Suffocating Silence

Lena woke up shivering and sore, still curled on the cold stone floor. Her temples throbbed and her veins still burned from the injection, Her mark still prickled with the longing for her chosen mate and her heart ached from the force of the betrayal. But worse than the pain was the emptiness inside her soul.

Amethyst?

No answer....Nothing emptiness.

AMETHYST she begged, searching for her in her mind.. But there was nothing but empty space where she lived. Her wolf was gone, they had been together since Lena had come of age, as soon as a person turns 16 they receive their wolf, a gift from the Moon Goddess herself, and Lena's had been stolen from her.

Her chest heaved with sobs as she stood on weak legs and stumbled to the still locked door, She beat her knuckles against it until they bled, the wounds no longer closing within seconds, Her wolf had taken her supernatural strength with her, "LET ME OUT OF HERE...PLEASE!"

There was no response, only more silence.

Hours passed, she tried the window...Reinforced glass, she screamed, begged and threatened, but no one was coming to help her, she tried to shift, but nothing happened, she finally gave in and curled on the bed in defeat... More time passed as she lay there, still naked on the bed, then she heard the sound of the door unlocking.

She jumped off the bed and hurriedly covered herself with a thin, white sheet. The door opened just enough for a boy to slip inside, balancing a tray in shaking hands. His ash blonde hair fell over his eyes messily, and he moved in a sheepish fashion, with his eyes downcast, as if he expected to be struck. The scent of Omega followed him into the room, fear, submission...obedience.

He put the tray down on the bed quickly, his eyes still focused intently on the floor.

"My Luna" He mumbled, in a little more than a whisper "I..I was ordered to bring you f.food"

Lena studied him carefully, he was barely more than a boy, maybe nineteen at most, he bowed and turned, walking to the door.

"Wait" She said in her most authoritative voice.

He froze like prey caught in a trap, his head still bowed in submission, avoiding eye contact.

"What's your name?" She asked gently.

His lips seemed to move, but no sound escaped them.

"Your name" She pressed, trying to be gentle but making sure he knew it was an order "You don't need to be afraid"

His throat bobbed as he gulped with nerves "B..Billy"

"Billy" She stepped closer, slowly with her sheet trailing behind her. He flinched as she moved towards him but didn't move "Look at me" She ordered.

Slowly and reluctantly, his wide, innocent brown eyes lifted to hers, then dropped again, his hands began to shake at his sides as he tucked his head to the side. "Alpha...Alpha said no t..talking..." He said in a shaky voice.

"Lena softened her voice even more "You aren't doing anything wrong, I am your Luna am I not?"

He looked up at her briefly again, panic etched across his face, his eyes were wide in fear "Y..Yes Luna, B..But Alpha said only food..If..If..If he finds out..." His voice cracked.

Lena was horrified by the terror in the young omegas voice, Darius must truly be a monster, her father always treated every member of his pack with respect and care, they were all important to him. "You need to tell me billy, what's going on, why am I locked in this room?"

Billy's eyes seemed to glaze over, as if he was in a trance "You are not the first" he answered in a whispered mechanical voice.

Lena froze "The first what?"

His brown eyes flicked to the door nervously "The first Luna...Three...Three women have been in this room...Heirs of other packs, Alpha Darius, He...H..He marked them, claimed them and they marked him..And then..." His hands shook violently, but he continued "He..e broke the bond, removed it... Like...Like it never even happened"

Lena's blood ran cold "That's impossible..Unless a chosen mate has found their destined mate and chooses them...Four chosen mates including me?? It's not possible" she gasped

"I know" he rasped. "But he did it. No one knows how... The women...They're gone, no ones seen them.. Or if they have they haven't said anything. They're still alive, but he keeps them.. Hidden. The only thing I heard was they are kept drugged so they are hidden from the moon goddess, not even their wolves can reach them.." He shook his head, saddened.

A lump formed in her throat as Lena struggled to keep calm and listen to the boys story. But Amethyst's absence pressed on her more than ever.

"Why are you telling me this?" She demanded, suspicious... This could all be made up on Darius's orders.

Billy looked away, ashamed "Because... It's happening again. He's...Been meeting with the Bloodfang Clan. He was talking about it while I was serving him a few days ago...And..Tonight. He..He sent Steeleclaw's warriors out on patrols...But it's...it's a lie, He left your father in the care of his own Beta...Alpha Theron is unprotected"

Lena's heart dropped into her stomach, a gold sweat began spreading across her brow. "No..no no no no no" She whispered, disbelieving.

"He's moving fast, with the...the others it was weeks....months before he took over." Billy continued, whispering really faintly now "I think he's worried about someone alerting the Lycans...If..If the Emperor found out what he was doing... We would all be dead for helping him... But..But please believe me Luna.. We have no choice... He..Alpha Darius...He..." Billy couldn't continue, his eyes filled with tears and his chest was heaving with sobs.

Lena's heartbeat hammered against her ribs.. I'll bet he doesn'r want the Lycans to know she thought to herself. The kingdom of the Lycans was so rarely seen they were almost myth in this part of the country. Darius doesn't just want my pack, he wants to rule the country... that's the only thing that explains it! three packs... four if he succeeds with mine...he's far more dangerous than I thought. Lena's head span as the realisation hit.

"What does he do Billy?" she asked, the poor omega

"N..N..No... Luna please..please don't tell him I said anything... please.. he will hurt the ones I love" Tears were running unchecked down his face now, his eyes looked hollow, his spirit was broken.

Lena softened her expression with great difficulty, trying to allow Billy to see her sincerity. "You've helped me more than you realise, I give you my word." She said. She studied his nervous movements and realised it had been incredibly easy to get the information out of him. A strange prickling in her fingers shocked her out of her musings... she looked down at her hand.

Billy bolted as fast as he could, he slammed the door behind him and Lena heard the lock click back into place.

Silence pressed in on her once more, she looked at the tray he had left on the bed and decided she wasn't going to touch ANYTHING that was given to her here.

She settled herself onto the bed, trying to think of a way out of this room...Then BANG!!!!

The walls trembled. Snarls and screams tore through the night, Wolves howled and things smashed... chaos had erupted outside.

Her stomach twisted in terror. She ran to the door, screaming and banging once again, even though she knew there was no point.

She heard familiar voices scream....Her father's people had not shifted.. Moonbane She realised with a sinking feeling of dread... She wasn't the only one without her wolf tonight....

Alone, and trappedt, Amethyst still silent...Lena's fists continued to pound on the door, the walls, the window...Her voice becoming raw and desperate "FATHER!!!!....." She cried uselessly.

And then..it all just stopped....After one agonizing moment of silence, a solitary victory howl, so piercing it seemed to come from the walls...."No" She sobbed, realising what it probably meant.