Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Cass 

“Girl. Hey, girl.”

My eyes open, and I lift my head, wincing as pain shoots through the back of my neck. This floor is uncomfortable. “Mgh!”

“Girl!”

I look at the man in the cell beside mine.

“What?” I bark.

The light is still dim, but there’s enough coming through the small barred windows near the ceiling for me to tell it’s morning.

The other man—the one who was lying down yesterday—is now sitting with his back against the wall, facing me. His green eyes narrow in a scrutinizing stare that makes my skin crawl.

The man who spoke smiles at me. He has a surprisingly nice smile for someone so grungy. Under all the dirt, I can see a hint of blond hair and warm brown eyes.

The other man, the green‑eyed one, has dark hair, but his marble‑green eyes stand out the most. The little bit of light hits them just right.

Both men are covered in scars. Deep ones. The kind left by torture and silver weapons. Wounds like that don’t heal clean on our kind. But the green‑eyed man looks like he took the worst of it. A deep scar cuts across his cheek, another over his eye, though the eye itself seems intact. The two men in the cell across from them look just as battered. They all seem to be in their twenties, older than me.

I look away from the smiling man.

“Oh, come on. We don’t bite,” he says.

I fight the urge to look back.

“Well…maybe a little.” He chuckles. “Hey, do you know a way out of here?”

Now I have to look at him. My eyes snap in his direction, brows knitting together.

“Is that a no? Or do you just not want to tell us? We’re nice guys, promise.” He lifts a hand in a friendly gesture and smiles again.

For someone imprisoned and probably facing torture or death, he seems oddly cheerful. In fact, all four of them seem far too calm.

The two men in the other cell laugh, but not the green‑eyed one. His expression stays stoic, and he hasn’t stopped staring at me.

The smiling guy keeps going. “I’m Dash. And by the way, that’s some pretty hair. Curly hair is so pretty, and it looks great on you.”

If I’m honest, I feel flattered. No one ever compliments me. At least not that I remember.

“What’s your name?” he asks.

I look away and don’t answer.

“Curls it is,” he says.

My eyes dart back to him. I open my mouth to complain, but when my gaze shifts to the green‑eyed man, I shut it again. He scares me, but I can’t deny I’m intrigued by him too.

Suddenly, the echo of the dungeon door opening carries through the hall. Footsteps follow. A guard appears with a lantern. He walks past the cells, counting. “Three…five…six.” He stops at the last cell, then turns toward mine. “Come. Bathroom time.”

I glance at the old latrine in the corner of my cell.

“Unless you want to use that in front of everyone?” he says.

“No. I’ll come,” I say. I stand as he unlocks the door and follow him. He leads me into the hall, where a doorway without a door opens into a small, ugly bathroom. I step inside while he stands in front of the entrance, giving me his back.

“Hurry up. I’m only doing this as a favor to James,” he says.

I’m so grateful to James right now.

I hate that the guard is still right there, but it’s better than having all those men watching me. Then I remember Niles sometimes works dungeon duty. If he’s ever the one on shift, I’m definitely peeing myself, because I’m not going anywhere with him.

I do what I need to do, and when I’m done, the guard takes me back to my cell.

“I’ll only come in the mornings. So you’ll have to hold it the rest of the day or use that.” He points at the toilet in the corner.

Oh, I’ll hold it. Trust me.

“Do we get princess privileges too?” Dash asks.

The guard glares at him, and if not for the bars, Dash would probably get a beating.

“Guess not,” Dash mutters as the guard walks away.

“That mouth of yours is going to get you in real trouble,” one of the other men says.

I watch the guard disappear down the hall. And that ends up being the only time we see anyone else today.

“They’re going to starve us,” one of the men in the other cell says.

“Shut up, Quinn,” Dash snaps.

It’s already night, and no one has come to feed us.

“He’s not wrong,” the rogue says. “That’s what they do. They’ll starve you until you’re on the brink of death. Maybe they’ll torture you too. And once they’re done, they’ll take you upstairs and display you.”

My stomach aches. They haven’t even given us water. But none of this has stopped Dash from talking, or trying to talk to me.

“So, are you going to tell me what you did to get thrown in here, Curls?” he asks.

I sigh because he doesn’t stop. I come to the conclusion that maybe answering him will make him stop talking.

“I punched the Alpha’s daughter,” I mutter.

I’m sure I would’ve gotten punished for that anyway, but I know it’s what I said afterward that really hurt the Luna.

Dash suddenly bursts out laughing. “No way! You have balls.”

Ignoring him, I lie on the ground, close my eyes, and try to sleep. I feel exhausted, hungry, and weak. Dash and the others keep talking until eventually everyone drifts off.

When I wake up again, my head throbs and my eyes feel heavy.

The night passes quickly, and this time Dash isn’t talking much. I glance over and see him lying down with his arm over his eyes, resting. The green‑eyed man—whose name I still don’t know—sits exactly like he did yesterday, silent and watching.

Judging by the light coming through the small windows, it must be morning. I try to sit up, but dizziness hits me so hard I feel like I’m about to faint.

A husky baritone voice speaks. “Lie back down.” It takes me a few seconds to realize it was the green‑eyed man.

I look at him, confused.

“You’re smaller than us,” he says. “You need to conserve all the energy you can.”

I glance at Dash, and I’m sure he’s already worn himself out. Now I understand why the green‑eyed man has been so quiet and still this whole time, unlike Dash and the others.

I do as he says, and the next thing I know, my eyes open again and it’s already dark outside. Everyone seems to be asleep, but that’s when a stabbing pain hits my heart. I clutch my chest and whimper, quickly covering my mouth. My hands shake, and I’m too weak to hide it completely, but I try.

I hear a muffled sound and realize the green‑eyed man is watching me. I turn away from him and curl up, trying to swallow the pain.

I hate him. I hate Ezra so much.

When I first found out he was my mate, I was scared and angry, but also hopeful. Deep down, I had hope that maybe it could work. I thought I’d let the mate bond do what it does. But after so much pain and humiliation, I’ve learned to hate him.

As the pain fades, I close my eyes again. This time, I can’t seem to wake up, even when daylight hits my face. It takes everything I have to open my eyes.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Dash asks, his voice weak. He’s lying down, staring in my direction.

I feel ten times worse than yesterday, and I’m sure it’s all thanks to Ezra.

I try to answer Dash, but nothing comes out. All I can do is close my eyes again.

How long have I been here? Crap…maybe the Luna really is going to leave me here forever.

I hear shouting now. The green‑eyed man shouts something, and Dash joins in, but I can’t make out the words. Then everything goes silent.

Suddenly, a bright light stings my eyes.

“Cassiopeia?”

A woman’s voice says my name.

I force my eyes open. They feel less heavy now. I take in my surroundings and realize I’m in the pack hospital, and the woman speaking is the doctor.

“There you are,” Dr. Turner says, looking relieved.

Lauren and James are here too.

“W…wate…”

“Water?” Dr. Turner asks.

I nod.

She nods back. “That’s exactly what you need, but you’re getting fluids now, so we’ll have you rehydrated in no time.”

Lauren sits beside me with a glass of water and helps me drink.

James sighs, standing next to her. “Prohibiting food and water is something they do to weaken enemies before interrogation and to keep them from busting through the cell bars,” he says, then mutters, “Damn idiots did the same to you, not taking into consideration that you’re much smaller and weaker than most werewolves who end up in those cells.”

I’m sure the Luna knew exactly what she was doing.

“If not for the prisoners, you would’ve died,” James adds. He sees my confusion and continues, “They called for the guards nonstop until someone finally listened and came to check what the commotion was.”

I feel so grateful. I can’t believe they did that—risking punishment to save me, a member of the pack that’s their enemy.

After a few sips of water, I’m able to speak. “Can…I go home now?”

Lauren closes her eyes and shakes her head. “You need to stay here for a few days, but after…” She pauses and sighs. “The Luna said your punishment is still ongoing. She said you’ll stay in the dungeon for a month.”

My eyes widen, but she quickly adds, “But you’ll get fed regularly this time. And as part of the punishment, you’re to clean the cells and take care of the prisoners.”

“It’s ridiculous, but the Luna said that watching what becomes of those who don’t follow the rules will be good for you,” James says.

“At least you’re not getting whipped,” Lauren adds, trying to find a bright side. But honestly, I don’t mind staying there if they won’t starve me.

I suddenly look up at them, realizing something. “Did…they feed the prisoners?”

I’m surprised by how concerned I feel.

James looks confused, but answers, “I’m sure they did. They usually leave them without food and water for three days.”

I feel a small wave of relief and hope he’s right.

Over the next few days, I keep thinking about them and hoping they’re okay. I know they’re the enemy, but I feel bad for them. And they saved me. They can’t be all bad if they saved me. Or maybe I’m just being stupid and naive.

After two days, I finally feel much better. When the Luna hears this, I’m taken back to the cells. I quickly take a look at all of the prisoners and see they’re alive, and I’m so grateful, though the two guys in the cell across from Dash have new wounds that seem to be healing. They look more beat up than before.

“Well, well. Look who’s back. How are you doing, Curls?”

This time, I can’t help but give him a shy smile, but when I look away, my eyes meet those green eyes.

Now that I can see him a little better, there’s something about him.