Chapter 6 Prison

(Diane)

With a violent shove, he threw me to the ground, my back slamming against the cold, hard floor. Pain radiated through me, but I barely had time to register it before Victor was on me, pinning me down with his weight. 

His hands clamped around my wrists, forcing them above my head as I thrashed beneath him.

I tried to fight back, but he was too strong. Nina howled in fury, her energy surging through me, but Victor was relentless, his strength far beyond anything I could match.

“Stop struggling,” he hissed, his face inches from mine, his breath hot and sharp. “You think you’re the victim here? You have no idea what it feels like to be cast aside, to be nothing while someone else gets to live your life.”

I glared up at him, tears of frustration burning my eyes. “That’s not my fault!” I choked out. “Whatever happened between your mother and my father—that has nothing to do with me!”

Victor’s expression twisted with hatred, his lips curling into a snarl. “It has everything to do with you,” he growled. “Because you’re the perfect little princess he chose. And now… now, you’re just a pawn in my game.”

I bucked against him, trying desperately to free myself, but his grip only tightened. My heart pounded in my chest, fear mingling with a blazing anger that threatened to consume me whole.

“You won’t get away with this,” I spat, my voice shaking but defiant. “Someone will stop you. I’ll stop you.”

Victor’s laugh was cold and hollow, devoid of any real humor. “Oh, you’ll try,” he said, his tone dripping with mockery. “But you’re not strong enough, little sister. You never were.”

The sound of the soldiers sent by the Werewolf Council storming into the house jolted me, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Victor’s weight pressed me into the floor, but I couldn’t let him win—not now, not ever. 

“The letter opener! It’s on the ground over there!” Nina snarled in desperation. 

My fingers scrabbled across the floor, brushing against cold metal. 

I gripped the letter opener tightly, its sharp edge biting into my palm. Blood ran down my hand, staining the engagement ring Victor had given me, as if marking it with the truth of his betrayal.  

I didn’t hesitate. With a guttural cry, I plunged the blade toward Victor’s left eye.  

“Fuck!” he roared, recoiling just in time for the edge to slice across his cheek, leaving a deep, bleeding gash.  

Before he could launch himself at me again, the door burst open with a deafening crash. The soldiers flooded in, weapons drawn, their voices barking orders.  

I froze, my breath heaving, the letter opener still clenched in my trembling hand. Slowly, I raised my hands, the weight of everything crashing down on me.  

“I did it,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “You can take me now.”  

Victor stared at me, blood dripping down his face, his expression twisting with rage and disbelief. 

But he didn’t dare say a word.  

As the officers cuffed me and led me out, I reached out through the mind-link, searching for my father’s Beta. “Take care of my mother,” I pleaded, pouring every ounce of my trust into him. “Don’t let him hurt her.”

He didn’t reply, but I felt the faint echo of his resolve. It was enough to give me hope, even as I stepped into the back of the police car, leaving my mother—and my entire world—behind.  

***

Prison wasn’t the sanctuary I’d hoped for. It wasn’t safety—it was just another kind of cage.  

The first night, the air in my cell was stifling, thick with tension and the lingering scent of fear. I tried to keep to myself, but it didn’t take long before trouble found me.  

A group of prisoners cornered me, their faces hard and cruel, their eyes glinting with menace.

“Look what we have here,” one of them sneered, grabbing my face roughly, her fingers digging into my cheeks. 

Another stepped forward, holding a small bottle of something dark and viscous. “Got a message for you,” she said, her grin wicked.  

I thrashed, but it was no use. One of them forced my head back, prying my mouth open as the liquid was poured down my throat. It burned like fire, choking me, leaving a metallic aftertaste that made me gag. 

Nina screamed in anguish, her cries echoing through my mind as the poison seeped into my system. 

Wolfsbane, I thought desperately, panic clawing at my chest.  

The leader of the group leaned in close, her breath hot against my ear. “You think prison can keep you safe? Think again.” 

Nina growled weakly in the back of my mind, her strength sapped by the wolfsbane coursing through my veins.  

They left me there, crumpled on the floor, my body trembling from the effects of the poison. My vision blurred, and a single thought reverberated through my mind:

Victor.

Even here, I couldn’t escape him.