chapter 3

“Why?” I growled, my throat raw with rage as I rattled the iron chains.

Angela tilted her head, her smile stretching into a cold, mocking smirk. “Why what, dear sister?”

“Why did you betray me? What did I ever do to you, Angela?” Tears of betrayal burned my eyes, but I forced them back, glaring at her with pure disgust. “You coward!”

Angela let out a soft, melodic laugh that chilled me to the bone. “Oh, don’t play the victim. You can’t blame me. If you were in my shoes, you would have done the exact same thing. Mother said your wolf was finally awakening, and she needed you completely out of the picture. I had to make a choice—it was either going to be you, or her. And I choose my mother every single time.”

She turned her back on me, flicking her wrist toward the heavily armed men. “Take her.”

“Wait—what do you mean my wolf is—”

Before the question could fully leave my lips, a heavy iron gauntlet struck the side of my head. Pain exploded behind my eyes, blacking out the world instantly.

When my eyes fluttered open, the damp, suffocating air of the underground dungeons filled my lungs. Cold stone bit into my back.

*The pack cell.*

A hollow confusion washed over me. Why was I still breathing? I was supposed to be dead. My father had literally ordered my execution in front of the entire pack, yet here I was, locked in the dark instead of rotting in the forest.

I pushed myself up against the wet cell wall, shivering in the freezing gloom. That was when I felt it—the heavy fabric draped over my bare shoulders.

*His shirt.*

The mysterious man from the woods. My mate.

I lifted the dark collar to my nose and inhaled deeply. A rich, dark scent of pine, rain, and danger flooded my senses, sending a sharp, intoxicating shiver straight down my spine. Warmth bloomed deep in my chest, washing away the biting cold. He had promised to come for me at noon. He had promised to make me his Luna.

I didn't even know his name, yet a strange, unshakeable certainty settled in my heart. He was telling the truth. I could feel it through the newly forged bond thrumming beneath my skin like a second heartbeat. He was coming. I just had to hold on.

The heavy iron door at the end of the corridor shrieked on its hinges, shattering the quiet. Heavy footsteps echoed down the stone hallway before stopping right outside my bars.

Angela unlocked the gate and stepped inside, holding a small wooden stool. She set it down in the center of the cell and sat, smoothing out her flawless dress as if she were visiting a tea parlor rather than a filthy dungeon.

“I’m guessing you’re sitting there wondering why you’re still breathing,” she purred, crossing her legs. “Well, Father received an urgent, unexpected call early this morning. He and Mother had to leave the pack territory immediately for some emergency Alpha council meeting.”

She paused, watching my face for a reaction before continuing. “Before Father left, he realized the execution guards hadn't reported back. He ordered that if you weren't dead yet, you were to be brought back unharmed. He even said if you were wounded, you should be treated in the infirmary immediately. No one is allowed to touch a hair on your head until he returns.” She scoffed lightly under her breath. “Nobody knows what caused his sudden change of heart.”

Angela stood up and closed the distance between us. Before I could flinch away, her cold, delicate fingers touched the side of my neck, right over my pulse point.

“Your temperature is burning up, sister,” she murmured softly, her eyes glinting with dark amusemnt. “Have you even eaten anything?”

Rage erupted in my chest like wildfire. I slapped her hand away with every ounce of strength left in my aching arms.

“Don’t you dare touch me!” I screamed, my voice echoing off the stone walls. “I am *not* your sister! Stop pretending you care after what you’ve done to me!” I leaned forward, my knuckles turning white against the dirt. “If you want me dead, kill me right now while you have the chance! Because I swear to God, the second I get out of these chains, the very first thing I’m going to do is tear you apart! I will *never* forgive you!”

Angela didn't even flinch. She simply wiped her hand against her skirt, a pathetic expression plastered across her face.

“I’m truly sorry, sister. I did what I had to do because I had no choice, but I hope you'll understand one day. Let me go get you something to eat.”

She turned and glided out of the cell, locking the heavy iron door behind her. The soft, cruel smile never left her lips, making it abundantly clear that my threats meant absolute nothing to her.

A short while later, the heavy door clanked open again. Angela walked back in carrying a covered wooden tray holding a plate and a brass cup. She set them down on the dirty floor right in front of my feet.

“Believe me, I really do care about you, Jade,” she whispered sweetly, gazing down at me with fake pity. “Please try to eat something so you can stay strong... for me, okay?”

Without waiting for a response, she stepped back, locked the iron bars, and vanished into the darkness of the hallway.

Hours dragged on. The silence in the cell grew heavy, punctuated only by the slow drip of water somewhere deeper in the dungeon. My stomach twisted with agonizing hunger pains. It had been nearly a day since I last had a crumb of food or a drop of water.

Finally, swallowing my pride, I crawled toward the tray.

I lifted the cloth off the plate. It was a small portion of white rice. Hungry and desperate, I scooped up a spoonful and shoved it into my mouth.

Instantly, a foul, rotten taste exploded across my tongue. Sour, expired, and clearly spoiled, the food had been carefully arranged to look fresh from the kitchen. Nausea surged up my throat, making me gag.

Desperate to wash the horrific taste out of my mouth, I grabbed the brass cup, threw my head back, and swallowed the liquid in three frantic gulps.

The sharp, pungent sting hit the back of my throat immediately.

My eyes widened in pure horror as the foul smell finally hit my nose. It wasn't water. It was urine. Angela had urinated into the cup just to mock my desperation.

A violent heave tore through my chest. I fell to my hands and knees, dry-heaving furiously until everything in my stomach poured out onto the stone floor. I retched and sobbed, my body shaking violently as the last bits of my strength were completely stripped away.

I collapsed in front of my own vomit, trembling on the cold ground. The physical pain was nothing compared to the dark, crushing despair suffocating my chest. Angela hadn't just framed me—she had systematically destroyed my dignity, my home, and my spirit. I had reached my absolute breaking limit. There was nothing left inside me to fight with.

Curling into a tight ball on the wet stone, I cried until my tear ducts ran dry, letting the exhaustion drag me under into a deep, pitch-black sleep.

*BANG! BANG! BANG!*

A deafening rattle of metal against metal shattered the silence, ripping me violently from my sleep.

My heart slammed against my ribs as I bolted upright, my vision blurred and my head spinning. The heavy cell door was thrown wide open, slamming hard against the outer stone wall.

Two massive pack guards stepped into the doorway, their shadow blotting out the dim torchlight behind them. Their faces were grim, hardened, and completely void of sympathy as their hand gripped the hilt of their heavy iron batons.

One of them stepped forward, reaching down to grab my upper arm in a vice-like grip that bruised my skin instantly. He yanked me to my feet, barely giving my trembling legs a second to support my weight.

"Get up," he growled, his voice echoing off the damp walls like a death sentence. "The Alpha has returned. He has summoned you, Princess."