him to stagger and fall to the ground. “I said, wait a second, and listen to me. Does your job matter more than my life? Do you know how hellish that room is?”

“We should ask whether you really understand what orders mean,” the second guard said. “It is less about our jobs and more about our lives. If we let you go, we'll be executed as soon as they find us.”

“Then run away with me!”

“We don't want to disobey the Alpha's order,” the first guard said as he got back to his feet and dusted off his trousers.

“Even if it means hurting the very person who's made life easier for you?” I asked through a tearful voice. “Do you know how unfair that sounds?”

“It's called the suppression room for a reason,” the second guard said. “You won't burn. You won't feel the heat as much as your wrist will. It's all about detaching your connection to the Alpha. That's the tradition. Come with us now, will you?”

Tears streamed down my face as we quietly approached the suppression room. We'd gone through three different checkpoints before reaching it. Those security guards didn't hesitate to let them take me inside.

The wolves now believed I was a liar—the same wolves I'd spent every ounce of strength in my bones protecting and fighting for. The same wolves who praised me for being a good Luna to the pack and to my mate had now turned their backs on me because of a rumor that hadn't even been verified through the proper means.

“Nyx,” I called her name quietly as I knelt before the suppression room.

“How about Nyx?” the guard asked as he slowly unlocked the door. “Do you want to relay a message to her?”

“Do you know where she is?”

“Even if I do and tell you, you can't get out of here until someone lets you out. That curiosity is somewhat pointless. Get her in.”

The first guard ordered his fellow guard, who lifted me into his arms, carried me inside, and laid me in the middle of the live coals covering the floor.

Holding his breath, he coughed from the heat as he hurried back outside. My blurry, reddened eyes watched him shut the heavy door, and moments later, the sound of their retreating footsteps faded away.

Sweat beaded across my forehead as I looked around the room. Live coals surrounded me from every direction. The temperature was incredibly high, and scattered among the burning coals were several strange metal objects whose purpose I couldn't explain.

“So this is it?” I whispered beneath my breath. “I can feel the heat. I can barely breathe, but I don't die. Is this what hell looks like?”

But there was no one around to answer my question.

The door was locked with a secret code, and there was no way I could step outside unless someone entered the correct code.

“Nyx...” I closed my eyes gently, my breath hitching as I coughed softly. “You bitch.”

Who else could have done this to me?

Who else looked me in the eye, darkened her gaze, and accused me of wrongfully occupying the top seat?

I slowly opened my eyes. Sweat soaked every inch of my skin. It was unbearably hot, yet I wasn't burning the way I'd expected.

My gaze drifted toward my wrist.

And then my heart nearly stopped.

“Goodness!”

Tears streamed down my face as I pressed my finger against the mate mark, trying desperately to stop it from fading.

“Goodness gracious... I'm being replaced! The mark is disappearing! Someone... help! Someone, anyone, please!”

My voice gradually faded, but I refused to give up. Now that the cuffs had been removed, I forced myself to my feet and tried to reach the door, hoping I could somehow enter a code and escape.

The moment I stepped onto one of the live coals, I groaned from the pain shooting through my foot.

“Oh fuck... there's no way I'm getting there without stepping on these fucking things!”

Anger slowly replaced the fear in my mind as I forced myself to endure the pain. I stepped across the burning coals toward the door, each step sending another wave of agony through my feet.

Just before I reached it, flames shot up from nowhere, blocking my path.

The fire burned so fiercely that it began catching the edge of my dress.

I cried out and stumbled backward until I reached the center of the room again, tears soaking my dress.

I'd seen wolves tortured inside this room because they stole other people's mates, and their bonds had to be erased.

I'd seen how quickly their mate marks vanished. I'd watched their flesh burn.

But none of that was happening to me. Even my mate Mark refused to disappear immediately.

Instead, it faded little by little, forcing me to endure every second of the pain inside this miniature hell.

All of a sudden, my head slammed violently against the floor.

My body rolled uncontrollably around the center of the room, giving me no control over it. Then, with one scream, I felt a sudden emptiness inside me.

My wolf was gone.

God...

My wolf had left me alone.

What did I do to deserve this fate?

Or had my wolf simply become too weak... too weak to even let me know she was still inside me?

I lifted my trembling wrist. The mate mark was gone.

Dark stains surrounded the place where it had once been, proof that my mate had already chosen someone else.

Nyx must be sitting in that seat now, smiling as hundreds of wolves celebrate the lie she carefully created.

Soren's face flashed through my mind. The last time he smiled warmly at me, Draven had cleared his throat and walked away.

I'd always believed it was jealousy because his younger brother had a crush on me.

But no.

It was for a completely different reason.

Soren never appeared at important gatherings again after Draven saw us together.

None of his younger brothers did.

Everyone claimed they'd left the pack for business.

I never believed it. Every time I mentioned Soren's name, Draven became visibly uneasy.

Shouldn't jealousy have been his reaction instead?

“Draven,” I called his name inside this miniature hell, tears filling my voice. “You think Nyx is better? You think the truth stays hidden forever? You think I'm just another wolf you can bully and trample on?”

“Just watch.”