Cold Stone

The dungeon floor is a sheet of ice. I hit the ground with a dull thud. The impact sends a jolt through my spine. I lie there. I do not move. I breathe in the dust. It smells like wet minerals and old copper. The guard above me chuckles. He is a shadow against the dim light of the hallway. He reaches down. He grabs the chain between my wrists. He yanks me up.

“Get up”. Rogue. He says.

I scramble to my feet. My knees are raw. They sting with every step. The iron around my wrists is heavy. It pulls at my shoulders. It makes me feel small. We walk deeper into the dark. The walls are narrow. They are made of black stone that seems to swallow the torchlight. I hear the sound of dripping water. It is slow. Steady. Like a ticking clock.

Where are you taking me. I ask. My voice is a dry rasp.

To the black cells. The guard replies. The Alpha wants you where the sun never reaches.

He pushes me again. I stumble into a heavy iron door. It is solid. It has a small slot at the eye level. The guard pulls a ring of keys from his belt. They jingle. The sound is too loud in the silence. He shoves a key into the lock. It turns with a heavy. metallic groan. He kicks the door open.

Inside is a box. It is ten feet wide. Ten feet long. There is a straw pallet in the corner. There is a bucket. That is all. The air is stale. It feels like it hasn't moved in years. The guard grabs my arm. He shoves me inside.

Welcome to your new life. He says.

He slams the door. The sound is like a thunderclap. The lock clicks. I am alone.

I stand in the center of the cell. I do not move. I listen to his footsteps recede. They grow fainter. Then there is nothing. Only the silence. Only the dark. I sink to the floor. I wrap my arms around my legs. I press my forehead against my knees.

The mate bond is a screaming thing in my blood. It pulls toward the surface. It wants the man who just threw me in a cage. It wants the Alpha. It tells me he is the only safety I have. It is a lie. He is the danger. He is the one who took everything.

I close my eyes. I see his face. I see the silver of his eyes. I see the way he looked at me. Not with love. With a promise of pain. He hates me. He hates that the universe chose a rogue to be his equal. I hate him more. I hate that my body recognizes him. I hate that my wolf is pacing at the back of my mind. She is whimpering. She wants her mate.

Shut up. I whisper to her. He is not our mate. He is a monster.

I crawl to the straw pallet. It is thin. It smells like mold. I lie down. I pull the thin. ragged blanket over my shoulders. I am shaking. It is not just the cold. It is the realization. I am in the heart of the Red Fang territory. I am in the hands of Kael Draven.

I do not sleep. I watch the shadows on the ceiling. I count the drips of water. I wait for the dawn. But the dawn does not come to the black cells. The only way I know time is passing is the hunger in my stomach. It starts as a dull ache. It grows into a sharp pain.

Hours pass. Maybe a day. I do not know.

The door opens.

The light from the hallway is blinding. I squint. I hold up a hand to shield my eyes. A silhouette stands in the doorway. It is not the guard. This person is shorter. Thinner. A woman steps into the cell. She is wearing a fine dress of deep blue silk. Her hair is blonde. Braided tight against her head. She looks like a queen. She looks down at me.

So. She says. This is the little rogue.

I sit up. I push my hair out of my face. Who are you.

The woman laughs. It is a sharp. unpleasant sound. I am Sila. I am the one who was supposed to be Luna before you showed up.

She walks around me. She looks at my chains. She looks at my bruised face. She doesn't see a person. She sees an obstacle. She sees a pest.

You do not look like much. Sila says. You look like a stray.

I am a rogue. I say. I am not a pet.

Sila leans down. She is close enough that I can smell her perfume. It is floral. Sickly sweet. It hides the smell of the wolf underneath.

The Alpha does not want you. She whispers. He told the council you are a mistake. He told them he will break the bond before the next moon.

I know. I reply. He told me the same thing.

Sila reaches out. She grabs a lock of my hair. She tugs it. Not hard. But enough to make me wince.

Do not get comfortable. Rogue. She says. You will not survive the month. I will make sure of it.

She lets go. She turns on her heel and walks out. The door slams again. The silence returns. But it is different now. It is heavy with a new threat. Sila wants me dead. And Kael wants me broken.

I am caught between two predators.

I lie back down. I try to think. I try to find a way out. The walls are thick stone. The door is iron. There are no windows. There is no escape. I am a prisoner of fate. I am a prisoner of blood.

The hunger gets worse. My throat is dry. I need water. I crawl to the door. I bang my fist against the metal.

Hey. I shout. Water.

No one answers. I bang again. My hand hurts. I keep going. I will not die quietly in a hole. I will not make it easy for them.

Water. I scream.

Footsteps. Heavy. Fast. They are not the guard's steps. They are louder. They carry a weight that makes the stone vibrate. The lock turns. The door swings open with such force it hits the wall.

Kael Draven stands there.

He is wearing a black shirt now. The sleeves are rolled up. His forearms are covered in dark hair. His silver eyes are burning. He looks furious. He looks like he wants to kill something.

Be quiet. He snaps.

I need water. I say. I stand my ground. I do not look down.

Kael steps into the cell. He fills the space. He makes the walls feel like they are closing in. He looks at me. He looks at my wrists. They are red. The skin is broken from the iron. He flinches. It is quick. If I weren't looking for it. I would have missed it.

He hates that he feels my pain.

You are a nuisance. He says.

I am a prisoner. I counter. You are the one who put me here.

Kael reaches behind him. He pulls a waterskin from his belt. He tosses it at my feet. It is heavy. It sloshes. I grab it. I pull the cork. I drink. I drink until I can't breathe. The water is cool. It is life.

Slow down. Kael says.

I ignore him. I finish half the skin before I stop. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. I look at him. He is watching me with an expression I cannot read. It is not hate. It is not pity. It is something else. Something dangerous.

Why am I here. Kael. I ask.

Because you are a rogue. He says. Because you crossed my border.

You know that is not why. I say. I take a step toward him. The chains clink. You know what we are.

Kael's face hardens. He grabs my upper arms. He shakes me. Not hard. But his grip is like iron.

We are nothing. He growls. Do you hear me. You are a ghost. You are a memory of a war I finished a decade ago. I do not want you. I do not need you.

Then let me go. I say. Let me run. I will never come back.

Kael stares at me. His grip tightens. His pupils are blown wide. He is smelling my scent. I know he is. I can feel his heart beating through his hands. It is fast. It is erratic. The bond is a tether. It is pulling him closer. He leans in. His forehead brushes mine.

I can't. He whispers.

He lets go. He moves so fast I blink. He is at the door. He doesn't look back.

One month. He says. His voice is cold again. Try not to die before then.

He leaves. The door closes. The lock clicks.

I stand in the dark. I hold the waterskin to my chest. I can still feel the heat of his hands on my arms. I can still feel the vibration of his voice in my bones.

He is fighting it. He is fighting the world. And I am caught in the middle.

I sit back down on the straw. I have water now. But I have no hope. I have twenty nine days left. Twenty nine days to survive Sila. To survive the hunger. To survive the man who destroyed my life.

I close my eyes. I try to sleep. But all I can see is the red moon. All I can feel is the chain.

I am a rogue. I am a survivor. I will find a way.

I wait for the next person to open the door. I wait for the next battle. I am ready.