Locked Away

Raven's POV

I struggled against their grip, my heels scraping against the cold, hard ground as they dragged me forward. Stones and pebbles dug into my heels. I hissed, biting down on my lip to keep from making a sound.

They weren’t even trying to be gentle.

Bastards.

“Let me go!” I pleaded again, twisting my wrists, trying to break free, but their hands were like iron shackles around my wrist.

The taller guard, his face twisted in a permanent scowl, snorted. “Shut up. Be glad we’re being civil with you.”

“Civil?” I barked out a bitter laugh, my chest heaving with anger. “You call this civil?”

The shorter one, his grip tightening painfully, leaned down just enough for his breath to brush against my ear. “Trust me, outsider, you don’t want to see what uncivil looks like.”

A shiver ran down my spine, but I refused to let them see fear in my eyes.

We walked further and further away from the place where my mates had left me, confusion and fear twisting in my chest. My vision blurred as tears welled up, but I blinked them away.

Crying wouldn’t fix this.

But how would they even find me now? Would they even try to find me?

I had only been brought here two days ago—no one knew who I was. No one would come looking for me.

This was hopeless.

My stomach twisted as we approached the prison yard; it was a massive, imposing structure with thick metal bars and silver-lined chains.

Silver.

A wolf’s greatest weakness. It drained our strength, burned our skin, and left us helpless.

Not that I had any strength to begin with.

I had always been different. Set apart. Weaker than the others.

The Moon Goddess had always been unfair to me.

While others felt the connection with their wolves as early as three years old, I felt nothing. No whispers in my mind, no surge of power, no primal instinct waiting to awaken. Just… silence.

And then, on the worst day of my life, I finally felt it.

The day of my fiancé’s wedding.

Matt.

Even thinking his name was like driving a knife through my chest. He wasn’t my mate, but I loved him. I still do, despite everything.

When the pack turned their backs on me, when they mocked me, insulted me, and treated me like I was worthless because I couldn’t shift, he was the only one who stayed.

Or at least, that’s what I thought.

Now I know it was all a lie.

Walking through the dark, empty dungeon, I fought the urge to gag. The air was thick with the stench of death and unwashed bodies, a suffocating mix that clung to my skin.

The moment we stepped in, the prisoners stirred.

Low growls and deranged whispers filled the space, their claws scraping against metal bars as they reached out, desperate for something.

As I walked through the prison, the voices of the other prisoners rose like a chorus of the damned and forgotten.

“You’re one of us now!”

Their voices were hoarse, broken, twisted with something between mockery and truth.

“Shut up, you animals!” the guard snapped, his voice dripping with disgust.

I tried to hold myself together, but panic clawed at my chest. I didn’t belong here.

“Please, take me out of here!” My voice cracked as I struggled against their grip. “I’m not an imposter! The Alphas brought me here—”

Pain exploded across my skull.

The second guard struck me hard, my head snapping to the side as a sharp sting spread through my cheek.

“Shut up, bitch,” he sneered. “How dare you lie against our revered princes? You should be killed where you stand.”

I gasped, my vision blurring for a moment. My heart was pounding so loud I felt like I’d throw up.

They weren’t just going to lock me up.

They wanted me dead.

They were about to carry out their threat when another guard stepped forward.

His grip was firm as he caught the other guard’s wrist mid-strike, stopping the killing blow before it could land.

I blinked up at him, dazed.

Light blue eyes and beautiful wavy hair, he was too handsome for a place like this.

“Let’s just lock her up for now and report her later,” he said coolly. “No need to waste time on her.”

The guard holding me gritted his teeth, clearly frustrated. He looked like he’d rather kill me and be done with it, but after a tense moment, he just grunted.

Without another word, he dragged me to a cell and shoved me inside.

I hit the damp, cold floor hard, my palms scraping against the rough stone.

The door slammed shut behind me, the sound ringing in my ears.

I didn’t even have the strength to get up. I just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

How the hell was I supposed to get out of this?

The cell was a small, shabby room, barely large enough to stretch out in.

The stench hit me immediately—sweat, urine, and something rotten that made my stomach churn. I gagged, pressing my hand over my nose, but it didn’t help. The air was thick with filth.

“I don’t want to stay here… I don’t want to stay here…”

Curling into myself, I forced my breathing to slow, but the panic clawed at my chest. I needed to get out.

I looked around again, searching for something—anything—that could help.

A rusted bucket sat in the corner, clearly meant for… well, I didn’t even want to think about it.

A rickety old bed frame stood against the wall, its mattress thin and stained with things I didn’t want to identify.

Rats scurried across the floor, their tiny claws scratching against the stone as they darted in and out of the cracks. I flinched at every movement.

And worst of all?

There was no window. No way to escape.

No, Raven. Breathe.

I pressed my palm against my chest, feeling the rapid rise and fall of my breath.

Breathe. I wouldn’t panic. I wouldn’t lose myself.

Not yet.

After a while, my heart eased—just a little. But the weight of everything still pressed down on me.

I felt sorry for myself.

Why was I always running from one trouble into another? Why couldn’t I just exist without chaos chasing me?

Even my birth… it wasn’t as it should have been.

Werewolves are always born under the moon. That’s what makes us Children of the Moon, blessed by Selene herself.

Royal werewolves? They’re different. Born under the full moon. They are stronger and bigger. Their wolves are unmistakable.

But my mother…

She’s always been quiet about my birth. Too quiet.

No one in my household is allowed to speak about it. And I don’t know why.

Why?

The thought lodged itself in my chest like a stone, and suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart—too fast, too loud. Breathe. In. Out. In. Out.

It wasn’t working. There wasn’t enough air.

I clutched my chest, gasping. My lungs burned. My vision blurred.

Would I die here?

Tears slid down my cheeks, hot and silent.

Even in this state, even as my body trembled and my breath came in short, panicked gasps, my wolf Ara still cried for them.

Ansel. Asher. Rowan. She wanted her mates.

Even now. Especially now.

The bond was a strange thing, wasn’t it? No matter how much pain I was in, no matter how much my world crumbled around me, it still pulled at me.