CHAPTER 4: A FIRE TRAGEDY

DANIELA POV

"Open the door! You need to open the door!" I banged on the door forcefully, desperate to escape this dungeon of a hospital. "I'm not mentally ill! Please let me out. I need to go back to my babies!" I screamed again and again, but no one came. Defeated, I turned to face the others in the room, sliding to the floor and leaning against the door in despair.

It had been three days since I was wrongly accused of being mentally ill and thrown into this mental hospital. My life had changed completely since I arrived here. Being in a mental hospital was not something I ever expected, especially not after giving birth to my two adorable babies. It was the least of my worries. But here I was, sleeping and eating with crazy people, sometimes doubting my own sanity.

Did I really give birth recently, or was I indeed sick in the head? Was I imagining things? Hell no! How could I forget the fact that I struggled alone, doing hard labour just to survive and take care of my pregnancy? How could I forget all of that?

Of course, I wasn't ill. It was all Laura's and Alpha Alexander's fault that I was thrown in here. Life here was not easy. All the women hated my presence. I couldn't tell if they really hated me or if it was because they couldn't think like normal people; after all, they were not okay in the head. Despite that, they were good bullies. They beat me up for no reason. Just today, I had come from the doctor who treated my face after I was brutally beaten and thrown on the floor by four mental women who were now sitting in their corners, ready to step on my face again.

I fought them, but it was in vain. These ladies were insane, and reasoning with them was impossible. I tried to talk to the doctor about changing my room, but he refused, saying it was those in power who insisted I stay in this room. I was confused by his words, but there was nothing I could do. Now, I sat here with bandages on my face.

"Haha! Who are you?" One of the women with dishevelled blonde hair and a reddish face covered in mud asked, her eyes wild.

Oh no! This was the same question they asked yesterday before they beat me. What was I supposed to say? My hands started shaking, remembering the traumatising events.

"Who are you? Haha!" Another one asked, two steps beside me, and I curled into myself, scared of them.

"Um... I..." No! I shouldn't say my name, or they would beat me just like yesterday. What was I supposed to say?

"Think, Ela. You need to think, or you will die here and our pups will be all alone," my wolf emphasised, but I didn't answer. I didn't want to think of my pups. I didn't want to think about Alexander and his mate. I didn't want to feel bad. I just didn't want anything right now. I was that broken.

Tears started to cascade down my cheeks as I saw my breasts leaking milk. "T-they must be crying," I blurted out subconsciously, causing the four crazy women in the room, dressed in blue mental hospital gowns like mine, to break into heavy laughter.

What was so funny about my comment? I covered my nose as one of them farted, polluting the already filthy room. The place was a mess, with them relieving themselves anywhere despite the doctors' efforts to teach them to use the toilets.

Suddenly, they all stopped and growled, their eyes turning completely gold, meaning their wolves were fighting to come out. Hell no! They were going to beat me again. No! I needed to do something!

I was about to smile at them when we all heard screams outside the room. We stood up abruptly. "HELP! THE HOSPITAL IS ON FIRE!"

What?

My pups! I could die! I needed to survive for my pups! With that in mind, I got up, my heart pounding in my chest, feeling like it would burst out any moment.

"We need to get out of here!" I shouted at them, banging on the door. But before I could calm my nerves, smoke filled the room, and I froze.

"Open the door!" I shouted and turned back to the women. To my surprise, they were just smiling at me, unbothered by the situation. Wait, couldn't they feel the heat?

"Get up! We need to get out of here!" I screamed at them, but no one moved, so I approached the one beside me. "Hey, we need to get out. The hospital is on fire!" By now, I could hear people running through the hallway outside. The smoke was starting to blind my vision.

"Get up!" I lightly slapped her shoulder, and she grabbed my hand, squeezing it cruelly. I screamed in pain. "Help! Somebody help us!" I shouted as she let go. I rushed back to the door. "Open the door!" I cried, but it was as if no one could hear me.

Were they not hearing me, or were they ignoring me? Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a hallway engulfed in flames. We needed to get out of here. But I couldn't leave the four women behind. I turned back into the room, leaving the people running towards safety in the hallway, and decided to help the four women.

But when I entered the room, one of them closed the door behind me. "W-what are you doing? We need to go to safety!" Something felt wrong, but I pushed the thought away, even blocking my wolf who was urging me to leave. I wasn't that heartless.

"You need to die! We have tried everything to kill you, but you are stubborn!" Wait... Before I could react, they lifted me and rushed to the end of the room.

"What are you doing? Stop this!" I cried in vain. One of them raised her eyebrows at the other, and that was when it dawned on me that these women were not insane. They had been fooling me all along! They must be here to end me!

My pups! Remembering them, I fought to be released from their clutches, but they were strong. "P-please spare me!" I begged, but one of them ran her hand along the wall, and it burst open, revealing a hidden door.

It wasn't a wall! It was a secret passage leading to the burning rooms. The whole place was engulfed in flames.

"HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME! T-THEY ARE..." Before I could cry out "killing," the women threw me like a sack into the fire and shut the door behind them, leaving me to burn.

*********

ALEXANDER POV

I leaned on the balcony, contemplating how to free Daniela. I knew I shouldn't, but the fact that she was the mother of my newborns haunted me. She was taken because of me. I owed her at least that much. Once she was free, she could lead her own life.

My phone buzzed, pulling me from my thoughts. A message popped up, and the image on the screen made my blood boil. "Twenty people have died and fifty injured in a sudden fire at the mental hospital."

Heart racing, I dialled a number. The phone was answered quickly. "I-is she okay?"

"I'm sorry, Alpha, but Daniela died in the fire."

"No!" I screamed, throwing the phone. It shattered against the floor, pieces flying everywhere.