CHAPTER 3

“Where am I?”I whispered, trying to stand up but it was proving hard to do.

My bones were weak and it felt like I had been drained of every drop of blood in my body. I tried to remember the last thing that happened and how I ended up here. 

Where was here anyway?

 I was in some kind of cellar thing. No windows, one door. 

Chains on top and the floor and upon looking I realize my hands were chained to the ceiling and my feet to the floor. 

What the hell? 

Turning my head from left to right trying to understand my surroundings.

“Ouch, that hurts so much,” I said, panting slowly. Even speaking hurts a little too much. 

The last thing I remember is I was in front of my house when I heard someone.

Wait, was I kidnapped? What happened last night? Where is everybody?

“Hello! Is anybody there?” I said as loudly as my voice could allow me to.

Struggling I tried to get up on my feet, but something was weighing me down. I succeeded and I noticed the iron door to the place I was kept immediately started opening ever so slowly.

I was filled with anticipation as my heart raced. The door suddenly opened, and a burst of light flooded in, temporarily blinding me.

It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust, and when they did, I was shocked beyond words.

“Hello, kitten! Do you know who I am?” He said, smirking down at me.

This was no ordinary man, he exuded the confidence of a king. He carried his shoulders high and he felt dangerous and deadly. I had never seen anyone like him.

“I asked you a question doll face, do you know who I am?” He said running a long fingernail across my face and digging in when he reached the middle.

He held my face in his hand and squeezed a little while I tried to come up with an answer for him.

“I..I.I don't know who you are” I whispered fearfully with a tear rolling down my cheek.

I looked down at his shoes with my vision blurry and all I could think of was my dad who had similar shoes. Did he realize I was missing? Where would Riley be right now? Was she captured too?

“Please…I don't know what's happening, who are you and what do you want from me?” I asked hopelessly.

“Come on princess, you're supposed to be the strongest of us all. Where's all your power? Huh?” He was shaking my head from left to right.

“Well if you insist that you don't know who I am,” he said, smirking and looking down at me.

“I am Derek Stoic! Alpha Derek Stoic!” He all but proclaimed to me.

That name sent a chill down my spine and I had a clue why. He was the conqueror of wolves. The mad Alpha that had destroyed many families and taken many lives.

“I have been searching for a way to crush the Crescent Aves pack and this, my dear, is just the beginning of your end”. He looked at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I stood as tall as I could but I was scared shitless. My legs and hands were trembling so bad and I know he noticed it.

He looked at me one last time, scoffed down at me with a snare, turned around ceremoniously, and left the cellar.

Immediately the door locked behind him I fell to my knees and wept. I cried for a long time and since I was in a room with no windows I didn't know how long I was crying for.

Everything seemed to slow down and my breathing was heavy. Slowly, I felt sleep creeping up on me, and once again I was in deep sleep.

Some time later I woke up to nothing but darkness and I was momentarily scared. How long is this going to last? Am I going to die here?

I jerked to stand up anyway and I realized that these chains were weakening me because they weren't ordinary chains.

Was I the only one captured?

If so I wouldn't be able to reach anyone on the mind link. But there's no harm in trying. So sat crisscrossed on the floor and tried to call someone, anyone at all.

Dad?! Riley?? Drax?? Can anyone hear me?

I felt so lightheaded and concentrating on reaching anybody was making me hazy. I kept trying with the hope that I would reach at least one person.

I couldn't be that far from everyone, could I? I don't wish anyone else was captured but I have this feeling like I'm not alone.

Please if you can hear me I want you to know you are not alone. We're going to be fine, I just need you to answer me.

Sleep was slowly taking over me. I was panicking again because all I'd done since I woke up here was sleep and cry.

I haven't had anything to eat and if I was a human being I would've died by now but I'm not.

That makes me think about the others that were probably captured. All the elders and the rest of the pack that ran away when they heard all the noise. Were they safe?

Were they hurt? Did they have anything to eat or drink? Did they have it worse than me?

All this overthinking isn't going to solve anything. There's no way I'm coming out of this alive.

Dad was probably worried sick about me. I miss him so much. My world has changed so much these past few days.

I let my head hang low and almost fell into another deep sleep when I felt a tiny voice call out to me.

Celeste…..? Are…. are you there???