Chapter seventeen

Serafine's POV 

“Lock me in here.” I said.

Silence fell in the room. Aric and the Gammas exchanged looks before looking back at me.

Bran's eyes showed with surprise. He wasn't expecting my answer.

“So be it.” His voice was final. He turned and left. Aric, Gamma Lupin and Bane, Grayson, they all looked at me with suspicious eyes as they followed Alpha Bran.

I would never have chosen to be treated by the doctor. If I did, I would have been exposed. Because I was never sick. Never had any constipation. The lies were just to cover up the truth that I attempted an escape.

I stood still in the center of my room, head bowed, waiting to hear the door-lock click. 

Just as the heavy click of the lock slid into place, silence swallowed me whole. I was alone in my room. And would be for the next forty-eight hours. 

My knees buckled. I stumbled back and collapsed onto the bed. The thin mattress sighed under my weight as deeply as I did.

If Alpha Bran had entered the room a minute earlier than me, I would have been in big trouble.The thought made my stomach twist violently. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed a trembling hand over my mouth, forcing myself not to sob. 

Brace yourself Serafine. You made it back to your room alive. You fooled Alpha Bran and everyone. Even if you weren't able to escape as planned, there would be another chance to do so. I wiped my tears as the words played repeatedly in my head. 

And with an exhale, I looked up at the ceiling, counting the cracks until my breathing steadied.

Despite being trapped in my room. I was grateful. The two days meant no Ember would be scolding and cursing at me. No Mara and her crew would be talking me down. No overworking in the kitchen. No seeing Alpha Bran's angry face. 

It was two days of peace for me. Even without food and water. Starving wasn't a new thing for me. Two days of no food and water was nothing to me.

I curled onto my side and hugged myself, convincing myself that when the two days were over, I’d still be alive. And next time, I would escape successfully.

A hard knock on the door jolted me up.

“Serafine?” I recognized the voice but wasn't sure if it was the right person. 

“Grayson?” I called.

“Yes, it's Grayson.” his voice sounded through the thick wood.

I slid out of bed quickly to the door. Sat on the floor and leaned my back against the door.

“Thought I said you shouldn't come to see me in my room again.”

“I'm in the corridor, not in your room. Besides, I'm just here to check on you.”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, “It’s just two days.”

There was a pause on the other side of the door. Then a sigh.

“You must be hungry. I’ll try to smuggle in some snacks for you tonight. But don’t do what you did today again.”

“What did I do?” I asked.

“I saw you entering the waste truck.”

My blood turned cold. I forgot how to breathe for a moment.

“You—” My voice cracked despite my efforts. I swallowed hard. “You saw me?”

“Yes. I was there.” 

My heart pounded.

How did I not see him? I'd looked everywhere. Made sure no one was seeing me. How did—oh, no. This is bad. If Grayson knew, others could know too.

“You could’ve died,” he continued. “Or worse, could have been caught halfway out. Do you know what they do to people who try to escape?”

I didn’t answer. Had no idea, but knew it would be nothing short of gruesome.

Grayson went on, his voice lowering as if he were telling me a secret meant only for me. He told me about a servant who tried to escape the pack a year ago. She’d made it to the outer gate before the guards caught her and dragged her back. 

He suddenly paused.

“What happened to her?” I couldn't hold in my curiosity. 

“She was beheaded in the market square.” He answered. 

Fear filled my heart at the thought of being the next one who could have been beheaded. I hugged my knees to my chest, nails digging into skin.

“I know it’s hard,” he said softly. “I know how they treat you here. But running blindly won’t save you. It’ll only get you killed.”

“But you said I should save myself.” I cried.

“I didn't say you should try to escape. If you were caught, you would be dead by now. I meant you should adapt to your new environment. That's survival. It will keep you safe until you gain leverage or power to free yourself from Bran. Always remember this, powerless people always fall victim. I don't want you to continue being a victim. Adapt to survive, Serafine. That's the only way to save yourself.” 

Grayson’s words stuck to my mind that I didn't know when he left.

At night, I curled myself on the floor still thinking of Grayson’s words when something slid beneath the door. I scrambled to it and found a ham burger wrapped with clothes.

I didn't need to think further about how it got into my room. I knew Grayson brought it. He'd said so.

I ate with a grateful heart to Grayson, for taking care of me. Although I felt somewhat eerie about him, he was the only one who treated me differently. I wouldn’t be able to thank him enough. And would love to know why he was helping me. 

After eating I drank water straight from the bathroom tap and washed my body. I returned to my room and laid on the bed. Sleep didn't come.

I got tired of turning endlessly in bed and stood up to watch the moonlight from my open window. Cool air brushed my skin as I rested my hand on the window sill, breathing in the scent of the forest near the house. 

There was peace until I saw a pair of glowing gray orbs glaring at me from the shadows between the trees. It moved and snarled at me.

The snarl was familiar, like the one from the forest.

I froze, realising I wasn't just seeing glowing orbs but a beast.

A loud thud sounded outside my corridor causing my head to whip to the door. When I turned back to the forest, the glowing gray eyes were gone.

Another loud thud sounded in the corridor. Making my heart drop. It was closer than the previous. It didn't stop. It continued. The closer the thuds sounded, the faster my heart beat. Until I heard it just outside my door.